{"id":540,"date":"2012-02-10T12:21:35","date_gmt":"2012-02-10T17:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wholeperson.com\/wordpress\/?p=540"},"modified":"2012-02-10T12:23:31","modified_gmt":"2012-02-10T17:23:31","slug":"understanding-the-aging-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wholeperson.com\/blog\/understanding-the-aging-brain","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the Aging Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Aging<\/a><\/em><\/strong>Don Ardell\u2019s tips for aging well are from his book Aging Beyond Belief<\/a>, 69 tips for REAL Wellness<\/em>. REAL wellness stands for Reason, Exuberance And Liberty. Don says you can\u2019t buy pills or treatments for REAL wellness\u2212it\u2019s a mindset and lifestyle you control. It\u2019s never to early to let Reason, Exuberance and Liberty be your guide\u2026these tips are for folks of any age. Enjoy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

TIP 4
\n<\/em><\/span>Un<\/em>d<\/em>e<\/em>r<\/em>s<\/em>ta<\/em>n<\/em>d<\/em>i<\/em>n<\/em>g <\/em>th<\/em>e Aging Brain
\nLear<\/em>n as <\/em>m<\/em>u<\/em>c<\/em>h <\/em>a<\/em>s<\/em> <\/em>yo<\/em>u can <\/em>abo<\/em>u<\/em>t <\/em>you<\/em>r own <\/em>CP<\/em>U<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n

D<\/em>o you know what \u201ccentral processing unit\u201d (CPU) I\u2019m talking about? I mean the one in your head containing 100 billion neurons, the one able to make about 1,000 trillion interconnections or so, according to R. Grant Steen in The Evolving Brain <\/em>(Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY, 2007). Your brain, neurophysiologist Steen suggests, is \u201carguably the most complex object in the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The more you learn about consciousness and unconsciousness, learning, memory, the role of genes, motivation, aggression and even your brain\u2019s evolution, the more you will look after it. That is, give it new data, use it wisely and take good care of the rest of the organism to which it is attached.<\/p>\n

All this attention to the brain takes on added signi\ufb01cance as the years accrue on the old CPU. The CPUs in computers can be replaced, but the one in your skull has to be upgraded, regularly if not automatically. There\u2019s work involved, which is often the case when worthwhile returns are at issue. It\u2019s just one more \u201ccross to bear\u201d (I prefer \u201cresponsibility to assume\u201d) associated with \u201csenior-hood.\u201d While it tempting to conclude that there is not much (good) to be said for getting older, consider this before getting discouraged:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n