Friday, October 25, 2013

If you don't read, your brain will decline

Really. We worry so much about our physical bodies. The media: books, articles, talk radio, tv, constantly talk about the latest diet or fad or nutritional philosophy that will make us thin now and strong into old age.

This is good, right?

Right.

But our mental health is important too. Sam's wonderful grandma just passed away. Her mind went much faster than her strong body, and she had a pretty miserable last few years.

I think I'd like my body to go first. Of course, I don't know for sure what I would like, and I won't have much say at the point these changes are happening, but studies are finding that those who frequently exercise their brains from childhood through old age have a 32 percent lower rate of mental decline than those with average mental activity. Those who infrequently exercise their brains have a 48 percent greater rate of mental decline than the average.

See this article

I want to be part of that 32 percent.

The author of the article said this:

Our study suggests that exercising your brain by taking part in activities such as these across a person's lifetime, from childhood through old age, is important for brain health in old age," study author Robert. S. Wilson, Ph.D., of the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said in a statement. "Based on this, we shouldn't underestimate the effects of everyday activities, such as reading and writing, on our children, ourselves and our parents or grandparents."

We shouldn't underestimate the effects of everyday activities, such as reading and writing, on our children, ourselves and our parents or grandparents.

Beyond that, I believe in a life after this one, and I believe the mental, spiritual, and emotional skills we develop here will carry with us. So we'd better develop them. 

On a side note, we discovered copperheads in our yard yesterday. A nest. Of babies. Awesome. 

Here are some great books to read when you can't go outside because you have a nest of poisonous snakes. Or because you want to improve and strengthen your brain!


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Wonderful!
This reminded me in many ways of Jinx. So incredibly well written.

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So interesting!
About a cholera epidemic in Europe. Mary and I loved it.

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I read this to the entire family, and they were mesmerized.

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The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde
(I love his writing style—not sure why...)

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Calvin has been unable to put this book down.

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