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7 ways to improve your brain’s flexibility

<p><em><strong>Susan Krauss Whitbourne is a professor of Psychology and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She writes the Fulfilment at Any Age blog for Psychology Today.</strong></em></p> <p>You’ve gone back and forth into the kitchen at least 25 times, and you’ve only been up for an hour. The counter on your fitness app registers hundreds of steps, but if you could map your tracks, it would show a set of endless and somewhat confused circles. If your movements are any indication, it would seem that you’re not really doing things in an efficient or direct manner.</p> <p>The reason is perfectly self-evident to you: Try as you might, you literally forget what you’re doing halfway in the middle of doing it. You can’t remember if you actually turned the coffee pot on and when you look everywhere for your mobile phone, you find it in your pocket. How did it get there, anyway?</p> <p>Losing track of what you’re doing is certainly a form of absent-mindedness, but even though it can frustrate you no end, it’s a condition you can cure or at least counteract. In part, the cure comes from taking control over your own mindset. As you’ll see, multitasking is one of the most detrimental, but reversible, factors working against the kind of cognitive performance you need to keep on top of your daily memory challenges.</p> <p>Michigan State University’s Reem Alzahabi and colleagues (2017) proposed that media multitasking, or what they refer to as MMT, would be related to the more general cognitive ability known as <strong>task-switching</strong>, or the capacity to go back and forth between mentally engaging activities. They also wished to learn whether MMT could actually lead to improved task-switching abilities due to the “dramatic cortical reorganisation” (p. 1882) that such activities might promote. There are potential memory costs, however, to switching between tasks in that information from Task A might decay while Task B is being performed. In other words, you can forget where you were in that first task when you turn your attention to the second one.</p> <p>To test these alternative task-switching effects, the Michigan State researchers presented their 187 undergraduates with the daunting job of classifying objects shown on a screen over a series of 1,728 trials. In one task, for example, participants classified an animal shown to them on the screen as a fish or bird and in the second task, they classified an item of furniture as either a chair or a table. The tasks alternated with each other, and the investigators compared performance when there were different time periods between tasks or competing task requirements.</p> <p>The experimenters manipulated the length of time participants had to prepare their responses at the beginning of each trial, the length of time between tasks, the number of stimuli presented at a time (1 or 2), and whether the tasks required the same or opposite responses. These were, then, mentally challenging tasks but they were made easier or harder by varying the cognitive demands involved in each specific task-switching arrangement.</p> <p>Relevant to our question of how memory is affected by task switching, the main findings showed that although some people are better than others at multitasking, there are ways to prevent damage to memory when you are doing two or more things at once. Because good multitasking involves forgetting Task A when you switch to Task B, you want to do the opposite if you actually need to remember Task A after completing Task B.</p> <p>For example, when you’re looking for your keys, but get a text message before you find them, you want to be able to remember that you need to locate those keys after you’ve responded to the message. To keep that key-searching in your active memory, you would want to get the message out of the way as soon as possible.</p> <p>Secondly, the Michigan State researchers found that for preventing interference between tasks, it’s all about the preparation. Setting yourself the mission of looking for your keys, despite whatever other tasks tear you away, will help you get back to it without much decay. If you’re a good task-switcher, these preventative steps will be less important, but if you’re not, they should help you accomplish this mental juggling.</p> <p>With the results of this study in mind, we can consider these 7 practical tips that will help you with task-switching, and more:</p> <p><strong>1. Give yourself sufficient warning to get back to what you need to finish when something interrupts you</strong>. Tell yourself you need to empty the trash, and remind yourself of this if you then decide to stop and add something to your grocery shopping list.</p> <p><strong>2. Stop and look at what you’re doing when you put something away. </strong>Whether in a drawer, a cabinet, your backpack, briefcase, or purse forgetting where you put an item is a special case of multitasking. Typically, people put things away while they’re thinking about or doing something else at the same time and so they forget where they stashed it. Register the location of your item by taking a “mental photo” of it and you'll be able to return to that image when you conjure up your item's possible location.</p> <p><strong>3. Do the same routine in the same order. </strong>To take advantage of pre-preparation in a sequence of tasks, making the tasks automatic will allow you to coast through them without having to check and double check at every step along the way.</p> <p><strong>4. Look behind you before you get up to leave, especially in a public place.</strong> Because people tend to think more about where they’re going rather than where they’ve been, it’s all too easy to forget that you put your phone on the armrest of the bus while you packed up your bag and put on your coat. One quick look around you will provide a built-in guarantee against multitasking taking away your attention in these potentially disastrous situations.</p> <p><strong>5. Talk to yourself or read out loud when you’re trying to remember.</strong> Locking information into your memory, even if it’s just your active memory needed at the time, will help provide another piece of insurance against forgetting. By narrating your activities while you’re completing them, you’ll take advantage of a deeper level of processing than you would if you only giving them fleeting attention.</p> <p><strong>6. Practice retrieving things you’ve lost.</strong> You know that you had your favourite pen with you a few days ago, but you can’t remember where it ended up. Develop a systematic retrieval strategy in which you force yourself to recall everything you did and where you were the last time you had that pen. This process will help you learn how to focus your attention while completing your everyday tasks so that the next time, you’ll be more conscious of what you’re doing while you’re doing it.</p> <p><strong>7. Don’t get down on yourself for forgetting.</strong> The Alzahabi et al. study showed that some people are better at multitasking than are others. The people who are good at it have undoubtedly developed a feeling of self-confidence around their mental abilities. Once that self-confidence erodes, your concern about your poor memory can become its own distraction, further detracting from your ability to attack your daily tasks with a sense of purpose and focus.</p> <p>Although we think about multitasking in the “MMT” sense of the Michigan State study, everyday life is in and of itself a series of multiple tasks. Giving those tasks the attention they deserve, or at least making them more automatic and predictable, will help reduce the number of times you lose your way while performing them. Once your memory starts to improve, you can feel surer of yourself as you go about your everyday tasks. Fulfillment in life involves a range of abilities, and when you can add a good memory to the list, you’ll be able to succeed in those all-important cognitive challenges you face each day.</p> <p><em>Written by Susan Krauss Whitbourne. First appeared on <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Psychology Today</a></strong></span>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Mind

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What is your flexibility score?

<p><em><strong>Tracy Adshead is a yoga teacher specialising in yoga for seniors. She is passionate about bringing healing and healthy ageing to the community.</strong></em></p> <p>There are many ways in which we can begin to notice our mobility and flexibility changing in everyday life. You may be able to bike or run on a treadmill but how about bending forward to tie your shoe laces or reach a pair of glasses lying under the bed or table? </p> <p>The term flexibility refers to the ability of your soft tissue (your muscles) to stretch. Mobility, on the other hand, refers to the many elements that contribute to movement with full range of motion. Therefore, exercises or movements that stretch muscles increasing flexibility and improving range of movement are particularly important for quality of life. Strength, flexibility and balance are the key elements to prioritise when considering which sort of exercise you will choose. </p> <p>The Sit-Rise Test (SRT), a deceptively simple measure of flexibility and strength, is widely used in the medical community to test the whole body and to predict future health.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LWyRUYMQ7ws" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><strong>Let’s do the Sit-Rise Test:</strong> sit down on the floor, no pillows or cushions. Now stand up, notice how you got up – if you simply stood up without losing balance and without using any limbs for support, give yourself a score of 5 points. If you had to use a hand or a knee to get up, take off one point. Both hands and both knees: subtract two points. </p> <p>It’s maybe that bad knees and stiff joints affect your ability to do this – good news, this test can also be applied to sit and rise from a chair. From a seated position, arms crossed in front of the body, feet flat on the floor, how many times can you rise and sit in 30 seconds? (The average results for men and women are at the bottom of the page).</p> <p><strong>Try it a couple of times, what’s your score?</strong></p> <p>Got a low score? Sitting down on the floor and getting back up again, sitting and rising from a chair – do it 5 to 10 times a day that becomes a workout, you’re improving your fitness. This is where Chair Yoga comes in because it’s the best way to start to improve joint and muscle flexibility, a wide variety of movements for the whole body. Applied yoga exercises have also been shown to increase spinal mobility and flexibility of the hamstrings regardless of age. </p> <p>An improved SRT score could reflect an individual’s capacity to successfully perform a wide range of activities, moreover a high SRT score indicates a reduced risk of falls going forward.</p> <p>Take on a 30-day challenge of improving your SRT score by practising every day.</p> <p>Average number of rises<strong> from seated</strong> in 30 secs: </p> <ul> <li>Men, aged 60 to 64: 14 to 19. </li> <li>Men, aged 65 to 70: 12 to 18.</li> <li>Women, aged 60 to 64: 12 to 17. </li> <li>Women, aged 65 to 70: 11 to 16.</li> </ul> <p><em>Follow Tracy on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TracyChairYoga/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Facebook here.</span></strong></a></em></p>

Body

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3 flexible jobs worth trying in retirement

<p><em><strong>Whether you’re seeking an additional source of income, or simply on the lookout for another hobby, today’s workforce has a range of job opportunities that are perfect for retirees. Financial commentator Janine Starks gives us the low down on three of the best.</strong></em></p> <p>The Uber service in North America reports that a quarter of its drivers are over the age of 50.</p> <p>Within that segment is a growing market of retirees wanting a flexible job to top up their pension income.</p> <p>Why keep the car locked in the garage, when you can use it to earn? Why let the dust settle in the spare bedroom when it can be rented out on Airbnb to tourists staying a day or two? Why walk and feed your own dog, when adding one more takes no more time?</p> <p>The accountancy firm PwC estimates the sharing economy will grow from US$15 billion in 2014 to $225 billion in 2025 as digital savvy retirees increase (AU$20 billion to AU$312 billion). Technology is the gateway to what has become known as the "sharing economy". By sharing your time and assets you can unlock an income.</p> <p><strong>Uber driver</strong></p> <p>Last week I took five trips in Uber vehicles. Two were in a Toyota Prius, two in a Mercedes and one in a VW Passat. The drivers' names were Lukasz, Kalin, Sajjad, Aziz and Kevin. The Bulgarian driver Kalin gave the best rundown of London landmarks we were passing, but we rated them all five-stars on the Uber app, because their cars were immaculate and they were so polite.</p> <p>The fares ranged from £5.15 (AU$9.54) to £18.67 and the longest wait for a car to arrive was six minutes. And no, I don't have a photographic memory. All this information is saved in the Uber app. No money changed hands as my card details are stored by Uber.</p> <p>For those who haven't seen it in action yet, grab a grandchild under the age of 34 and start downloading the app (70 per cent of Uber users in the US are 16 to 34-year-olds).</p> <p>I'm only ahead of my demographic, thanks to a young doorman in the back streets of London. We got caught in pouring rain outside a restaurant and watched a swanky young couple push a button and get a Toyota Prius in two minutes. There was a one-hour wait for a mini-cab and a black cab would never drive into this side street. He took my phone and downloaded the app.</p> <p><strong>Pet sitting</strong></p> <p>Pet sitting services are flourishing because namby-pambys like me won't put their dogs in a kennel. While we are away our terrier Henry is sitting by the fire with a lovely retired couple. He flies up on Air New Zealand for his annual holiday, relaxes on the couch and shares his bed with a female fur-ball called Alba. Back home his needs are catered for by Wendy's Pet Sitting Service. He's been matched with another retiree. I book and pay online, easy peasy.</p> <p><strong>Bed and breakfast</strong></p> <p>Grab that grandchild again to give you a tour of <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Airbnb</span></strong></a>. Chances are they've used it. Fancy a trip to Wellington? You'll find the coolest container home that sleeps eight for $300 a night and a small room with a futon for $19 a night. The average price for a room is $66 and $195 a night for a whole house. Tourists like real homes full of old local knowledge.</p> <p>Uber and Airbnb have cracked open a new market for consumers and they're creating explosive economic activity beyond the capability of the taxi and hotel association alone. Those who can afford travel and a bed will spend in restaurants, entertainment and tourist activities.</p> <p>Technology brings a whole paradigm shift in the world of employment and rather than fight it, it pays to define and target your own market. While in London I also stayed in a normal hotel, took a black cab from Paddington for ease and used Addison Lee the mini-cab company to the airport as we wanted an advance booking.</p> <p>There's a place for everything and a world of opportunity out there for the retirement market looking for income. Uber, Airbnb and pet sitting have to be three of the most flexible income sources for over-65s.</p> <p>Have you tried any of these jobs? Share your experience in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Written by Janine Starks. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/01/retirement-checklist/"></a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/01/hobbies-that-boost-brainpower/">3 fun hobbies that can boost your brainpower</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/01/retirement-checklist/"></a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/01/margaret-mourik-on-the-reasons-she-loves-being-retired/">18 reasons to love retirement</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/01/retirement-checklist/"></a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/relationships/2017/01/tips-for-making-new-friends-later-in-life/">Tips for making new friends later in life</a></strong></em></span></p>

Retirement Income

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3 great moves for strength and flexibility that all over-60s should do

<p>When time is precious, working out at home can be a quick and effective way to help develop your strength and flexibility. The best bit? You don’t need any fancy equipment or gear to get started. These easy strength and flexibility exercises are suitable for all levels of fitness, super simple to learn and easy to incorporate into your daily fitness regime.</p> <p><strong>1. Gentle squat and press –</strong> Combining two exercises is a great way to work a larger range of muscles and engage your core. This exercise focuses on the muscles in your upper thighs and bottom and your upper arms and shoulders.</p> <ul> <li>Stand with feet hip width apart, toes pointing out slightly.</li> <li>Holding a can of baked beans/tinned tomatoes in each hand, raise your arms upwards so that your elbows form right angles and your hands are in line with the top of your head (otherwise known as a “press position”).</li> <li>Gently bend your knees into a gentle squat.</li> <li>As you return to your starting position, push cans upwards at the same time into a press before returning them to your starting position.</li> <li>Repeat 10 times.</li> </ul> <p><strong>2. Bridge –</strong> The gentle bridge exercise activates the muscles in your core and bottom while helping stretch your lower back.</p> <ul> <li>Lie down on the floor comfortably – back against the floor.</li> <li>Bend knees and place feet flat on the floor.</li> <li>Place hands by your sides.</li> <li>Turning on your stomach muscles, gently tuck in your bottom and lift it up off the ground so that your thighs and bottom are in a line.</li> <li>Hold for 20 seconds before gentle lowering to the floor.</li> <li>Repeat five to 10 times.</li> </ul> <p><strong>3. Brace and curl –</strong> Holding a gentle squat position helps build strength in your core, bottom and thighs while adding in a bicep curl is great for your arms and balance.</p> <ul> <li>Stand with feet slightly wider than hip width apart, toes pointed slightly outwards.</li> <li>Hold a can of baked beans/tinned tomatoes in each hand.</li> <li>Gently lower into a shallow squat.</li> <li>Roll arms upwards into a bicep curl.</li> <li>Repeat 10 curls before raising out of your squat.</li> </ul>

Caring