Mature Life Features

. . .aficionados ! ! !

It’s Friday again

so dive into your playing gear

and climb aboard the team bus

at the Verena front door at 11 a.m.

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Mental Exercise Sharpens Seniors’ Mind

A few mental push-ups here and there can help keep an older adult’s mind just about as sharp as ever — much the same way physical exercise can help maintain physical fitness, according to the Pennsylvania State University’s Gerontology Center. Researchers worked with 5,000 men and women for more than three decades and found less than half showed a decline in mental ability, even those aged 74 to 81.

Does mental ability start to decline in middle age? Ridiculous, not even at age 60, they report. Just as you can maintain physical well-being as you age by exercising and eating properly, you can maintain mental well-being by engaging in stimulating activities, continuing to make decisions and leading an active life.

Mind-sharpening exercises include watching television informational programs rather than soap operas, playing bridge instead of bingo, playing blackjack instead of slot machines, and taking up word games like Scrabble or anagrams. They even recommend square-dancing because not only is it good for you physically, it’s also mentally challenging because you have to follow intricate patterns chanted by the caller.