Use It Or Lose It

Motivation

My biggest fear after retirement was that I would lose my brain ¹. The brain is a muscle after all. Like other muscles, if it’s not used, it will atrophy. There’s plenty of research on the topic. EG: From the Utah State University Aging Extension, Lifestyle Enrichment in Later Life and Its Association With Dementia Risk

Regardless of whether this particular approach is for you or not, I strongly recommend a continuing learning path in retirement. Again, “use it or lose” is very real. Continuous learning helps with the “use it” part.

The Center for Brain Health

I saw a post on Facebook, of all places:

The Center for BrainHealth® at The University of Texas at Dallas is leading a study called The BrainHealth Project. This study aims to find effective ways to measure, track, and improve brain health throughout life. We plan to enroll and track up to 100,000 healthy adults ages 18+ for at least ten years. What is involved?

1. Participate online through the BrainHealth® App or desktop
2. Complete a BrainHealth Index (online assessments and questionnaires) every six months
3. Access online training, coaching, and habit-building tools There is no fee associated with your participation.

Point 3. caught my attention.

I had read that “Brain Games” had little or no effect on brain health. But I figured this would be more than just brain games.

It was. It’s a focused, measured, and tracked approach.

The study

Participants get periodic brain health assessments, plus access to training and coaching. Brain imaging participants, commit to coming in-person for an fMRI scan at baseline, again after 6 months, and then once a year for as long as you choose to remain in the study.

What I got out of it

The initial assessment, to set a baseline, was a good start. It confirmed that I was within the healthy range for my age.

The training is all online. The curriculum:

1. Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART) Training
2. Lifestyle
3. Stress Solutions
4. Sleep for BrainHealth
5. Confidence
6. The Power of Observation

The content covered different ways to think about thinking, taking care of the body for ideal thinking, and being mindful about cognition. It was interesting, after <mumble…mumble> years to discover that I had still plenty to learn about learning. I don’t know that it made me any smarter, but it certainly improved my information retention, and, more importantly, comprehension. Which results in new neuropathways. Which results in improved neural plasticity. Oh, and I eat better and sleep better. Exercising is still on my todo list… 😁

The periodic assessments were, indeed, encouraging. It was good to know that making those incremental changes actually positively affected my mental capacity and my health outlook.

The periodic coaching sessions were helpful too. Especially post-covid. It was good to know that I was not alone in experiencing an increase in my stress levels and general fatigue.

I don’t know if they still do this, but I also got a cool Oura ring to monitor my health stats, sleep and eating habits. The first six months, they paid for the premium subscription. Thereafter, I had the choice of continuing with a premium subscription on my own dime. I found that the basic free tier fulfilled my needs. (Also see Cheapskating, a philosophy I heartily subscribe to.)

Want to try it?

Disclaimer: I’m only a participant in the study. I am in no way affiliated with UTD or the “Center for Brain Health”

If you are interested in the study follow this link. It IS a referral link, but what I get out of it is a shiny badge on my dashboard. It has no monetary value.