The Age-Well Project

IS THERE AN OPTIMUM TIME OF DAY TO MOVE?

I love walking at this time of year (which is winter in the UK, apologies to those of you in the southern hemisphere). The moody grey skies, the rain with its proliferation of perfume, dark afternoons when we can peer into other people’s lamp-lit homes, the chance to be outside – sweat-free with tingling cheeks...

Getting enough calcium? And other ways to help your bones age well

We know, don’t we, that calcium is important for bone health, and that resilient bones help reduce our fracture risk. And we really, really want to avoid fractures as we age. Research from Spain published in 2020 found the likelihood of dying within a year of a hip fracture was 27%. I had a wake-up...

CAN WE IMPROVE OUR SLEEP – REALLY?

I’ve had what sleep guru Matthew Walker would call insomnia for about 25 years now: lengthy night awakenings, at least three times a week (there are other types of sleeplessness, but this is mine). In one of his recent podcasts (#30: Insomnia Part 5) he explained that this may be the result of faulty wiring...

How time and hormones impact weight gain and sleep as we age

Unless we’re working out like a superhero, we’re likely to feel the passage of time as the body softens. Change in body composition is one of the most obvious markers of ageing, however hard we work to age well. On average, we gain a pound and a half (700g) each year during our 40s and...

HOW TO TIPPLE IN SOBER OCTOBER

I’ve always enjoyed a tipple. And in the past we’ve written about the age-well joys of champagne, red wine and beer. They’re still age-well joys, of course, but in smaller and smaller quantities. Not just because we’re getting older (although that’s a perfectly valid reason for drinking less – the ageing body finds it increasingly...