Get The NEWSS And Stay Smart My wife's mom will be 87 this year...
though, with Dad turning 91, she's still the youngster in the home they share.
Yes, they still live in their own home about half the time, with a lot of help from their "kids" (that's us 50-somethings who work hard to make sure Mom and Dad have as much freedom and independence as their limitations will allow).
Witnessing Mom's and Dad's experiences has taught me something about aging, and much of what they're experiencing echoes recent research.
Virginia Commonwealth University did a study last year that compared the "emotional set-point" of identical twins as they aged.
They found that life's experiences - the ups, downs, and everything in between - really stay with us and shape us emotionally.
The study showed how important life experiences are to such mental health issues as anxiety and depression.
In other words, your diet may dictate that you "are what you eat," but this study shows that you "are what you've experienced.
" And as I hang out with Mom and Dad, who've lived through everything from world war to severe economic depression (and, in Mom's case, growing up in the heart of the "dust bowl"), the study's findings are no surprise to me.
These people will never change certain aspects of the way they think and feel, and when you consider what they've lived through, it makes sense.
Another thing that makes sense is Mom's affinity for computer games, especially ones like "Free Cell" which really test your mind and memory.
She struggles with memory loss, and she knows it's important to do what she can to stay sharp...
so she spends a lot of time rearranging cards on the computer screen and working out other logic puzzles.
She still plays bridge (a hard game for anybody!), and another recent study in the journal "Neuron" confirms the importance for folks to do just that sort of "mental exercise.
" The researchers found that the sort of risk/reward scenarios you get in puzzles and games really stimulate all areas of the brain.
Yet another study shows why it's so important for us to help Mom and Dad feel as good as they can about living with the challenges of such advanced stages of maturity.
According to last October's published proceedings from the National Acadamies of Sciences, older folks have more than a third lower chance of dying if they're content, excited, or happy during their typical day.
Even taking into account such factors as finances, physical and mental health, chronic disease, levels of physical activity, booze intake, depression, and age, the findings held up.
So a happy life, it turns out, really is generally a long life.
That's part of the reason I'm such an advocate of the five key daily health habits I call "The NEWSS" - Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sleep, and Supplements.
If you can maintain a good level of discipline in these five areas (cut the garbage out of your diet, work out 3-6 times a week, get two liters of water every day and eight hours of sleep every night, and take at least one good daily multi-nutrient), I believe you can live better for longer.
And don't forget to exercise your brain, including your feelings.
Find a way to stay happy, and work on things that keep you sharp.
Those who live to stay smart often turn out to be smart about how (and how long) they live!