The Age-Well Project

Change the way you age

Get our posts direct to your inbox

  • About The Age-Well Project
  • Books
    • Our Books
    • Reviews
    • References
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • Recipes By Ingredient
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Family
    • On The Go
    • Soups and Salads
    • Treats and Snacks
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Press

When to start reducing dementia risk? Now!

March 8, 2019 5 Comments

 

Core to our Age-Well Project is understanding that the more we do to reduce our risk of age-related degenerative disease now, in our 50s, the better. Many diseases of old age take root in mid-life: for a healthy, happy old age we need to tackle our future wellbeing now.

So we were fascinated to read new research confirming this. Researchers in Sweden tracked 800 women for 44 years to see if their activities, both physical and mental, could impact their dementia risk. At the start of the project the average age was 47 (roughly where Annabel and I were when we started this Project) and the women were followed for the rest of their lives. They were ranked according to their level of creative activity, so visiting an art gallery or theatre in the last six months counted as moderate activity. High activity was defined as more frequent cultural visits, and painting or singing in a choir. They were also divided according to their levels of physical activity:  active (ranging from walking, gardening or biking to more intense exercise like running or swimming for at least four hours per week)  and inactive (less than four hours of light physical movement a week).

By the end of the study, almost a quarter of them had developed some form of dementia. Those categorised as having high mental activity were 34 percent less likely to develop dementia in any form (and 46 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s) than those with low mental activity. And those who were physically active were 56 percent less likely to develop any form of dementia.

GIVE UP GIVING UP!

So NOW is the time – whatever your age – to make a change, take up a new hobby or intensify your exercise plan. With Lent falling this week there’s been plenty of talk about ‘giving up’ things. But we prefer thinking of it as ‘taking up’ something. What activity can you add to your weekly routine to make a difference? This doesn’t mean committing to a huge new exercise programme. It might be a trip to a local gallery or dropping into a fitness class. If you add something you love, rather than take something away, it will be easier and more enjoyable.

So this weekend Annabel has booked into a laughter yoga class (she’ll blog about it soon but it sounds HUGE fun) and I’ll be heading to the National Portrait Gallery to catch the new Martin Parr exhibition.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

It’s International Women’s Day today so it seems a good time to share our new ‘author’ pic, taken for the jacket of our book. I’m so happy to have my bright, creative, supportive pal by my side on our Age-Well Project. Committing to staying healthy in middle age in hard and we all need an ‘accountability buddy’ to help us through. Women are so good at supporting one another, so let’s celebrate that today.

And don’t forget that Alzheimer’s is a women’s issue. Women account for two-thirds of Alzheimer’s cases.  In the over-65 age group 1 in 6 women will develop Alzheimer’s by 2050, the figure is 1 in 11 for men. And the burden of caring falls disproportionally on women, too. You can read our blog post on this here.

GUARDIAN MASTERCLASS

We’re beyond thrilled to have been asked to give a Guardian Masterclass on June 11th. We’ll be sharing our top tips on how to live a longer, healthier and happier life: starting right now. And we’ll break down our four cornerstones of healthy ageing, explaining how to put them into practice and stay on track with your own Age-Well Project. You can book tickets here:

https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-masterclasses/2019/mar/04/the-age-well-project-preparing-for-a-longer-healthier-and-happier-life-annabel-streets-susan-saunders-health-wellbeing-course

 

Susan

Photo by Charlie Hopkinson ©

 

 

  • Conditions: Ageing, Alzheimer's, Brain and Dementia
« EAT MORE ONIONS TO KEEP BOWEL CANCER AT BAY: ROAST RED ONIONS WITH ROSEMARY & ROQUEFORT
CAN YOU EAT TO BEAT POLLUTION? »

Comments

  1. Diana Studer says

    March 9, 2019 at 8:56 pm

    I’m vegetarian. How many of the recipes in your book will be meat-based? Will you offer vegetarian alternatives

    Reply
    • Annabel Streets says

      March 14, 2019 at 1:25 pm

      Hi Diana. off the top of my head we only have one meat recipe that I can recall. We don’t eat much meat but we like to include the odd dish for those that do (and we have husbands who we’ve never managed to wean!).

      Reply
    • Susan Saunders says

      March 24, 2019 at 4:25 pm

      Hi Diana, there are only a couple of meat-based recipes in the book. The book is more of a general guide to healthy ageing than a recipe book. I do hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. Gaynor says

    March 12, 2019 at 3:30 am

    Looking good you two! I think it is the first time I have seen you together in a photo. Of course it helps to have a close friend and confidant to support you and bounce ideas with. It will help you both to age well having that relationship.
    Sorry I can’t come to your presentation, but I am in a different country.
    I have ordered the book and although I am a coeliac, I am used to adjusting recipes.
    Congratulations and keep up the good work.

    Reply
    • Annabel Streets says

      March 14, 2019 at 1:23 pm

      That’s very kind, Gaynor. We’re sorry not to see you, of course. But perhaps we’ll make it to the other side of the world one day! Thanks for all your support over the years…

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

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.

Favourite Posts

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

Why Alzheimer’s Is A Women’s Issue

HOW HAVING A DOG CHANGED MY LIFE

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.

THINNING AGEING HAIR – WARM CHICKEN LIVER SALAD

About The Age Well Project

This site is for anyone who wants to make the second half of their life as healthy, happy and disease-free as possible. Sign up to get the latest research on ageing – and delicious recipes to match – direct to your inbox.

agewellproject

⭐️Change the way you age
📚The Age-Well Project + Age-Well Plan ⭐️Get tips & recipes on our blog - sign up ⬇️

The Age-Well Project blog
We’ve been playing with Pinterest! We’ve upl We’ve been playing with Pinterest! 

We’ve uploaded 10 of our Age-Well recipes to Pinterest, just to test the water. We’ve got so many gorgeous recipes on the blog, and sometimes they’re hard to search. Hopefully being on Pinterest will make them a bit easier to find. 

Are you a…. pinner? Pinster? What’s the correct term? We don’t know! Anyway, if you are, could you let us know if we’ve done it right? Then we can start adding more recipes. 

Link in our bio to our Pinterest page

#pinterest #pinterestrecipes #brainhealth #longevity #womenover50 #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers
We’ve been thinking about this a lot recently: i We’ve been thinking about this a lot recently: if grieving is an inherent part of ageing, how do we do it well? 

As we get older, we must inevitably live with an accumulation of loss, because we’ve had longer to love. Love has a huge impact on our brains: they are literally rewired by our relationships. When someone dies, our brains struggle.  We cannot understand where they are, or why they have gone. We try to locate them in time and in space. 

How we cope with our emotionally overloaded brains in times of grief, and how it shapes us, is the subject of our latest blog post - link in bio. 

#brainhealth #longevity #womenover50 #cognitivehealth #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #longevity #longevityblog #healthblog #agewellblog #over50bloggers #grief #loss
Annabel is in Tel Aviv this week, finding her way Annabel is in Tel Aviv this week, finding her way around using a proper paper map - which is a fantastic brain work out. Research published a few days ago from McMasters University 🇨🇦 linked orienteering (a team sport which combines map reading with running) to reduced dementia risk. Who’s tried it? We’re keen to give it a go! @britishorienteering #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #aginggracefully #mapreading #orienteering #dementia #dementiaawareness #reducedementiarisk #alzheimers #alzheimersrisk #dementiaprevention #womenover50 #womenagainstalzheimers #agewellblog #longevityblog #healthblog #over50bloggers
Strength training is one of our non-negotiable Age Strength training is one of our non-negotiable Age Well strategies, so we’re always looking for ways to make the best of our work outs! 

5 top tips here - and more on the blog, link in bio. 

What are you top tips for strength training? Let us know

#longevityblog #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #healthblog  #longevity #over50andfit #agewellblog #midlife #midlifewomen #strengthtraining #buildmuscle #womenwholift #fitover50
In recent years we've both, like so many of our ge In recent years we've both, like so many of our generation, faced the consequences of caring for elderly relatives. But we talk so little about caring, and the unexpected burdens and stresses that can bring. 

Caring is an experience that's so difficult to prepare for, but it can help to share experiences. This is what we've done in our latest blog post. Do have a read and let us know your stories too - the link’s in our bio (and the post will also explain why Susan went on a ‘pilgrimage’ to Kentish Town!) 

#longevityblog #agewell #ageingwell #agingwell #healthblog  #longevity #over50andfit #agewellblog #hydration #midlife #midlifewomen #caring #carers #daughtersofdementia #dementiacarers
#carersupport #dementiacaregiver #dementiacare
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Contact Us

For any enquiries please email theagewellproject@gmail.com.

Copyright © 2023 The Age-Well Project