Challenge yourself

Start building up your “cognitive reserve” as early as you can. This means nurturing a love for learning, because when you’re learning you’re growing your brain. “Get in the habit of learning new things and keep learning new things and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, which is particularly hard to do after age 50 because we tend to fall into complacency,” says Dr Levitin. It need not be as challenging as learning Italian (though that is impressive and very beneficial). It could be exploring a different style of yoga than your usual, establishing a new herb garden on your windowsill or mastering that souffle.