What does Kobe have to do with Alzheimer's?

I can’t wait to talk to my buddy and ride and tie partner Jonathan Jordan after tonight’s LA Lakers basketball game. Jonathan can’t stand Kobe and the Lakers. For me it’s a different story. I became a Lakers fan when Magic Johnson was drafted by the Lakers. Being from Detroit, I remember Magic and all his” magic “when he played for Michigan State. I especially rooted for him when MSU played Indiana State and Larry Bird for the NCAA championship. I especially rooted for the Lakers when those two battled year after year for the NBA championship. What does this have to do with my blog?

In my book,” It Has Nothing to do with Age”, I provide seven prescriptions for implementing a better lifestyle in both attitude and behavior. Prescription number three: “enrich your life by making friends, sharing interests, learning about others by becoming part of the new group”. For me, that’s exactly what I did in 1997 by participating in my first ride and tie. I met many equestrians, runners, and competitive athletes as a result. For one, I met my current running and blog partner Tony in 1997 at Mount Hamilton during both an endurance ride and a ride and tie event.

From ride and tie to endurance riding to ultra running, I met many individuals and became part of each of these groups as the result of the commonality, interests, and goals of each of us. My circle of friends blossomed and I became part of the sub- culture of each. Read my book and you will learn about the athletes’ history from birth to present as it will enrich your life as well.

From the Harvard Medical School the following is from their issue # two titled “Focus on Healthy Living”. One 2008  study from the Health and Retirement funded by The National Institute on Aging  and The Harvard School of Public Health in a  longitudinal  study from the years 1998 and 2004 raised the question “does socializing with friends and family protect your brain and memory during aging”?  The researchers were looking for causality. Does being socially active protect against memory loss or do people who suffer cognitive decline tend to socialize less than average?

The results suggest that individuals who had higher levels of interaction with family friends and other people are more likely to retain cognitive functioning. They found that the people most at risk for dementia had fewer than 12 years of education, had high blood pressure, diabetes, or stroke. Another study at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California looked at subjects 78 years old who did not show any symptoms of dementia. These individuals were followed over the next four years and the researchers found that women with large social networks were less likely to develop dementia than were more isolated women controlling for age, education, depression, and other health conditions. Unfortunately the studies in question did not tell us how social interaction protects against cognitive decline. What is clear in my in -depth study of senior athletes ages 65 to 85 is that none of the seven or eight (including me), suffers from cognitive decline. Jack Scholl age 85 continues to give presentations to many groups about the American Revolution, and  gives Liberty Bell tours at America’s birthplace;  Physicist Lew Hollander age 80  gives scientific presentations and develops patents; Jim Steere, DVM  still  vetted into his mid-80s; and Doc Shay in her mid-70s  is an emergency room physician.

Read my book, follow my prescriptions and you can accomplish the unthinkable and become productive throughout your lifetime. Age is just a number for many of us and not a barrier. Incidentally, Tony, Jonathan, and I are meeting in Malibu this weekend for a trail run. Young Jonathan and I are running a 50 K. while Tony creeping on 60 is running the 20 K.