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WHY WE SHOULD SIT LESS AND FIDGET MORE – WARM SQUASH SALAD

October 2, 2015 4 Comments

squash salad

If you sit for more than six hours a day, you need to get up – yes, right now!  And yes – that’s six hours in total. And if you think you’re off the hook because you’ve spent an hour in the gym, you need to think again.  New research shows our sedentary lifestyles are slowly killing us.  It seems our bodies weren’t designed for long periods of sitting, even if our days are book-ended with furious spates of exercise.  Study after study now links a sedentary lifestyle with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, depression/anxiety, gut problems, liver disease, back problems (unsurprisingly), and (surprisingly), cancer. But read on … there is some good news, I promise!

A recent study from the American Cancer Society found women who sat for six or more hours a day had a ten % higher risk of any cancer than those who sat for three hours a day (is there anyone out there who only sits for three hours a day?). The risks of ovarian and bone marrow cancer rose by a whopping 43% and 65%. No one seems quite sure why this is, but experts think that when we sit for extended periods, our bodies shut down, sending a message to our brains to effectively prepare for THE END.  This might also explain the findings of another recent study that found people with very sedentary lifestyles had a 49% increase in premature death over those with the least sedentary lifestyles.  According to cancer epidemiologist, Dr Lynch, recently quoted in You magazine, being up-and-about means having engaged muscles – this triggers the body to produce anti-inflammatory proteins and peptides.  Using our muscles (even the teeny weeny ones) raises our metabolic rate which reduces body fat.  Blood glucose and lipid levels are also better regulated when we’re active – hence the link between long periods of sitting and diabetes and heart disease.

Recent back pain has forced me to visit an osteopath, splash out on a very expensive chair and, most importantly, rethink how I work.  While I’m fairly active for six hours a day, I’m virtually immobile in front of my computer for at least seven hours a day. But not any more!  I’m lucky enough to have a chiropractor as my sister-in-law and she’s given me some great tips. Now I’m trying to do some of my work standing up (Barbara Taylor Bradford writes her novels on a walking machine – and she’s still going strong at 82), I’m having a quick stretch every 30 minutes (my chiropractor sister-in-law advises setting a kitchen timer and doing some mock conducting to loosen the shoulders) and I’m attempting to do pelvic tilts and ankle exercises as I sit.  I’m also trying to walk or cycle wherever possible, standing on buses and tubes, taking stairs not lifts and so on. Oh – and I’m fidgeting like crazy!  Why?  Because a survey published last week from the University of Leeds and University College London found that women who had very sedentary lives but fidgeted a lot actually had no greater risk of premature mortality than a very active woman.  The study is sufficiently large and long (12,778 women, aged 37-78, over 12 years) to warrant attention.    Fidgeting, it appears, can help counter the effects of sitting for long periods. Catch up here http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/23/always-fidgeting-well-you-just-might-be-doing-yourself-a-world-of-good

There are good tips and further info at http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/fitness/pages/sitting-and-sedentary-behaviour-are-bad-for-your-health.aspx

And, as I write, the Daily Express’s front page story is the enormous rise in back pain due to our increasingly sedentary life styles. Read more at http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/608831/back-pain-tips-advice-cure-chiropractor

Alternatively get up and cook this delicious roast squash and apple salad which gets you five portions of fruit and veg in one go and is full of cancer-busting sage to mark the beginning of Cancer Awareness Month.

ROASTED APPLE AND SQUASH SALAD (serves 4)

  • 4 apples, quartered (keep the peel on – that’s where the nutrients are)
  • 4 red onions, quartered
  • 1 large squash, peeled and chopped into large chunks
  • 4 cloves garlic, whole and unpeeled (or as many as you like)
  • 1 pack sage, leaves chopped (roughly 20 leaves)
  • 1-2 bags (250g) pre-cooked puy lentils
  • 1 bag spinach or salad greens of your choice
  • Optional: Feta cheese and toasted walnuts or sunflower seeds to scatter over.

Roast the apples, onions, squash, garlic and sage in 3-4 tbsp olive oil for an hour at C 200, or until soft and the apples are nicely browned. Season to taste.

Empty 1-2 bags ready-cooked lentils (or cook your own – nicer and cheaper if you have the time), according to how hungry you are.

Arrange the lentils on top of the spinach/salad greens.  Make a dressing (3 tbsp olive or walnut oil, 1 tbsp cider vinegar, 1 tsp mustard and 1 tsp maple syrup)  and pour it over the lentils and spinach.  Top with the roasted  veg, then scatter over some crumbled feta cheese and a handful of toasted walnuts or seeds.

Annabel

 

  • Meal Types: Dinner, Soups and Salads
  • Conditions: Ageing, Bones, Cancer, Depression, Diabetes, Heart disease, Liver disease
  • Ingredients: Apples, Butternut squash, Lentils, pumpkin
« FEWER WRINKLES? YES PLEASE! AND CHIA SEED PARFAIT
REDUCE HYPERTENSION TODAY AND A RECIPE FOR QUINOA CAKES »

Comments

  1. Carole says

    October 5, 2015 at 8:40 pm

    Are the apples eating (dessert) apples or cooking apples?

    Reply
    • Annabel Abbs says

      October 5, 2015 at 9:08 pm

      Hi Carole – i have used both and like the tartness of a cooker but slightly prefer a well-flavoured eater. So the answer is to use whatever you’ve got! This is also great for using up apples that might be a little past their best and have lost some of their crunch … you know… the ones that have sat in the fruit bowl for a little too long! It also works with sweet potatoes and regular potatoes although squash is my personal favorite. And you can replace the sage for rosemary too. It’s a very flexible dish! Good luck!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. REDUCE HYPERTENSION TODAY AND A RECIPE FOR QUINOA CAKES - Kale & Cocoa says:
    October 9, 2015 at 9:16 am

    […] us, he’s pretty desk-bound (read Annabel’s post on beating the effects of a sedentary lifestyle here) and does a lot of entertaining for work which means drinking… So what can I do to help him get his […]

    Reply
  2. Age-Well lessons from 2021 we're taking into 2022 - The Age-Well Project says:
    January 1, 2022 at 9:04 am

    […] Warm squash salad […]

    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 ‘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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