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 AGE HAPPILY IN 2020
Happy New Year from The Age-Well Project! We hope that you’re looking at the year, and the decade, ahead with optimism. Optimism is a great tool for health and happiness. Research published last summer assessed the optimism levels of almost 70,000 people in the US. It found that the most optimistic individuals lived between…
COFFEE AND YOUR HEALTH: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
This is me, about to take – I kid you not – my first sip of coffee in 20 years. I gave up when living in California in 1999 (my body was a temple, and all that). The withdrawal symptoms were so debilitating (like a 10-day flu bug) I vowed never to go back. But…..20…
ANOTHER COMPELLING REASON TO FAST? HORTA ON TOAST
So far, the only intervention able to dramatically extend healthy life appears to be … fasting, otherwise known as Caloric Restriction (CR). Studies – on animals – suggest that regular fasting can extend healthy life by up to 30%. Susan recently wrote about her experience of fasting after trialling Professor Longo’s Longevity Diet, and we wrote…
GET THEE TO A FOREST (ON FOOT) AND HERBY COURGETTE/ZUCCHINI SOUP
Now is the time to boost our immunity, particularly given recent predictions that this winter may see a severe flu epidemic. In addition to the usual dietary advice (more on this next month), there’s something very simple we can do – take advantage of these glorious autumn days and hit the woods. There’s a new…
HOW TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER LAUGHTER & FARRO SALAD WITH EGGS AND SMOKED MACKEREL
A few weeks ago I had dinner with one of the UK’s kings of comedy. Charlie Higson, writer, producer and comedian in shows like Saturday Live, the Harry Enfield Programme, Reeves and Mortimer and The Fast Show, had us all in stitches. After a while, we were laughing before Charlie even opened his mouth, almost…
WHY YOU NEED TO DO MORE EXERCISE & GLAZED AUBERGINE CHIPS
I’ll confess right away: my life has become increasingly sedentary. The life of most writers is a sedentary one. I walk every day, regularly clocking up between 10 and 20,000 steps. But this, it turns out, is not enough. According to recent research from America’s Brigham Young University I might as well be slouching in…
WHICH AGE-WELL DIET IS A WINNER FOR WEIGHT LOSS?
Bear with me writing about diets again, but it is still January. And what does ‘diet’ really mean? The word is usually associated with weight loss, of course, but there are ways to alter eating habits to bring both health benefits AND weight loss where needed. The honest truth is that many of us could…
LOSE WEIGHT, FIX BRAIN FOG AND COOK LENTILS
I really overdid it this festive season, and a wobbly Christmas-pud-tum is the result. After Annabel’s post last week about the brain benefits of ping pong I’ll be dragging out our table tennis. But I suspect it’s going to take a little more than that. We’re anti-diet at Kale & Cocoa but the latest wonder…
