85-year-old
SuperAger Carol Siegler said she does not follow a daily routine, and does whatever she "feels like."Carol Siegler
  • Carol doesn't have a special diet or routine to keep her memory sharp.

  • The brains and behaviors of SuperAgers are being studied by scientists.

  • Keeping to a routine can be good for the brain.

Scientists are studying the behavior of "SuperAgers", a group of older people who have the brains of younger people, to find out how they can keep their memory sharp as they get older.

Maintaining social bonds, eating plants and whole foods, and exercising regularly are all ways to stay sharp in old age.

Emily Rogalski told Insider that the lifestyles of SuperAgers can vary. According to anecdotal data, some SuperAgers are more active later in life than others. Some SuperAgers are health nuts and others have eaten too many TV dinners.

Carol has applied to be on the game show twice. According to Insider, one of these rare, exceptional agers, she doesn't have a strict exercise routine.

She wakes up at an "average time" and has an "average breakfast" consisting of oatmeal, omelets, and french toast. If she feels like it, the 85-year-old will put coffee on first thing in the morning and play Wordle or the New York Times Spelling Bee.

The SuperAger wouldn't say if she follows a diet. She doesn't limit herself to junk food or snacks in the house.

She began working out after the death of her husband. She uses the hospital's gym to do other exercises on other days, and she also chairs yoga classes twice a week. For most of her adult life, she sat on the sideline as her husband and children worked out.

She told Insider that she does the average things people do. I don't have a special diet and I don't take a lot of medication.

Keeping your mind sharp involves not falling into a rut

Siegler's lack of a strict exercise routine or diet might seem counterintuitive, but she has remained sharp because of the constant change.

Our brains like change. Changing things up and having some variation keeps us on our toes.

The human brain has evolved to adapt to challenging environments. People used to need to listen for a rustling in the woods that could be a sign of a snake or bear.

Noticing the differences helps protect us.

The tendency of SuperAgers to challenge themselves with reading new books, playing puzzles and learning new things has been found by researchers.

She reads and puzzles to keep her sharp. She won an online contest for her age group after buying three big books of crosswords. She likes to play Wordle and Sudoku on her iPad and she keeps up with the stock market.

She said she likes to learn things. I was always the small child who read everything there was.

She doesn't have a lot of rules around her diet. She keeps a puzzle book by her bed and sometimes plays it at night but not always.

Siegler encourages other people who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle to change up their routines frequently. Instead of going scheduled walks, Siegler sneaks in extra steps by parking far away from the grocery store or library, or takes small loads of laundry to and from the machine.

If you stay too long it will be a rut, a trench, and a tunnel. "Turn your head and look around."

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