Mah Jong Solataire keeping my brain sharp after retirement - here's hoping!

[nglodnig]

I have recently retired after spending more than forty years in IT in a technical role, my brain being my tool (plus hands of course as keyboard jockey). My worry is I  read stories that the dementia can quickly come if you stop using your brain - "Use it or lose it" basically.

 

My sainted mother lived until 86 doing the Daily Mirror crossword every day and was in full possession of her marbles up to her sad demise. 

 

So I spend a LOT of time doing Mah Jong Solataire. Maybe it'll help.

 

Learning another language can also help - as it exercises different parts of your brain apparently. I have already learnt German (badly, people compliment me on how bad it is after spending so long in a German-speaking country). Next once I am full-time here I will endeavour to learn Thai PROPERLY (I speak "survival Thai" - I learnt the numbers and can barter effecitively and I can ask where the toilet is but cannot understand the answer so they need to point where it is).

 

I have recently retired after spending more than forty years in IT in a technical role. Oh wait I just said that. 😀

 

https://www.ask.com/culture/benefits-playing-mahjong-solitaire-stress-relief-mental-health

[Presnock]

I recently read the two books by Dr. William Li about food/diet for good health, curing diseases.  As an after thought in one of his interviews (he is a researcher too as well as a Harvard cardiac doctor - he mentioned that VIAGRA helps prevent dementia/Alzheimer's - something about keeping blood vessels open.  His books explain about the new world of natural "medicines" versus big pharma.  He spells out the common foods one should eat to avoid ANY of the major diseases including dementia.  Just a thought.  Yes I have family experiences with Alzheimer's and follow the articles published openly.  Many studies show improvement in dementia with physical exercises and also learning a second language has been shown to be beneficial too.  Good luck

[nglodnig]

8 minutes ago, Presnock said:

he mentioned that VIAGRA helps prevent dementia/Alzheimer's - something about keeping blood vessels open.

Yeah but I can't walk about all the time with a stiff willie. 😀

 

Exercise yes I do minimum half hour bicycling every day but keeping the brain active is a major if not THE major key.

[save the frogs]

1 hour ago, Presnock said:

- he mentioned that VIAGRA helps prevent dementia/Alzheimer's - something about keeping blood vessels open. 

Gingko Biloba might be a better option, as it helps increase blood flow to the brain, minus the erections.

Exercise will increase blood flow to the brain. 

 

[Presnock]

2 hours ago, nglodnig said:

Yeah but I can't walk about all the time with a stiff willie. 😀

 

Exercise yes I do minimum half hour bicycling every day but keeping the brain active is a major if not THE major key.

A multi nation study done several years ago (included US, Japan, and many EU countries) found that exercise could stop the progress of dementia  - Japan opted for walking, Eng for ping pong and such indoors acty, Scandanavian  countries opted for skiing and winter acty, all because they found that exercise was a key, but the US decided to go the pharma route which seems to be the answer in today's world because they make so much money it is better to have people ill all the time and needing pharmas to survive.  However, seeing the current trend of natural food remedies (that really have been around for thousands of years) and studies finding that the food based treatments are more potent than the pharma produced medicines, yet the food based do not have any side effects on the body.  All determnined by mother nature so to speak and which enable the body to heal.  These studies have shown that the major causes of death/chronic illnesses are due to lifestyle and processed foods (sugar too)!

for information on these studies, they are documented in several books by Dr. William Li a Harvard trained cardiologist and researcher.  

[save the frogs]

Yeah, ping pong !

Because it's super fast movements. You have to think quick.

 

Learning a musical instrument also. I was visiting someone in an old folk's home and the only woman who seemed to have her mental faculties in tact was someone who played the piano. 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, nglodnig said:

So I spend a LOT of time doing Mah Jong Solataire. Maybe it'll help.

I would say it's a start.

Have you considered other "games"?

I suggest have a look at the following two games/simulations. They are both a lot of fun and you can use your brain to optimize everything.

 

Warning: Don't play Factorio if you are not retired. It is very addictive.

Anno 1800 is also kind of addictive but not as bad as Factorio. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Celsius]

I watch A LOT of porn

[impulse]

Kudos for wanting to stay sharp, but I suggest that in-person human interaction is more important than anything you can do by yourself.  Optimally, with people who give each other fun guff, and don't just agree with everything.

 

And I don't mean on the interwebs...

 

[HighPriority]

Taking dementia advice from a cardiologist…?

Ummm, ok.

[Red Phoenix]

Try the free https://www.chess.com/play/online

It allows to play short (10 min each) or regular games with opponents of similar strength (ranging from absolute beginner to seasoned professional).

The site features also puzzles, learning (e.g. opening theory) and much much more.

 

[a3tsw]

I keep my brain active by doing SuDoku puzzles daily from the New York Times site www.nytimes.com.

I set to the HARD level and try to complete against the clock.

My best time to date is 11m:48s set on Wed. 27th March with no guesses and no cell reveals..this feels as though you have ran a 5km flat out ..exhausting .. I even have a warm up before and juice up on coffee or M-150 ..

I also do the WORDLE puzzle daily from the same website ..record streak to date 237 , currently on #78 streak.

When I am in Europe , I tend to do Cryptic Crosswords , very rarely manage to complete one , perhaps around 1 in 10 , London Times newspaper.. 1 in 4 Metro (free London Morning newspaper)

[Moonlover]

Yes these games and puzzles are fun and I'll accept that they can play a part in keeping the grey matter active. I partake a few of them myself, especially Sudoku and Kakuro. But don't get too hooked on them. Most of us have come across the new  phrase “sitting is the new smoking” and it's very true.

 

I like to imagine that pension providers love it when retirees get themselves a big comfy armchair and a big screen TV, or the 'home office of course'. To my mind it's a slow death, both mentally and physically. Humans evolved to move and most of us need to do a lot more of it. (and not just lifting a beer glass either!)

 

I like to walk at least 3 miles (6 to 7,000 steps) per day and I wear a smart watch to ensure that I do so. That same watch also gives me an hourly 'get up and move' alarm to remind me do just that. I also practice Qigong (similar to Tai Chi) twice daily. I'm 78 years young, fit, healthy and medication free. 

 

Mens sana in corpore sano. Juvenal got that one right.

[BigStar]

8 hours ago, nglodnig said:

Exercise yes I do minimum half hour bicycling every day but keeping the brain active is a major if not THE major key.

 

Can't solely rely on that. Organics & metabolism come too strongly into play. This recently:

 

https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2024/04/18/JNEUROSCI.2059-23.2024
 

Although memory normally declines with age, some older people may have memory performance similar to that of people 30 years younger, and this phenomenon is often conceptualised as superageing

 

I know, as I'm sure others do as well, intelligent, educated folks w/ active brains who nevertheless suffered cognitive decline all the way into dementia. Sometimes you can point to some obvious factors. Smoking & drinking, for example.

 

So the resistance has to be made on multiple fronts.

 

Get all the numbers good w/o meds, though we have a lot medication fans here:

 

 

And the HbA1C 5.7 or less, normal BP and HR, normal BMI or waist/height ratio.

 

Exercise, as noted, very helpful:

 

 

Creatine known good:

 

Creatine Supplementation and Brain Health

 

A couple of others to consider: ginkgo biloba and lion's mane. 

 

Other than that, a nutrient-rich diet. Hit the polyphenols:

 

Dietary polyphenols have been observed to protect the brain against such cellular alteration through the modulation of neuronal function against endogenous neurotoxins and inhibition of glial-induced neuroinflammation.

     --https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3372091/

 

You know, dark chocolate, tea, coffee, berries, red wine.

 

Some extra anti-oxidants might be helpful, but you'll never know, having no clone to act as a control subject.

 

And, yup, a brain needs exercise too. Video games, readily available.

 

Video games show potential in improving key aspects of memory in older adults

 

I suspect, w/o any real evidence, that the intensity of the game is a positive factor, just as it is with exercise and muscle building.

 

[a3tsw]

18 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

Yes these games and puzzles are fun and I'll accept that they can play a part in keeping the grey matter active. I partake a few of them myself, especially Sudoku and Kakuro. But don't get too hooked on them. Most of us have come across the new  phrase “sitting is the new smoking” and it's very true.

 

I like to imagine that pension providers love it when retirees get themselves a big comfy armchair and a big screen TV, or the 'home office of course'. To my mind it's a slow death, both mentally and physically. Humans evolved to move and most of us need to do a lot more of it. (and not just lifting a beer glass either!)

 

I like to walk at least 3 miles (6 to 7,000 steps) per day and I wear a smart watch to ensure that I do so. That same watch also gives me an hourly 'get up and move' alarm to remind me do just that. I also practice Qigong (similar to Tai Chi) twice daily. I'm 78 years young, fit, healthy and medication free. 

 

Mens sana in corpore sano. Juvenal got that one right.

Yes , totally agree with you , for me it is not the puzzles themselves per se that I am hooked on , but more the challenge of extending a winning streak or breaking a time trial record , I am also the same physically at 71 years young , but still running marathons and being competitive ..

[ChaiyaTH]

This is untrue, it is a nonsense thing many believe but puzzles etc do not prevent you to get alzheimers / dementia etc. It will have more to do with your brain in general, to keep stimulating it, so you also keep releasing the rights chemicals aside from psychical health. People who don't do anything usually get depressed to start with.

 

To then speak of people who over time get memory loss or whatever, what ages are we even talking about. I mean by the time one even makes it to like 70 years old, any issues that come, are part of that age anyway.

[nglodnig]

Thanks for all the replies 

[Moonlover]

11 hours ago, HighPriority said:

Taking dementia advice from a cardiologist…?

Ummm, ok.

Did you bother to even take a glimpse at Dr. Li's website before making this comment? Perhaps you should, he seems to be a very interesting gentleman.

 

https://drwilliamli.com

[HighPriority]

8 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Did you bother to even take a glimpse at Dr. Li's website before making this comment? Perhaps you should, he seems to be a very interesting gentleman.

 

https://drwilliamli.com

I take my cardiology advice from my acupuncturist 👍🏼

[Moonlover]

1 hour ago, HighPriority said:

9 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Did you bother to even take a glimpse at Dr. Li's website before making this comment? Perhaps you should, he seems to be a very interesting gentleman.

 

https://drwilliamli.com

 

1 hour ago, HighPriority said:

I take my cardiology advice from my acupuncturist 👍🏼

 

A very good choice and in that regard we're on the same page. I practice Qigong twice a day, Qigong being a very close cousin of acupuncture. When I practice my exercises I am stimulating the self same meridians as your acupuncturist does when inserting the needles. I much prefer Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to the western, big pharma lead modality.

 

I haven't seen the inside of a hospital for many years, which perhaps is just as well because I have a fear of them. I'm even jittery when I visit someone.

 

 

[hkt83100]

I recommend Sudoku.

[newbee2022]

On 5/12/2024 at 4:18 AM, nglodnig said:

I have recently retired after spending more than forty years in IT in a technical role, my brain being my tool (plus hands of course as keyboard jockey). My worry is I  read stories that the dementia can quickly come if you stop using your brain - "Use it or lose it" basically.

 

My sainted mother lived until 86 doing the Daily Mirror crossword every day and was in full possession of her marbles up to her sad demise. 

 

So I spend a LOT of time doing Mah Jong Solataire. Maybe it'll help.

 

Learning another language can also help - as it exercises different parts of your brain apparently. I have already learnt German (badly, people compliment me on how bad it is after spending so long in a German-speaking country). Next once I am full-time here I will endeavour to learn Thai PROPERLY (I speak "survival Thai" - I learnt the numbers and can barter effecitively and I can ask where the toilet is but cannot understand the answer so they need to point where it is).

 

I have recently retired after spending more than forty years in IT in a technical role. Oh wait I just said that. 😀

 

https://www.ask.com/culture/benefits-playing-mahjong-solitaire-stress-relief-mental-health

If you can fix two loose cables together as an technician you're highly recommended to learn Thai language or improve your German skills. Or write a book. How about that?😳

[fondue zoo]

On 5/12/2024 at 1:09 PM, Celsius said:

I watch A LOT of porn

 

So long as you include some sport themed porn you're going to be okay.

[tandor]

On 5/12/2024 at 7:18 AM, save the frogs said:

Yeah, ping pong !

Because it's super fast movements. You have to think quick.

 

Learning a musical instrument also. I was visiting someone in an old folk's home and the only woman who seemed to have her mental faculties in tact was someone who played the piano. 

 

 

rushing to get a front row seat in a ping-pong display could be stressful in itself.

[ignore it]

On 5/12/2024 at 4:18 AM, nglodnig said:

Mah Jong Solataire

Aye, your Mah Jong Solitare should be all right, 

but just a word of caution about your group Scrabble.

There's been some talk going around

[ChrisKC]

Certainly doing something that requires some element of thinking and calculating is good for the brain.

 

Every day:

 

I do two or three sudoku puzzles at the expert level

 

I play computer chess

 

Also every day, I do word games, including  spelling at the expert level

 

Every week I complete a cryptic crossword (Everyman on Sundays)

[ChrisKC]

I had to look it up - Mahjong solitaire - I knew when I saw the images.

 

Better than nothing but  - not very demanding and only "sharps" up part of the brain

 

I would have thought a retired IT man could could do something a little more challenging.

 

Exercising the body would help too; the brain loves oxygen; you do any of that?

[nglodnig]

28 minutes ago, ChrisKC said:

Exercising the body would help too

As I said earlier I do a minimum of 30 minutes bike riding a day.

[ChrisKC]

12 minutes ago, nglodnig said:

As I said earlier I do a minimum of 30 minutes bike riding a day.

I did read that, sorry!

[RT555]

I should have retired a couple years ago, but decided that I'm not ever going to retire so-to-speak. I've seen my grandfathers, uncles friends grandfathers, fathers...etc retire and really didn't live very long except my grandmother. This year 2024 decided to change my diet, no meat, seafood, alcohol and have lost a few pounds...25 lbs so far and am aiming for 10 more pounds to get to 168 <----- my high school weight.    I feel better do stretching, walking, hiking which I have always done but with the xtra weight loss I feel like a million bucks. 

 

A few notes;

- learning Spanish

- play card games

- gingko biloba is critical

- I get 15k + steps a day

- qigong stretches

- ginger/turmeric/piperine honey daily

- quinoa is a complete protein 5 X a week

- yoghurt

- an apple a day (or 2)

- overnight oats 5 X a week

- lots of water

- protein is key - lentils, chickpeas, broccoli,  5 X a week

 

And most of all - keep away from all the Hippocrates AND NEGATIVE PEOPLE.

 

----------- Just MY take on this and what  WORKS FOR ME.

 

ohhh.... 2/3 cups of black coffee and some green tea.