A study in Finland, reported in today's Times of India, has linked learning with protection from Alzheimer's disease. This really backs up a lot of the work that we do in our Fresh Steps programme with some hard evidence. We already know that as we get older we are into a use it or lose it situation in relation to "the little grey cells" so extra cerebral exercise is a great insurance policy. We now know from this study reported in the learned journal Neurology that the risk of Alzheimer's correlates inversely with the years of education that you have experienced. Basically what they are saying, having studied 1400 people over 20 years, is that the longer you have been in education, the less your risk of Alzheimer's.
Now you could sit back and say that it's too late now to do anything, my education is over. That would be fatalistic and definitely very un-Fresh Stepish! Or you could choose to say "Wow what great news! That just spurs me on to find out about that evening course/sign up for that training course at work/enquire about study leave/buy that new teach yourself electronics textbook/go back to my French class/learn some new Salsa steps" (delete as appropriate). That would be a much more positive response, to keep topping up that insurance policy constantly with new education and learning.
It's invigorating, stretches your mind, gives you added confidence and is of course fun (and we all need more fun as we get older!). So what are you waiting for, make that phone call, send that email or fill that application form in TODAY! The longer you leave it the closer you are getting to your brain frying itself.
