While nothing works as dramatically as what is shown in this artists concept, there are vitamins and nutrients that help slow the aging process.

Vitamins are sometimes overlooked in the fight against aging compared to the vast variety of creams and serums, but research shows that vitamins are a key part of slowing the aging process.

While topical serums and creams may slow the appearance of aging in areas where they are applied, they cannot fight the aging happening within your body, and some anti-aging ingredients cannot be absorbed through the skin, making topical application pointless. Vitamins, meanwhile, work from the inside out, resulting in both inner and outer health. This does not mean you need to forgo topical solutions the most powerful anti-aging regimes use both vitamins and topical creams to form a powerful, multi-pronged defense.

Vitamins and supplements help us ensure we are getting the nutrients we need, particularly if we are deficient and according to experts, many adults do not get enough vitamin D[1] or B12,[2] leading to otherwise preventable age-related disorders and poor health.

However, not all vitamins are equal when it comes to anti-aging. Some vitamins are far more powerful at combatting the effects of age than others. This is why this article ranks the most effective vitamins when it comes to giving yourself a youthful glow, wrinkle-free skin, and a renewed sense of well-being.

If you were to take just one anti-aging supplement, collagen is the top choice.

Collagen is the king of anti-aging, which is why so many youth rejuvenation treatments focus on renewing or revitalizing collagen production in the body but you can kick start this process without needles, simply by supplementing collagen into your diet.

Collagen is a protein that helps in the maintenance of skin, and as we age we produce less of it, leading to wrinkles and sagging. Its believed that collagen production begins slowing as early as our early twenties. However, when our bodies start to slow the production of collagen, we can make sure our levels remain high by supplementing it. Collagen supplements have been shown to improve skin elasticity and reduce wrinkles.[3]

A 12-week study of 72 women showed that regularly taking a supplement that contained 2.5 grams of collagen (along with several other ingredients) significantly improved the appearance of skin elasticity and softness.[4]

If you choose one anti-aging supplement, choose collagen. But why would you choose just one when many others do almost as good a job?

Besides for taking vitamin supplements, you can get Vitamin A in your diet by eating beef liver, eggs, tomatoes, bell peppers, spinach, and carrots.

Vitamin A is the strongest argument for why you should keep going after supplementing with collagen. This powerhouse vitamin prevents and slows the effects of aging on both your insides and outsides.

Vitamin A is also known as retinol, which forms the key ingredient in many anti-aging supplements and serums. Vitamin A is not naturally produced by our bodies, which means it needs to be consumed either by eating foods rich in it or by taking it as a supplement. And theres plenty of reason to do that, because vitamin A is the gold standard when it comes to anti-aging.

Tretinoin, which is derived from vitamin A, has been proven to boost collagen production and reduce wrinkles. It does this by interfering with the enzymes that break down collagen in the skins dermal layer, promoting the creation of new collagen instead.[5]

Vitamin A does not just help your skin; it also helps your insides. It promotes better vision and a stronger immune system, and helps your heart and lungs work properly.[6] Your insides age, too but you can slow the process with the help of vitamin A.

Getting vitamin D from sun exposure on your skin is one option. Foods with vitamin D include fortified milk, salmon, tuna, and soybeans.

Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin, as one of the ways we synthesize it is from exposure to sunshine. But vitamin D is also a powerful anti-aging vitamin, extended with longevity and a possible reduction in diseases and illnesses related to aging.[7]

Research has also shown that vitamin D is effective in preventing premature aging by protecting the skin from ultraviolet light, one of the most common causes of wrinkles and lines.[8]

And while vitamin Ds effects on aging have long gone unrecognized, new research is showing that the sunshine vitamin is much more powerful than previously thought, with a 2016 study discovering that vitamin D has the power to extend the median lifespan by 33%.[9]

Vitamin E is essential for health, and is found in almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, asparagus, avocado, and mango.

As we age, our body needs more vitamin E to remain healthy[10] unsurprising, as vitamin E plays an essential role in regulating our immune system.

As one of the skins first layers of defense, vitamin E occurs naturally in our body but is quickly depleted by sun rays. This is not good, as vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals, unstable atoms that damage cells and have been linked to aging.

Vitamin E not only protects the skin from wrinkles and fine lines, but it can also boost collagen production, speeding up cell regeneration and creating new skin growth. Studies have shown that ingesting vitamin E orally as a supplement dramatically increases protection against the breakdown of collagen.[11]

Vitamin E is good for your body as well as your skin. Its been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease[12] and potentially protect against cognitive decline.[13]

You can get Resveratrol from supplements, or from red wine, peanuts, grapes, blueberries, cranberries, and dark chocolate.

You may have heard of collagen, vitamin A and vitamin D before, but resveratrol is probably new to you. But its time to get to know this powerful little antioxidant because its one of your most powerful weapons against aging.

Resveratrol is responsible for giving grapes and raspberries their distinctive red color, and it also combats wrinkles and fine lines. While you can certainly get plenty of resveratrol by making berries a staple of your diet, you can much more easily add it to your diet as a supplement.

Exposure to UV light, such as sunlight, is one of the main culprits when it comes to skin aging. But theres no need to stop enjoying the sunshine. Resveratrol has been found to protect skin from premature aging brought on by UV light.[14] Resveratrol has also been found to increase lifespan.[15] Not bad for such an obscure vitamin.

Dietary sources of zinc include oysters, whole grains, red meat, poultry, beans nuts, crab, and lobster.

Zinc is an essential trace mineral found in the red blood cells and is involved in many important roles in the human body but our body does not naturally produce zinc. Because of this, we need to obtain zinc through either our diet or supplements.

We need zinc for many things, including synthesizing proteins, regulating our immune system, and healing wounds. But zinc is also a powerful ally in the fight against aging. Zinc deficiencies have been found to speed up the aging process,[16] while significantly reducing the risk of age-related illnesses and infections.[17]

Zinc also plays a key role in protecting against hair loss, a major part of aging for both men and women. As zinc plays an important role in the growth and repair of hair tissue, its no surprise that studies have shown that taking zinc supplements can defend against hair loss.[18]

With so many benefits, zinc is well worth adding to your supplement routine.

Turmeric is the plant with the largest amount of curcumin and is a commonly available nutritional supplement.

Curcumins positive effects on aging have flown under the radar for a long time but new research is bringing this polyphenol into the spotlight. Found in the root of the turmeric plant, curcumin has been found to lead to improvements in both cognition and memory, and is now being investigated as a possible treatment for Alzheimers disease.[19]

Curcumin has also been found to extend the life of a wide variety of organisms, from fruit flies to worms to yeast,[20] leading researchers to question if it can be used for the same purposes in humans.

There are many different causes of aging, from oxidative stress to breakdown of cells to loss of telomere length, and curcumin has been found to positively impact a wide variety of them.[21] However, the jury is still out on how much curcumin finds its way back into the bloodstream when ingested. So despite its multitude of benefits to anti-aging, it finds itself low on the list. Perhaps, with more research, curcumin will climb the ranks.

Sources for selenium include nuts (especially Brazil nuts), seafood, organ meats, and eggs.

Selenium is a trace mineral that prevents vitamin E deficiencies. It can be obtained through diet or supplements. New research suggests that selenium can play an important role in fighting aging, particular when it comes to age-related disorders and illnesses such as tumors and cardiovascular diseases.[22]

Selenium has also been associated with longer telomeres caps located on the ends of our chromosomes that decide how quickly our cells age.[23] And older adults with low levels of selenium have been found to have significantly higher rates of death than those with high levels of selenium.[24]

However, research on seleniums anti-aging benefits is still lacking, and many of the most promising studies are still new. In time, selenium may prove to be an anti-aging superhero, but for now, it remains a background player with promise.

Vitamins are some of our strongest weapons when it comes to fighting anti-aging, but unfortunately sometimes we cant get the amount we need through diet alone. However, with a good supplement routine, we can fight the symptoms of aging, whether its wrinkles and fine lines, skin sagging, cognitive decline, or poor physical health.

Not all vitamins are useful when it comes to combating aging, and some vitamins might not confer the particular anti-aging benefits we are specifically looking for. This is why its important to stay educated on the newest research on which vitamins fight what. However, when we come armed with knowledge, vitamins can be a powerful anti-aging tool indeed.

References:

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8 Anti-Aging Vitamins and Nutrients That Actually Work, Ranked - SciTechDaily

Alzheimers disease destroys the connections in the brain responsible for memory and other mental functions. This causes a loss of memory, confusion, and a decline in everyday self-care skills.

Currently, theres no way to reverse Alzheimers disease. However, newer treatments may slow down its progression.

New studies are showing promising results that indicate the potential to reverse Alzheimers disease in the future.

Theres no way to reverse or cure Alzheimers disease. However, scientists have made incredible progress in recent years.

New Alzheimers treatments may slow disease progression and reduce symptoms. They can help people stay independent and keep functional skills for longer than theyd be able to without treatment.

While many treatment options are still in development, current medical treatments include:

Medications with the potential to reverse Alzheimers are also being studied. For instance, a 2021 research study conducted in Barcelona, Spain was able to reverse Alzheimers disease in mice using medications commonly used to treat inflammation and high blood pressure in humans.

A similar American study had success reversing Alzheimers using a medication that is currently approved as a diuretic.

These results havent yet been replicated in other studies or tested in humans, but theyre good examples of how far Alzheimers research has come.

A decade from now, treatment options for Alzheimers disease might look completely different from today.

Theres no diet or supplement that can reverse Alzheimers, but theres some evidence that diet can play a role in preventing Alzheimers disease.

Specifically, there seems to be a link between the Mediterranean diet and memory. Since high blood pressure is known to be an additional risk for Alzheimers, the MIND diet is sometimes recommended. The MIND diet is a variation of the Mediterranean diet that blends it with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

Following the MIND diet involves cooking with olive oil and eating more:

People who are following the MIND diet are advised to limit:

Evidence to support following a Mediterranean or MIND diet to improve memory and cognition isnt definitive. Studies have been done, but they arent conclusive. These diets wont reverse any Alzheimers symptoms, and its still unclear whether theyll reduce your risk.

However, the foods suggested in these diets have high nutritional value. This could offer benefits for your overall health in addition to the possibility of lowering your risk for Alzheimers.

There are many supplements and products that claim to be able to slow down, reverse, cure, prevent, or treat Alzheimers disease. None of these claims are backed by research or supported by the FDA.

Currently, there are only two supplements that have any studied benefit:

Studies have shown that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the omega-3 fatty acid found in certain kinds of fish, might reduce the risk of cognitive decline and Alzheimers.

However, there havent been enough studies to fully support this claim, and the FDA doesnt recommend DHA as a treatment or as a preventive supplement against Alzheimers.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a lipid or fat found in the membranes around nerve cells. Like DHA, a few small studies have shown promising results, but they dont offer enough evidence to support it as a treatment or preventive option for Alzheimers.

Currently, the FDA allows products with phosphatidylserine to carry the following disclaimer: Very limited and preliminary scientific research suggests that PS may reduce the risk of dementia in the elderly. FDA concludes that theres little scientific evidence supporting this claim.

Alzheimers disease is likely a result of multiple factors such as genetics, age, lifestyle, and environment. Researchers are currently working on identifying some of the genetic risk factors for Alzheimers.

For now, everyone can take steps to control the known lifestyle risk factors for Alzheimers disease. These include:

The signs and symptoms of Alzheimers disease can change as the disease progresses.

In the early stages of Alzheimers, it can be difficult to tell that anything has changed. Symptoms will be mild and the person with Alzheimers will seem healthy. Often, close friends and family members will notice signs that become a pattern.

While theres no cure for Alzheimers, early diagnosis offers the best treatment options. With treatments, you may slow down the progression of Alzheimers and reduce its symptoms.

Its important to see a doctor for evaluation if you notice any signs of early Alzheimers.

As Alzheimers progresses, people often need more supervision and care. People with moderate Alzheimers might need full-time care, and changes in behavior and personality might overwhelm family caregivers.

People with severe Alzheimers lose their ability to communicate and care for themselves. At this stage, people with Alzheimers often spend most of their time in bed and need assistance with nearly all tasks.

Theres currently no cure for Alzheimers and no way to reverse the disease. However, new treatment options may slow Alzheimers progression and reduce symptoms. Researchers are making headway on treatments that could reverse Alzheimers in the future.

You can take steps to reduce your risk of Alzheimers by taking care of your overall health. Theres a strong link between heart health and Alzheimers, and by keeping active, maintaining a moderate weight, eating healthily, and quitting smoking, you can help reduce your risk of Alzheimers.

Keep your mind active by taking classes, playing strategy games, volunteering, or staying in touch with friends and family.

If you notice any early signs of Alzheimers, its best to make a doctors appointment. Theres no cure for Alzheimers at any stage, but Alzheimers is most treatable when its diagnosed early.

The rest is here:
Reversing Alzheimer's: Diet, Supplements, and Advances in Treatment - Healthline

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But first olive oil?

This Mediterranean diet staple is having a moment. Olive oil is a much-loved topping on trendy salads and avocado toast, but now some TikTokers are opting for a more generous pour. In fact, theyre downing shots of the stuff for its purported health benefits.

In one video with 3.5 million views, @oliveoilqueen claims that drinking olive oil reduces her bloating, among other positive effects. Others, like @eliyahmashiach, prefer a tablespoon in the morning for digestion. Some, like @back2basics4all, mix it with lemon juice.

Some celebrities love it, too. Kourtney Kardashian knocks back a tablespoon every other day as part of her morning routine. Model Agatha Relota Luczo takes a shot of her own blend, followed by lemon water and coffee, reports Goop. Producer Shonda Rhimes told WSJ. Magazinethat she drinks olive oil with breakfast a tip she reportedly picked up from Beyonc.

But despite the buzz, the origins of drinking olive oil are hard to trace. Some personal accounts suggest that it is an age-old practice in Mediterranean regions; supposedly, a glass of olive oil served as breakfast for long-living Greeks on the island of Crete.

Are the benefits worth a shot (literally), or is this a short-lived fad?

Olive oil is a powerful ingredient: Its got anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, per anarticle published in Cells in 2020.

But scientific data doesnt suggest that you need to throw back olive oil like a shot. There isnt strong research to suggest that any of the potential benefits couldnt be achieved through incorporating olive oil into recipes, rather than drinking it straight up, says Maddie Pasquariello, a registered dietitian nutritionist in private practice in Brooklyn.

Hundreds of studies have examined the potential benefits of olive oil as used in food preparation. And yet few have studied the effects of actually drinkingthe so-called liquid gold a moniker that Greek poet Homer reportedly bestowed on the pantry staple. The only nod to the practice is a brief reference in anarticle published in Scientific Reports in 2021 that noted that drinking extra-virgin olive oil is rare among consumers, perhaps due to its pungent, bitter aftertaste.

If you already eat a balanced diet, its unlikely that you need to be adding more oil to achieve benefits for health, says Pasquariello. If youre already using high-quality olive oil in your cooking, and using it in the right preparations, youre getting the benefits.

Heavy-hitting benefits, to be exact. Including olive oil in the diet has been linked to improved heart health and reduced risk of certain types of cancers, as well as promoting satiety and overall digestive health, says Emma Laing, PhD, RDN, the director of dietetics at the University of Georgia and a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In a study published in 2018 in The New England Journal of Medicine, participants had fewer cardiovascular events when they followed a Mediterranean diet, which is rich in vegetables, fruits, lean meats, whole grains, and yes plenty of olive oil.

Consuming olive oil in moderation as part of a Mediterranean diet may also help lower breast cancer risk, according to areview published in January 2022 in Molecules.

Finally, this oil is beneficial for the gut, where it helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins (like vitamins A, D, E, and K) in other foods, says Dr. Laing: When you add olive oil to your salad, for example, youre helping your body absorb these fat-soluble vitamins more efficiently. It can also contribute to a healthy gut microbiome, Laing notes; according to anarticle published in Nutrition Reviews in 2021, consuming 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil daily may stimulate beneficial microorganisms in the gut microbiome.

One caveat: Although olive oil has benefits for gut health, claims that it can help reduce bloating are anecdotal. It might work for some people, but not everyone, Laing notes. This is because we all dont have the same eating pattern, nor do we have the same factors that also influence digestion like stress, hormonal fluctuations, medications, food intolerances, and physical activity patterns.

Drinking small amounts of olive oil should not cause harm or elicit negative side effects for most people, says Laing. Some might experience gastrointestinal discomfort, since consuming any unfamiliar food in excess can cause stomach distress. If you have a health condition or youre taking a medication that alters your absorption of dietary fat (such as a lipase inhibitor), speak to your doctor before making changes to your diet, she adds.

Another potential concern is caloric density. Fat sources like olive oil contain about 40 calories in a teaspoon, says Pasquariello. So, if total caloric intake is something youre concerned about, then foods high in fat can be a higher source of calories.

While dietitians dont generally recommend drinking olive oil, there are some cases where it could be appropriate, says Kelly Kennedy, RDN, staff nutritionist at Everyday Health. Olive oil shots might be helpful for those who are struggling to get enough calories each day, for instance for those undergoing cancer treatment, she explains. In this case, a shot could serve as a concentrated source of calories and healthy fats even when appetite is low. (That said, the same is true of nut butters, avocado, and calorie-dense smoothies, which are generally more palatable.)

The recommended daily intake of olive oil is one and a half tablespoons, according to a 2018 statement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, though some studies report positive effects with a few more tablespoons than that.

To increase your olive oil intake, try replacing saturated fats (like butter) with olive oil, says Laing: The 20202025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that individuals limit saturated fats to fewer than 10 percent of calories per day, yet 70 to 75 percent of adults exceed this limit.

Making the swap is a heart-healthy choice, according to a study published in 2020 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The study suggested that replacing 5 grams of saturated fat (like margarine, butter, mayonnaise, or dairy fat) with the same amount of olive oil (about a teaspoon) each day was associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

From there, the cooking possibilities are endless. Salads, stir-fries, roasted vegetables, chicken skewers, and fish dishes are some of my favorite easy ways to enjoy olive oil, says Pasquariello. Its great for raw preparations, as well as panfrying and sauts, but wouldnt be ideal for deep-frying or cooking at extremely high heat.

Yes, olive oil is awesome for your health. No, you dont have to drink it.

While there is some anecdotal evidence about the benefits of olive oil shots, there are no formal studies on whether drinking olive oil is more beneficial than eating it with your meals or using it to cook.

In general, health experts recommend using olive oil in place of saturated fat sources, but keep in mind that it is calorie-dense. Check with a doctor or registered dietitian to see how much olive oil is right for you, so that you dont accidentally derail your weight loss or weight maintenance efforts. Everyones suggested intake is going to be different, depending on their goals.

Read the rest here:
Drinking Olive Oil: Nutritionists Are Skeptical of New Trend - Everyday Health

It was board-certified sleep specialist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., who coined the four sleep chronotypes, so we asked him for a thorough rundown of bears and their needs. And as he tells mbg, they're actually the most common sleep type out there.

"The entire world operates on a bear's schedule," he says, noting this is because there appears to be quite a lot of them out there. (About 55% of people, based on the 1.5 million people who have taken Breus' chronotype quiz online). Bears are characterized by waking and sleeping with the sun, so they're definitely not night owls, preferring to wake up relatively early.

Breus further explains that the quiz has identified a handful of key personality traits for bears: cautiousness, a tendency for extroversion, friendliness, being "easy to talk to," and open-mindedness. "Some of the behaviors they appear to endorse," he adds, "include avoiding conflict, hoping to be healthy (and often falling short), prioritizing happiness, and not liking a lot of change."

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If You Have This Sleep Personality, The Entire World Operates On Your Schedule - mindbodygreen.com

There's nothing quite like ending a long work day with a nice glass of your favorite wine or meeting up with friends for happy hour to split a bottle of vino.

Wine is certainly delicious, but how does it affect our health? And can wine have a different effect on us as we get older? To find out, we talked with some dietitians to learn more about the effects of drinking wine when you're in your 40s.

And for more healthy drinking tips, check out 4 Drinking Habits That Slow Down Your Metabolism at Any Age.

Many people may not think to hydrate while they're drinking, but wine can quickly dehydrate you.

Since alcohol is a diuretic, drinking excessive amounts can pull fluids from your body. Combat this with extra mindfulness to rehydrate and hydrate while drinking," says Rachel Fine, RDN and founder of To The Pointe Nutrition.

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While excessive alcohol consumption may negatively impact your gut health, a very moderate amount of wine has been found to possibly help your gut. This may be helpful in your 40s, especially because some studies have found that aging may change your gut microbiome.

A review of studies over recent years show a link between moderate consumption of red wine and beneficial gut bacteria," says registered dietitian Johna Burdeos, RD. "This research suggests that the polyphenols in wine may increase gut microbial diversity, which is key to a healthy and resilient gut.

Moderate consumption of red wine may contribute to healthy aging, as long as it's a part of an overall healthy, balanced diet.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

"The anti-oxidative benefits from the antioxidants in red wine are abundant, and help to neutralize damaging free radicals in the body that build up from oxidative stress," says Fine.

RELATED:6 Best Drinks To Reduce Inflammation, Says Science

It's never too early to care for your heart health. While your heart undergoes most of its age-related changes in your 50s and 60s, preparing for a healthy heart in your 30s and 40s may help protect you from damage.

Studies have shown that moderate consumption of red wine may have positive benefits on your heart health. In a 2019 report published in Molecules, it was shown that wine can have anti-inflammatory, cholesterol-lowering effects on the body. However, it's important to note that your overall diet has more of an impact on your cardiovascular health.

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4 Surprising Side Effects of Drinking Wine in Your 40s Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That

When it comes to complex biology, the brain rules. To understand how the brain controls our movements, behavior, thoughts and memories -- and how that changes when things go awry -- we asked Stanford neurologist Sharon Sha to weigh in. For an #AskMeAnything, she spoke about all things neuro -- from how you can sharpen your mental acuity, to what happens when a memory is lost.

Sha, who specializes in caring for patients with cognitive and neurodegenerative disorders, weighed in on a multitude of brain and cognition-related questions, and even shared a peek into what it was like to work with actor Chris Hemsworth (who played Thor in several Marvel Studios "Avengers" films) on a docuseries.

Below is a compilation of the questions and answers hosted on our Instagram account. The following Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity.

Great question! The best way to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is to exercise.

There is a lot of data (and more to come!) that shows exercise helps stimulate the brain. Much like when we get an endorphin rush while exercising, we can create something in the body that nurtures the brain. Some scientists believe that a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor -- or BDNF -- helps the brain and the memory center (the hippocampus), in particular.

Other ways to reduce the risk are keeping your brain stimulated, eating a Mediterranean heart-healthy diet, sleeping well and socializing.

Best advice tosharpen focus/concentration for students?

Take breaks! There is data to support the notion that even a 20-minute walk in nature helps improve concentration. The thought behind this is that the constant stimulation of technology places a high demand on our attention (emails, text messages, etc.), but disconnecting and focusing on the sights and sounds of nature improves our attention and working memory.

Unfortunately, if memory is lost due to Alzheimer's disease, there is no way to bring it back. The best thing is to do all you can to reduce the risk of dementia with lifestyle measures like exercise, eating healthy, keeping your brain active, socializing, sleeping well and feeling good! Someone can use the parts of the brain that are working well for workarounds such as keeping lists, using a calendar, keeping routines, and enlisting help.

Chris was amazing. He is such a professional. He was a producer on a docuseries filmed for National Geographic about the potential of the human body so he would contribute great ideas and suggestions for the content. He is also very funny, though I think I'm funnier!

The Mediterranean heart-healthy diet is the best for your brain. We don't know what is in the diet that helps our brain, but likely it is the lean proteins, high amount of vegetables and fruit and few fried foods. If your culture is not Mediterranean, I usually suggest not changing your diet completely. Rather, I suggest eating healthier versions of your familiar foods, increasing vegetables and decreasing fatty foods. Unfortunately, there is no magic food or pill we can take.

All of us can walk into a room and forget the reason we did. This can be part of normal aging, distraction or poor sleep! It can also be part of a degenerative disease such as dementia. The pattern of symptoms and whether it is affecting your ability to function independently can help with understanding this symptom in the context of whether a dementia like Alzheimer's disease is present.

What does your grandma like to do? Does she like to garden, knit, talk about old memories/photos, dance, listen to music? Let her interests guide you and encourage to her talk about them, interact with them, teach you about it! Things that stimulate her will help her keep her brain assharp as it can be -- and teach you more about her!

No one really knows how it affects the brain. However, music can have strong associations with emotions that can "tag" memories very well -- such as when an old favorite song brings back memories and related feelings about the song. Because of this, I often suggest that patients with Alzheimer's disease play old, happy songs to inspire and calm us.

Yes! But it doesn't have to be puzzles or games. Anything that stimulates your mind is good for the brain. Something that is interactive is even better for your brain!

Photo byalphaspirit

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Ask Me Anything: Brain health and cognition - Scope

Almost 20 years after becoming a household name by telling P90X users to bring it, Tony Horton is still bringing it. The 64-year old lifts three days per week, does yoga on Saturdays, and spends the rest of the week out in his yardclimbing ropes, working on parallel bars, doing sprints, and training on his at-home ninja training course.

Yesterday, we were out there for four hours, and I was able to do pretty well with the youngsters, he says. One of the things we did was up and down the 20-foot rope twice, timed. So you go all the way up, come down all the way, then hit it a second time. My buddy Scott did it in 14 seconds, Mine was 19.

Even with six days of training, Horton finds time to work on his program, The Power of 4, design and appear in workouts for Tonal, and work on creating his own sports nutrition products, called Power Life.

With that kind of schedule, youd think hed burn outand he almost did. In 2017, Horton contracted a type of shingles outbreak called Ramsay Hunt syndrome. He lost 25 pounds, and could have had permanent nerve and eye damage.

I was burning the candle at both ends, he says. So in addition to his grueling training and work schedule, Horton found time to add in mindfulness, too. But even when he did that, he was bringing it: I dont have to be listening to some esoteric stuff. If Im feeling kind of funky, I just crank up the Zeppelin.

Horton shared some of his strategies for doing it alland then some, including his weekly cardio, his go-to post-workout shake, and a challenge he used with Ewan McGregor to prepare the actor for the new series, Obi-wan Kenobi.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

The short answer is this: I still weight train and I do a lot more bodyweight training. I do more HIIT training and I work as much or more so on speed, balance, range of motion and flexibility than I do just lifting weights and doing cardio. Because that's what keeps me young at 64that variety.

Ive got four different areas where I train. And so it has changed. I still lift. I have a Tonal, I'm on Tonal. So on those Tuesdays and Thursdays, it's indoor on the Tonal with the dumbbells and the bands. That's kind of a Tuesday-Thursday thing. Saturdays are yoga typically. But on Fridays and Sundays I'm out in the yard. I'm climbing the ropes and I'm on the rings and I'm on the ninja course and I'm on the parallel bars.

So that's where it has changed dramatically because those are more skill-based, athletic-type movements. A lot of people will train and train and train, but they're moving in these very linear ways. That's why I do plyometrics. I do plyo boxes on Friday and then I do regular kind of plyo like you'd see in P90X or some of my new programslateral jumps and high and low single leg jumps.

It's just like P90X"muscle confusion," a made-up term that says, "What are the things you need to do to avoid boredom. Injuries and plateaus?" You learn more, you do more, you work on your weaknesses as much as your strengths, and you won't age at the same rate as everybody else who still is training hard but doing the same things over and over and over and over.

On Cardio Night, which is tonight, I have nine different stations in my gym. So I do 3 minutes each and I just jump from one to another. A lot of people get on the Versaclimber for 50 minutes. I mean, if you're a robot man or woman, well rock on. But I do 3 minutes on the bike, 3 minutes on the Versaclimber, 3 minutes on the treadmill, 3 minutes on the heavy bag, 3 minutes on the rower, 3 minutes on the jump rope, 3 minutes on the skier and 3 minutes on the slideboard. Round and round I go, for about an hour, an hour and 10 minutes. I'm getting all that variety. I'm avoiding the injuries that come from just running. I break that sweat. I wear my heart monitor and I try to burn 500 calories or more.

Not everybody has that optionthey don't have all that stuff. You can choose your own. And if it ain't nine things, it's two or it's three, and it's two minutes each, five minutes each, or 8 minutes each, whatever. Just kind of play with it, experiment with that.

That's what I do when I'm traveling. Even if there is no gym, I'll just do wind sprints in the parking lotI'll walk, jog, run, sprint. I'll pick four different speeds and I'll just find some neighborhood or whatever.

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday are the big lower body, upper body days. And that's when I'll do the shake afterward, but not right away, because I don't have much of an appetite. I'm just not a guy who can just throw something down immediately after a workout. I just want to take a nap most times.

I put basically the same things in there every time. So I put frozen blueberries in the bottom. Then I put walnuts and pecansa little on top of that. Then I'll put a little spinach, a little kale. And then I'll put in like a fifth of a banana, just for the flavor. I don't like to put a whole banana in a shake. There's just too many sugar calories for me. The blueberries are enough. I get like six or eight [bananas] at a time. I cut them up in those little pieces and I put them in the freezerI just throw them in every once in a while. I put in some whey proteinPower Life, chocolate. And then I put mint leaves, a substantial amount of little mint leaves. So you've got that blueberry chocolate banana mint.

They wanted him to look pretty sleek. There's an opening scene in that series where he's kind of beat up and hunkered downand they wanted him to look pretty trim. So there was a lot of a lot of HIIT training, a lot of cardio training. A lot of what we were doing in my new program, called The Power of Four. Two different ab routines. A lot of martial arts, a lot of hook, elbow down, strike, sprawls. Things that equated to what he'd be doing in the series with all that sword fighting. And then a lot of it was dietary. He enjoys food like any human being. So we were kind of trying to come up with some healthier snacks and things that weren't as detrimental to his overall goals. So a lot of it was mobility stuff. A lot of it was speed stuff. There was still weight training, right? Because we wanted to we wanted to lift some weight. So he's burning calories 24/7.

He was here typically an hour. And then we had a little bonus thing called "five times five equals five." It was a jump rope/burpee sequence. The whole thing took less than 8 minutes.

Jump rope for a minute, then you do five burpees. And you do that five times.

You don't need a rope either. It's always nice to learn that basic skill. Just for a quick, "Man, I don't have any time. I want to get my heart rate up. I want to kind of activate some some muscles and do the heart/lung/leg part with a bit of jumping rope." It's kind of a nice twofer. And for a very quickie, it's a good one.

I have a routine now in the Power of Four called "Triple Trouble Challenge." And P90X3 had one called "The Challenge." And "The Challenge" was a challenge because what you had to do was 16 total sets. There were eight sets of pushups and eight sets of pull upsand the push ups and the pull ups changed ... wide, narrow, chin up, military. They changed, I think every three three of one, three of the next variety. And the goal was to sort of estimate how many pull ups and push ups you're going to do before you even start. And the rep counts had to remain the same from start to finish.

When I first started doing this routine, I called it 30-15 when I was just doing this routine on my own. And I used to do 24 sets, not 16. So I would do 24 sets, 12 of push ups, 12 of of pull ups. And all my pull up sets had to be 15 repetitions, and all my push up sets had to be 30. My best ever was 40-20 when I was one strong son of a gun.

So the new one is called "Triple Trouble Challenge." You do three sets of pushups in a row, and then you do three sets of pull ups in a row, with a little bit more time in between because you need recovery. So with the "Triple Trouble Challenge," you do a set of push ups, you get about 30 seconds [to rest]. You have to repeat that same number. [Rest] 30 seconds, then you have to repeat that same number. And then you go to pull up bar and repeat it.

The idea there is just a different form of time under tension. You're doing back to back to back. So what's my number? If I'm going to pick 20, that means I've got to do 20, 40, 60 push ups. Wham. And then I put my numbers over here on pull ups. If it's 10, I'm doing 10, 20, 30 ... it will destroy you.

It's intensity, but it's also the opposite of intensity. Because if you're going to push this hard, then you've got to also recover. And that's different for everybody. You've got a guy who's a 25-year- old ex-gymnast who's got 8 pounds to lose, his objectives are very different than somebody who's really not athletic and they've got 85 pounds to lose. The expression that I've trademarked, even though people like to steal it and put it on t-shirts, is called "do your best and forget the rest." And doing your best on any given day changes from day to day, from hour to hour, from exercise to exercise, from rep to rep. It's just paying attention to what's happening, making sure that whatever you're doing, you're maintaining and sustaining a certain amount of decent form.

And paying attention to to what ails you. If you keep training your shoulders and your shoulder has got a stinger that won't go away ... you know, what are you doing? Lighten the load, do some rehab. Go see your orthopedic person. Address these things.

It's not the intensity. The more important thing is consistency. Be the tortoise, not the hare. Keep showing up. Pay attention. You're going to have hero days and you're going to have maintenance days. Notice difference between the two. And then you just keep coming and coming and coming. I always say, people that want to work out 2 to 3 days a week thinking that's really going to have an effect ... you might as well just throw yourself down a set of stairs because you're going to be sore, but you're not going to see any kind of real results. Results come from showing up and showing up and figuring out what you're going to do on what day and what time and with whom.

P90X was a 90 day program, but, you know, this new one, The Power of Four, is also a 90 day program. But when the 90 days are up, you better have something planned for the next 90 on day 60 from the one beforeI've got a month. I better figure out what the next thing is.

Yoga's gold. And too many dudes are still avoiding it for whatever reason. I don't understand it. It's it's more than sitting in lotus position and doing ohms. It's pretty intense, man. It has four things that are happening simultaneously that you almost can't get anywhere else. So you have the strength componentall the chaturungas and all the lunges and things like that.

There's the flexibility componentit's a moving stretch. There's the balance with all the one-legged, different things. Crescent pose in itself is a is a balance thing. And then you have that mindfulness component. Learning how to be in the moment, being present, being patient ... while you're also having your ass handed to you. There's just so much there. The feeling that I have after a ninja session is very different than I would have after a yoga session. Yoga is a very healing process, even though you'll get into a flop sweat and work really hard.

If you're my age, or in your 40s, 50s, 60s and beyondthe yoga, the flexibility, the mobility, the strength, the balance ... that is really gold.

What people need to get away from is their egos. Your ego will just kick your butt because your ego has nothing to do with how you feel about you. Your ego has everything to do with about what you think other people think of you. And by the way, other people. spend too much time thinking about themselves to really think about you. So get rid of that. And then there's there's a lot of pressure that comes off. You get to go be you.

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P90X's Tony Horton Shared the Workout Tips He Uses to Stay Shredded - Men's Health