So, you've made it so far and how would you rate your health today, satisfactory, could be better or could be worse? Your present state of health is influenced by the journey you have been on, starting with the genes you inherited from your parents. A few diseases run in families but more important is the fact that the genes we have all inherited are genes that have favoured survival for hundreds of generations who have had to be active all the time , chasing food or fleeting sabre toothed tigers and hostile neighbours trying to steal the little food you have managed to store for the winter. In addition the genes that led to more efficient deposition of fat were also an advantage in helping people survive the winter. two generations ago this all changed . we are now inactive as never before, thanks to the car, the computer, the desk job, the sofa and the TV, and
we are surrounded by tempting calories, not berries on bushes but shiny packets at every check out
Income tax, bad weather and the normal biological process of Ageing - there are things that affect you that you would have preferred not to face. Things you cannot escape. But you can minimise the impact that they have on your wellbeing and quality of life, and for this reason you should not ignore them. You need to understand what is going on and think about what might happen so that you can take action to minimise their impact. We now know that is what you need to do so that living longer can be better
Our mission is to collect best current knowledge about what you can do to prevent, delay, slow down or sometimes even reverse many of the problems which have hitherto been assumed to be caused by the normal ageing process, including the conditions we fear most - stroke, dementia and being so disabled you have to depend on others for the taks of everyday life . You can search our web site but wa are also making sure that every drug prescription is accompanied by an activity prescription using an amazing piece of technology called W:ISH. to inform you not only about the benefits of physical and mental activity when disease has developed, and the opportunities, local and digital, best suited to your condition. We also offer the opportunity to learn in more depth, both from experts and from other people like us, about what is happening as we live longer and what we can do about it
Muir Gray
Sir Muir Gray CBE MD
The Optimal Ageing Programme at Oxford