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How to age well like the Queen!

May 27, 2022 2 Comments

I know our Queen has incredible advantages when it comes to longevity: palaces, retinues of staff, the country’s best doctors….. but isn’t she ageing well?! And, despite her obvious privileges, there are lessons we can all learn from Her Majesty as we head towards the Platinum Jubilee  here in the UK. So a trumpet voluntary, please, for our right royal Age-Well celebration….

 SHE HAS A SENSE OF PURPOSE

 Her sense of duty is incredible, isn’t it? Through the toughest times, the early death of her father, family dramas, losing Prince Phillip – she’s kept calm and carried on. That purpose, to serve her country, drives her forward. As we’ve written in our books The Age-Well Project and The Age-Well Plan, having a sense of purpose gives us the power to plan for the future we want, and the strength to go after it. All the super-ager nonagenarians Annabel interviewed for the Project have fantastically well developed purpose, and grit.

 Interestingly, former US presidents have incredible longevity for the same reason: Jimmy Carter is 97! George Bush Snr was 94 when he died, Gerald Ford was 93, so was Ronald Regan (although he had Alzheimer’s). Engaging in the meaningful work of being a leader of the free world correlates with longevity, it seems.

SHE’S ALWAYS DOING NEW THINGS


All those royal walkabouts might seem like a drag, but they’re constantly exposing HM to new experiences. As we get older, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, following the same patterns that we’ve followed for years, if not decades. We seek comfort in the familiar. But our ageing brains thrive on newness and novelty. We need to keep challenging ourselves, keeping our brains busy and curious.

Novelty – as we’ve written previously here –  stretches our brains, making them work harder and build new neuro-pathways. We need to stimulate our minds all the time: life-long learning, volunteering and meeting new people all fit the bill. All activities HM undertakes on an almost daily basis.

 SHE’S ALWAYS SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE….

 Relations between members of the Royal Family may be strained at times, but you’re never alone with a family that size (not to mention all the staff…..) Having extensive social ties have been linked to fewer health problems and living longer. Conversely, a relative lack of social ties is associated with depression and later-life cognitive decline, as well as with increased mortality.  One study found that a lack of strong relationships increased the risk of premature death from all causes by 50% — roughly the same effect as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

….AND SHE TALKS TO STRANGERS

 All the shaking of hands and greeting people is giving her brain one of the toughest workouts we can experience. A simple interaction with a stranger gives the brain so much to process. In an experiment where strangers spoke to each other in a waiting room, all ended up happier as a result. Chatting to people we meet on the street, or bus, or in a coffee shop, may be beyond our comfort zone, but it’s great for our cognitive health.

SHE GETS OUTSIDE

Of course, the Queen’s got palaces and many thousands of acres in which to do so. But her love of the countryside is well known. She might not be pumping iron, but she walks daily and rides her horses whenever she can. We don’t have to roam around Balmoral to reap the benefits of being outside. Just a few minutes in nature each day reduces stress – we’ve written about that here.

SHE LOVES DOGS 

We love dogs too, and have written about the joy of a new puppy, and the sadness of losing a beloved companion. Dogs give us extra exercise, companionship  – stroking a pet has been found to raise levels of the love hormone oxytocin – and owners have a great variety of gut bacteria.

DOPAMINE DRESSING

Those outfits! We all know how the Queen dresses – bright dopamine colours which can be spotted in a crowd and look good on the front cover of Hello! Surely those bright colours – canary yellow for opening the Elizabeth Line last week, coral for Chelsea Flower Show this week – must be as cheering for her as they are for us. Taking care of ourselves, taking pride in our appearance, presents a positive front to the world and, in turn, makes us feel happier.

SHE EATS LIGHTLY – MOST OF THE TIME

Royal chefs have revealed that when the Queen’s not banqueting like a, well, queen, she eats lightly. It’s fish and vegetables for lunch, maybe meat or game for dinner. She’s very keen on local and seasonal produce – easy if it’s come off your own estate, of course.  But we can all look for food that hasn’t travelled halfway around the world to reach our plates.

Recipes for a Jubilee weekend

If you’re in the UK – and maybe elsewhere – you may find yourself at a street party or other gathering, and need to bring a dish. We don’t seem to have the same culture of ‘pot luck’ parties as our American cousins, so ‘bringing a dish’ needs thought. I have, very clearly, been asked NOT to bring Coronation Chicken to our street party this time. I may have overdone it at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations 10 years ago.

So here are a few of our favourite recipes from the archives that could work for an outdoor gathering, whether you’re celebrating the Platinum Jubilee or not:

Ginger kombucha

Sardine and watercress pate

Harissa-roasted vegetable salad

Roast veg frittata with walnut salsa

Griddled asparagus with miso dressing

Sweet and sour cherry bowl with almonds, kale and goats cheese

Berry lollies

Sticky toffee pudding cake 

 

Susan

  • Meal Types: On The Go
  • Conditions: Ageing
« HOW TO WALK TO IMPROVE YOUR MOOD
WHY YOU NEED TO ROCK AND REST »

Comments

  1. Anne Cottam says

    May 28, 2022 at 10:31 am

    I agree with all this – joining a choir is one you missed out – or just a group of people who like singing or chatting – my local one if run by and full of – Young Mums, they also find it de-pressurising from their busy lives, juggling children and work.

    Gardening, if you have access to it, is my chief pastime, it’s like work actually , as we have too much land for our ages (84 and 85) so it keeps us very busy.

    If doing a lot physically, have a lie down (on the floor preferably if able) with knees up – Pilates position, it totally relaxes the back and the discs puff up again like they do overnight – they gradually squash flatter when you’re upright. A few deep breaths out, listen to something on the wireless to stop You worrying about all the jobs you have to do, sometimes even have 40 winks while down there. 😊

    Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      May 28, 2022 at 10:52 am

      Thanks so much for this Anne – a choir and gardening are fantastic age well activities! Singing is a surprisingly physical activity and brings the community element too. And I like the lying on the floor idea – I’ll be trying that later!

      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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WHY I’VE THROWN OUT ALL MY BEAUTY PRODUCTS (nearly…)

Why Alzheimer’s Is A Women’s Issue

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GREEN SPACE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH

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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Susan was lucky enough to spend a day at the olive Susan was lucky enough to spend a day at the olive harvest at Bidni Extra Virgin Olive Oil @bidni_evoo in Malta in late September. Fresh from the press, the oil was pretty peppery! That’s the polyphenols at work.

Polyphenol levels in olive oil also play a vital role in its brain boosting properties. They help reduce neuroinflammation and slow cognitive decline.

A study presented at a conference this summer by Harvard School of Public Health looked at the cognition of more than 90,000 people over 30 years. It found that those who consumed half a tablespoon of olive oil each day, as opposed to mayonnaise or margarine, had a 28%  lower risk of dying from dementia. Interestingly, this research found that the brain benefits of olive oil held up, regardless of the quality of the rest of the participants’ diet. So even those who didn’t adhere to other guidelines of the Mediterranean diet still got the benefits from the oil.

There’s more on the blog - link in bio

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell #longevity #EVOO
Two new pieces of research you need to know about Two new pieces of research you need to know about if you want to age well: 

1️⃣ the kynurenine pathway. It’s complicated but high levels of it don’t bode well for ageing well. Several studies have found that older people, those who’ve had hip fractures, the frail, as well as the depressed have higher circulating levels of kynurenine.  Indeed the more kynurenine in your blood, the greater your chances of dying sooner rather than later. High levels of kynurenine also seem to be associated with low levels of melatonin and serotonin – meaning both poorer sleep and a greater risk of depression.

New research has identified a very simple way of blocking the accumulation of kynurenine (and its toxic by-products) in our blood and tissues: regular, heart-beat-raising movement.

2️⃣ Platelet Factor 4 (PF4). This compound appears to keep our brains and memories sharp. And it too is released when we move. Discovered by a team from the University of Queensland Brain Institute, PF4 is a protein secreted by the tiny blood cells that prevent blood clotting (known as platelets). This protein rejuvenates brain cells (neurons) in ageing mice, and researchers now think it may be the reason that exercise  and movement amplify the production of new neurons in the brain.

Want more info? It’s on the blog - link in bio 

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell #longevity
In today’s Observer: Check out our top tips for In today’s Observer: Check out our top tips for caring for ourselves and our parents. Take a multi vit for 50+, persevere with technology and/or try something new every day, walk daily, stay social, consume sufficient protein, supplement with vits D and B12… 

#agewell #healthyaging
Autumn giveaway! 🍂 We’ve got a bundle of two Autumn giveaway! 🍂

We’ve got a bundle of two books to give away here on Insta - one copy of The Age-Well Project and one of 52 Ways to Walk. 

To win, simply leave a comment below letting us know your favorite landscape for autumn and winter walks. Do you like hills, mountains, flatlands, canals, rivers, coastlines, cities, cemeteries, your local park, moorland...? Just a few words to tell us where you’d most like to be walking in the next few months to help you age well. 

The competition closes at midnight BST on 18 October and a winner will be selected at random.

And in case you’re wondering why Annabel’s interested in your favourite landscape, it’s because she’s writing a new book about the places we choose to walk in and how they affect us. So she’d love to get a rough idea of the best-loved locations… all in confidence, of course.

Good luck!

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell #giveaway #womenwhohike #womenwhowalk
Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock Look, we know not many people have round-the-clock access to a sauna. But Susan found one in a hotel she was staying at recently, there’s one in our local gym and Annabel found plenty on her summer holiday in Finland. 

A growing number of studies attest to the longevity-enhancing benefits of routine forays into a sauna. Much of the research has been instigated in Finland where sauna (pronounced to rhyme with downer) has existed forever.

So how does sauna help us age well? The extreme heat activates heat shock proteins which researchers think can maintain the healthy functioning of our cells.  As we get older, the proteins in some of our cells start to misfold and collapse. They then clump together forming plaques, including the plaques thought to cause Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Heat shock proteins – triggered by a sauna stint and possibly by hot baths – appear to prevent the misfolding and collapsing of cellular proteins, as well as clearing out those that have already misfolded. Which is to say they keep our cells in good shape. 

There’s more on the blog - link in bio 

#womenover50 #over50andfit #womenover60 #postmenopause #postmenopausalwomen #postmenopausalhealth 
#brainhealth #alzheimers #reducedementiarisk #cognitivehealth #betterbrainhealth #brainfog  #agewell #longevity #ageingwell #agingwell
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