Can adventure really prevent dementia? Or is it just a catchy rhyme?
Adventure can most definitely prevent dementia!
Of course genes play a role, but only 5% of dementias are genetically pre-determined. The other 95% are driven by:
- Stress
- Sleep deprivation
- Sedentary living
- Soft drink and sugary food consumption
- Depression
- Loss of meaning and purpose
- Social isolation and loneliness
- And a host of other lifestyle factors I discuss in my book, Can Adventure Prevent Dementia?
And the great news is that the word ADVENTURES makes a perfect acronym for 10 very powerful steps we can all take to boost our brain, dramatically lower our risk of getting dementia, and slow — if not stop — progression of the disease if already diagnosed with it.
Sadly, very few people are aware that cognitive decline with age is not inevitable; that we can stay as sharp at age 90 as we were at age 30. And that we need to be proactive about keeping our neurons firing on all cylinders.
Few people have ever thought about the concept of brain health. Everyone’s talking about gut health and heart health — which are undeniably important — but our brain runs the show of our lives. You can get a heart transplant, liver transplant, lung transplant, kidney transplant. But you can’t get a brain transplant. So we have to look after it. And if our brain works better, everything else in our lives works better. We think better, learn better, create better, relate better.
So to raise awareness of the importance of brain health — and to show everyone at any age or stage of life — that they can start boosting their brain TODAY — I’m embarking on my own adventure to prevent dementia — by hiking the 300+km Pekoe Trail — through Sri Lanka’s misty, mountainous, gorgeously green tea plantations. And each day of the trek — for the next 11 days — I’ll produce a short video revealing what one of the letters in ADVENTURES stands for — similar to this video that I recorded at Negombo Beach on the south east coast of Sri Lanka, the day before starting the hike.
I’m also doing the trek in support of the UK charity, Dementia Adventure. The philosophy at Dementia Adventure is that life does NOT end with a diagnosis of dementia. Too often, people with dementia are isolated and stripped of the experiences that give life meaning — adventure, nature, connection and purpose. Dementia Adventure challenges that narrative by providing supported holidays and outdoor experiences for people living with dementia and their care givers. They enable families to create joyful memories, access nature safely, and rediscover a sense of freedom and exhilaration.
Dementia Adventure also offer vital training and education for carers and health professionals, equipping people with the skills to support those with dementia compassionately and confidently. This work is critical, and it needs more voices, more awareness, and more funding to expand and continue.
To learn more about the inspiring work of Dementia Adventure, click here.
Or to make a donation, click here.
I’ll start the video reveal tomorrow so you have 24 hours to work out what each letter in the acronym ADVENTURES stands for. To recap, each letter is the first letter of a word that describes a powerful way to boost our brain and defy dementia. And trying to figure out what the acronym stands for, is itself a brain-boosting exercise!
But be warned: the videos are raw, unedited, and me at my weary worst. The lighting is poor because I didn’t finish trekking until late afternoon every day. The shortest day’s trek was 16 steep kilometres (hiking downhill being just as strenuous as going up) and the longest was 32 km. Most days were between 25 and 30 km. So it took about 8 hours a day to cover the distance. There is background noise because I couldn’t avoid barking dogs, tooting tuk tuks, clucking chooks and chattering children. But I think the message still comes through loud and clear. I’ll also provide a transcript summary for those who prefer to read.
See you tomorrow!
📷 This is a photo of the start of the 300+km Pekoe Trail. The tall woman is ultramarathoner, Adriana, who set a gruelling pace for the hike. Given her height, one of her strides was two of mine, which meant I was practically running beside her to keep up! Next to her is trek, transport and accommodation organiser, Deen, who runs Sri Lanka Trekking Club. I cannot thank him enough for the fabulous experience he gave us. He went well and truly above and beyond my expectations. The person who took the photo was local guide Rizan, who made sure we didn’t put a foot out of place. Wish us luck, laughter, strength, stamina, tenacity and tolerance for leeches! For more photos of my time in Sri Lanka, click here.
If you’d like to trek the Pekoe Trail yourself, please contact Deen at srilankatrekkingclub.com
I highly recommend you do it in the recommended 22 days, not the high speed 14 days that I did it in! You can also choose to only do one or a few of the stages to get a taste of Sri Lanka’s glorious tea country. Happy hiking – it’s a fabulous brain-boosting activity!
Please share this with anyone who has an interest in brain health or a diagnosis of dementia.
