There was a recent article in the World Economic Forum that tells us that scientists in Brazil had found that elderly female yoga practitioners have greater cortical thickness in the left prefrontal cortex, in brain areas associated with cognitive functions like attention and memory. The researcher involved in the study explained that it is equivalent to training the brain in a similar way as training the muscles.

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Needless to say, that got many people excited, as there is no known cure/treatment for degenerative diseases associated with old age such as Alzheimer’s.

Interesting article, but as with everything, you have to show long-term commitment to enjoy its fruits. You can’t just show up and expect instant goodies.

There are no short-cuts: in life you always have to work for something good that you may enjoy later and you have to put years of committed regular practice (be it yoga or doing sudoku puzzles) to get the benefits of what you do fixed in your brain and/or your body.

This are my suggestions:

  1. Start with learning to be committed with 9 minutes a day of meditation every day. See how many days you can go on for without breaking your practice. I strongly advocate this as the best pathway for learning about commitment and yourself. In time, you will get much peace and self-realisation from this humble practice.
  2. Don’t neglect to do your stretches because staying young (and looking young) is not just about face but body too. So work to keep your range of motion.
  3. Do as much cardio as you can, in any way you can. Run up and down stairs if you have good knees. I find that very effective. It’s not fun living with a weak heart!
  4. Drink lots of water to hydrate yourself and to flush toxins out.
  5. Eat a balanced diet, lots of oily fish too.
  6. If yoga is not for you, try Tai Chi or Qigong, but never abandon your meditation practice and your zest for life.
  7. Live with the right life partner. Being in a bad relationship can be as damaging to your health – here a short article in Forbes on the subject:

    “You can either repair the relationship (if the other person is willing) or end it altogether. Because one thing is clear: A bad relationship is not worth the toll it can have on your body.”

    Indeed, it can be very ageing and taxing on your system to always be down, and once you lose your enthusiasm for life, you start getting old fast.

  8. Love life, laugh a lot, have supportive network of good friends and people who lift you rather than drain your energy ❤