How long we live, and how well we age, are determined by an array of factors, we know. There are the ones we have some control over, like lifestyle (which is why Annabel and I started this blog, almost 11 years ago!). And the ones we can’t control: genetics, health care provision, socio economic status,…
THE MYSTERIOUS BENEFITS OF LANDSCAPE AND A WEEKEND OFFER
Greetings from the snow and the mountains! I’m still yomping up and down peaks and valleys, through ice and snow, thanks to my crampons/spikes/yaktrax/cleats. These wonderful things should be given out to anyone worried about walking (or slipping) on ice. Hip fractures kill a shocking 20-60% of older adults within a year. Resistance training can…
MODERATION, MODERATION, MODERATION
I’m high in the Alps this month on an artists’ residency. While the other artists are busily in their studios painting, drawing and stitching, I’m doing most of my work on foot, clambering up and down mountains as I pull together thoughts for a future book. I was feeling very virtuous about all this exercise…
3 things I’ve done every day in January to help me age well
This is landing in your inbox on Jan 31st so it feels like a good time to share three practices I’ve focussed on throughout the month to help me age well in 2025. So far in January, we’ve written about the longevity boosting benefits of the so-called ‘flavo-diet’, and the importance of activating brown fat…
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUILD BROWN FAT
We turn the heating off at night, in our house. Manually. And I’m an early riser. Which means that when I wake up – usually around 6am, often earlier – it’s both dark and very cold. Our house is old, with single glazed windows, so any residual heat from the previous day has invariably escaped…
The ‘flavodiet’ and other ways to age well in 2025
Happy 2025! That came around quickly, didn’t it? Annabel and I hope you had a wonderful festive season and feel recharged, ready for the year ahead. While we’re always wary of New Year’s resolutions here at the Age-Well Project, I’m looking at some nutritional tweaks to support my health – and particularly my cognitive health…
MOVE LIKE A MIDDLE-AGER, EAT CHOCOLATE, DRINK COFFEE
I was recently in Brussels and took the opportunity to visit the city’s fabulous collection of Old Masters. The Brueghels (or Bruegels, as you prefer) caught my eye – not only for their colour and verve but for their insight into how our ancestors lived. Look closely at these paintings of sixteenth century village life…
What speeds up ageing? UPFs
For a recent TV project I tasted 40 different, highly-processed foods in a day. At the start, it felt fun and exciting – a day off from my usual brain-healthy diet – but by the end I felt dehydrated, somewhat nauseous and very bloated. My mouth was coated in salt and a taste I can’t…
MELATONIN AND OTHER MARVELS
I’m just back from walking through Sicily, which has reminded me of the importance of sunlight, darkness and exercise for fantastic sleep. After days of long and strenuous walking – up and down the Madonie mountains and their steeply-sided medieval villages – I slept like a dog/baby/log (as you prefer). Here, in the mountains, the…
Travel, plastics and, er, gorillas!
Annabel and I have long appreciated the benefits of travel to help us age well. We know our brains and bodies thrive on new experiences, new places, new people. So we weren’t surprised to read research published last month in the Journal of Travel Research (not a publication we’d come across before) that suggested travel…
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