Hey There!
With the newly mandated free time I am truly finding enjoyment at home. Not everyone can say the same (I think you would call those extroverts). With said free time, I'm enrolled in an edX course: Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Care. So I figured I'd translate what I'm learning as I go, through the lens of a (mostly) yoga teacher/layperson. Although my degree is in Health Education, I am not a nurse, just have always been a bit of a health/healing nerd. I love learning and sharing things that may be helpful to others. Yay, you're still with me, thanks for reading along! I might mention here that I am currently 50. I honestly do not care about numbers. People have become accustomed to getting upset about birthdays, adding a number - yikes! I have a different take, I suppose, to me, it's just like mileage on a car. Yes, it adds up. Yes, more things need repairing. But cruise it, so what? Take good care of the body we're given, and see what happens. Let's see what we can do that fits our lifestyle in order to keep running as smoothly as we can, shall we? Learning from scholarly articles, I see facts and hopes shining through studies. But let's keep common sense in the forefront. And I'll get to it! All of the facts/studies are from the USMx NURS505 course I am taking, their resources are all pretty recent. Let's start with MCI, Mild Cognitive Impairment - this is a spectrum between normal (expected) decline and more serious decline in problems with memory, forgetting words, thinking and judgment-normal? Yes! You have an excuse for not remembering where you set your glasses down. However on the other end of the spectrum, where one might make excuses for having missed a meeting with a friend and/or Dr. appointments, losing things on a regular basis, and consistently having trouble coming up with words then maybe it's time to mention these things to your doctor. Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the 6th leading cause of death in the US, and it is on the rise. What causes AD is still being studied, but it's believed to be a combination of genes, environment and lifestyle. Early onset AD is more in the genes than the more common form of AD (late onset, after 65). A fact that jumped out to me was that death from AD is usually from complications of immobility. Movement helps! It doesn't take study after study to prove this. Exercise helps circulation -improved circulation in the heart in turn helps the brain. Exercise helps reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and improve sleep *all of which are related lifestyle risk factors that are linked to AD. Safe exercise, like chair yoga - wink, wink! You are not alone if you're rolling your eyes at the thought of having to exercise more. Start small...if you have a mostly sedentary lifestyle, where can you add a bit more movement? Stand up and maybe march in place while you wait for water to boil, toast to pop, etc. Little bits here and there, you can do it! If there are things we can do to possibly improve our chances to keep that brain running smoothly, will we do them? Knowing the human doesn't generally embrace change, let's think about motivation. What motivates me is knowledge, it's funny, I'll read an article, get motivated to embrace say taking my vitamins in order to keep from heading down the anemic hole, then I'll be gung-ho for a while, slack, feel the effects, start taking the vitamins again. I have a feeling I'm not alone in this. Periodically checking in with how we are feeling and doing what we can to stay on top of preventative maintenance is key, I believe! Good luck, be nice to yourself and do what makes you happy, just add more movement. Namaste!
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AuthorDeeann Kelly has a BS in Health Ed, is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, Level 1 Yoga Therapist, Certified Parkinson's Wellness Coach and Senior/Adaptive Mind Body Guide. ArchivesCategories |