I recently watched a fascinating interview with Dr Norman Doidge (author of “The Brain that Changes Itself”) and Dr Karen Hitchcock (an advocate for better medical treatment for the aged). While they spoke on a wide range of issues around brain plasticity and ageing, I was particularly struck by a statistic that they both agreed on. It was this: “Over 50s can reduce their chances of getting dementia by around 60% if they exercise regularly”.
As dementia is a condition which scares most of us, this is a hugely comforting statistic. It ties in with the views of a number of leading health and medical experts who contributed articles to our recent book “How to stay Healthy, Active and Sharp in Retirement.”
It’s empowering to learn that if we take responsibility for our own health and adopt sensible lifestyle strategies involving exercise, healthy eating and a positive attitude, we can significantly improve the quality of life in our later years. Let’s face it, there’s not much fun in living 10 – 20 years longer than our parent’s generation if we’re too frail and sick to enjoy all this extra time.
The problem is that while there’s lots of health information on the internet and in books, there’s not many comprehensive guides telling people over 50 what they should do to stay fit and healthy. That’s why we published our book. If you follow the advice from the 15 expert authors, you’ll reduce the risk of contracting many of the nasty diseases that can take much of the fun out of being retired.
If you’d like to learn more about what’s in the book, just click HERE.
If you would like to learn more about Dr. Doidge’s views on brain plasticity click HERE.