Hallmark Foundation is supporting a new Open University national health campaign for the over 50s.

The Open University’s Take Five to Age Well campaign in September is encouraging people over 50 to sign up to a month of healthy habits designed by experts from the university.

Launching the campaign, TV presenter Kaye Adams, said: “We need to rid ourselves of the negativity that can surround the aging process like those greetings cards which depict older people as bumbling, confused and out-of- step. In reality, there are countless people in their 70s and 80s busting the stereotypes and leading active, joyful and productive lives. If anything, these years can be the best of our lives if we stay healthy. That’s why I am supporting Take Five to Age Well; a new initiative from The Open University that hopes to empower the UK to age well and challenge some of the stereotypes associated with ageing.”

Top tips from Take Five to Age Well include:

• Stand on one leg whilst brushing your teeth – this is great for balance that become more and more important to avoid falls
• Drink a glass of water before every snack and meal – this will help you stay hydrated (our thirst response weakens with age due to cognitive changes and so you need to proactively drink water even if you don’t feel thirsty)
• Choose a new vegetable you wouldn’t normally buy from the supermarket and look up a recipe that uses it
• Spend five minutes doing something creative: draw a picture, play an instrument, do an origami online tutorial.
• Offer to walk someone’s dog – spending time with animals is calming and walking in nature is good for the body and brain
• Laugh and have fun – the dose of dopamine from laughing stimulates the synthesis of new proteins in the brain, it also reduces stress and boosts mood. The average four year old laughs 300 times a day, whereas the average 40 year old laughs only four times.

Take Five to Age Well hopes to inspire people up and down the UK to think about their future health.

You can sign up to the pledge here: https://wels.open.ac.uk/research/projects/take-5