Chapter 2
Staying Sharp: Giving Your
Brain a Workout
In This Chapter
▶ Realizing why brain fitness matters
▶ Being mentally active every day
▶ Working crosswords into your mental fitness routine
▶ Finding out more
T
onight on my local PBS station, the prime-time program is titled Magnificent
Mind at Any Age. It’s described as exploring “the many natural ways that we
can not only keep our brains healthy as we age, but improve and enhance our
brain power.” Shows like this — along with countless newspaper and magazine
articles, books, and Web sites — are increasingly focusing our attention on the
subject of brain fitness.
Maybe you’re a PBS fan and already know lots about this subject. Maybe you
and your doctor have talked about how to prevent and even potentially reverse
signs of brain aging. Or maybe these words are the first you’ve ever read about
this exciting topic, in which case I feel privileged to introduce it to you! Either
way, I hope this chapter opens your mind to new ideas about how to keep itself
sharp throughout your golden years.Stimulating Your Brain:
It’s Never Too Late
You may have been raised to believe that education is for kids and at a certain
point, adults know everything they need to know to survive. And that may be
true. But what you need to survive is much different than what you need to
thrive, and I suspect most of us are more interested in thriving.