I always love to hear about individuals like you who have the courage to step outside of their comfort zone and try new things. Did you know that experimenting with new activities and doing things outside of your usual routine are also ways to boost your brain power?

I would highly recommend the book, The Creative Age: Awakening Human Potential in the Second Half of Life written by Gene D. Cohen, MD, PhD. Dr. Cohen, director of the Center for Creative Aging at George Washington University. He says,  "Getting creative in your later years is a self-fueling engine. The more you do the more you can do....Many accomplished pianists -- such as the legendary Arthur Rubinstein, who performed up until his 90th year -- have described how they modified compositions they could no longer play as fast as when they were younger, altering them with creative rearrangement to sound just as beautiful at a slightly slower tempo. Improvisation is part of the art of aging....We too often overlook the fact that aging allows us the opportunity to gather, sort and integrate more information. Aging enables the growth of knowledge and life experience -- both tremendous assets in many lines of work."

I think this book provides the necessary inspiration that your friends need and they may just change their tune once they have discovered the myriad of possibilities available as we age!