Note To Brain: Muscle Up!

Most nights, my wife and I play games in bed before going to sleep. Oh, stop it. I mean games like solitaire, hangman, battleship, and other classic brainteasers now available in various digital incarnations.

If you read my first blog, you know that my wife suffered a major stroke last fall. So she's playing these games to help restore brain functions she lost due to the stroke.

Me, I'm playing them to keep my brain from turning to mush.

Okay, it's not that bad. Sure, I occasionally can't remember where I left my keys, parked my car, or the last four digits of my wife's social security number. But that's trivial stuff. I've got a lot more important things to think about—work, family, money, name it.

I'll eventually find my keys, my car, and I've got my wife's social security number filed, well, on my iPhone, Blackberry (yes, I have both, sadly), or somewhere.

I'm a big-picture guy, so I focus on activities that can have a positive, long-term impact on my wellbeing. Hence, I work out regularly, maintain fairly healthy eating habits—and play brain-games. Sometimes before bed. Or in bed. ( I did mention this already, didn't I?)

I don't fret over the minutia that comes with being at the high-mileage stage of life—the physical aches and tweaks, or the minor mental gaps that can be easily slipped into the file labeled "Not That Important."

What's important? Problem-solving. Curiosity. Intellectual engagement.

I want to qualify for the mental Olympics as long as I'm able. So I devote almost as much time to keeping my mind in shape as I do trying to stay in shape physically.

The good news is that while your body can't do the same things it did a quarter century ago, your brain is game for almost any challenge. Studies show that to your brain, age is nothing more than a number. Those things you "forget" are really stored somewhere in your neutron-fired brain matter, ready to be retrieved when really necessary. Or when tweaked.

That's why you should train your brain as much as you train your body—if not more. It's just another muscle, right? And, in fact, your brain responds to stimulus as much as your abs respond to that last set of crunches.

And it won't be sore tomorrow!

Here are four ways to train your brain for any challenge, be it finding your keys or staying creative:

1. Get Social – I'm not talking about the weekly church bingo nights. I mean social media. You've heard about Facebook and probably even Twitter. If you haven't, chances are your friends have. Indeed our age group represents the fastest growing segment of social media, says the Pew Research Center. Since '09, the number of Internet users over 50 using social media nearly doubled, from 24 percent to 42 percent. One in five users age 50-64 say they typically go to a social network site every day, up from 1 in 10 last year. This kind of interaction keeps you in-the-know and in touch.
2. Play Games - Crossword puzzles. Sodoku. Battleship. Solitaire. Anything that challenges your brain like a pop quiz in college. And don't just stay at the easy levels. Raise the stakes to more difficult levels. Time yourself, too. Many digital versions of the game contain timers that allow you to see how quickly you complete the challenge. If you want to go deeper, many websites, including Brainist.com, offer free games designed specifically to enhance brain functions.
3. Eat right – That vegetables are good for your eyes has been beaten into your head since you were a child. But do you also know they're good for your head? At least some of them–those high in carotenoids, an antioxidant. These would be carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, kale, collard greens, tomatoes, and squash. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences found a "positive correlation" between levels of carotenoids and cognitive function in seniors.
4. Sleep! – C'mon, this goes without saying, doesn't it? Though for me it's the hardest of these four paths to follow. I generally get about six hours sleep, maybe a snore or two more. That's a couple hours short of the eight hours I should get. Since the brain "reboots" during rest, I'm probably missing out of a couple of neutrons every night–hence the where-are-my-keys moments. The brain also does some of its best work when we're sleep, according to various studies. It problem solves (one reason I keep a pen and paper on the nightstand) and is often its most creative. The lack of sleep not only causes you to miss out on those functions, but can put you in the sleep-depravation zone, which can produce all sorts of harmful problems.

Try these strategies and you'll be solving life's mysteries long after you're no longer able to lift them—and your friends have forgotten them.

Read more Roy S. Johnson right here on HealthGoesStrong.com: 

• Our parents celebrated fried food and often fed us in ways that would make today's dieticians cringe. Think you can't change your eating habits? Think again. 
• Oh, if there were only 36 hours in a day! Well, there aren't, but you can still balance your life and find the time for work, family, love, and, yes, sleep.
• It's time to stop thinking about getting fit and start doing it. Yes, that's right, you at the desk all day and on the couch all evening—it's not too late for you. 
• We all expect illness later in life, but what happens when tragedy strikes sooner than we expect?
• Want to have better sex later in life? Get in shape!