Growing My Hippocampus

Why I walked 80,000 steps last week.

With a family history of Alzheimers, I am acutely aware of my memory lapses.  The glorious thing about memory lapses is that you tend to forget how often they happen.  I am alarmed that I can't find my phone today.  I don't remember if I couldn't find it 4 or 5 times last week.  

What I find more troubling is the slowing of my thought processes.  I remember(!) going to the eye doctor when I thought I might need bifocals.  When I looked up at the TV from the book in my lap I was aware of my vision adjusting.  A slow refocusing from close up sight to farther away viewing.  Oh no, the eye doc said, when they stop adjusting all together--that's when you will need bifocals.  My brain is in a similar state.  I am aware of the intervening thoughts that occur as my brain tries to make sense of what it sees or hears.  

Yesterday, I napped through two quarters of the Dallas/NY game.  I woke it in the third quarter to hear the announcer say,"...is walking along the giant sideline.  That is never good..."   

The giant sideline...is that the really thick sideline?...the sideline where giants, like really big ugly men, are lined up?...clearly a bad place to take a walk...

"...headed to the locker room..."

Oh, Giant sideline...as opposed to the Cowboy sideline.

Will there come a time when my mind will no longer be able to arrive at the right conclusion?  When it gets stuck in the process of thinking?  Will I watch a football game and call the kids in NYC and warn them about giants in their neighborhood?

Not to fear--I am increasing my aerobic exercise which should increase the size of my hippocampus and my memory.  So I am tracking my steps in an effort to log 10,000 steps a day.  

Now where did I put my pedometer...