I have long been conviced of the Use It Or Lose It argument. When I see elderly in my family living in front of the tv I despair. I watch tv, too, but it has to be limited. You have to get up, walk, make your food, clean up, do your laundry, interact with various people, get outside. . .then watch a little tv. My mother in law lives in her chair, and she can’t remember a thing any more.
There is definitely something to that. My uncle is the sharpest 86 yr old man I have known. He walks, reads heavy stuff, gardens, and does a crossword puzzle every day. He is the first to tell you that he has to go out of his way to keep his mind active, lest the alternative come to fruition.