So much to talk about, so little time before I am off to a busy work(out) day!
Thanks, Carole K., for sharing that link to Sunday night’s 60 minutes about “The Oldest, Old.” Love that stuff about aging, the brain, the body, etc. Though much of it was things we have heard over and over (exercise, be social, do puzzles) I think MODERATION was a big take away. A little wine, good! A little caffeine, also good. Moderate exercise. Personally, I need to work on that moderation thing. I may drink too much wine, not enough caffeine and exercise probably more than I need to, but that part isn’t changing any time soon. The concerning part of this study (done in Laguna Woods in California) is that brain autopsies did NOT coincide with what we believed to be true about Alzheimers and the plaques and tangles in our brains. While some brains revealed all the tell tale signs of Alzheimers, those people did not necessarily ever have symptoms, and vice-versa. The researches revealed that in 40% of the people over 90 years of age, it was actually small strokes that were causing dementia and not plaques and tangles. There was no mention of the diets these people ate, unfortunately. I believe that could be a big piece of the puzzle, but then again, who knows??
Since I am probably missing a lot of what was said in the segment, if you have about 1/2 an hour and are interested, here is the link: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/living-to-90-and-beyond/
I also wanted to share, this morning, that I have been paying attention to those weight loss myths according to Dr. Furhman, and have given up grazing (mid morning and mid afternoon snack) for a while to see how I do with my 3 meals a day. I have to report that the scale is moving in the right direction. I set out to lose only about 1/2 pound a month –slow and steady–because I have been fighting the menopause 10 pound weight gain for years, with little success. I have probably lost a solid 3-4 pounds.
I have also committed to walking or running 5 days a week, in addition to my work, workouts. I am not talking about marathons, but I walk with my clients a couple of days a week and do just 1 to 1 and 1/2 mile runs the other days. It’s so beautiful out, it’s hardly a chore. And after watching Amy Purdy dance every week on dancing with the stars, I am reminded that we can do anything we set our minds to!
Before I sign off, I am sad to share that we lost one of our long time SilverSneakers students this week, and I know we are all so saddened to learn about Joe’s passing. I will gather info from Ruth and share with the class. I will also be bringing a card the next few sessions, so we can send that off to Agnes. I will post arrangements when I have them. RIP Joe. You were a good man and we will certainly miss you.
Make it a terrific Tuesday everyone! Much love…….
