Editor’s Letter SO, AS ALWAYS, THE QUESTION IS: WHAT ARE you going to do differently this year? At Active, we’ve always tried to highlight everything that involved action and activity no matter how sedentary it might seem. For some, the start of the year means they are promising themselves they will take up some extreme activity: base jumping or Ironman events or something equally brutal. For others, they will be thinking “I’m just going to try and walk a bit more this year.” Whatever it is, it’s all equally valid, and into that I’d like to throw activity of a different sort: mental activity. Our brains require training. A study published last year by King’s College London showed improvements in reasoning skills in older adults who used targeted brain training games over a period of six months. According to experts in neuroplasticity at brainhq.com: “The brain can actually shrink or thicken; neural connections can be forged and refined or weakened and severed. Changes in the physical brain manifest as changes in our abilities. For example, each time we learn a new dance step, it reflects a change in our physical brains: new “wires” (neural pathways) that give instructions to our bodies on how to perform the step. Each time we forget someone’s name, it also reflects brain change— “wires”that once connected to the memory have been degraded, or even severed. As these examples show, changes in the brain can result in improved skills (a new dance step) or a weakening of skills (a forgotten name).” So this year, why not attempt to exercise the grey matter more, as well as the rest of the body? Take up chess, read more books, do some puzzles, start painting perhaps. I’ve taken up chess. Problem is, I got beaten by my seven-year old daughter. A lot more practice is going to be needed to train this shrivelled old mind into a lean, keen, thinking machine, I reckon. Enjoy the issue! Steve
Twitter // @theACTIVEmag Facebook // www.facebook.com/theACTIVEmag
Publisher Chris Meadows chris@theactivemag.com Editor Steve Moody steve@theactivemag.com Deputy editor Mary Bremner mary@theactivemag.com Production editor Julian Kirk julian@theactivemag.com Art editor Mark Sommer mark@theactivemag.com Contributors Martin Johnson, William Hetherington, Jeremy Beswick, Julia Dungworth Photographers Nico Morgan, Pip Warters Production assistant Gary Curtis Advertising sales Lisa Withers lisa@theactivemag.com Sarah Stillman sarah@theactivemag.com Amy Roberts amy@theactivemag.com Editorial and Advertising Assistant Kate Maxim kate@theactivemag.com Accounts accounts@theactivemag.com Active magazine, The Grey House, 3 Broad Street, Stamford, PE9 1PG. Tel: 01780 480789
If you have information on a club then get in touch by emailing editor@theactivemag.com. If you would like to stock Active magazine then email distribution@ theactivemag.com. If you would like to discuss advertising possibilities please email advertise@ theactivemag.com. Active magazine is published 12 times per year on a monthly basis. ISSN 2049-8713 A Grassroots Publishing Limited company. Company registration number 7994437. VAT number 152717318 Disclaimer
Copyright (c) Grassroots Publishing Limited (GPL) 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or be stored in any retrieval system, of any nature, without prior permission from GPL. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of GPL or its affiliates. Disclaimer of Liability. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information contained in this publication at the time of going to press, GPL and its affiliates assume no responsibility as to the accuracy or completeness of and, to the extent permitted by law, shall not be liable for any errors or omissions or any loss, damage or expense incurred by reliance on information or any statement contained in this publication. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content of the advertising material which they submit and for ensuring the material complies with applicable laws. GPL and its affiliates are are not responsible for any error, omission or inaccuracy in any advertisement and will not be liable for any damages arising from any use of products or services or any action or omissions taken in reliance on information or any statement contained in advertising material. Inclusion of any advertisement is not intended to endorse any view expressed, nor products or services offered nor the organisations sponsoring the advertisement.
/// J A N U A R Y 2 0 17
3 SR ed letterOK.indd 117
3
16/12/2016 12:28