Without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I have been known for some great one-liners, a sharp wit and a memory like an elephant.
However, lately I’ve been struggling with stringing a sentence together and all those smart big words I’ve spewed out are stuck, stuck somewhere deep and dark in my grey matter – they’re not coming out.
I was even forgetting the odd name, but the scariest moment of all was when I went to put my keys in the oven – holy sh*t!
I was straight onto ‘Dr Google’ – could I be going thought the ‘change’ super early? I’d heard that affects the memory (I’m not old by any means and far too young for that!).
Am I getting early dementia, or am I just losing it?
Dr Google didn’t do me too many favours, and after an hour of surfing the net I was none the wiser and a tad stressed.
In a rising state of panic, I did a quick call around to my girlfriends for some answers.
One such wise friend told me the brain is like a car; you have to keep fuelling it, you’ve got to keep it running, feed it more information, test yourself, keep it active. You only get one in this life.
In my research and desperation, I came across an online company called Lumosity, a ‘brain-training’ site, which offers free and subscription-based programs.
Hell, it can’t hurt – if my brain needs training, I’ll train the bloody thing.
Well, I can attest that I am feeling smarter and more quick-witted by the day. I am now addicted to this online brain training tool.
I am half expecting to magically start speaking a new language, you know, like those people who have woken up from a coma and can have a conversation in Japanese.
Okay, maybe I won’t be sprouting out Japanese or Spanish anytime soon, but the fog has lifted and my daily training has me back in top form and embracing life like never before.
So what exactly is this Lumosity business all about?
It basically gives you a set of online tasks and games that you complete each day. It only takes me 15 minutes, tops. It compares your scores to others in your age bracket and the longer you keep at it, the better you get (and harder the games get).
I love it. I’m now challenging myself to get better scores. The best part is, that after 60 days, I am more alert, aware and my memory is definitely improving.
I’m doing all I can to keep that all important grey-matter in tip-top shape.
I can’t change genetics, but I can keep myself healthy – and that includes looking after the most vital organ in the body.
Hasta la próxima vez (Spanish for until next time).
