Our body may slow down and get weaker, but our mind can stay sharp.

Age, Knowledge, Forgetting

Our mental speed does decline with age. After age 30, it takes longer to learn new things. But our knowledge keeps growing right into our 70s. We may forget a few facts and events, but by the time we reach 70, we have a lifetime of wisdom and accumulated knowledge fortified with threescore and ten years of experience.

Learn!

Mental exercise can help keep your mind alert. Exposure to new ideas and new environments keeps you nimble. Nowadays, it’s easy, with free phone apps, to start learning another language. You might think, ‘what’s the point,’ but it can be fun and stimulating. Duolingo is an app that lets you learn a lot of different languages for free, no matter where you are.

Surround Yourself with Variety

If you have access to museums, libraries, or art galleries, those can expand your mental horizons, especially if you go to a modern art gallery. You can spend all day trying to make sense of the art! This may have to wait until the pandemic is over, but make plans now. There are online museums, but they are not the same as being surrounded by strange objects from different cultures that take effort to place in our mental world.

Puzzle It Out

Puzzles like crossword puzzles or sudoku puzzles are also good mental training. There are apps or inexpensive booklets that allow you to complete these. Board games or card games can also keep you sharp. Or you might try a new hobby like painting. “I can’t paint!” you may say, but take a few lessons at a local store or local gallery. You’d be surprised what you can do with a few lessons.

Tell Your Story

Another project you might try is writing the story of your life. Don’t do it to publish a book, do it for yourself and your family. It doesn’t matter if you can’t write. You are the only one who can tell your story. This gives you a good excuse to contact old friends to jog their memories for details about events. Don’t leave out hard times — that is when we learned the most. If writing sounds too painful, try recording your stories. Have your children or grandchildren help you set up your phone for recording. It may seem silly, but your family will one day treasure your stories. It may even help them through their own struggles.

Socializing has a big effect on mental sharpness. If you isolate yourself, it’s hard to stay zesty. Jesting with friends keeps your words sparkling. Try to engage in as many relationships as possible. Don’t stop investing in people. It’s an investment that pays off over and over in many areas.

Move Your Body

The biggest contributor to mental sharpness is physical fitness. Regular exercise does more for your mental edge than intellectual training. Mental exercise can keep you sharp, but only if you have some physical fitness to build on. Your body is a machine that must be maintained with exercise. Without exercise, things get rusty and clog up, including your brain.

Invest Time Now

Being physically fit doesn’t mean running marathons. It means regular exercise, like walking, bike riding, or swimming. Aim for at least 4, 45-minute walks a week, and 2, 15-minute sessions of strength building. That puts you on the path to fitness.

Pep, Fizz, Zip, Pizzazz

Stay fit, stay active, and stay sharp. Try new things and learn new languages. Explore museums and new objects. Build better relationships with the people in your life. Live life with ZEST and SPARKLE.