Recipe of the Week

Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.

We keep hearing about the value of learning a new skill in helping to offset the inevitable decline in the function of our brains and I am most keen to do so, as I hope you are too. 

So, I have already made a New Year’s resolution (a bit early I know, but everything is in the planning!) and I have already put out feelers for joining the Walking Netball group in my area, as I am sure my new knee will be ready for the challenge by the time we bring in 2025.

Accordingly, my message this week is to look at what kind of new skill you might like to take up and perhaps start making plans to set it in motion. The old adage 'you can't teach an old dog new tricks' is absolute nonsense, as we all know - which has now been proven. So, let's look at the research behind this theory,  and also look at a few ideas that might inspire you.


How the Brain Changes

'Our brain changes physically whenever we learn anything, and our brain continues to be moulded by experience and learning throughout our life'

                   Prof. Ross Cunnington, University of Queensland, Australia.

It was thought for a very long time that the brain becomes fully developed sometime in childhood and that it is then 'set' into adulthood with no further changes taking place. This long-held myth has meant that for generations we have believed that we are simply going downhill as we age! Now we know how wrong that is. The brain is never 'fixed', but continues to change throughout all of our life... in other words, our wiring is constantly being rewired! This is such good news.

Most learning involves making and strengthening the connections between what are called neurons, the cells in our brain most crucial for learning. London taxi drivers, for example, show that humans have a remarkable capacity to acquire and use knowledge by being able to navigate the whole of London without using a map. They have been found to have a very large hippocampus - the area of the brain that plays a crucial role in memory and learning. They have activated that vast network of interconnections of the brain that gives it the ability to work like a computer.  

So, what we now know is that if we experience something new, and then we keep revisiting it again and again through lots of practise, the stronger the new connections in our brain become.

Now I am not suggesting we need to learn a new skill in order to be 'superhuman' at it. In fact, it doesn't matter one little bit whether we are any good at it, it is the doing of it that matters here. Coming out of our comfort zone and embarking on a new skill will fire up those neurons, strengthening them and triggering a very powerful response that we now know keeps our brain very active. Our brain adapts to the new way of thinking and it grows and adapts to the change.


Recovering from a Brain Injury

I remember when my Aunt Francis had a massive stroke and was in hospital for several months, eventually being moved to a rehabilitation unit that specialised in her condition. What shocked me was that the first time I visited she could hardly move at all, but fortunately her speech was not too badly affected and we could communicate. However, on a return visit it was absolutely remarkable to see how much she had progressed with her movement, even to the point that she could return home and live independently again. Her physical recovery was nothing short of amazing!

This is called Functional Plasticity of the brain and it is the ability of the brain to move particular functions from one area to another. With rehabilitation and repeated training of the weak movements, undamaged areas of the brain can remap their connections to take over that function from the damaged areas. This is key in the recovery from a brain injury like a stroke.  

Another form of plasticity is Structural Plasticity and this is what we are exploring here, in that if we experience something new then our brain will change. Anything we do repeatedly, as with learning our new skill, will form new connections that wire together and mean we eventually (hopefully) become competent at it. We can then wallow in our new found talents!


Finding our New Skill

A recent episode of 'Just one Thing', with the remarkable Dr Michael Mosley, explored this subject with a group of six volunteers, with each of them choosing to do something new that they had never tried before. What became clear was that the benefits are not just the fact they are trying something new but that they felt an increase in confidence and self-esteem too and even more so if they did it with a 'buddy'.

Of course, it needs to be something we want to do otherwise our motivation will soon disappear, and we need to plan to set the time aside to do it regularly. The research shows that 20 minutes a day for a period of 6 weeks will do the job nicely, but any regular commitment to our choice of activity will result in a real benefit. Here are a few ideas:

• Learning a musical instrument. Maybe there is an instrument you have always fancied learning to play... give it a go!
• Learning a foreign language. This is so easy these days with online courses available in any language.
• Making Pots. If you loved pottery at school why not take it up again? Your local U3A (the University of the Third Age) may run courses in your area.
• Photography. You may have a passion for creating beautiful pictures.
• Art Classes. You don't need to 'master' it... just enjoy having a go.
• Dancing. Learning steps is a great way to fire up those neurons! Look for a form of dance you have never tried before, a bit of ballroom or Zumba maybe?
• Flower Arranging. This is something I have always fancied doing so I will add it to my list.
• Calligraphy. This is so useful for writing your own invitations for example. My Auntie Joan was brilliant at this as she had beautiful writing.
• Walking Sports. These are such an innovation for our age group. Football, netball, basketball and rounders. What a choice!
• Padel Tennis. There are over 450 Padel Tennis courts in the UK. They are just starting building a new leisure centre in my area and it will have 4 Padel Tennis Courts... here I come!!  Go to lta.org.uk to find a court near you.

You might guess that I hope you lean towards a physical activity, as the evidence is very clear on the benefits to our brains if we give it a good blood supply.  But if you are already very active then it is good to combine it with something more sedentary, giving your body a rest but still giving your brain the boost we now know we all need!  

1. Go for your daily 30+ minute walk and realise that when it’s colder, we burn more calories so let’s step up the pace and burn even more! Remember to do your Post-walk stretches.
    
2. As you walk around the shops doing your Christmas shopping, remember to pull in your core and stand tall with good posture. We can teach our brain to do it automatically if we keep reminding ourselves to do it! Alternatively, practise the Posture Exercises three times this week.
    
3. For your 3 Strength workouts this week, ring the changes by trying one of the workouts with a resistance band or hand weights (if you don't have weights use a water bottle in each hand).
   
   Or you could do this sequence of Fitness Snacks throughout the day:
   1. •    10 tabletop press-ups
   2. •    10 sit-to-stands from a dining chair
   3. •    Walk up and down stairs three times consecutively
   4. •    Lie on your front on the floor or on your bed and with core tight, lift head and shoulders a little while you do 5 breast-strokes with your arms.  

Did you know... 

You can't teach an old dog new tricks...  Or can you?

The phrase "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is often used to express the idea that it's difficult for someone, particularly an older person, to learn or adapt to new skills or behaviors. It reflects the belief that people become set in their ways over time, and that changing those habits or learning new things becomes more challenging as they age.

However, this saying doesn't always hold true. Many people, regardless of age, can continue learning and adapting throughout their lives, especially if they are motivated and open to change. It's important to remember that with the right mindset, anyone can learn new skills at any age!

And in reality, adult dogs are often easier to train than their younger canine friends, specifically because they are not as active. Older dogs are not as easily distracted as pups and can focus for longer periods of time. This ability to concentrate helps them learn new routines more easily.