3 things in 9 days...

[emily_in_nc]

I swear, this whole aging body thing is really annoying, isn't it? I want my 25 year old body and my current mind... is that too much to ask?

I dunno, I think I want my 25-year old body AND mind. I'm not as sharp as I was back then. Wiser, perhaps, but as sharp at learning new things? Nope.

[shootingstar]

Hope the orthopedic, shoe way or non-surgery way helps, Catrin.
I'm still working on getting full night's sleep back..

[Catrin]

Hope the orthopedic, shoe way or non-surgery way helps, Catrin.
I'm still working on getting full night's sleep back..

Thanks Shootingstar. Even it doesn't help much, I figure that I can live with this for a long time to come yet. I remember WELL what my 2004 foot surgery recovery was like, too well!

[Pax]

I dunno, I think I want my 25-year old body AND mind. I'm not as sharp as I was back then. Wiser, perhaps, but as sharp at learning new things? Nope.

I find being forgetful to be handy, much less angst, I realize I forgot why I got up and walked out of the room... so just shrug and go get some wine.

[emily_in_nc]

I find being forgetful to be handy, much less angst, I realize I forgot why I got up and walked out of the room... so just shrug and go get some wine.

LOL...that works!

[Catrin]

I find being forgetful to be handy, much less angst, I realize I forgot why I got up and walked out of the room... so just shrug and go get some wine.

Sounds great to me

[Crankin]

I agree with your decision, Catrin, and you must have been surprised by his quick recommendation for surgery. Hope you get some relief.
I don't see any difference in my memory or cognition. In fact, I think it's actually better now. Not that I was dumb before (), but I think all that writing I did for my second master's, and being with young people have kept me on my toes.
Physically, I've had chronic, weird stuff since i was 15. It's just worse now, though I deal with it much better. I do think I have some arthritis, but mysteriously, it all gets better if I stop exercising so much! That won't happen, so I am used to it.

[Catrin]

I agree with your decision, Catrin, and you must have been surprised by his quick recommendation for surgery. Hope you get some relief.
I don't see any difference in my memory or cognition. In fact, I think it's actually better now. Not that I was dumb before (), but I think all that writing I did for my second master's, and being with young people have kept me on my toes.
Physically, I've had chronic, weird stuff since i was 15. It's just worse now, though I deal with it much better. I do think I have some arthritis, but mysteriously, it all gets better if I stop exercising so much! That won't happen, so I am used to it.

I think that anything we do to challenge our brains really helps with that as we get older, that is why they say it's so good to learn a new language. I don't have time for that...but I am finally starting to read all of that epic poetry that I've wanted to. Just completed a years read-a-long of The Odyssey (Fagles translation) with a few friends via a private FB page. Having finished that I've started The Faerie Queene (Spenser). That may not be in a foreign language but the vocabulary and spelling is archaic enough that I figure it can't hurt - although that isn't why I'm reading it. It's proving easier to follow than I had thought, though perhaps spending a year with Homer wasn't a bad way to start. THAT was interesting, we read a book every two weeks to make it easier for multi-tasking busy adults to keep up. At least that was the plan, only 2 out of 7 completed but I think everyone enjoyed what they read.

Interestingly enough, for me, all of my arthritis (and there is a lot of it) improves with exercise as long as I don't enter the over-use range. If I exercise too little then ALL of my arthritic pieces and parts complain. It's a challenging balance!

Yes Crankin, his recommendation was a bit of a surprise as he is quite conservative. There was no pressure or anything like that, and he only recommended it to conserve cartilage. He wasn't surprised at my response, I think he felt that he had to give me the option.

[emily_in_nc]

+1 on learning a new language! I've spent extensive time over the past couple of years learning Spanish, and living in Mexico for a year gave my brain a real workout. However, I can tell that learning Spanish has been harder for me than French was back in high school/college. I just don't have as good a memory as I did back then, though I still understand the concepts, of course.

I do lots of reading and although some of it is easy mysteries and such, I do try to challenge myself by reading historical fiction and other genres that are a bit more challenging. I'm currently participating in a 2016 "Read Harder" challenge that has had me reading things like science books, books by authors of different ethnicities, etc. It's been fascinating.

Since I'm no longer working, I have to try twice as hard to keep the old noggin active. Fortunately, traveling full-time as we do and planning for these travels, is also a great brain exercise; dealing with maps, finding our way around new places, and visiting historic sites, etc. Even cycling and figuring out routes has got to be as good a brain exercise as crossword puzzles, I think!

[ny biker]

+1 on learning a new language! I've spent extensive time over the past couple of years learning Spanish, and living in Mexico for a year gave my brain a real workout. However, I can tell that learning Spanish has been harder for me than French was back in high school/college. I just don't have as good a memory as I did back then, though I still understand the concepts, of course.

I'm trying to learn a new programming language for work, and am experiencing something similar. It seems to take more effort to learn complex things than it did years ago. Although I guess motivation and interest level is part of it -- I have no problem learning and remembering new roads in areas where I plan vacations or bike rides. And I agree that it is a great brain exercise dealing with maps and finding routes. (Honestly if I could find someone to pay me a decent wage to plan bike rides, I'd take it in a heartbeat.)