All the right moves: Middle Tennessee woman shares her secrets to SuperAging
Scientists are working to uncover the secrets of this small, elite group of people over 80 whose memory still functions as well as that of someone in their 50s or 60s.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - We’re all familiar with super athletes.
But what do you know about SuperAgers?
Scientists are working to uncover the secrets of this small, elite group of people over 80, whose memory still functions as well as that of someone in their 50s or 60s and don’t look or act like old folks.
I talked to the lead researcher behind SuperAging, Dr. Emily Rogalski at the University of Chicago, after spotting a Nashville woman whom I’ve long witnessed shaking up stereotypes and turning heads in Tennessee.
I’d been stretching and kick-ball-changing for years behind a fit, white-haired woman in the left corner, front row of Jazzercise Green Hills.
Her name? Thayer Wine, a long-time, former food critic at The Tennessean and published cookbook author, who studied ballet at the Sorbonne in France and recently picked up painting post-retirement.
Impressive? Sure.
But what’s had me and my fellow dance-mates particularly jazzed is Wine’s age - 83 years old.
And she’s still doing push-ups.
“I’m very conscious about what I eat, how much I eat,” Wine explained. “Low impact, I get plenty of exercise.”
Is Thayer Wine a SuperAger?
Dr. Emily Rogalski says she certainly could be.
“We define them by their age being at least age 80, then having their performance at least of those of 50 or 60-year-olds,” Rogalski explained. “And then at least average in other aspects of cognition: language, attention, executive function, that has to do with their ability to plan and organize.”
The famed neuroscientist at the University of Chicago leads research on SuperAging and Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
She and her team study what’s going right in SuperAgers’ brains using cognitive assessments, MRI brain scans, and wearable sensors.
Rogalski says good genes help, but to age successfully, according to her research, SuperAgers do specific things we can all replicate to move our minds in the right direction:
- They stay connected with other people.
- They do things they like and find challenging.
- They embrace novel experiences like deep conversations, volunteering, and new ways to exercise.
- They keep learning.
- They pay attention.
“If there is one thing I’d say is important to do, it seems like social engagement, finding that social connectedness with others,” Rogalski explained. “The best thing you can do for your brain is to exercise it, to stretch it to keep it active, and the way that we do that is by doing new things, especially if it’s unpredictable and slightly different than a class you haven’t gone to before. Attention is essential for memory. If you’re not paying attention, it’s impossible for you to retain that information.”
Wine says paying attention to her body and keeping a routine are working for her, and inspiring fellow SuperAgers-in-training along the way.
“I think because I do so much exercise, my body has healed better, faster,” said Wine. “Instead of thinking about being 60, I’m thinking about being 105.”
Rogalski is now looking at how ethnicity may play a role in SuperAging.
To learn more about or if you qualify for the SuperAging Research Initiative, call 1-855-826-3883 or email superagingresearch@uchicago.edu.
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