Happy April 1st!  Before we get one day older, you might take heart to these great ideas sent to us by Kenneymyers.com/blog/: 

• As you age your brain begins to shrink naturally.  However, if you eat right and stay active you can actually reverse the shrinkage.  Another way to keep your brain sharp is by using your brain to do puzzles that will challenge you.  You can also take a class.  When you are learning something new, you are using a different part of your brain, and in essence you are exercising your mind.  One of the easiest ways to keep your brain sharp is to stay socially active, whether it’s in person or online.  These 24 blog entries will give you some more ideas of things you can do to keep your brain in tip top shape.
• Puzzles

Some people enjoy doing crosswords and other puzzles and complete them regularly.  If that’s you, it’s important that you change things up and try something new.  If you can create new pathways in your brain, you will be the better for it.  Try Sudoku or a word find.  Maybe you could take up playing chess.  The logic required to strategize in chess will really stretch your brain muscle.  If you don’t do puzzles now, you might take up the hobby.  Take a look at these six blog posts for more ideas on games that will keep you sharp.

• Keep Your Mind Sharp While Job Hunting with These Activities
• Keep Your Brain Sharp
• Musings and Affirmations: I Keep My Mind Sharp
• Keep Your Brain Firing on All Cylinders
• Featured Game Review: Mind Games
• Mind Games: Keeping Your Brain Sharp Through Play

Keep Learning

It’s important that you never stop learning.  When your mind is idle you may start to lose the ability to remember and retrieve information.  You are never too old to learn a new language or to take a class.  Think about things you’ve always wanted to learn and find a class where you can learn it.  Even reading a book about something new will help to keep your mind sharp.  Check out the following six blogs for more ideas on how you can continue to learn.

• How to Keep Your Brain Sharp After Retiring
• Being Bilingual Can Keep Your Brain Young, Sharp
• Top Reasons to Keep Your Mind Active
• Learn a Few Secrets to Serious Productivity and Keeping Your Brain Sharp
• Keep Your Mind Sharp: Apreder Español!
• 5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Brain Sharp by Women’s Day Staff

Stay Active

Exercise produces a chemical in your body that helps keep your brain young according to Dr. Edgerly from Columbia University.  He and his team have performed many studies regarding exercise and the effects of aging on the brain.  When you are sedentary you are not getting as much oxygen to your brain, which is needed to keep you alert and sharp.  By looking at these six blogs, you may find just the information that you need to encourage you to get up and move.

• 5 Workouts that Boost Memory and Keep Your Brain Sharp as You Age
• 6 Tips for Keeping Your Mind Sharp and Active
• Work Out Your Body, Exercise Your Brain
• Tips to Keep Your Mind Sharp
• Keep Your Brain Sharp by the Technique of Lifelong Learning
• Lifelong Learning: Times Ideas and Resources for Keep Your Brain Sharp

Be Social

It may sound funny that one way to keep your brain sharp is to go socialize with your friends, but it’s true.  Having a lively conversation with a friend or even the guy at the hardware store is one way to stimulate your brain.  If you are unable to get around, you might try signing up for Facebook online.  By posting once a day and reading other people’s posts you are being social and staying connected.  These six blog articles will give you some other ideas on how to be social.

• Seven Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp
• Six Simple Rules to Keep Your Mind Sharp and Ward Off Memory Loss
• The Best Way to Keep Your Brain Sharp in Old Age?  Sign Up to Facebook
• How to Keep Sharp
• Outsmart Them All
• Tired?  Simple Ways to Keep Your Brain Tuned Up

Note: We appreciate these great ideas that apply to everyone, regardless of age.  When one reaches the point that they have more free time, it is wise to not lose time being with friends. Set a certain day, once a month, or as often as possible to take a little day trip together, or get out and join a golf group.  A new activity for me is learning to play bridge with my friends.  There are all types of fun things to do, so don’t stay on the couch and eat bon-bons every day!  Enjoy life, it’s too short, and getting shorter every day! pb