By the time you reach your late 20s and early 30s, the brain is said to begin to lose volume, have components deteriorate and lessen fast-paced stimulation of its receptors. From there it is a downhill slope, and next thing you know you are 60 years old with your brain beginning to shrink in size and experiences difficulty accessing knowledge and or adding to it. Additionally, from the age of 65 and beyond you would have a greater risk of getting Alzheimer’s which, as told by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, increases the rate of brain tissue loss and cognitive decline. I don’t know about you, but I find this information to be quite concerning, even frightening. But does all this mean you can’t go back to school?

Studies have proven that mental stimulation can help counter and reverse our brain’s deterioration. Like weightlifting to our muscles, mentally stimulating activities helps strengthen, maintain and expand our brain’s cells, connections and overall vitality. These activities range from reading, writing, crossword puzzles, word searches, to learning a new language or even a new subject.

Let’s use my very own mother as an example. Happily retired, my beautiful mom has spent the last several years enjoying her passions of gardening, cooking and canning. But late last year, my mother’s interests slightly shifted. She found herself not just wanting to learn new recipes, but to also learn the professional techniques and tricks of cooking. Curious, my mom conducted some research and found a fairly local culinary college where she could learn to become a professional chef. Soon after, on her birthday, my mother attended a promotional tour at said college and within a matter of days, she signed up for their evening classes. My mother is the most intelligent person I know, so I was not surprised to see her easily retaining the bomb of information taught during her lessons. She has improved in her note-taking skills, developed mental weight-conversion skills and has somehow managed to make her already perfect meals even more delicious and interesting. On top of that, despite being the oldest student in her class, just last week she returned home with an A+ midterm mark. I cannot express how proud I am of my mom. She hasn’t let anything get in her way of pursing her interests.

My mother is among the 35 percent of students over the age of 25 that are returning to school. Not only are these students learning something they are interested in or love, but they are also engaging their brains in a way that reverses and or prevents damaging of their most valuable organ.

It’s never too late. Don’t let anyone or anything—even age—get in the way of pursuing your dreams and getting an education.

To learn more about brain age development, visit: How Your Brain Changes With Age and Aging Brains Lose Less Than Thought.