Thinking about the sailing lifestyle? Couples who embark on especially challenging journeys are vastly improving their independence into old age. The brain grows in response to the demanding but joyful tasks which require courage, innovation, and focused physical involvement. The more we use different areas of our brain, the better our chances of long life without the symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease, senility, and loss of the lifestyles we love.

Consider these components of a couple, we'll call them Mike and Paula, getting ready to sail an ocean passage. First, an assessment of ready skills is required. This is akin to taking an inventory of your own brain. Mike has sailed all his life, mostly in small boats on lakes. He has taken celestial navigation and become competent with GPS navigation. He has never sailed on the ocean, however. Paula owns a 38-foot ketch which she has sailing in San Francisco Bay for three years, and has gone on one ocean stint down the coast for four days. She has taken some courses in sailing designed for women, and she knows her boat pretty well. Paula is not a big risk-taker, and wants to know a lot more about how her boat will behave while they are out in the big swells.

Mike and Paula have a lot of communicating to do while they decide how they will prepare for their voyage. They have to come to terms with who will call the shots, because this can be a life-or-death issue when confronted with unfriendly seas, fatigue or injury. They decide to spend a year taking classes together and enroll in the Coast Guard series.

As they work through the months, they are also taking inventory on the boat itself, which is a completely different kind of brain function. Both are learning how the engine works, how the rudder is put together, and all the ins and outs of the refrigeration system. On their long weekend sails, they are training brain-muscle responses and enhancing circulation and strength out in the salty bay air.

While they learn to sail together, they are also learning how to be together. This fine-tuning is rich in neural connections and will continue to compound brain growth for the rest of their lives. Putting their heads together to make critical decisions is a tremendous way to boost both their brains. The brain busily tends all the different areas which are being challenged, from the primal brain holding the survival issues to the highly developed creative intelligence which is drawing them on to this adventure.

What kind of adventure can you dream up to challenge many areas of your brain? What would you like to do with like-minded friends that is fun and demanding?