Muscles used sparingly go soft as fast as you can say couch-potato. But it isn’t just muscles that go soft in a hurry; the same thing happens to a little-used brain. To stay sharp, a brain needs a regular dose of challenging workouts — and television-watching doesn’t count as one.

If that’s a bitter pill to swallow, I have some good news to wash it down. One of the best ways to combat a soft brain is to do some woodworking. Medical research, it seems, has discovered that the hobby we all love and enjoy is healthy for the brain.

Turns out, researchers consider woodworking an intellectual activity; like reading, painting, knitting, doing crossword puzzles, and playing a musical instrument, among others. Such activities challenge the brain, helping us to stay sharp.

Until recently, it was generally accepted that, once lost, nerve cells in the brain couldn’t be replaced. But, we now know that, when the brain is exercised, it grows new cells. And, new cells translate into a smarter brain.

If you would like to read more about exercising your brain, go to www.aarp.org.

Now, I hope you’ll excuse me. I’m off to the shop to make some new brain cells. I need all the extra help I can get.

Tom Begnal