Travel & Wellness: Do brain cells die?
I am suddenly back in high school listening to my mother expound on the adverse affects of drugs and alcohol. Even the innocent consumption of dark soda elicits the comment that I am killing off valuable brain cells. But do brain cells die and, if so, is there a way to stop their demise?
The perception is that as we age our brain cells begin to die off leading to memory loss. From my own experience hitting that watershed moment when you round the bend on 39 and say hello to 40, I admit I felt the stirrings of memory loss (at least I think I did, I can’t remember now). Ask any of my 3 kids about Mom’s memory and they’ll tell you how I have to tick through their names ─Tess, Kelsey, Clover (that’s the dog), Jim (that’s the husband) ─ aaah, James. Yes, that’s who I want – “Please feed the dog, James.”
But is forgetting my kid’s names really that big a deal? I mean, in today’s fast-paced, hectic world our brains are juggling a ton of information—much of it useless. I rather believe that we can rewire the cerebral hard drive throughout our life, even in our 70s and 80s.
Which brings me to the point of this post…what can we do to keep our minds sharp and vital? Travel is one exercise for the brain that I like to think is stimulating as well as fun. And educational travel like Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventures tours are noted for engaging travelers in the destination with lectures by experts in their fields. All the new information that comes our way on an escorted tour from local guides and tour managers has to be good for brain stimulation. At the very least, it might come in handy playing Jeopardy or attempting the New York Times crossword puzzle.
Having recently traveled to South America for 12 days, the interactive experiences while on tour were like exercise for the body and soul. Take learning to tango. It’s physical and relies on the body to get us across the dance floor, and it’s social since it is dependent upon interaction among fellow passengers and the instructors. On a cognitive level, we learn something new which is emotionally rewarding…or not, if you have two left feet.
Of course, the reason for my free ride to Chile and Argentina was on account of management’s expectation that I would write a blog about my experience which perhaps made me more vigilant in my cognitive approach to the trip. But looking around the motorcoach at my fellow passengers, I saw many, like me, taking notes and listening with rapt interest. After all, why travel so far to see and experience new sights if you’re not going to learn something about the place you’ve chosen to spend a chunk of your time and money?
So, instead of mourning over memory loss why not think of fun and interesting things to awaken brain cells that are simply dormant. Or in other words, don’t hit the snooze button—get out and travel. A hypothesis backed by unscientific research? You bet. But I’ve loved every journey and every tidbit I’ve gleaned along the way and while I may forget a name or two, I can play Fox-TV’s “Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader?” with the best of them. Now if I could just get my kids to respond to my pleas for help with chores — no matter what name I call them.
posted by Melissa McKee
Collette Vacations
Tags: Argentina, Chile, Educational Travel, Escorted Tours, Traveling Well
