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Contributed by: TJ Wisner 

There are over 650 muscles in the human body, and we have all heard the old saying “use it or lose it” regarding muscle conditioning. In fact, our muscle mass will atrophy at a rate of about one half pound per year, after we turn thirty. Great news for use Cool Old Guys!

If you agree with the scientists, we only use 10% of our brain. Think about that. The brain weighs less than two percent of our body weight and contains over 100 billion cells. (Take into consideration the loss of brain cells due to “exercising” them too much at parties, which may result in your specific number of cells being somewhat less.) And yet, the brain controls everything we do.

As we get older, the brain and our muscles need to exercise. Research has shown a likely cause of Alzheimer’s Disease is the neurochemical factors in the nerve cells of the brain. It is also known that if we exercise our brain, we “fire” these nerve cells in unique and healthy ways. This is where I need to say, I think researchers know very little about the brain. None the less, it is widely held that exercising your brain produces results that will make you feel and act more alert (and may help you remember where you put your car keys.)

Here are a few things experts say will help exercise your brain and keep us COGs healthy:  

PLAY: Play games and work with puzzles. Crossword and jig-saw puzzles are good and so is my favorite, Sudoku. Now the really good thing about Sudoku is, if dementia has already set in, just get one puzzle and make lots of copies, you’ll never know the difference! Card games and even video games can also work your brain in different ways.

CREATE: Write your own biography or family story. As you reflect on your life, with a few enhancements, it might be good enough to turn into a novel. Just ask James Frey and Oprah.

EXPERIENCE: Go someplace you have never been. Try a unique restaurant or grocery store. Take day trips to places you’ve never been. Even something as simple as walking the opposite direction you normally do in the grocery store will use your brain (just remember to go back a get the ice cream last.)

SHARE: Join a book club or civic group. Interact with others and share perspectives and experiences. Share your expertice with other Cool Old Guys.

READ: Read novels, biographies, history, even business and self-help books. Read something out of the ordinary, it will make you work your brain harder. Spend some time every day reading and listening to articles on CoolOldGuys.org.

The brain is like a muscle, if you don’t use it you will lose it.

TJ Wisner is a performance improvement expert and Cool Old Guy that helps individuals and organizations learn more and earn more. Contact TJ at tj@coololdguys.org