Are You a Cognitive Super-Ager? : Dr. Gianni Murzi

A recent article of the New York Times, The Secrets of ‘Cognitive Super-Agers’ caught my attention. The author says that a study in The Netherlands proves that *“keeping one’s body fit is one of those lifestyle factors that contribute to resilience such as obtaining a high level of quality education; holding occupations that deal with complex facts and data; consuming a Mediterranean-style diet; engaging in leisure activities; socializing with other people; and exercising regularly”.*

Regular physical exercise is a key factor to remain fit for longer, and ultimately leads to be ageing gracefully. A regular exercise can take different forms, eg, walking two or three times a week or exercising at the gym or at home.

I vouch to it.

To boost the positive effects of walking, I recently joined a neighbourhood community group. The group meets at six thirty in the morning generally three times a week, after confirmation the evening before on a messaging app. An itinerary is selected democratically and is a one-hour walk through the still sleeping and not yet bustling corners of Rome. I found that walking while meeting new people and having a conversation makes the physical exercise more appealing and it can add substantially and positively to my and perhaps your life.

To keep exercising when the weather does not allow being outside, I have been using a free of charge application like the J&J Official 7 Minute Workout, available on both Apple or Android. This was designed by Chris Jordan, Director of Exercise Physiology at the Johnson & Johnson Human Performance Institute. Quoting from the New York Times, “Mr. Jordan said he has never made money on the workout and insisted that the Johnson & Johnson Official 7-Minute Workout app be free of charge. “Many people cannot afford to go to a gym,” Mr. Jordan said. “As time goes by, I’ve felt a greater desire and passion around making exercise as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.”*

Mr. Jordan created several variations to the workout, so it could be useful to both “my triathlete elder brother and my 82-year-old mother.” But as popular as the workout became, a number of people, particularly those who are overweight, older or have knee and hip problems, found it too difficult to complete. Among the biggest obstacles for some people were five exercises that require getting on the floor — push-ups, planks, abdominal crunches, side planks and a tricky push-up with rotation.

To make the workout accessible to more people, Mr. Jordan recently created the Standing 7-Minute Workout, suited to bodies of any age, size or fitness level. Like the original workout, the standing workout includes exercises for cardio fitness, the lower body, the upper body and the core muscles — in that order. Each exercise lasts just 30 seconds with just five seconds of rest in between. (You can find a video of the workout at nytimes.com/well.) the workout has helped people around the world.

To sum up, I can say that exercise, exercise and exercise again is a key strategy in boosting body immune response, delays ageing in general, and Parkinson’s Disease symptoms in particular. But this will be for a next Healthy Reading.

Best regards, Gianni