Sweet Headache

Use it or lose it

There is a video going around the blogosphere that shows a 69 year old lady being an active electronic music DJ in paris. In case you haven’t seen it:

Even though this might seem a little odd, it actually makes a lot of sense to me. If you love music when you are young, why shouldn’t you still love music when you are old?

However, there could also be a rational side behind this: “Use it or lose it.” is more or less the motto that was derived by recent brain research. It basically means that if you are active and curious in old age, you are more likely to stay so for a longer time.

Many of us have probably observed this with older people they know: Those who still ride their bike, have an active social life or do something that they care about do not only seem happier, but also appear younger. A nice example from the music business is Les Paul, a legendary guitar player who still performed on stage when he was over 90 years old.

Of course your body will limit your possibilities, but there is no reason why you should not try to push those limits. It’s probably even a good thing to do – even if that means DJing in noisy clubs when you are 69.