Ageing isn't a decline - it's a relationship

🫖 From My Kitchen Table:Let’s Talk About Healthy Ageing — Gently, Honestly, and With a Smile

I’m 66 years young, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:

Ageing isn’t a decline — it’s a relationship.

A relationship between energy and rest.
Between courage and comfort.
Between what once mattered to us, and what matters now.

I consider myself someone who lives well — not perfectly. I eat foods that nourish me, I move my body in ways that feel good, and I protect my sleep like a treasure. My philosophy is simple:

If I want to live vibrantly in my elder years, I need habits that support me now.

And although I might not quite feel like a “wise elder” yet (still waiting for the grey-plait-and-council-of-women stage), I am committed to what I call:

Business as Unusual

Living in a way that honours my values, my energy, and the people I love.

🌊 A dream, a house, and a gentle nudge from the future

Last night I dreamt of a future home — sun-filled, spacious, full of life.
Not empty, not cold, but alive with stories.

It reminded me of the way we talk about ageing — as if it’s something we must clear out, strip back, or fight against. But what if ageing is more like that dream house?

Full of memories.
Full of layers.
Full of things we may one day decide to keep — or gently let go.

Maybe this dream came from our recent conversations about moving from the country to the beach. Maybe it was simply my subconscious sorting furniture. Either way — it felt like an invitation into the next chapter of living well.

🧠 Ageing Isn’t Magic — It’s Maintenance

When I think about healthy ageing, I think about pruning fruit trees.

We cut back — not to shorten life, but to create space for new buds.

Our neural networks work much the same. Through neuroplasticity, the brain continues to adapt, rewire, and learn — even as we age. Which means:

📌 You are not fixed.

📌 Your brain is not done growing.

📌 Your body still responds to care.

Here’s what current research suggests supports a healthy brain environment:

• Neurogenesis can occur at any age — we are never “finished.”

• Breathing practices calm the nervous system in real-time.

• Movement, sleep, and diverse nutrition support resilience + lower stress-load in the body.

• Omega-3 fats, magnesium, zinc, and vitamins C & D are often discussed in brain health research.

• Quality sleep assists the brain’s nightly “cleaning cycle.”

None of these require perfection.
Most require consistency, curiosity, and compassion.

Your body already knows what helps — the signals are there.
My job (if you ever want support) is simply to help you listen.

🔥 A gentle question — not a fear-based one

Do we believe neurodegenerative disease is inevitable?
Or could ageing be a process we participate in rather than endure?

Inflammation, stress, and highly processed modern diets are known contributors to overall health strain — but the hopeful part is this:

Small lifestyle choices accumulate like compound interest.

We don’t need to overhaul everything.
We need to nurture what works — one habit at a time.

🌿 Here’s what I really want you to hear:

I am not the expert on your body.
Your body is.

It speaks in energy, digestion, mood, sleep, movement, craving, stiffness, joy.

Healthy ageing isn’t about control — it’s about relationship.

If you’d like support in building habits that help you feel strong, alive, and at home in your body as you age, I’d love to sit with you — figuratively or literally — at this kitchen table and explore it together.

You’re welcome here.
Questions welcome, too.