What are you discovering about brain health?

@gloaming Oh exercise......it is so boring, I have PT twice a week and really do it only to keep some of my muscles working......I never liked any exercise, in school I played basketball in college tennis and I used to walk home from work (sometimes going to work) roughly 2 miles before retiring. I've done treadmill and elliptical machines in gym, but it always makes me tired, my body does not produce those endorphins or is it dolphins? I always would go straight to bed after gym.

In my view there at least two side to this. One is physical exercise and the other is mental exercise. For exercise, almost anything that stresses the system works. Many science publications proving some kind of interval exercise works very well. Could be as mild as a walking at a comfortable pace and then every few minutes or so upping the pace for a minute - repeat. As this becomes too routine, increase the intensity of the intervals. On the brain exercise side, I haven't' looked at the science literature but have a suggestion. Many states have a university "Access"system for older adults. I know that Washington and California have similar programs and I'll describe my state - Washington. Any higher education public institution in state that receives any state funding must offer the program, from full Universities to community colleges, etc. I attend U. of Washington under this program. Almost any class is available except professional programs (law, med, dental school etc.). It's called the Access program and you must be 60yo or older, no upper limit. The cost is $5 a credit hour and you can enroll in both undergrad and graduate level courses. I'm currently taking two chemistry classes each 3 credit hours with total cost to of $40 ($10 registration fee). The other rules: max two classes per term, you are an auditor and do not take exams, do not turn in homework, and the University does not track your enrollment history. I was issued a "Husky" card that gets me into any building or classroom for all 3 campuses and that includes the campus gym, sailing program, food courts, etc. and I can access the library from home. The only issue I have had is parking. No breaks on parking that is very expensive; I take the lite rail train that has a station on campus. I average about 6000 steps a day walking on campus. Thinking about a foreign language next term. This is an amazing program (I especially love looking at the course offerings and dreaming). If anyone is interested, I can look at what, if anything, is offered in your state; just leave a note here and I will give you my email.

@1995victoria What if you redefine "exercise"? Many days, I do not do what is defined in these days as exercise, but I usually get a pretty good workout. Our parents and grandparents got a good daily workout just going about their lives. As a kid, we mowed lawns with a push mower, were raked leaves by hand to bag or burn, and raised vegetables raised in backyard gardens, and flowers and shrubs out front - all required tending. Floors, windows and walls were washed regularly, the vacuum cleaner was a beast we pushed weekly... Clothes were washed, hung to dry, ironed/folded... We didn't text the neighbor - we walked down the block to visit. We walked to the neighborhood bakery, butcher shop, drug store etc

So, I reject the "easy way" for many tasks, and manage to get some exercise along the way. For example, I mop the floors or wash the windows physically, at a pace that leaves me breathing hard - upper body work, flexibility from reaching - bonus clean windows and floors. Or I carry the laundry up stairs in the heaviest baskets I can manage safely, fold the clothes as fast as I can reaching across the bed for each piece, then quickly walking the small stacks of folded clothes to their proper place - sometimes I can work quickly enough to work up a little sweat.

In my sewing/craft room, I do every task I can while standing, and intentionally arrange my tools and supplies so I must move around to use them. Yes, I even sew standing up at my elevated cutting/work table.

In the yard and garden, I can easily move 5000-6000 steps in 2-3 hours of planting, weeding and trimming. Lots of bending, reaching & lifting keep me fit. Bonus - a beautiful yard to sit down and enjoy - or to entertain friends & family.

Sometimes I even walk to the nearest grocery store/pharmacy just over a mile away if my list is short. I try to remember a small backpack to carry my purchases home - even small bag get pretty heavy in a mile! This was much easier as a kid when there were 10 \corner stores within a half mile, and even 35-40 years ago when I had my choice of 4 little local markets within 3/4 mile. My daughter and a neighbor both do their routine shopping by bicycle - I wish my balance was good enough!

What can you do in your life that can maintain or improve your fitness without resorting to the "exercise" you don't enjoy?

@1995victoria Exercise needn't be boring. I used to run competitively. That would bore some people to distraction. Not me. Same with cycling, which I used to do rather intensely. In my case, and speaking only for myself, I'm very happy between my ears and enjoy spending time there. I have many intense interests, including wringing all I can out of my body. So, I rarely do anything piecemeal. No, this kid does everything to the nth degree. If anyone is bored, it's the people I discuss my hobbies with. Their eyes roll, they look at their watch, look across the room...you get the picture.

You could take up a team sport and get great exercise. Slow pitch, pickle ball has been the rage since about 2010 (they played it avidly at the base gym at lunch hours at 19 Wing in Comox, BC, when I was there 20 years before that.....24 actually, so pickle ball goes way back).You could listen to podcasts in noise-cancelling earbuds while you lift weights or use a rowing machine. There are solutions to every problem.