Moving to France: A better life

Moving to France could have many positive effects on your health, and may even help prevent Alzheimers, reports June Scott-Brining...

I recently read an article that suggested that certain life style changes could help prevent Alzheimers. While it is thought that the cause is possibly largely genetic, there are things we can do which might be beneficial – could that include moving to France?

The first thing the article suggested you should do was to challenge and exercise the brain. You could, of course, take up chess or study physics, but if you move to France you will have the opportunity to stretch your brain every day. You will, if you wish to communicate with your neighbours and new friends, need to speak French. If you are already fluent, that’s fantastic. But if your French is basic or non existant, why not start learning now and look forward to some mindstretching conversations when you arrive.

Practice makes perfect

Learning anything new is difficult to start with, but the more effort you put into it, the more enjoyable it becomes. If you have had children, you may recognise the following scenario. Many years ago my son complained that he “hated maths”. I suggested that he didn’t hate it, but found it difficult. He said he didn’t understand it … and this conversation was frustratingly repeated daily.

I eventually suggested that we made it a project and set aside a little time each day to do some work on the subject, covering the bits he had difficulty with. (I also, disgustingly, offered rewards for this… does this ring any bells?) Gradually he got better at maths and started to enjoy it. Finally, he stopped complaining. The moral, if there is one, is that the better you are at something, the more enjoyable it is. So, the better you become at communicating in French, the more you will enjoy it.

Making the effort

Working as an estate agent, I meet hundreds of people every year moving to France and about 80% of them speak very little French when they arrive in my office.

The greatest pleasure for me is meeting them later and hearing all about the conversations they have had with their neighbours, dinners they have been to with French friends, and groups they have joined. They have taken classes and studied hard to achieve this progress and take positive pleasure in their achievement.

In fact, for many of them, communicating with their French neighbours and friends becomes one of the best things about living here. It is a fact that those who make the effort, make new friends and tend to settle better than those who don’t.

The best investment

Of the English owners selling properties in our area, the vast majority are downsizing as they get older or turning holiday properties into larger permanent residences. A significant proportion are selling up to go home though. Some miss their families, but many have just not settled and most of these have never become comfortable with the language. Learning French is the most important thing you can do to make your life here both enjoyable and fun.

I recently suggested to one client, who spoke little French, that if their budget for the purchase of a house was €250,000, they could easily reduce this to €245,000 as it would make little difference to their choice of property. The €5,000 balance could then be set aside for some residential language courses in France.

This would give them a head start, and as they were retired, they would have time on their hands before the completion. They had intended renting a property while waiting to complete, so they could turn the time waiting into a positive action plan. They could even turn it into a series of holidays by choosing courses in different areas of France and learn at the same time.

If you are already living in France, you could still consider this option as the courses are not expensive. Regardless of your budget, why not consider investing a small percentage of it in yourself?

Exercise your mind and body

The second suggestion for preventing Alzheimers was to take regular exercise. This accords with the general attitude to living in France. You might choose to live in a town or village where you can walk to the local shops, or to live in the countryside where you can walk or cycle safely. Either way, you can be more active than you were before. Just walking around your neighbourhood is a great way to meet your neighbours and make new friends.

You could take up a new sport without fear. No one will expect you to be brilliant if you have just started playing golf, or tennis or learning tai chi. It is all part of the new you and your new life, and many of the people you meet through your new activity will be French, so you can continue to exercise your brain conversing with them in French.

A healthy approach

The third and final suggestion was to eat healthily. One of the greatest things about France is the markets. And, if you enjoy buying local produce and eating seasonal food then France is a great place to visit or move to.

You could even combine healthy eating with exercise by growing your own vegetables and fruit. Then, once you have your first lettuces harvested, you can go for a walk around your neighbourhood and deliver some to your neighbours. If they are anything like mine, you will already have received gifts from their gardens and you can now return the favour.

This way you can exercise your brain, exercise your body and eat healthily all at the same time, knowing that your activities may also help prevent Alzheimers. And you thought you were moving to France to relax!

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