What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

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retire14
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What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by retire14 »

For seniors, what do you do on a daily basis to keep your mind sharp, improve memory and combat cognitive decline?
technovelist
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by technovelist »

Develop software.
Read political news.
Exercise, although not every day.
Read bogleheads. :sharebeer
Last edited by technovelist on Tue Nov 07, 2017 10:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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FraggleRock
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Sharpie

Post by FraggleRock »

Participate here.
Should I do more?
Drink more wine? Duh!
Jim180
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Jim180 »

Play chess online.
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baconavocado
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by baconavocado »

Exercise, specifically, aerobic exercise. The kind that hurts.
Fclevz
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Fclevz »

Long-form reading
Complex music
Minimize television
daveydoo
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by daveydoo »

What was the question again?
"I mean, it's one banana, Michael...what could it cost? Ten dollars?"
BogleMelon
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by BogleMelon »

daveydoo wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2017 10:22 pm What was the question again?
That made my day :D :D :D
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
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jabberwockOG
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by jabberwockOG »

1. Exercise and/or play racquet sports every day
2. Regularly perform work (physical and mental) in the service of others
3. Participate in several online forums
4. Read and research several hobbies
5. Play a musical instrument and learn or create new pieces almost as fast as I forget how to play old stuff
6. Read to stay high level current in technology, science, ecology, medicine, politics, and literature
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BolderBoy
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by BolderBoy »

Learning a new computer language (Go). Reading the BH forum.
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sport
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by sport »

I play duplicate bridge. Not every day, but several times a week. See www.acbl.org for info.
goblue100
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by goblue100 »

Play along with Alex on Jeopardy.
"Confusion has its cost" - Crosby, Stills and Nash
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Flobes
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Flobes »

Killer Sudoku and Greater Than Killer Sudoku online:
Killer Sudoku
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tc101
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by tc101 »

Chess club keeps mind sharp and is also a great social outlet. The people who go to chess clubs are a strange and interesting group. It is different than playing online.
. | The most important thing you should know about me is that I am not an expert.
Mrxyz
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Mrxyz »

tc101 wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:12 am Chess club keeps mind sharp and is also a great social outlet. The people who go to chess clubs are a strange and interesting group. It is different than playing online.
+ 64 !
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quantAndHold
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by quantAndHold »

Martial arts and computer hacking.
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Sheepdog
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Sheepdog »

Who says my mind is sharp? I work at it so that my wife will stop calling me Dummy..... ;-)
Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
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djpeteski
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by djpeteski »

I would give mathduko a try. Try Mathdoku+ free and no ads. I have it for android.
Michread
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Michread »

I suggest reading the book The End of Alzheimer’s by Dr Dale Bredesen for everyone over the age of 45. It’s not just about Alzheimer’s but about keeping mind and body healthy. It’s about living life eating right, exercising and taking supplements.
Early retirement 2018
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Toons
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Toons »

Learning a Foreign Language
Cooking
Exercise
Work with computers
Study finance and work with numbers
Read constantly
Volunteer work.
Crossword puzzles
Tavel. :happy
"One does not accumulate but eliminate. It is not daily increase but daily decrease. The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity" –Bruce Lee
Jeff Albertson
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Jeff Albertson »

This process of creating new neurons, called neurogenesis, can be altered by lifestyle, including physical activity. Many past studies have shown that in laboratory rodents, exercise doubles or even triples the number of new cells produced in adult animals’ brains compared to the brains of animals that are sedentary.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/04/well ... oving.html
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oldcomputerguy
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by oldcomputerguy »

I read political news most days, read Bogleheads every day, exercise at the Y two or three times a week, and do a mid-level-difficulty sudoku puzzle every morning and most evenings. Now that I’m retired, I’m also getting back into a programming project that I started a couple of years ago but drifted away from. (“Real programmers program in assembler.” :happy )
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. (Christopher Morley)
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Blues
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Blues »

Read, do crosswords, word jumbles, math and logic puzzles.

Train with weights several days a week.

Walk a lot, usually with our dog.

Turn off the news when it makes my head hurt.
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Bylo Selhi
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Bylo Selhi »

Um, I can't remember.

Seriously, I exercise my body and my mind. Studies have shown that regular physical exercise delays the onset of age-related mental decline, e.g memory loss, dementia, etc. Diet too plays a significant factor.
likegarden
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by likegarden »

I worked as an engineer until 69 years old.
Do all house repair work and yard work except for expert work.
Check Algebra home work of my 8th grade grandson.
Read the internet with Bogleheads. (avoid politics to keep your mind OK)
Think about finances and how to avoid scammers.
Hybridize hostas, update my Excel spread sheets, just started this years winter seeds.
Meet with other retirees, with two I speak German.
(my wife reads 6 newspapers daily)
camden
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by camden »

Read history. A lot.
Exercise.
Still work part time.
With the exception of some sports, especially baseball, stay away from TV. Especially TV news. Most particularly political news.
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oldcomputerguy
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by oldcomputerguy »

Mrxyz wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:36 am
tc101 wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:12 am Chess club keeps mind sharp and is also a great social outlet. The people who go to chess clubs are a strange and interesting group. It is different than playing online.
+ 64 !
I was one of a small group back in 1973 that started up a chess club at my high school. "Strange group" seems an appropriate description. :happy
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. (Christopher Morley)
technovelist
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by technovelist »

oldcomputerguy wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2017 6:32 am I read political news most days, read Bogleheads every day, exercise at the Y two or three times a week, and do a mid-level-difficulty sudoku puzzle every morning and most evenings. Now that I’m retired, I’m also getting back into a programming project that I started a couple of years ago but drifted away from. (“Real programmers program in assembler.” :happy )
Want to say what the project is about? I have a performance-oriented programming library I've been developing on and off for 40(!) years that is getting pretty close to the way I want it. :mrgreen:
In theory, theory and practice are identical. In practice, they often differ.
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Sandtrap
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Sandtrap »

Senior: in anticipation of cognitive decline I am more deliberate, meticulous, and slowwwwer.

DW keeps track of when my mind is dull. :shock:
Bogleheads > learn > try to be minimally helpful.
Read and study investment finance.
Stay current with the R/E market and R/E development.
Regular physical therapy, fitness routine.
Normal senior retiree stuff.
Cat Naps with my cat. :D
Last edited by Sandtrap on Wed Nov 08, 2017 1:11 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Hayden
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Hayden »

In addition to the things others have mentioned...my previous gym offered line dancing. That was an incredible mental workout! It combined mental activity, physical activity, music, and socializing. I thought it was terrific.
montanagirl
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by montanagirl »

Work part time as a bookkeeper, which is a new gig for me.
Learn Spanish in the car listening to CDs.
Play piano, mostly classical. I'm just an intermediate player but there is a lot of good stuff to learn.

I also work out every day, but I think that dulls my mind more than sharpens it. :|
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ResearchMed
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by ResearchMed »

Hayden wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2017 10:59 am In addition to the things others have mentioned...my previous gym offered line dancing. That was an incredible mental workout! It combined mental activity, physical activity, music, and socializing. I thought it was terrific.
We started taking ballroom dance lessons about 10 years ago. To do it well, it was *much* more difficult than we ever imagined, and I'm referring mostly to remembering the intricate steps *and* being able to coordinate properly with partner.
We became captured by it, and took frequent lessions, each dancing separately with instructor, and also with each other.

And then... we were encouraged to attend a local competition.
You guessed it... it wasn't long until we entered. Dancing once or twice a year in competition certainly focused the mind :shock:
Then there was an injury, so we've needed to pare back on that.

Meanwhile, to prepare for when most really active physical activity might be difficult, we are learning bridge.
Whether we'll just play socially or in duplicate events is yet to be seen, but we sort of see the writing on the wall, given "what happened" with ballroom dance :D

The nice thing about both of these is that it's stimulating, requires serious concentration and memory, is social, and we can do it together.
And there are enough mistakes (galore!) with both, for lots and LOTS of laughter, which is no doubt an added health benefit.

We also have a personal trainer come to the house early one morning each week, which is extra important, given the dancing intensity isn't what it was.

And we play classical musical duets occasionally.

RM
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bklyn96
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by bklyn96 »

  • Run ~5 hours a week
  • Read New York Times online
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FreeAtLast
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by FreeAtLast »

Exercise. Study advanced physics and mathematics.
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SmileyFace
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by SmileyFace »

I've got an Uncle in his late 80's who plays war-strategy computer games and says its what keeps him sharp!
Having to think through scenarios and interact sure seems more mentally stimulating than starting at a TV!
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DanMahowny
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by DanMahowny »

Advantage gambler. Taking $$ from casinos is challenging but very satisfying.

I read a lot too.
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Doom&Gloom »

DanMahowny wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2017 2:30 pm Advantage gambler. Taking $$ from casinos is challenging but very satisfying.

I read a lot too.
The screen-name and the Exhibit CAA reference in another thread gave it away :sharebeer

Any card games requiring memory/thinking/calculating, such as blackjack, gin, poker, bridge, etc.
Word games, board games, reading, learning more about computers & electronics.
Frequently rejecting the BH "Philosophy of Simplicity" in some areas (due to available time, mental exercise, and learning opportunity.)
bloom2708
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by bloom2708 »

Duolingo.com

I am learning both Swedish and Norwegian. Free.

I read a lot of "for fun" books. The new Jack Reacher novel hit my Kindle 2 days ago.
rikki
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by rikki »

Currently I am taking 3 courses, one through the local university and two via the local "Learning in Retirement" group; the latter are moderated. For each of the Learning in Retirement courses, each member must present a topic (one hour, with slides).

I exercise daily, at the Y or hiking/biking/x-country skiing depending on season.

Read newspapers and engage in discussions with friends and family.

1000 piece jigsaw puzzles during the long New England winter.
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celia
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by celia »

Walk -- to get exercise
Talk -- for an exchange of ideas
Read -- to learn, mostly online but I have projects that require research
Write -- to share, do my projects and Bogleheads
amarone
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by amarone »

sport wrote: Tue Nov 07, 2017 11:37 pm I play duplicate bridge. Not every day, but several times a week. See www.acbl.org for info.
Me too.
Lynette
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Lynette »

- Go to my health club every morning - unusually sociable - met one lady who runs a plumbing company - took over when her husband died, another runs her own construction company, another in her eighties has been goes to a quilting club of which she has been a member for over 25 years. I swim, do yoga, pilates or whatever class is on early in the morning. I also walk around my neighborhood - the dogs are starting to sport their winter coats :D

- Fixed up the house and garden and learnt a great deal in the process. Yesterday I got my new driveway installed.

- I decided to spend at least two years taking classes at a community college - photography and Spanish next semester. There are many, many languages to learn/relearn.

- I spend too much money/time on techie toys. I'm trying to get my new Samsung Note 8 to behave like my DSLR. I managed to save photos in RAW and use Photoshop Elements to enhance it. Today I got a new battery for my old Note 4 and I have to decide if I want to root it.

- I'm getting around to doing some volunteering - went with my church to paint part of a house in Detroit.
scrabbler1
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by scrabbler1 »

Scrabble (of course)
Strat-o-Matic baseball (cards & dice)
Chess, once in a while
Square dancing (Advanced and Challenge levels, tough stuff)
I haven't played bridge in years, but I enjoy reading my old bridge books which contain quizzes and stories
DVMResident
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by DVMResident »

Work on challenging problems with people smarter than myself
Reading journals and books
Listing to podcasts
Gaming
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jhfenton
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by jhfenton »

* Exercise: especially running, especially marathons. I'm coming back from a foot injury, but I'm usually competitive in my age group.
* Languages: both old and new. I'm working maintaining and improving my French, building up my Spanish, rebuilding my now-minimal Russian, and adding Mandarin, for which I took two semesters at the local community college. I took Arabic in college too, but I haven't gotten back to that yet. I consume a lot of media in French (books, TV shows, movies, music, news magazines) and a little in Spanish, and I attend a weekly French meetup. I haven't gotten up the courage yet to attend a Spanish meetup.
* Reading/Literature: non-stop, both Kindle books and audiobooks (for when I'm driving and running)

When I retire, I want to work on a degree in math and economics/econometrics. It's the path not taken.
Tanelorn
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Tanelorn »

Try to beat the market :)
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by Doom&Gloom »

Tanelorn wrote: Wed Nov 08, 2017 9:52 pm Try to beat the market :)
Winner!
flyingaway
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by flyingaway »

Playing cards with friends, no gambling.
flyingaway
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by flyingaway »

I just want to recommend the best way to keep everyone's mind sharp: keep working (sharpening your mind and making money as a byproduct).
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ClevrChico
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Re: What do you do to keep your mind sharp?

Post by ClevrChico »

German car repair.
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