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Whether you play a musical instrument, are a festival goer or just love listening to your favourite tunes on the radio, many of us instinctively know the effects of music on our mood and energy. But did you know about the huge benefits that playing and listening to music can have for your brain? Today, I breakdown the most important emotional and cognitive benefits of music for brain health and mental health. RESOURCES & LINKS: Discover your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by taking our FREE test. Watch Better Brain, Better You

When we’re overweight, we know implicitly that it’s unhealthy and we also know that the right diet and exercise should help to shift those extra pounds. But what about an unhealthy brain? What can we do for our brain when it’s out of shape? There are some simple science-backed changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle which have immense power to change the way your brain operates. So today I am going to walk through the five steps you can take to nurture and maintain a healthier brain. RESOURCES: Dementia Risk Test Watch Better Brain, Better You

Feel as though you’re constantly tired and always struggling to catch up? You need to reset your circadian rhythm to meet your brain’s needs and have the energy to do the things you want to do. The next revolution in healthcare is going to be around living life in tune with our natural rhythms - our circadian cycles. But what exactly are these circadian rhythms and how can we use them to improve our health and wellbeing? Listen to this week’s episode to discover how to work with your circadian rhythms to improve your health and well-being. RESOURCES: Discover your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by taking our FREE test. Watch Better Brain, Better You

Interoception - our sense of the internal state of our body - is not as well known as “outward facing” senses such as sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell, but it’s turning out to be really important for mental health. Our sensitivity to the interoceptive signals coming from the different organs in our body determines our ability to control our emotions. Neuroscience and psychology are developing new techniques that help you “tune in” to your body and alter perception of its interoceptive signals to overcome a host of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression. Listen to this week’s episode to discover how to sense the internal state of your body to control your emotions and mental well-being. and body. RESOURCES: Six Steps to a Healthy Brain Watch Better Brain, Better You

Stress is responsible for over 70% of doctor’s visits. It is one of the biggest drains on your energy levels, and a major contributor to sleep loss and mood problems like depression and anxiety. Stress and anxiety are rampant in today’s world (for many reasons you’re certainly well aware of). But here’s what you may not know… It turns out that one of the fastest and most powerful ways to get your brain and body out of stress and anxiety isn’t to think your way out of it, but to use your BREATH. Listen to this week’s episode to discover how to breathe the stress and anxiety out of your brain and body. RESOURCES AND LINKS Six Steps to a Healthy Brain Watch Better Brain, Better You #breathing #brainhealth #midlife Connect with us on social: Facebook Linkedin Twitter Instagram

What if I told you that 80% of your health in old age is up to you, how you live your life. Your body and brain have inbuilt defence systems against ageing, called “longevity genes” - armed forces that that fight against disease, stress, and ageing. Research is starting to work out the diet and lifestyle that most effectively turn on these sirtuin genes in humans, which have the potential to reverse ageing.  I distill what we know about how to activate these genes to live longer and reverse ageing into five simple steps that can almost anyone can do. RESOURCES: Discover your risk of developing dementia Watch Better Brain, Better You Lu et al. (2020) Reprogramming to recover youthful epigenetic information and restore vision. Nature 588, 124-129 Kane, & Sinclair, D.A. (2019) Epigenetic changes during aging and their reprogramming potential. Critical Reviews of Biochemical Molecular Biology 54, 61-83. Sinclair, DA & Laplante, MD, (2019) Lifespan: Why We Age - And Why We Don't Have to Harper Collins

Yoga is a really effective practice for managing the physical and psychological symptoms that women experience during the perimenopause and menopause. Menopause yoga uses specially adapted yoga practices with breathing techniques and mindful meditation exercises to help manage menopausal symptoms. I talk to Menopause Yoga expert and practitioner, Mara Hastings, about the best ways to use yoga and wellbeing to manage your menopause journey. RESOURCES & LINKS: You can find Maria and and her yoga practice on facebook and instagram: Maria Hastings (Instagram)  Bridgford Yoga (Facebook) Download my FREE Brain-Healthy Foods for Midlife Guide

As humans, we’re designed for social interaction. You might think you’re just laughing and talking, but your brain is actually hard at work laying down new pathways. And science has shown that socialising is critical for good brain health and loneliness is toxic for it. In today's episode, I discuss: why having a good social life is so good for your brain why people with strong social ties are less likely to experience cognitive decline  how to re-engage socially if you’ve lost contact with old friends RESOURCES & LINKS: Six step plan for a healthy brain  Watch this episode here

Many women in midlife say that their brain feels like ‘cotton wool’ - that they become increasingly forgetful and find it hard to retain information. This “brain fog” can make it especially hard to function at work, and concentrate when reading or watching TV. But when should you worry that something is wrong? Is it just lack of sleep? Is it the menopause? Or might it be the warning signs of dementia? How can you tell the difference? Today I want to help you distinguish whether the brain fog and memory problems you are experiencing are due to healthy brain ageing, the menopause or dementia. RESOURCES & LINKS: Discover your risk of developing dementia by taking our free "Dementia Risk Test" Watch Better Brain, Better You

“I’m just so tired” is probably the most common sentence women in midlife say to me on a regular basis. They’ve often had their tiredness dismissed as just ‘the way life is’ or put down to working, motherhood or just age. Ongoing fatigue and tiredness are not in fact just a symptom of getting older or working too hard. Fatigue and tiredness are clear warning signals from your brain that it needs re-fuelling. And food is hands down the best way to give your brain the fuel it needs. So today I want to share the best brain foods to eat to boost your energy levels. RESOURCES & LINKS: Download Free Guide: “Brain-Healthy Foods For Midlife” Watch Better Brain, Better You

How do you create the right sort of environment and relationships to help teenagers become more resilient? I talk to therapist and parenting expert, Alicia Drummond from Teen Tips, on the skills and traits that teenagers need to develop to become resilient young people. Join me for a fascinating and practical discussion on how to build resilience in young people with therapist and parenting expert, Alicia Drummond. RESOURCES & LINKS: Learn the 4 essential strategies for parenting teenagers by watching our free workshop Teen Tips 

In the next three minutes, 3 people will develop dementia and two of them will be women. Women may be at much higher risk of dementia when they lose the brain protection of hormones that decline during peri-menopause and menopause. As hormones like oestrogen protect brain function, can you stop dementia from developing by replacing these hormones lost during menopause? Join me for today’s podcast episode to discover the answer to: can hormone replacement prevent dementia? RESOURCES & LINKS: Dementia Risk Test  HRT and Dementia Prevention Study