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Reaction
Time Test
As we age, our reaction time is apt to diminish. Here's a
simple way to check your reaction time:
From The 120 Year Diet
by Dr. Roy Walford (Simon & Schuster)
All you'll need is an assistant
and an 18-inch ruler. Have your assistant hold the ruler vertically
at the top end (at the one inch end). Now, spread your thumb
and middle finger 3 1/2 inches apart with the 18-inch mark
on the ruler centered between your fingers. When your assistant
drops the ruler, catch it as quickly as possible. Note at
which mark you catch it. Do this three times, averaging your
scores.
Generally, at 20 years of age,
the ruler is caught at about the 11-inch mark. This decreases
with age to the 6-inch mark at age 60. Using this simple test,
you can really see if you still have the reaction time of
a 20-year-old.
Keep in mind that a sound diet
and adequate exerciseplus keeping yourself "mentally
challenged" with a variety of activitiescan make a big
difference in mental capacity and agility.
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