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Funny you mention walking backwards. I tried that on the treadmill and about killed myself. I also tried to do this sidewards stepping over thing but discovered the treadmill track was too narrow. Maybe if I take it off tilt it would work. (I'm not kidding)
I would not suggest on any device. Just old fashion walking
10,000 steps backward will take me into the neighbor's yard two doors down. But I'll give it a try.
What is the app you refer to?
I use pacer on the IPhone, it goes by another name on Android there are a number of. I mix the footwork up and don't do it at one time. Spreading it out keeps a fitness burn going all day. Go to livestrong or do a Google search on walking 10,000 steps.
10,000 steps backward will take me into the neighbor's yard two doors down. But I'll give it a try.
What is the app you refer to?
ROFL! I think walking backwards would make me toss my cookies- I get motion sickness and looking where I've been does it too sometimes- like riding backwards in a van. You'd also have to somehow be aware of what you're running into unless you've also got eyes in the back of your head!
ROFL! I think walking backwards would make me toss my cookies- I get motion sickness and looking where I've been does it too sometimes- like riding backwards in a van. You'd also have to somehow be aware of what you're running into unless you've also got eyes in the back of your head!
Even if it is only for ten steps out of fifty. YES it would require brain activity and different brain part activity.
Escort, congrats on getting to be president of the board. It sounds like a lot of responsibility and not always fun and games but I am sure you are up to it. If that doesn't keep your brain sharp, nothing will.
I think just being on the internet and doing research on subjects that interest you is good for your brain. Reading books also. In my mother's old age I gave her crossword puzzle books and she got interested and was very good at it. In fact, even in the last days of her life when she was in a nursing home, I sat and did crossword puzzles with her and she still got the answers and it gave her something to think about.
The crossword puzzle thing came about because I had read somewhere that it was good for older people. Any games would seem to be helpful because you have to think and figure things out rather than being passive. I think watching tv can be very passive although there are some shows that the watcher becomes involved in and some thinking is involved.
If you are interested (and don't mind getting addicted), I think genealogy keeps your brain sharp too. It's another sort of puzzle and it forces you to think and figure things out.
Since my mom was having so many problems the past month I've been really paying attention to the things she does just to see how well she's doing mentally. She plays Mahjong and Solitaire online and is really good at both. She watches Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune every evening and she's pretty sharp and fast with the answers. In some ways she is doing really well but her interactions on the phone are sometimes something else. I'll catch her actually talking to those automated voices and getting mad when she can't get 'answers'. Or she'll call my brother, get his answering machine/voice mail and try talking like she's talking TO him. The other day she was trying to get a zip code for a town in MA and, somehow, got something that would give you a weather report if you said a zip code. She can discuss the latest news stories and knows what's going on in the 'outside world'. She has also burned up two dinners after starting them and falling asleep! One more thing to worry about. However, she promised me she will ONLY use the crockpot from now on. lol So far, so good. Anyway, for the most part I think she's keeping her mind alive and working pretty good, considering.
Genealogy in MY thing! Been doing it for 28 years now. My ONLY problem with all of that though is what am I going to do with all the 'stuff' I have collected/put together when I'm gone?? Probably donate it to the local Family History Library and let them deal with it. lol
Since my mom was having so many problems the past month I've been really paying attention to the things she does just to see how well she's doing mentally. She plays Mahjong and Solitaire online and is really good at both. She watches Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune every evening and she's pretty sharp and fast with the answers. In some ways she is doing really well but her interactions on the phone are sometimes something else. I'll catch her actually talking to those automated voices and getting mad when she can't get 'answers'. Or she'll call my brother, get his answering machine/voice mail and try talking like she's talking TO him. The other day she was trying to get a zip code for a town in MA and, somehow, got something that would give you a weather report if you said a zip code. She can discuss the latest news stories and knows what's going on in the 'outside world'. She has also burned up two dinners after starting them and falling asleep! One more thing to worry about. However, she promised me she will ONLY use the crockpot from now on. lol So far, so good. Anyway, for the most part I think she's keeping her mind alive and working pretty good, considering.
Genealogy in MY thing! Been doing it for 28 years now. My ONLY problem with all of that though is what am I going to do with all the 'stuff' I have collected/put together when I'm gone?? Probably donate it to the local Family History Library and let them deal with it. lol
I know. Will anyone else ever be interested? I guess donate it is one answer. Another--put it into Ancestry and leave it there for anyone else to look at. Even if you're not paying, it still stays there. Someday someone may learn that they have a connection to you and your information will be there for them. I sure hope it's not all in vain. But at the very least it's keeping our brains alive and active. (Now if only I could find ol' Azariah......)
I did the walking backwards thing yesterday up and down my 1/4 mile driveway in the gravel. Worked really well and I had fun with variations on the theme: walk 8 paces, pivot, walk 8 paces backwards, pivot, then alternate turning first to left then to right, then only right, right, right, visa versa.
Today, I am going to do the sidewards stepping over (grapevine) and maybe I'll try some jumping with it. Rather like we used to do in ballet class.
I work word search puzzles every day. I've noticed results because now I can usually get the answer on Wheel Of Fortune way before the contestants.
Some word search puzzle can be boring. I've got my favorite books where a lot of the puzzles have you find the words for that particular subject, instead of just giving you a list. You really have to think and search which is so much fun.
I believe the internet helps us a lot because we can read up on any subject and also learn new things we'd never contemplated learning in the past.
My way likely will elicit a few smiles, since it is, shall we say, a bit unusual, but it seems to work for myself and for many other older folks, mostly older men. I play the horses. Usually either go to the track or off track betting facility a couple of times a week. I have friends that go every day, but that is a bit too much even for me.
The afternoon before going I go out to my local dealer, a liquor store, and purchase tomorrow's edition of the Daily Racing Form. In California it costs $9.18 after tax. The DRF lists the past performances of horses entered in the races at several race tracks. The data for each runner is a mass of numbers, letters, and symbols, that for those not familiar with them, appear bewildering.
At home, the work begins. The process of analyzing the data and predicing the probable winner is called handicapping, and is very complex and detail oriented. Perhaps two or three hours is spent on this the day before, and then the next morning another couple of hours. At the track or Otb site the work continues nonstop. Wagering decisions, watching the running of the races, adjusting to late changes such as late scratches and track conditions and so on.
From the day before until the day of the races is over and you are heading home, you have made thousands of decisions, calculations, and choices, either consciously or subconsciously. Your brain has been operating nonstop as a human computer, constantly sifting data and information and acting on it. There are lulls during which you can chat with your friends or get a cup of coffee, but most of the time the decision making goes on.
Most of the devoted fans are older men, occasionally accompanied by their wives. The game seems to help keep them young and mentally sharp, have known a few guys in their 90's that go, and a whole lot of gents in their 80's, and countless men in their 60's and 70's. It seems to work, although there is the cost factor to consider, for a very few the gambling aspect can become a problem, but for most of us, it is a fun way to keep mentally sharp and enjoy a great sport.
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