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IMPROVE YOUR MEMORY BY WALKING BACKWARDS, THROWING PARTIES AND OTHER THINGS BESIDES…

April 27, 2019 Leave a Comment

One of the questions we’re often asked is: How can I improve my memory?

Few of us beyond mid-life can claim to have a perfect in-our-twenties memory. But is this natural ageing or can we do something about it?

After I hit my head on a London pavement and cracked my skull, my memory disappeared entirely, reappearing in haphazard and disorienting splinters. But reappear it did. I worked hard at various memory exercises, and ingested plenty of green tea and blueberries, both thought to improve memory (along with mushrooms). As a result – and rather hearteningly – my memory is now better than before. Not quite in-my-twenties, but better than in-my-forties. Meanwhile I’ve been trialling a new technique for committing something to memory. It involves walking backwards and – oddly – it seems to work. Scroll down to read more.

Meanwhile a new study, conducted by a bunch of American neuroscientists, has identified several factors for keeping our memories sharp beyond the age of 55. They believe their findings could have implications for fending off Alzheimer’s disease, which often first presents as failing memory.

Peggy McFall, the study’s author found that adults with healthy memory were more likely to engage in regular social activities, such as hosting parties (so there’s your excuse, folks). They were more inclined to grapple with mentally challenging activities like using a computer or learning a second language. For all adults aged 55 to 75, healthy memory was associated with lower heart rate, higher (yes, you read that correctly) body mass index (BMI), and a larger network of companions. Adults over 75 with good memory also walked faster and had fewer symptoms of depression.

Those with declining memory were typically those engaging in fewer new cognitive activities. They also had higher heart rates, walked more slowly and engaged in fewer social activities.

Chicken or egg? McFall suggests neither. She thinks engaging in cognitively demanding activities and walking faster are things we could do to delay or even prevent cognitive decline. So, if you’re worried about your memory or your ability to focus:

  • Pick up your walking pace
  • Make sure you’re spending plenty of time in good company
  • Even better, throw a party: this involves planning, organising and remembering thereby activating multiple memory pathways
  • Commit to learning a new skill.

This term I’ve enrolled for an oil painting class and I’m learning French (again). Susan is grappling with our website and planning a party.

You may have read in the news recently about the use of electrical currents to ‘rejuvenate’ memory. If not, you can catch up here. To me, this has shades of the electric shock treatment endured by Sylvia Plath, Janet Frame and many others. Until there’s more robust data I won’t be trialling it.

Finally, let me share my new walking-backwards tip. If you’ve mislaid something or you’re learning something you don’t want to forget, try walking backwards – to either jog your memory or to commit something to memory. I’ve tried it. It seems to work. For me, at any rate.

Here’s the Data…

A study published in the January issue of Cognition found that people who walked backwards, imagined they were walking backwards, or even watched a video simulating backwards motion had better recall of past events than those who walked forward or sat still.

We don’t know why. But according to Dr. Daniel Schacter, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, it might be because we associate going backwards with the past, which could trigger a memory response.

Motion-based memory

Numerous past studies have found links between motion and memory. This study, however, involved 114 people in six different memory experiments where they were shown: a video of a staged crime, a word list, or a group of images. They were then asked to walk forwards, walk backwards, sit still, watch a video that simulated forwards or backwards motion, or imagine walking forwards or backwards. Then they answered questions relating to what they’d seen.

In all cases, people involved in reverse motion (either real or imagined) were better able to recall information than those sitting still. In five of the six experiments, memory was better when people moved backwards than when they moved forwards. On average, the boost in memory lasted for 10 minutes after people stopped moving.

This suggests that a motion strategy might help us recall past events, anything from where we’ve left the car keys to the names of our new neighbours, to what we did on our tenth birthday.

In the meantime, will walking backwards help boost your short-term memory? Dr Schacter says, “It may be worth trying.”

And so I did. April is national poetry month so I decided to test Dr Schacter’s theory by learning a poem (God’s World by Edna St Vincent Millay) while walking backwards. I learnt the first verse while walking backwards and the second verse while standing still. It took me fifteen minutes to learn the first five-line verse. It took much longer to memorise the second verse, despite repeated (motionless) attempts. This is entirely anecdotal and wasn’t carried out in a controlled, clinical environment. Later on, when I forgot several lines, I tried retrieving them in a sedentary position and then by walking backwards. Oddly, the reverse motion prompted a much faster recall. So next time I’ve forgotten something I’ll be walking backwards when I attempt Recall. If anyone wants to try it for themselves, please let us know how you get on.

Annabel

  • Conditions: Alzheimer's, Dementia
« NATURE PILLS AND JAMMY EGGS: how to age well this Easter
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Welcome to The Age-Well Project

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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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