Exercise for Your Brain
Suggested lead: You don't have to go to the gym to exercise one of the most important organs of your body. Tom Britt has more.
University Medical Center neurobiologist Lawrence Katz says the best way to keep the brain flexible and agile is to use the same idea that fills the aerobics classes at the gym. He calls it "neurobics," and recently co-authored a book filled with exercises designed to keep your brain active and learning.
"The aging brain retains a surprising degree of plasticity, and rather than be on a slow slide into decline, the brain retains the ability to grow and acquire new information, even late into our adult years. The idea of neurobics is to tap into this power in the brain."
Katz offers several recommendations in his new book that help your brain develop new agility, including brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand, showering with your eyes closed, and taking a different route to work. He says the worst thing we can do is to stop learning. I'm Tom Britt.
Katz says neurobics is especially important as we grow older, to keep our thinking agile and flexible.
Cut 2...get older...:12 . . . (Preview this in a WAV file in 16-bit mono.)
"Many of us are concerned that our brains are not functioning as efficiently or as well as they did when we were younger, and we want to do something positive to keep our mental capacities as intact as possible as we get older."