Be Kind To Yourself: Mind & Body Love With Continuous Learning

These days there certainly are a lot of advertisements touting memory enhancing products. Even Mayim Bialik Ph.D., a neuroscientist, who played the character Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler from the Big Bang Theory, is endorsing a brain health supplement. 
It would be simple and easier to pop a pill and improve our memory, but we know that when we care enough about ourselves to make us a priority and take time to care for ourselves, we can spend the time we need to keep our brain functioning optimally or to slow down deterioration that can impair our memory and cognitive functioning.  Keeping the brain healthy is vital to healthy aging. The Alzheimer Association estimates that in 2021, 1:9 people 65 years or older (11.3%) has Alzheimer’s or approximately 6 million people. (1)
Leveraging the expertise of one of our co-founders, who is also a neuroscientist, we have identified a large body of scientific research that demonstrates the benefits of physical and intellectual activity on brain function and an individual’s overall well being.  To start, our brain is not static, it can create new neural connections and pathways, when stimulated through continuous learning activities. (2) Here’s how this works.
Research studies have shown that physical activity stimulates certain areas of the brain which can facilitate the generation of new brain cells located in the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. A study conducted at University of Pittsburg and University of Illinois revealed this important finding, that although the hippocampus can shrink one to two percent (3) as we age mature adults taking a 40-minute walk (aerobic exercise), three times per week for one year, resulted in a two percent increase in the size of their hippocampus and better brain functionality. (4)
Aside from eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise and at least eight hours of daily sleep, continuous learning has been shown to play a big role in maintaining healthy brain function.  Importantly, continuous learning is not just taking a course in a formal class setting (some may go back to college) but also through a virtual learning platform. Continuous learning occurs throughout our daily lives. Continuous learning occurs while doing our favorite activities or learning new hobbies such as working on a crossword puzzle, watching a news show or documentary, cooking a new recipe, learning a second language, learning to play an instrument, joining a book club, volunteering at a favorite organization, and, yes, engaging in physical activities. In fact, learning new things gives us a brain boost. (5)
So how does continuous learning support brain health as we age? For example, learning to play an instrument simultaneously engages the brain in the areas of memory, processing, and motor control.  Similarly, taking a language course has shown improvements in the memory function related to tasks and short-term events. (6) The more we use, or exercise, our neural pathways, the stronger they become. Eventually, we can put less active thought into these actions because we’ve built strong pathways as we make a habit of performing this activity such as running or solving puzzles.
And learning a new skill makes us feel confident and puts us in contact with like-minded people where we can build friendships or connect with groups, all of which improves our emotional health and well-being and gives us a better quality of life overall. (7) Who doesn’t need this after the year we’ve just been through?
As fellow 50ups, we are committed to a continuous learning lifestyle – we’ve gone back to get MBAs, started new businesses, and started new hobbies like jewelry making.  Be free to become who you are. It’s good for you.  

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Articles Referenced:  
1. Alzheimer’s Association.org: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures
2. Blake, Sharon.  January 31, 2011.  Moderate Aerobic Exercise in Older Adults Shown to Improve Memory.  Study led by Pitt, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shows brain hippocampus can be modified. http://www.news.pitt.edu/news/moderate-aerobic-exercise-older-adults-shown-improve-memory
3. Raz N, et al. Regional brain changes in aging healthy adults: General trends, individual differences and modifiers. Cereb Cortex. 2005;15:1676–1689. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
4. The Impact of Learning Multiple Real-World Skills on Cognitive Abilities and Functional Independence in Healthy Older Adults.  The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Volume 75, Issue 6, July 2020, Pages 1155–1169. https://academic.oup.com/psychsocgerontology/article/75/6/1155/5519313 
5. Lifelong learning in active ageing discourse: its conserving effect on wellbeing, health and vulnerability. Ageing Soc. 2018 Apr; 38(4): 651–675. Published online Nov 21, 2016. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5848758/
6. Are There Any Cognitive Benefits of Computer-Based Foreign Language Training for Healthy Elderly People? – A Mini-Review.  Frontiers in Psychology.  Published online Jan 12 2021. Are There Any Cognitive Benefits of Computer-Based Foreign Language Training for Healthy Elderly People? – A Mini-Review (nih.gov)
7. Center for Disease Control (CDC) 8 Ways to Help Improve Your Brain Health. https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/healthy-body-brain.html