Brain Puzzles Won’t Keep You Sharp After 50 (What Actually Will Work) | Dr. Kirk Erickson, Neuroscientist

Brain puzzles may make you better at brain puzzles. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll keep you sharp as you age.Dr. Kirk Erickson is a neuroscientist who has spent decades studying how exercise, fitness, and lifestyle shape the aging brain, including landmark work on hippocampal plasticity and cognitive aging.If you’re in your 40s or 50s, he argues this may be the period when what you do now starts to matter most for your cognitive future. We talk about what actually seems to protect the aging brain, why exercise matters, where its benefits may start to level off, and why being fit doesn’t make you immune to decline. We also get into intellectually demanding activities, brisk walking versus more complex sports, and what the science still can’t tell us with confidence.Dr. Kirk Erickson — Advent Health Research Institute Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory — PNASMarek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

I’ve spent thousands of dollars on supplements over the years. Some probably helped. Some may have done absolutely nothing.At 48, I still take several, but I’m much more skeptical than I used to be.In this solo episode, I break down what I currently take, including creatine, protein, vitamin D, magnesium, Urolithin A, BPC-157 and TB-500, along with why I use them, where the evidence feels strong, and where I’m still experimenting. I also get into collagen, glucosamine, omega-3s, probiotics, and the bigger question behind all of it: What problem are you actually trying to solve, and how good is the evidence that this solves it?Because supplements can support the foundation. They can’t become the foundation. Disclaimer: ’m not a medical professional. This is my personal experience, not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before trying supplements or peptidesMarek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

Joe Friel is back.At 82, Joe is still training, still lifting, and still paying close attention to what aging actually does to an athlete’s body. In our first conversation, we talked about the moment the old rules stop working. This time, we go deeper into what to do next.Joe explains why sleep may be the first place to look, why consistency in the gym matters more than heroic workouts, why fast-twitch power fades, and why VO2 max is not just about racing — it is about staying capable for life. This is a practical conversation about training after 50, but it is also a warning: the mistakes you could get away with in your 20s and 30s start costing more as you age. Joe’s upated book, Fast After 50, is one of the essential reads for athletes who want to keep training and racing strong as they age. Joe dispenses so much wisdom with candor and clarity. Don't miss this one! For more conversations and essays on strength, recovery, longevity, and staying capable after 40, subscribe to the free Ageless Athlete newsletter. Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube! Twenty years ago, Kit DesLauriers skied from the summit of Everest, completing her goal of becoming the first person to ski the Seven Summits. Today, at 56, she’s still asking a compelling question: how do you stay strong and capable enough to keep doing the things you love as you get older?A two-time World Freeskiing Champion, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Famer, Kit joins me to talk about strength, fear, big goals, parenting, non-attachment — and why she believes her best decades are still ahead.Kit:Website: https://kitdeslauriers.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitdski/Read Kit's wonderful memoir: Higher Love: Skiing the Seven SummitsMarek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube! Dr. Belinda Beck has spent much of her career studying a part of the body most active people barely think about until something goes wrong: bone.We train our muscles.We train our cardiovascular systems.But are we actually giving our bones the stimulus they need to remain strong across decades?In this episode, Belinda explains why simply “being active” does not necessarily mean you are training your bones effectively.Dr. Belinda Beck is a professor at Griffith University and Director of The Bone Clinic in Australia. Her research and clinical work focus on bone health, osteoporosis, bone stress injury, and the effects of exercise.Explore The Bone Clinic, ONERO® Academy, The Bone Clinic on FacebookMarek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube! Dean Potter once called Timmy O’Neill his “secret weapon.”With Dean back in the spotlight through Dark Wizard, I went back to this conversation with Timmy — and realized how much of it deserves to be heard again.Timmy shares stories from their extraordinary years climbing together in Yosemite, but this conversation goes somewhere deeper: how our relationship with risk changes as we age, why Timmy fears not living more than dying, and his idea of cultivating a “life wish” — even if you’re not a climber or adventure athlete.We also talk about aging, play, family, loss, adaptive climbing, and finding the things that make you feel truly alive. One of my favorites. Enjoy! Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube!At 82, Cherie Gruenfeld is still racing IRONMAN. She’s a 14-time world champion and is considered a GOAT of the sport. Wildly, she didn’t even start running until 42 or triathlon until 48. Her lesson after four decades of training: if you want to preserve strength, power, and muscle as you age, you can’t keep training the way you did when you were younger. We talk about what Cherie does differently now and, the mindset behind performing into your 80s More about Cherie: https://cheriegruenfeld.com/. She also founded Exceeding Expectations, which uses triathlon, mentoring, and education to help at-risk kids build a different future. Consider supporting their excellent work: Exceeding ExpectationsMarek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube!Allison Aubrey has spent more than two decades reporting on health and science for NPR. But when she put herself through a longevity assessment, some of the results caught even her off guard.  In this episode, we talk about what she learned from that experience, why being active and lean doesn’t necessarily mean you’re as prepared for aging as you think, and the health markers that may actually be worth paying attention to. And later, Allison shares what she learned from spending time with 32 centenarians — including one pattern that kept showing up in people who had made it past 100. About Allison: Allison Aubrey is an NPR health and science correspondent and the author of the Book:Your Turn: How to Create a Midlife You Love. She also writes on Substack. Brain Care Score — Mass GeneralMarek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube!Paul Pritchard is one of the most significant figures in British climbing. He became one of Britain’s leading rock climbers and mountaineers, with major first ascents across the UK, Patagonia, Baffin Island, Yosemite, Kyrgyzstan and the Karakoram. His first ascent of the West Face of Mount Asgard in 1994 remains one of his defining achievements. He was also the first author to have won the Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature twice — for Deep Play, and later, The Totem Pole.In 1998, everything changed. While climbing Tasmania’s Totem Pole, Paul was struck in the head by a falling rock, sustaining a near-fatal brain injury that left him with hemiplegia. He spent the next year in hospital and has described the decades since as his longest project: healing, adapting, and learning to live one moment at a time.This is not simply a comeback story. It’s a conversation about mortality, fear, acceptance, freedom, identity, and what happens when the life you expected disappears.REFERENCESPaul's excellent books:: Deep Play | The Totem Pole | The Longest Climb | The Mountain Path on his website at https://www.paulpritchard.com.au/booksPaul's Instagram: @paulpritchardMarek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

We spend a lot of time preparing our bodies for the next 30 or 40 years.Strength. Mobility. Sleep. Recovery. Longevity.But almost nobody prepares for how sex, desire, intimacy, and pleasure may change over that same stretch of time.In this conversation, I speak with Joan Price, one of the best-known voices on sex and aging, about what changes, what can actually get better, and what we should understand long before we think we need to.Joan is 82, but much of what she shares may be most useful in your thirties, forties, and fifties.We talk about physical changes, why exercise matters, how desire evolves, why communication becomes more important, and how intimacy can adapt as we age.This is a conversation about the next 40 years of your body — and a part of longevity we rarely prepare for.Note: This episode includes frank discussion of sex, sexual function, grief, and intimacy.Joan’s Books & ResourcesJoan’s books include Naked at Our Age, Sex After Grief, The Ultimate Guide to Sex After 50, Better Than I Ever Expected, and Ageless Erotica.Learn more about Joan’s books, webinars, newsletter, and other resources at JoanPrice.com. If you’d like to buy one of her books, consider purchasing through her website: joanprice.com/books Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathleteAgeless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.