Could these 7 senior exercise secrets really change your life?
Do you forget stuff?
Or have you ever experienced an embarrassing moment like this?
Upon entering the large reception hall, I immediately saw my nephew standing off to the side, holding his newly baptized son, all dressed in white. Beside him was his lovely wife, and their now eldest son.
Heading over, I poked my wife and whispered, “What’s the older boys name?”
That’s when I knew I had to start taking this memory, this brain thing, more seriously.
Have you forgotten names you should know too?
It’s common knowledge right? That you become more forgetful as you get older.
But I thought that was WAY older, not at 60. Yet here I was, forgetting the names of my family members.
That’s when I decided to really take a look at this forgetfulness thing, and see if there wasn’t something that could be done about it.
What discovered on the quest was even better!
I didn’t want to start my search for a solution with clinicians, doctors and drugs, however.
Too much I thought. Like bringing a tank to a knife fight!
-Elderbob
Drugs always seem to come with some pesky side effect – which adds more worry to the mix.
Supplements follow closely in this realm too, with the added challenge of trusting suppliers and their claims.
I was looking for something more natural. To start simply. Something I could do from home in the limited time I had. Or something I could add perhaps, or make part of, something I was already doing.
Once I began searching online, the advertisers of memory products quickly caught the scent and blasted my screens with ads for all kinds of products. Most of it sketchy, in my humble opinion.
One thing that piqued my curiosity, however, was the online brain training games. Sounds cool, right? Play games online and grow your brain.
Then I saw noted psychologist, Dr. Jordan Peterson doing an interview where he stated categorically, that no credible scientific evidence has ever been presented that proves these games, these online website “mind enhancing games” produce any benefit for the brain.
“But one thing is backed by scientific evidence to enhance our brain function”, he says. “Physical exercise”.
This kept popping up again and again as I researched how to have better focus, memory, and clearness of thought.
Physical exercise!
I jumped for joy – because I was already doing that! I just needed to add more, and specifically, more different things.
What I Did
More cardio was needed, because this helps get more oxygen to the brain through increased blood flow. Greater oxygen leads to clearer thought, greater focus, better memory and recall, and overall better health for brain cells.
I added hand fun and challenging exercises from Michael Lavery’s great book, “Whole Brain Power“.
Plus, I began to drink more water. I learned better hydration helps cellular function throughout your body, especially the brain.
So that’s what I did. Most of which consumed very little time in my day because, just as I wanted, many could be incorporated into the activities I was already doing. The only “add” was the “Whole Brain Power” stuff which only took like 15 minutes a day.
What Results Did I Find?
What did I get for my give?
Here are the 7 senior exercise secrets I discovered:
- More Energy It’s self-defeating to believe you are too tired to exercise. You are too tired, because you DON’T exercise! Exercise actually energizes the body.
- Clearer Thought – I noticed that I got my work done faster, answers came easier, recall came faster.
- Less Pain – I wasn’t going for less pain, but exercise helped me get more flexible which helped eliminate joint pain. I understand physical exercise also stimulates the body to produce pain blocking, feel-good hormones called endorphins. The same ones produced in sex – which I believe is also a good, physical workout! Less pain is always welcomed in my life!
- Better Memory – after just a week of these changes, I could recite the alphabet backward with ease, name all 50 states, and I also learned to write with my left hand, in cursive, backward! Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks! Woof! Ben Franklin could do this too – he kept a journal writing left-handed backward! Like code. Though you can read it easily using a mirror.
- Better coordination and fine more skills – within 90 days of beginning this, I could bounce a golf ball on a hammer 1000 consecutive times without missing. Plus write forwards and backwards with BOTH hands in cursive.
- Greater Confidence – when we know, when we demonstrate to ourself that we can do more, we just naturally feel better about ourself. It made me hopeful. “Hmmm – I wonder what else could I do?”
- Aids waste removal – physical exercise helps us move solid wastes through our intestinal system. This can help lessen gas, constipation and bloating. Also, movement is the primary pump for our lymphatic system. This important system is essential for fluid balance, absorption of fatty acids in the stomach, and immune system regulation. Movement through exercise helps get these fluids where they need to go to keep us healthy and increase our resistance to disease.
Results:
There was no mistaking the real-world health benefits I found through increased physical activity. Both physical and mental improvements could be documented.
If you’re noticing any deficiency in mental or physical fitness, my experience suggests that you too might benefit from a few changes in your physical activity. Nothing hard. I talked about a few options in other posts.
Just remember, I’m no doctor, and this should not be taken as medical advice. It’s not. Simply my account of what happened to me when I decided things had to change. For safety, everyone is always advised to seek the advice of a trained medical professional before beginning any new program of physical fitness.
Now, thanks to my new fitness routine, I’m proud to say my memory is better, my overall body fitness is better, and I have more energy than ever throughout the day.
I wish that for you too!
Hope this helps.
“Bene Vivere!”
Bob ‘Elderbob’ Schwarztrauber
