OK. I'm not saying that jock equals genius. If that were true, there wouldn't be so many jokes pointing to the contrary ;-) I'm saying that to be fit in midlife and beyond, it is also necessary to be fit mentally.
There are a few things that most of us experience when crossing the magical 40 year threshold. All of the sudden we need reading glasses and we seem to forget where we put our keys (much to our loved one's aggravation). What are we supposed to do?
As with the physical realm, you must "use it or lose it". There are no short cuts or magic pills. There is no shortage of people offering miracles for a price. How about that? Just like the shake weight and P90X of the fitness world!
I recommend that you avoid anything that seems too good to be true and put in the work to get your results. Anything you pay for in sweat and effort belongs to you (NOT mindless effort Insanity fans). It is harder to take away and it feels better when you earned it in this way. There are countless memory books out there and there is a ton of research online that recommends just exercising your brain more often. If you don't read often, then make it a point to start. Try going through the list of classics you never made it through in college. Pick up a strategy game like Chess, Go, or Poker. Learn a new language for your next vacation or take up some sort of puzzle ( i.e. crosswords or Sudoku). Use the same principles we use for strength training because we are still dealing with the nervous system. You can bet that general adaptation and specific adaptation to imposed demands principles will still apply.
In the end, you have to make maintaining the strength of your mind and body a top priority. No one will do it for you and everything else in your life rests upon it. Once your body or mind start to fail, you will see how easily your house of cards falls. If you don't do it for yourself; do it for your loved ones.
Stay strong.
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