Movement and exercise - Living Long and Strong with Verne and Roy

#36 Ageing Disgracefully? – Part Three, DIY for Ageing Backwards

The disgraceful fabulosity of ageing backwards; eat for longevity – all hail to cake!; Dave Asprey’s plan to maybe live forever; Dr Kara Fitzgerald; take this ageing backwards quiz!; epigenetic tests to measure ageing; eating for longevity; would you eat a politician?; time-restricted eating; destressing for longevity; grounding, walking in nature

Feature photo, above: My crazily energetic Les Mills Pump class friends at Craigie Leisure Centre

You know the slightly lame jokes some of us start making about birthdays after a certain age: “I’m not having birthdays anymore” (a bad idea), or “I’ve started counting backwards”.

While it would be a dreadful shame to renounce the champagne, cake, prezzies and general hurrah-ness that go with celebrating the anniversary of ones birth, actually ageing backwards would be a fabulously disgraceful approach to getting older.

#34 Ageing Disgracefully? Part One

Ageing disgracefully; how old are you really, and does age matter?; vanity vs honesty; 3 ways to measure age; biological age markers; perceived age; psychological age; skin deep; Pitu will make you pretty!; reversing ageing: exercise, meditation and more; Human Growth Hormone promise; massage, the tender trap?

“Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64?”

The Beatles

How old are you, really? And does it matter? That’s three questions already, with more to follow.

As this new year dawned – where did the last one go? – and a landmark birthday* (musically speaking) approached, I found myself thinking again about age. How significant is the number, if at all? We all know people who are old at 35, and others who still present as physically, mentally and emotionally young into what’s generally regarded as middle to old age.

Reversing ageing — At my birthday lunch last month, taken in fairly good lighting

#21 How is Your Light Diet? Part One: Vit D, Sunshine and More

Our light diet may be as important as sleep, nutrition and exercise, VERNE MAREE discovers.

I rejoice when I see Roy outside with his shirt off. Not only because he – like most of us – looks heaps better with a tan, but because I know it’s boosting his immune system and helping him to live long and strong.

In fact, he’s just had a load of blood tests – and his Vitamin D is way up where it belongs.

Light Diet — Roy on Yallingup Beach, WA, a couple of weeks ago.

(The above pic of Roy on Yallingup Beach was taken a couple of weeks ago; click here for that travel blog post, and if you like it, please sign up to Travels with Verne and Roy!)

March 20, 2022April 28, 2022

#19 When to Eat

When to eat might be as important a question as what to eat. VERNE MAREE spills the beans on how Roy and she are faring with Intermittent Fasting (IF) and Time-Restricted Feeding (TRF).

It’s not just what you eat that matters. When you eat is important, too. I’m a firm believer in both intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding. If you’re not already on track, why not give it a try?

February 11, 2022February 11, 2022

#17 Snoring

Snoring – are you a perpetrator or a victim? VERNE MAREE confesses to having been both, and offers some solutions.

Snoring is no joke… it’s a serious hazard to your health, and possibly to your relationship, too.

Snoring couple — Photo credit: Kampus by Pexels

True Snoring Story, UK Summer 2005

Snorers often don’t like to admit they snore, and Roy was one of them. But his cover was irrevocably blown one summer, when he rented a lovely converted barn in Warwickshire – close to his mother’s home – to accommodate the whole family.

#15 Grounding

What is grounding, anyway? Getting and staying grounded is becoming increasingly important for mental, physical and emotional health… and can be difficult to achieve in these ever-crazier times. Verne Maree thinks that walking barefoot on Mother Earth is a good place to start.

#13 Keep Moving! – It’s the secret to longevity

How to live to 100? Keep moving, says 96-year-old Peter Eaton – just one of VERNE MAREE’s inspirational older friends in Perth WA. Apart from the advantage of making you feel young by comparison, there’s a lot to be learnt from people who are fit, active and thriving well into their 70s, 80s and 90s.

Down on Burns Beach the other day – 23 December, to be precise – I bumped into Peter and Peta, two of my local Burns Beach friends. That wasn’t unusual, but this was a special occasion. It was Peter’s 96^th birthday – and he was celebrating it by doing his favourite thing in the world: swimming in the ocean.

“Just 1,460 days to go to my 100th!” he announced. Peter doesn’t think in terms of years. He lives day by day, and having a sea swim – or at least a walk on the beach – is what makes a day a great one.

Live to 100! — Peter and Peta – 96 and 80 years old respectively

#12 Yoga Massage – Kirsty Stone, remedial massage therapist

What is yoga massage? Verne Maree meets remedial massage therapist Kirsty Stone and discovers its magical benefits.

Of course I am deeply fond of my husband, and I appreciate his sterling qualities and myriad skills. But alas – and this may come as a shock – he isn’t perfect.

Now that we’ve safely celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary, I must reveal that he does not do massage. Never has, never will. He won’t even give me a backrub. (Not a proper one, anyway. He says it hurts his hands.)

November 1, 2021November 1, 2021

#7 Creatine – for muscle, bone strength, memory and more

What is creatine? Who should take creatine? Why to take it: to improve muscle strength, bone mass, brain health, memory, eyesight and hearing, and to prevent sarcopaenia and frailty. Keep track of muscle and promote anti-frailty with the InBody 570 body composition scanner.

What is creatine?

Creatine is an amino acid found mainly in muscle and brain tissue. Our livers, kidneys and pancreas naturally produce 1-2g of the stuff each day, mostly from eating fish and meat. In the form we’re likely to buy it, it’s a derivative of three amino acids: L-arginine, glycine and L-methionine. It’s also the most highly researched supplement out there – and you can be sure that it’s not just effective, but extremely safe.

Verne with creatine — Before or after? Maybe somewhere in-between…

According to Healthline.com, creatine grows muscle by causing numerous changes within muscle cells that signal the body to produce new muscle proteins and increase muscle mass. It also helps to maintain existing muscle mass by limiting protein breakdown – another win. And remember, its effect on muscle mass is just one of many benefits.

#5 The Oūra Ring

Confessions of a biohacker generally include purchases of supplements, books, toys, technology and devices – including ones like the sleep-tracking Oūra ring – that track the success of your biohacking efforts. Here, I’ll explain what made me do it, admit it’s not the best activity tracker, describe how to order an Oūra ring, how to track your sleep and how to hack your sleep – and, most importantly, how the Oūra ring works and how to make it work for you.

I finally did it! In June 2020, I treated myself to an Oūra ring – “the world’s smartest sleep-tracker”. Paid for with husband Roy’s Singapore credit card, this was a bit of a sneaky transaction, effected one night while R C Titchmarsh himself was watching the Hungarian F1 Grand Prix next door with son Carl.

He’s never delighted when Hamilton wins, and his mood wasn’t improved when he saw the purchase confirmation in his inbox.