The newest thing for keeping the synapses going is brain games. For anyone over the age of 50 this is an important thing to “keep in mind” – keeping many brain cells “sysnapping,” as much as possible.
There is a fun group that meets here a couple times month (First and Third Thursday at 3 p.m.) and they have great fun with word games, math puzzles and logic games. They sure seem to have a good time while they are exercising their brains!
In an article in Scientific American by P. Murali Doraiswamy and Marc E. Agronin, published on April 28, 2009, the authors say there is “clear evidence that living in an enriched environment with lots of mental stimulation produces positive brain changes.”
In 2009 they were just starting to do experiments to see if brain training had an impact on humans (versus the traditional experiment with rodents). Today we know that things like socialization and exercise are good for the body and soul and add in brain games for that little extra push to keep the brain cells active.
Another aspect of this was written about in a online newsletter called Healthline. This was published on August 29, 2016 and written by Erica Roth. Erica emphasized three things to keep your brain in shape: 1) Mental fitness is just as important as physical fitness, 2) Mental dexterity exercises can help keep mind and body fit, 3) Relaxation exercises are important as well, as we age.
In hopes of bringing some brain fitness to your week here are a few puzzles and tests to try. Email me if you think you know the answers. Answers will be published next week!
From The Little Black Book of Brain Games, copywrite 2009 by Suzanne Beilenson. 
1. A Baaa Bender
A herd of sheep and turkeys has 99 heads and feet. How many are there of each, if there are twice as many turkeys as sheep?
2. An Age-Old Question
Jodi is four times as old as her daughter Hannah. In 20 years, she will be twice as old as Hannah. How old are Jodi and Hannah now?
3. A Leap of Logic
A man stared through the filthy, soot-smeared window on the 30th floor of a sky-scraper. Terribly depressed, he opened the window and jumped through it. However, he was completely unscathed on landing, though there was nothing to break his fall or slow his descent. How can this be?
4. Riddle
Which word is spelled incorrectly in the dictionary?
___________________________________
Quote of the Week:
A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier. – Tom Stoppard
