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Jun 2, 2014

How to keep your mind nimble



In this health-conscious age the homesteading lifestyle is very attractive. What's not to like about organically grown vegetables and farm fresh, free-range eggs and chicken, right? We focus on taking in quality nutrition, getting the proper amount of exercise and trying to maintain a proper sleep cycle; but in all of this the one thing often overlooked is the mind. Alzheimer's, and other mental diseases are all too common among the elderly but there are ways to stave them off such as the previously mentioned healthy choices coupled with what my granny would call mental calisthenics.  I know a lady never tells her age, but my granny, who has passed her 8th decade and is going on her 9th, is still sharp as a tack.  Although her body has the usual age-related ailments her mind is still humming along, quick as ever.  She can run circles around most folks doing math in her head and her vocabulary is staggering.

So what's her secret?  Her mental fountain of youth?

In a word... crosswords. 

That's right, those little paperback crossword and word search booklets you can pick up in the magazine isle of any convenience store or big box store like Walmart. 

Her brands of choice are PennyPress & Dell
Being the frugal southern woman that she is, she won't pay retail prices for them either.  She does what people of her generation have always done, she takes pen and paper and writes to the publisher/company and asks them to send her their back issues.  Once every month or two she'll get a box full of them and those will keep her going for a little while.  It's a rare thing to see granny sitting still without a crossword booklet in hand.  She's even setup the side table by her recliner with a box full of pens and a stack of the booklets ready and waiting for her.


Just for fun, here is one of the PennyPress sample puzzles. Click on the image to go to their site for a printable version.
 
I hope that when I reach granny's age my mind still works half as well as hers.
 
How about you?  Do you have any mental exercises you like to do?  How do you keep your mind and body in shape?

 


this post has been shared at one (or all) of these wonderful blog hops!

http://trayerwilderness.com/simple-life-sunday-22/

11 comments:

  1. Love this post, and I'm sure I'd love your granny, too. She sounds like a smart lady. Crossword puzzles are popular in our family and do help to keep the vocabulary in peak condition. Several years ago as I topped and started down the "hill" I heard that we should learn new challenging things to keep our minds sharp so I learned to knit and loved it. I'm now in the process of learning to play the organ. The knitting was much faster, but I'm enjoying the music anyway. Thanks for a fun article to read.

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    1. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and let me know you enjoyed the post. I love knitting too, the itch seems to strike every year when the weather turns chilly. Learning to play the organ sounds amazing too. Thanks again for your lovely thoughts.

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  2. My grandma is also a crossword fanatic! Some of my fondest memories are when I would stay with her during summer vacation and do the daily newspaper crossword with her. She clips the crossword from the newspaper each morning and has stacks and stacks of them in a basket under her coffee table.

    Thanks for jogging my memory! p.s. found you on the HomeAcre Hop. :)

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your encouraging comment. Aren't grandmas the bee's knees? :-)

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  3. My mother is 93 and 1/2 yrs old and still works the daily crossword in the local paper. Usually finishes it, too. We need to exercise all areas of the body and that includes the brain. Thanks for the reminder. Deborah

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    1. Thanks Deborah for your lovely comment. Bless your mother, and bless you too for taking the time to read and comment.

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  4. I enjoy puzzles!
    I have heard knitting is a good way to work the brain and the hands :)

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    1. Oops, forgot to mention-
      Thanks for sharing at the HomeAcre Hop :)

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    2. Thanks Sandra! I too have heard that about knitting. Thanks for sharing your comment!

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  5. Thanks so much Newbie 'Steader for sharing this post on my Simple Life Sunday at TrayerWilderness.com. Your post was well written and had me reminiscing fondly of times spent with my grandparents! I am featuring your post tomorrow for week #22. Thanks again for taking the time to share and be sure to stop back and share some more... Blessings to you and yours! <3

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    1. Wow, thanks so much for the encouraging comment and the feature! Double thanks for hosting the hop.

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