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Exercise

Two sets of US guidelines have revised the public health advice on physical activity to clarify that gentle exercise is not enough to improve health, The Guardian reported. Current guidelines suggest that 30 minutes of exercise a day is enough to offer health benefits, however the newspaper said that adults “need to add jogging and twice-weekly weight-training sessions if they want to cut their risk of heart disease and obesity.” The newspaper reports that “the lightest of activities such as dusting and the stroll to the car are being counted as exercise” and quotes the researchers as saying that people have “not accepted, and others have misinterpreted the original recommendation.” The expert panel process and the recommendations offered have clarified some of the more unclear recommendations that were published in 1995. The group of experts met in 2000 to prepare this update, and this was supplemented by panel members’ own searches of the literature. It is not possible to validate the strength of evidence behind this policy advice.

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If you're becoming increasingly forgetful, particularly if you're over the age of 65, it may be a good idea to talk to your GP about the early signs of dementia. As you get older, you may find that memory loss becomes a problem. It's normal for your memory to be affected by stress, tiredness, or certain illnesses and medications. This can be annoying if it happens occasionally, but if it's affecting your daily life or is worrying you or someone you know, you should seek help from your GP. But dementia isn't just about memory loss. It can also affect the way you speak, think, feel and behave. It's also important to remember that dementia is not a natural part of ageing.