Hello,

I trust you're safe, fit and well.

All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

Topsy turvy, what can I say, the world's a little less fathomable each day. Which makes your exercise routine and social routine and getting out into the sunshine each day all the more important.

Years ago I would have said no, that's not my scene. But these days I'm at the dog park every day, 7 days a week, around 4:30 pm, chatting to others I only know because of their dogs, and in particular the dachshund owners. That's when the world seems a little more sane and humane, I guess.

This week - maintaining your memory, how exercise improves sleep quality - the details, the surprising link between muscle mass and the success of cancer immunotherapy, and an exercise which you can use to calibrate your longevity.

Insomnia leads to insidious health problems. This study says that you can negate the problems with regular exercise - see item #2.

The route to retaining a good memory includes walking backwards - who'd have thought? - see item #1.

⭑ Some foods, relationships, sunshine, Wordle and exercise boost your memory ✔
⭑ 3 ways our brain changes and interferes with our sleep and what to do ✔
⭑ Lower muscle mass is associated with less effective cancer therapy ✔
⭑ Do this one exercise in the ad break and you'll likely live longer ✔

01 Forgetting Things? Neuroscience Says 5 Simple Habits Boost Memory​

Can't remember where you left your car keys? No worries, research evidence supports the idea that simple habits can improve our memory and stave off cognitive decline.

⇒ THE BIG IDEA: The article recommends incorporating simple habits into everyday life to boost your memory and learning ability. Specific foods, good relationships, a healthy environment, cognitive-based activities, and walking backward can all help improve memory and prevent cognitive decline.

What this means for you: See how many of these four types of habits you can build into your daily routine:

1. Specific foods can boost memory and cognitive function:

- Mushrooms contain an active compound that boosts nerve growth and enhances memory, while porcini mushrooms contain antioxidants that fight aging-related medical conditions (Journal of Neurochemistry and Pennsylvania State University).

- Dark chocolate and cinnamon can improve cognitive function (Italian study and Nutritional Neuroscience).

- Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruit can reduce memory loss in late life (Harvard study).

2. Building good relationships is apparently crucial for maintaining memory and cognitive function:

- The article recommends listing your relationships and then taking steps to improve the ones that can lead to a happier and more fulfilling life. This sounds a bit stressful but might be well worthwhile.

- Social isolation can adversely affect your memory, so staying active and mixing with others is the aim here.

3. Improving environmental factors can preserve brain function:

- Rats kept in dimly lit environments exhibited a loss of capacity for learning and memory! Which, to me, means getting out into the sunshine every day, and preferably somewhere peaceful where you can soak in "nature".

- Chronic sleep deprivation can cause deficits in vigilance and episodic memory. This is widely reported, as in last week's Newsletter - deep sleep allows your brain to do its needed writing repairs.

4. Participating in cognitive-based activities may improve your memory and cognitive health:

- Detailed hobbies like bird-watching can improve processing and recall.

- Reading for pleasure strengthens older adults’ memory skills.

- Doing brain games and crosswords can improve cognition, function, and neuroprotection - so they say. In fact, the evidence is still inconclusive. I'm not waiting for conclusive evidence, I do these kinds of things every day including learning a language on Duolingo - a great way to keep your brain active.

5. Walking backward could be a new way to improve memory and recall! I believe that walking backwards is generally great for neuromuscular coordination (see the Related Article below), but I hadn't considered its effect on memory. Apparently, it can trigger better recall for certain types of information, according to a study by researchers at the University of Roehampton in London.

I'm going to add more porcini mushrooms to my pasta - how about you?

Related: Walking Backwards Benefits So Much More Than Your Knees​

//

02 The Aging Brain: Sleep, the Circadian Clock and Exercise​

Here, in the Newsletter, I'm always advocating the benefits of exercise. We know generally that exercise is beneficial, but knowing why can be more motivating. This research article is a complex read. I've extracted three key points to explain how, as we age, our brain undergoes a series of morphological and functional alterations that can have a negative impact on our sleep and circadian rhythms.

⇒ Sleep disturbances are associated with a decline in your cognitive function and mental health, so we should do everything we can to reduce them.

One of the key changes that occurs in the aging brain is a decline in the production of various neurotransmitters that are involved in regulating sleep and wakefulness. For example, the production of the neurotransmitter GABA, which promotes sleep, declines with age. At the same time, the production of the neurotransmitter glutamate, which promotes wakefulness, increases. This imbalance can lead to disrupted sleep patterns.

Our aging brain also undergoes structural changes that can affect sleep quality. One of the most prominent changes is a reduction in the amount of gray matter, which is responsible for processing information and controlling movement. This reduction in gray matter is associated with a decline in cognitive function and can also contribute to sleep disruptions.

The third factor that can disrupt our normal sleep-wake cycle are alterations in our circadian clock - leading to irregular sleep patterns and daytime sleepiness. Changes in our melatonin production further disrupt our circadian rhythm.

What this means for you: Exercise counters all of the above three effects:

1. One way that exercise can promote better sleep quality is by increasing the production of neurotransmitters like GABA, which promote relaxation and sleep. Exercise has been shown to increase the production of melatonin, leading to better sleep quality.
2. Exercise has also been shown to increase the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes the growth and survival of brain cells. This increase in BDNF production may help to counteract the effects of age-related declines in gray matter volume, leading to improved cognitive function and better sleep quality.
3. In addition to promoting better sleep quality through its effects on neurotransmitter production and brain function, exercise also improves our circadian clock. This strengthening of the circadian clock helps to promote better sleep quality by regulating the timing of sleep and wakefulness.

All up, exercise has been shown to improve sleep quality and increase slow-wave sleep which leads to better rejuvenation of of brain including slowing rate of loss of gray matter. So please jump on that bike, go for that walk, and lift some modest weights daily.

Related: ​The Surprising Benefits of Black Tea Daily​

​How To Sleep Better And Recover Like Elite Soccer Players​

@Medium - Follow me on Medium ↗, covering ⭑food, ⭑brain, ⭑body, ⭑life

//

03 Lower Muscle Mass Associated With Poorer Cancer Immunotherapy Success​

It's not pleasant topic to consider, but this research paper caught my eye as it touched on something which was bought to my attention the first time I had cancer. The surgeon told me that he was unable to operate on many men in a timely fashion because their fitness level placed them at too much risk of dying while under anesthetic. I was shocked.

Although the men had potentially lethal cancers they had to wait at least 6 months for medically urgent surgery while they lost weight and increased their cardio fitness. In the case of this particular cancer - prostate cancer - once it metastasises there is no cure. Time is a killer.

The researchers analysed data from 35 studies comprising 3,858 patients and came to a stunning conclusion.

⇒ According to their findings, low skeletal muscle mass significantly increases the likelihood of not responding well to curative chemotherapy and experiencing treatment failure during immunotherapy.

What this means for you: The first thing that this means is that you can improve your chances. You can improve your chances because you can take steps to increase your skeletal muscle mass (this is the muscle attached to your bones and which you can consciously exercise).

"Improving your chances" means that should you ever require chemotherapy or immunotherapy then having more muscle mass improves the likelihood of the treatment being successful.

This is important because although immunotherapy has improved the prognosis of some traditionally poor-outlook cancers like bladder, kidney, and lung cancer, patient response rates to these drugs are only moderately promising, ranging from 20% to 50%.

And certain cancers, including pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer and glioblastoma, have been especially resistant to immunotherapy, so you need to give the treatment the best possible chance of success.

The time to start strengthening your muscles is now. You don’t want to wait until something unexpected happens. Believe me, I know. When your told you have a cancer that will likely kill you, your first priority isn't to start exercising!

Get started today to build your muscle mass, see my suggestions below.

Related: Rebuilding Your Fast-twitch Muscles Doesn’t Require Fast Movements. Rebuild Your Balance in 2 Minutes Daily​

//

04 Build Strength and Improve Coordination and Balance with This One Exercise

Our exercise of the week is... something so simple it will deceive you - to get down onto the floor from a standing position and back up without using your hands.

My objective in suggesting this movement is that it will help you build muscle strength and mass, in the most convenient way possible e.g. you can do these during the ad breaks.

It addition to building your muscle in response to item #3 above, your ability to do this exercise has another striking dimension to it.

⇒ The ease with which you can do this one movement is positively associated with longevity.

This is because it requires (and will stimulate) your neuromuscular chain from the top of your head to the tip of your toes, plus it builds muscle. Thus, you are exercising your body and brain in a tightly choreographed sequence of movement.

I have looked at many Youtube videos and they seem to only cater for people with excellent flexibility and especially hamstring flexibility, which I do not have.

My method is for people who are not especially flexible. It is not easier, just more appropriate. It tests the same range of neuromuscular coordination.

Nevertheless, don’t do this exercise without supervision or your doctor's advice if you have pain in your knees or hips.

What this means for you: The essence of my technique is to be able to reach a kneeling lunge on the way down, and back up. I can't find a video of this at the moment. Here are the 8 steps:

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with your toes pointing forward and your arms by your sides, then lower down, shift your weight onto one leg, and carefully lower the opposite knee down to the floor. You are now in a kneeling lunge.
2. Now, rotate the foot of the leg lying on the floor (your shin) inwards about 45-degrees.
3. Next, slowly rotate and lower your body back and down onto your buttocks and continue to lower until your buttocks are resting on the floor. You are now half way - congratulations!
4. To stand back up, swing your (right) leg outwards to 45-degrees from your hips.
5. Bring your (left) leg at right angles across your body to that your foot just touches the inside of your right knee, or a little closer to your body whatever feels comfortable.
6. Now, use a little arm momentum to swing forward and up placing most weight on your folded (left) leg. Lift up onto both knees on the floor and you should find your legs swung in parallel at 45-degrees across your body (to the right). This is almost an unconscious movement and the angle of the legs is a natural consequence of swinging upwards on the leg which was crossed across your body when on the floor. In other words, don't overthink it.
7. Rotate your legs back to be in a front-facing kneeling lunge, and from there push and bring your back (right) foot forward and stand up.

If you would like to score yourself and keep track of your progress, allocate 5 points for going down and 5 for coming back up. Deduct 1 point each time you use a hand for pushing e.g. your knee, or touching the floor.

In the original study, people with a composite score below 8 (that is, requiring more than one hand support to sit and rise from the floor in a stable way) were associated with 2 fold higher death rates over the 6.3 year study period than those scoring more than 8.

Hot tip: the essence of this method is to find your way into a kneeling squat on the way down, and on the way up. If you can find other ways to do this which are more effective for you then use those.

Do 3 to 5 of these every day during an ad break on TV. You'll feel yourself getting stronger and having better balance.

Good luck.

Related: ​Are You Ab-Wheel Rolling To Back Pain? I Was — Not Now​

​How To Go From On-knee to Full Pushups, and Reap The Benefits​

Thanks for reading!

P.S. If you are not yet subscribed to my free exercise app, try now ↓↓↓ Free forever. Opt-out any time. Opt-in by CLICKING HERE PLEASE SEND ME THE EXERCISES. NOTE: YOU ONLY NEED TO SUBSCRIBE ONE TIME.

>> My Latest Blog Post: How Many Pistachios Should I Eat For Sleep and When?​

About the newsletter: Do you think it can be improved? Have a story idea? Want to share about the time you met Chris Hemsworth, or your questions about how to live longer better? Send those thoughts and more to me at walter@bodyagebuster.com

'4 Most Valuable' is a weekly newsletter from Walter Adamson. If you like it, please forward to a like-minded soul. Someone forward this to you? You can subscribe from this page.

Resources for you:

​Rebuilding Your Fast-twitch Muscles Doesn’t Require Fast Movements. Rebuild Your Balance in 2 Minutes Daily​

​The Exact Slow Pace You Must Run and Cycle To Max Fat-Burning​

​As You Age Pistachios Can Help You Sleep Better​

​How To Keep Your Weight Off With Daily Walks — 5 Fun Level-ups That Everyone Can Do​

​Vitamin D Is Free Yet We Don’t Get Enough And Our Health Is Suffering​

​This One Exercise Will Reshape Your Body And Your Brain, If You’re Game​

​​Brain Health Is Boosted By Eating Less, Often — Here’s How To Start​

​Skipping Breakfast May Make You More Likely To Develop Diabetes - Research​

​​Measuring Your Waist Will Tell You If You Are On Your Way To Diabetes​

​​How To Find Purpose In Your life Without Feeling Like You Are Endlessly Chasing Your Tail​​​

​Dizziness And Cataracts - Is There A Link?​

​How To Get The Health Benefits Of Black Tea - Even If You Don't Like Drinking It​

​How To Walk Better (And Undo The Damage Of Treadmills)​

​I Started Trail Running At 70. Besides Being Bitten By A Dog I Love It​

​Drink This Many Cups Of Coffee Daily For Better Health​

​​​How Avoiding A High Viral Load Can Save Your Life - Coronavirus​

​Shining Light On Infrared Therapy - It Helped Unlock My Shoulder​

​Forget Beetroot Juice, Eat More Vegetables For Nitrate Potency And Longer Life​

​Why Walnuts Lower Heart Disease and Help You Sleep Better​

​The Surprising Way Hip Flexors Pull You Down Into An Elderly Stoop And ​Shuffle, And How To Avoid It​

​Holy Mackerel! Researchers Confirm Walnuts Help Your Muscles Stay Stronger Helping Live Longer​

Each of these weekly emails has 4MV in the subject line to help you filter them and search for previous ones.