Like Wine, Life Improves with Age

I ran across an interesting article this week about a very important aspect of fitness: mental fitness.
Despite widespread belief about mid-life crises and old-age depression, life does seem to get better with age. Good news for someone approaching his 52nd birthday in September!
A Gallup poll of 340,000 adults from 18-85 came up with these results: feelings of well-being were fairly high in college-age respondents; fell sharply at 25 and stayed around that level to 35; dropped even lower from 35-50; and then kept improving right up until 85.
Interestingly, the pattern of responses weren't affected much by factors like unemployment, marital status, children living at home, or gender, although men scored a bit higher than women throughout the lifespan.
Breaking it down further, "stress and anger" were highest in the younger age groups, "worry" increased steadily until middle age and then dropped, and "sadness" (a component of those clinically or chronically depressed) was fairly steady through adulthood.
On the other side of life's seesaw, "enjoyment" and "happiness" dropped slightly from the youngest respondents to the mid 50's, then rose to previous highs around 70 before staying steady.
The study was conducted by Stony Brook University in New York and published originally by the National Academy of Sciences.
The conclusions drawn were that older people gain "increased wisdom and emotional intelligence, and are more effective at regulating their emotions than younger people."
I find as I age, I am increasingly reflective, and probably a bit more philosophical about the natural ups and downs of life. Put another way, when you're young, your driving in the fast lane:
which is more exhilerating, but also involves increased braking and the occasional full-scale wreck. I'm riding in the middle lane now, silently cursing out those speeding by me, but content not to race them - lengthening the life of my brake pads as they become more worn down!

Exercise and Alzheimer's Prevention

Probably the scariest disease is Alzheimer's. First the short-term memory goes, and you're forgetting phone numbers and where you put your keys. Eventually, family members become unrecognizable, you lose control of your bodily functions, and your mind just totally fails you. A nightmarish end for anyone.

A book by Harvard University psychiatrist John Ratey titled "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain states that "exercise, even begun in middle age, can push back the cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's by 10 to 15 years."

Ratey cites research that indicates the regions of the brain associated with cognitive functioning improved with exercise, particularly the hippocampus, which is associated with memory and learning.

Other researchers back up Ratey's thesis, although many believe that any activity that involves functioning of the brain, like crossword puzzles or interesting books, will have similar effects. Social interactions like clubs or religious services also were mentioned. Social isolation and depression, along with alcohol, are certainly factors that can speed up the onset of Alzheimer's.

Logically, when I'm on a run, particularly outside, my mind opens up, and I know I am thinking much more clearly. Inside runs on the treadmill don't have quite the same effect, although I feel great mentally after either one. Innately, I know I am helping my mind as well as my body. Most science seems to back this up!