The World is Our Classroom

When we were born, we had no knowledge besides instinct.  As time passed, we discovered we had legs and arms and hands.  We gradually started figuring things out.  Human’s rate of learning in those first few months of life is extraordinary.

When we entered school, we began learning new skills, expanded our vocabulary and learned to read and write.  With that knowledge, we were able to continue through our school years absorbing more and more information.

Then, we graduated.  Unfortunately, many people stop learning at that point.  Sure everyone learns something just going through the motions of life.  However, it is in the action of learning, intentionally gaining new knowledge that our brains stay alive and active.  Many studies show that mental activity may even prevent mental diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.

Learning is a habit, a good habit that we need to sustain throughout our lives.  Sitting in front of a television is passive activity.  The benefits of learning are lost.  To challenge your brain, you need to do new things, go to different places and read!

Travel is an excellent learning activity.  Seeing new places, meeting new and different people and experiencing new opportunities helps you to acquire a wealth of knowledge. 

Starting a new hobby is a wonderful learning exercise.  Not too long ago, I took up beading.  I am not all that good at it, but I enjoy it, it requires thought and I have developed a new skill.  Perhaps you enjoy “crafting,” or you want to learn to ski, paint, golf… There are myriad hobbies where you can learn the intricacies required and meet new people.

Reading, of course, is the most active way to learn new information.  Surveys show that 42% of all college graduates in the United States never read another book after graduation.  42%!  I was shocked to read that.

In today’s world, there are many different reading mediums.  Books are the most obvious, but in recent years, books have become digitized with the advent of Kindle and Nook readers.  A whole library is now available at our fingertips.  For those with a limited budget, the books we have read for centuries are still available at bookstores and libraries.  I am an avid reader, but I still read actual books.  I frequent my local library, and I am always pleased to see that it is very well used by the community.

To learn and keep up with current events, there are newspapers both in print and online.  Fortunately, newspapers include far more than politics and the latest murder.  You can learn about art, cooking, your community and much more in your local newspaper.

Obviously you read blogs, another great place to learn about a wide variety of subjects.  Because there are personal blogs, sports and art-related blogs, business blogs and so much more, they are an almost endless source of knowledge.

Once we left school, our learning became self-directed.  Learning is a huge part of what makes life interesting and fun.  And we are in total control of when, how much and what we learn.

I Do Not Like to Exercise

I do not like to exercise.  I never have, but I have always done some form of exercise regularly.  More often than not, I have had a walking routine, and periodically bike riding and various forms of at-home exercises. I was thinking about this as I was taking my morning walk.

I exercise, because I want to live a really long time.  It’s that simple.  Exercise is good for us, and I always feel better after exercising and sluggish if I do not.

We have always known that exercise can keep us fit and healthy and extend our lives.  Over the past couple of years, however, studies have been conducted on how exercise affects our brain.  The results, among other things, shows that exercise improves memory and increases the size of the hippocampus.  At around the age of 55, the hippocampus begins to atrophy.  It is one of the first areas affected by Alzheimer’s.

One of the studies used both men and women with an average age of 60.    The study revealed that the brains of those who did regular aerobic exercise had a hippocampal volume of 2%.  Those who did not exercise actually had a decline of 1.4% hippocampal volume.  Those who exercised also had increased spatial memory.

The studies also showed that during exercise, the brain has to work hard to keep muscles moving and to keep all our bodily systems in sync with one another.

This is a bit more scientific than I understand fully, but it is clear that there are both physical and mental changes occur in our brain when we exercise.  That’s enough for me.

The good news is that we don’t have to spend hours in a gym or jogging.  If we walk briskly for 30 minutes most days of the week, it is sufficient to gain the benefits of exercise. 

With few exceptions, everyone can either walk or move in some way for 30 minutes several times a week.  If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for those who love you who might one day have to care for you if Alzheimer’s strikes.   If the knowledge that exercise was good for your body – to maintain a healthy weight, prevent diabetes, etc. – was not enough to get you off the sofa, perhaps knowing that your brain is actually affected might.

Is everybody ready now?  Let’s get moving!

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