IS 60 THE NEW 40?

If you do feel younger I’d say make the most of your situation.

It could be considered a type of denialism, but studies have shown a youthful mentality has only positive effects.

“A younger subjective age – the age you feel against your actual age – seems to correlate with better overall health, so people who feel younger might live longer and have better life satisfaction.

“It’s been quantified as well. MRI scans looking at the volume of the grey matter in the brain show those who feel younger also have a younger brain age.”

IS IT DOWN TO GENES?

“Partly but not entirely. Our DNA is like a loaded gun, but whether the gun is fired or not depends on your lifestyle and your control. You might have genes that code for cancer or other kinds of life limiting chronic conditions, but they might never express themselves because you’ve looked after yourself.

“It’s quite empowering knowing that your genes don’t necessarily determine what happens to you – that you have a big say in how you age.”

WHAT IF IT’S NOT THAT EASY?

“If you’re limited because of a physical disability or caring responsibilities for example, then you might not be able to be so active or adventurous. The positive thing is that even if you’ve had, say, a major stroke, there’s plenty of evidence to show that dramatic recovery is possible with sustained therapy and cognitive rehabilitation.

“Our brain is not fixed, it’s very receptive to the stimulation that we provide. A study of people with dementia who were trained for 90 days in juggling, showed increases in nerve volume in parts of the brain associated with memory and learning.

It shows that even if you’ve been diagnosed with dementia, to do these things can have a very positive effect; that no matter what the situation, you can push your brain into making more connections and being stimulated to being more active and keeping your mental state younger.”

IS IT MIND OVER MATTER?

It’s more challenging if you haven’t been active already; deeply entrenched perceptions of yourself can be harder to reverse – but still possible. It can be easy to get into negative patterns of thinking and self perception, where you think ‘I can’t do this, or ‘that isn’t for me’. Imposing limits on yourself can be damaging; by thinking it you don’t do it, and then it becomes reality.

“There’s a very intimate link between your mind and your body. Higher levels of consciousness, for example, can have dramatic effects on the state of your physical body and even things that may seem impossible can happen.

“The good news is that it’s never too late to get into good habits, so you enjoy a life full of quality.”