Music and aging

"Music, the most-studied art reviewed, has been shown to have a number of benefits [for older people]. One landmark study compared older adults who were invited to join a choir to those not invited. Twelve months after the study began, choir members showed decreases in doctor visits, falls, and over-the-counter medication use. Improvements were seen in overall health rating and number of activities performed. In a larger study that randomly assigned individuals to a choir program or a control group, the choir partisans had lower scores on a depression/anxiety scale, and higher scores on a quality of life scale. A survey of older amateur singers before and after joining a musical group showed increases in emotional well-being, social life, quality of life, and self-confidence." http://aginginaction.com/2014/01/can-music-dance-and-other-arts-programs-enhance-healthy-aging/

Inspiring, isn't it? 91 year old runs marathons

91-year-old Harriette Thompson set a new world record Sunday after she ran a marathon in San Diego in little over seven hours! Her feat, which also made her the second-oldest woman to complete a marathon in US history, is especially remarkable given that Thompson only completed her last radiation treatment for skin cancer one month ago. The grandmother of ten from Charlotte, North Carolina beat... the previous marathon record for women 90 and up by two hours and 45 minutes.

Thompson ran her first marathon at age 76 and tells people that "it's never too late" to start exercising. She has run in 15 out of the past 16 Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Marathons and raised over $90,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in the process. A classically trained pianist, Thompson told WFAE that she replays pieces in her head to keep pace while running: "I usually think of Chopin etudes, the ones that are technically difficult, because usually they're pretty fast, and it stimulates me to go a little faster, and also helps pass the time."

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/06/harriette-thompson-marathon

http://www.people.com/article/harriette-thompson-91-finishes-marathon-in-san-diego

http://running.competitor.com/2014/06/news/record-setting-day-harriette-thompson-san-diego_104482