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HOW TO AGE HAPPILY IN 2020

January 3, 2020 8 Comments

 

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 11 and 15% longer and had a 50-70% greater chance of reaching 85 years old than the least optimistic.

It’s unclear how exactly optimism helps people live longer. “Other research suggests that more optimistic people may be able to regulate emotions and behaviour as well as bounce back from stressors and difficulties more effectively,” the report’s senior author said.

The researchers also consider that more optimistic people tend to have healthier habits, and are more likely to engage in exercise and less likely to smoke. These behaviours could extend both lifespan and healthspan, the term applied to the number of years in which we are healthy and active. We always say that our goal with our Age-Well Project is to stay healthy for as long as possible, and reduce our risk frailty and illness, rather than live as long as possible.

HOW TO STICK TO A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION

Did you make a New Year’s resolution which will help extend your healthspan? It might be more exercise, better sleep, more whole foods in your diet or greater social engagement. However you’ve framed it, you want to stick to it. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that people are most likely to stick to resolutions if they use:

  • stimulus control – keeping reminders of why you want to achieve your resolution around you. This was the most powerful aid for the New Year’s ‘resolvers’ tracked in the study.
  • more willpower – so hard to muster but it’s about developing the ‘grit’ that defines all superagers
  • reinforcement management – rewarding yourself for small victories so you have something to look forward to
  • positive thinking – believing that you can make that change
  • avoidance strategies – not putting yourself in a situation where you’d be tempted to slip off the wagon

INCREASING BRAIN HEALTH AND HAPPINESS IN 2020…..

One of my resolutions for the year ahead is to fit in more yoga. Research published last month linked the practice to increased brain health, as well as flexibility. A review of 11 studies found that yoga may keep the brain healthy, boost memory and lower the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

The researchers saw an increase in the size of the hippocampus, which is linked to memory, in regular yoga practitioners as well as beneficial brain changes in the amygdala, which regulates emotions and boosts happiness. As we age, these two brain regions shrink, eventually leading to cognitive decline.

The research team didn’t identify exactly how yoga benefits the brain. But they believe it may be linked to the reduction in stress which comes from a regular yoga practice. They found that people who did yoga for eight weeks had a lower cortisol response to stress, and performed better on decision-making and attention tests. ‘The practice of yoga helps improve emotional regulation to reduce stress, anxiety and depression,’ the lead researcher said. ‘And that seems to improve brain functioning.’

If I can’t get to a yoga class, and they are rather time consuming, I use a free app called Yoga Sun Salutation which is very straightforward. There are millions of great yoga videos on YouTube too – I like Yoga with Adriene.

SEEKING JOY THIS YEAR

We should all resolve to have more fun in 2020. We tend to see happiness as something that occurs occasionally, not as a habitual state. This uplifting article is packed with advice on seeking out, and keeping hold of, joy in the year ahead. And let us know in the comments below how you find joy – it might be gazing at the sunset, spending time with friends or reading a good book. Anything goes!

Here at The Age-Well Project we’ve got lots to look forward to this year. Our second Guardian masterclass, Preparing For A Longer, Healthier, Happier Life, is on Tuesday January 7th. There may be a few tickets left – click here for details.

I’m working on a follow-up to our book, which will be out in September, titled The Age-Well Plan. I’m also putting together new workshops and coaching programmes for later in the Spring when I’ve finished the book, so stay tuned for those! In the meantime, I’m coaching one-to-one clients, offering simple solutions to people over 45 who want to get their health on track so they can Age Well. If you’d like to know more, drop me a line at hello@susansaundershealth.com

And Annabel’s walking the world as she researches her next book on women artists and how walking changed their lives and their work.

FAVOURITE RE-SET RECIPES

After what felt like weeks of overindulgence during the festive season, I’m seeking out recipes which are comforting, nourishing and healthy. I’m making lots of soups – I posted a pic of a celeriac, parsnip and chestnut one on our Instagram feed a couple of days ago (do follow us on social media for the latest on how we’re cooking, moving and thinking to Age Well). And there are some terrific recipes on the blog to help us reset after the feasting. These are a few favourites:

The perfect sauce to pep up steamed greens

Italian mushroom salad

Wheatberry salad with green goddess dressing

Turkish red lentil soup

Baked Zata’ar chicken

 

Susan

  • Conditions: Ageing, Alzheimer's, Brain and Dementia, Weight loss
« WHY A BOOK IS EVERYONE’S BEST FRIEND AT CHRISTMAS
BRAIN-BUILDING, PREVENTING OSTEOPOROSIS, WHAT CARDIOLOGISTS DO FOR HEART HEALTH… AND THE NEW CANADIAN EATING GUIDELINES »

Comments

  1. Antonia says

    January 3, 2020 at 6:49 pm

    Happy New Year to you both.
    I’m pleased to read that a regular yoga practice has a positive role to play in improving brain health. It certainly helps me to do yoga for both body and mind.
    It certainly makes one feel calmer and learning to be more mindful and to know how to count the breath out and in helps one to regulate stress.
    Friends also recommend as you do Yoga with Adriene on You Tube for a home based practice.

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      January 3, 2020 at 10:38 pm

      So glad the yoga is helping!

      Reply
  2. Harriet Forde says

    January 3, 2020 at 10:31 pm

    Hi,
    Link not working for lentil soup? Sends you to WordPress login.

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      January 3, 2020 at 10:34 pm

      I’m so sorry Harriet. I’ve had a really terrible day today. I put the wrong links on the blog post. I’ve changed them all now. If you access the post via our website they should be working.

      https://agewellproject.com/how-to-age-happily-in-2020/

      Apologies again

      Susan

      Reply
  3. Bob Kummerfeld says

    January 5, 2020 at 7:54 am

    Susan,
    Would it be possible to post complete references to article that you refer to? I’d love to drill down and read the original research. For example this blog entry mentions a paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychology about sticking to resolutions.

    Reply
    • Annabel Streets says

      January 12, 2020 at 9:19 am

      Hi Bob, you should be able to drill down to most studies from the links we provide, but sometimes they’re in publications that are very expensive or have closed access. It’s one of my bugbears… all academic research should be freely available, and it’s moving in that direction but not quickly enough. If you go to http://www.pubmed.gov you can access all the freely available studies. I don’t know about the journal that Susan refers to here, but it may be there too. Good luck! Annabel

      Reply
  4. Susan Saunders says

    February 4, 2020 at 9:33 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing this

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Why We Age: Embracing Your Life Cycle Can Create Health and Happiness - Innovative Medicine says:
    February 4, 2020 at 7:41 pm

    […] most cheery person you know. They often seem far younger than their years, wouldn’t you agree? Aging well in 2020 could very well consist of both mental and physical healthy habits. There’s even research to back up the benefits of an optimistic personality, showing a […]

    Reply

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Welcome to The Age-Well Project

Welcome to The Age-Well Project!
Here you’ll find easy changes for a longer, happier life. We’ve immersed ourselves in the science of longevity and distilled the research to make it work in our everyday lives. You can change the way you age: here’s how.

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SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, SADNESS AND BRAIN-BOOSTING BISCUITS

WHY ‘INFLAMM-AGEING’ COULD START IN THE GUT AND HARISSA-ROASTED VEGETABLE SALAD

POLYAMINES – THE NEW SECRET WEAPON FOR AGEING WELL & MOROCCAN SPINACH AND CHICKPEAS.

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Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points Everything we’ve learnt about ageing well points to a time (for women at least) in their mid-60s when the chronic conditions of ageing, like diabetes, heart disease and dementia, are - statistically - more likely to kick in. 

And we know that our reproductive hormones do so much more than prepare us to have periods and babies, we have receptors for them throughout our bodies and brains. 

Oestrogen, in particular, helps keep bones strong, blood vessels flexible, brains firing and inflammation levels low. Essentially, it wraps us up in a cosy protective cloak to keep us safe and healthy while we're able to reproduce, but once the eggs have run out - we're on our own! 

Between the average age of menopause at 51, and that time in our 60s when the chronic conditions of ageing are more likely to kick in, we have a decade or so in which it’s vital to focus on our health.

And how to do that? It’s on the blog - link in bio

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #menopause #menopausehealth #postmenopause #postmenopausefitness #postmenopausal #oestrogen #hormonalhealth
If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic he If you’re lucky enough to have good metabolic health you might want to thank your Mum today. Recent studies have found that women who move around during their reproductive years and during pregnancy and then breastfeed for a bit pass on a compound in their milk called 3SL which provides lifelong protection against poor metabolic health. The offspring of moving, breastfeeding Mums appear to have a lower lifetime risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic metabolic disease. Even gentle strolling during pregnancy and while nursing can produce this compound. So today we thank our Mums for that - as well as everything else.  Susan’s mum in the hat. Annabel’s mum in the pony tail. 

#mothersday #mothers #move #agewell #goodhealth #longevitylifestyle #longevity #walk
There’s been lots of good news for walkers recen There’s been lots of good news for walkers recently. A study published last month found that over-60s who walked between 6000 and 9000 steps a day cut their risk of heart disease (including strokes and heart attacks) by 40-50 percent, when compared to a more typical 2000 steps a day. In fact this study found that for every additional 1000 steps walked, the risk fell still further. 

How far are you walking to age well? Let us know in the comments and there’s more on the power of walking on the blog - link in bio

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #walking #womenwhowalk #womenwhohike #reversewalking #backwardswalking #walkingbackwards
A big hug from us to you to mark International Wom A big hug from us to you to mark International Women’s Day! 

The campaign this year reminds us to embrace equity as a way to recognise that each of us has different circumstances, and we need different resources and opportunities to reach an equal outcome. Of course, this is as vital in ageing and health outcomes as in every other field.  

So we’re embracing our age and hoping to grow older in a more equitable society ❤️

#internationalwomensday #embraceequity #embracequity2023 ##longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #iwd2023 #madformidlife
We’ve learned to love walking backwards! So many We’ve learned to love walking backwards! So many benefits when it comes to ageing well. 

If you’re not sure how to start or are worried about looking silly (we were) - there are lots of tips on the blog, link in bio. 

If you’re a backwards walker, let us know in comments below! 

If you’re planning to start, save this post for when you’re ready for some reverse walking 

#longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #womenover50 #healthspan #womenover60 #walking #womenwhowalk #womenwhohike #reversewalking #backwardswalking #walkingbackwards
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