Daily Lessons from Life 17 January 2010

"Sat, Jan 16, 2010 Reuters - Exercise protects and improves the aging brain

NEW YORK, US - Two new studies provide more evidence that regular aerobic exercise not only starves off the problems with thinking and memory that often come with age, but it can actually help turn back the clock on brain aging.

In one study, researchers found evidence that engaging in moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, swimming, or yoga in midlife or later may cut the risk of developing mild thinking problems

In another study, those with mild thinking problems become better after a 6-month intensive aerobic exercises!"

Another piece of conventional wisdom or folklore remedy validated with medical empirical evidence.

Lessons for me are:

1. if you want to retire, you better be prepared mentally besides being financial independence or with financial freedom to do so!! This is especially true for those who live in an urban society where if you don't have money, you will have to live a very hard life. Though that does not mean you can live a happy life being poor depending on your mindset and your choice of lifestyle!;

2. many of my friends who are a bit more senior than me in age are very concerned about the quality of their retirement life. Many of them are, thankfully, still very healthy due to their acute awareness and displine of leading a holistic healthy lifestyle of eating right and exercising regularly. They are my inspiration and I am sure they are all knodding approvingly of the results of these 2 medical studies. One or two of them probably will have this 'I knew this long ago' smile on their faces!;

3. it is absolutely critical to make sure that you think about old age and retirement and plan for it, if you can afford a quality that you desired. I am thinking about doing some charitable work with the young people in a NGO (Non-Government Organization) with my expertise when I truly retired. The goal of completing the annual Singapore Marathon for the next 8 years to complete the 10-year series that I started in 2008 will be an appropriate one to keep me practising the holistic healthy lifestyle of 'eating right and exercising regularly'. This is my dream besides seeing my wife aging gracefully with me and the kids growing to become independent and, hopefully, finding their own meaningful way of living their lives - as a good human being at the personal level and a good professional at work.