“Matandain” at 90

As we grow older, we experience physiological changes that slow down the activity of all body parts and organs. Doctors routinely advise the middle age to exercise – which we usually take to mean physical exercise. The brain is usually left out. Also, protective youngsters caution their elders to take it easy saying: “You’re no longer a spring chicken.”  But it is a common saying: IF YOU DON’T USE IT, YOU LOSE IT. So it is with the brain.

But memory loss is not an inevitable part of the aging process

The brain is capable of producing new brain cells at any age, so significant memory loss is not an inevitable result of aging. But just as it is with muscle strength, you have to challenge the easy way out. Your lifestyle, health habits, and daily activities have a huge impact on the health of your brain.

Fact: Brain power can be improved at any age. The human brain has an astonishing ability called neuroplasticity. It enables the brain to adapt and change even into old age. The brain has that uncanny ability to reshape itself in order to increase your cognitive abilities, enhance your ability to learn new information, and improve your memory at any age.

Here are some tips on how to improve your memory:

Aerobic exercise is good for the brain, so choose the activities that keep your blood pumping. In general, what is good for the heart is great for the brain.

But, there are cases when exercise causes our leg muscles to ache. If you succumb to it and fail to use your legs, your muscles grow weaker and weaker and you start to lose your balance and risk being unable to walk.

Sleep experts advise that we should go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time each morning. We should avoid all screens for at least an hour before bed. The blue light emitted by TVs, tablets, phones, and computers triggers wakefulness and suppresses sleep hormones, such as melatonin, that make you sleepy. And most of all, cut back on caffeine as it may interfere with sleep at night.

 With some quotes from Boo Chanco

Patience is supposed to be a virtue. But as far as the Filipino people are concerned, it has long been proven that patience is a vice. Patience never got us anywhere through three centuries of Spanish rule, half a century of the Americans and some 60 years with our home grown tyrants.

I am not sure if the pre-Spanish tribesmen in these islands that became the Philippines were naturally patient. But I am almost sure the kind of patience we have today has colonial roots. It was nurtured by the Spaniards and later, the Americans and our Ilustrados to subdue our masa for easier exploitation.

Perhaps our poor are resigned to the realities of their miserable existence. They live by the day and are ready to vote for the source of their next meal.

This should be embarrassing to all of us who take pride in being the only Christian nation in our region. But it isn’t. We, too, are resigned to this fact of life. Hunger and poverty and self-flagellation are in the realm of background noise for most of home-based Pinoys.

There are some 10 million Pinoys abroad and more former OFWs who have absorbed the varied cultures of their adopted communities. They are experiencing the good and bad life in other countries.

These are the people who would thoughtlessly parry criticism about inconveniences and inefficiencies in our country by saying: “This is the Philippines. What do you expect.”

This irresponsible high-handed attitude is shared by many of our overseas countrymen including media practitioners. You can just read broadsheet’s opinion pages.

So, how can the people rid themselves of decades old obstructive “patience” – when even “responsible” media succumbs to irresponsible impatience?

The country needs everyone’s cooperation to erase negative patience and to push significant gains already achieved. Let me name some:

Critics may say that all of these achievements in numbers are nothing if the economic growth can't be felt by ordinary Filipinos, yes that's true but the task is not easy as they make it appear. They should not expect the government to give out mansions and jobs directly to anyone who hasn't even gone to school.

Lifting the poor people of our country needs more than just saying the "Erap Para Sa Mahirap" or "Gaganda ang Buhay kay Binay" slogan. It starts with concrete economic plans and patiently doing the right things to implement them.

As the experts have said, it needs at least 10-15 years of sustained GDP at 6% - 7% of the Philippines to make the masses feel the economic growth.

But first, to get to that point we need to support the efforts of the government which are good. When something good is done, we need to support it and drop the opposing political agendas we have. It is the only way to change our decades old patient complacency.

We need to drop crab mentality and give credit where credit is due.