Keep young by keeping your mind busy

The high-tech world of cyberspace, so they say, is a place for the young and nimble of mind and body.

A 90-year-old Japanese grandmother would beg to differ as she entertains thousands as the net’s oldest online gamer.

Hamako Mori flexes her fingers every day to keep them nimble. The pensioner known as “Gamer Grandma” spends three or more hours a day battling monsters and going on missions in the virtual worlds of her favourite games and even has a popular YouTube channel for her fans.

There are a few lessons the world can learn from Hamako.

First, age is just a number and enthusiasm for anything doesn’t have to decline as you get older. Second, there is no reason to be intimidated by technology or feel left behind by a rapidly evolving world… as long as you make the effort to keep up.

Finally – and most importantly because the percentage of the world’s ageing population is growing – is that staying youthful, or at least avoiding the onset of physical and mental decline, is keeping your brain active.

So, you can do crosswords or sudoku puzzles or read. Who would have thought? Newspapers are the key to a long life…

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