It's not if, it's when...

Ok I’m probably being a bit dramatic here, but what I’m about to talk about has happened to a handful of friends over the last six months (the most recent being a few weeks ago), so I feel compelled to raise it… again.
 
What am I referring to?  Falling and breaking bones.
 
I actually started reframing my thinking a year ago, after tripping (for the umpteenth time) on the sidewalk. Rather than working towards preventing a fall, I realized I also needed to prepare for a fall… that it was just a matter of time before I actually fell hard, given my propensity for tripping.
 
Perhaps a little fatalistic, but I also think pretty realistic. We can’t be complacent and think it’s not going to happen to us.  We can always hope it doesn’t happen to us, but sh*t happens – and sometimes in the most ridiculous ways.
 
What to do?  Think bones and balance.  Yes, I’ve touched on both of these in previous blogs, but given the importance of this subject of falling, I feel a recap is in order.

Bones
I want to start with bones. This is one area where preparation for a fall comes into play.  As in, how can we help minimize the damage WHEN we fall? 
 
I’ve talked in the past about osteoporosis and the frightening statistics when it comes to falls and mortality risk, so I won’t go into that again. Just know that the stats aren’t pretty. 
 
We all know that as we age, our bone density decreases.  It starts around our early 30’s, but speeds up during perimenopause and menopause, when estrogen decreases dramatically (estrogen plays a key role in bone health). 
 
Muscle mass also decreases as we age – another critical player in bone health. 
 
What steps to take?
There are key things we can do to halt or slow down the progression of bone loss.  And a note to all of the younger generation reading this – this absolutely applies to you as well. The sooner you start, the better (although it's never too late).
 
Resistance training
This is key. In short, when we load our muscles, it strengthens our bones.  Bone mass increases in the presence of stress.  

• Start small – if you don’t have weights, use cans of food to do arm raises and squats. 

• Think about working with a trainer – even just to get you started, and then do your own thing.  Good guidance at the beginning helps prevent injuries.

• Climb stairs / walk up a hill – this builds muscle in your quads, your glutes, your hamstrings.  Bonus – it’s also great for your heart and cardiovascular health.  Note that even the walking back down part helps.

The role of estrogen
The signalling process to deposit more bone tissue when putting our body through physical stress (climbing stairs, lifting something heavy) is heavily regulated by estrogen. In the absence of estrogen, the signal gets reduced – hence why menopause can have such a devastating impact on women’s bone mineral density. 
 
I’m not advocating nor dismissing MHT (Menopause Hormone Therapy) – rather communicating that some medical professionals feel that bone health should be a consideration for women as they consider whether or not MHT makes sense for them.  I will say that I regret not knowing this when I was going through menopause, as I would have absolutely considered this option. 
 
Nutrition (and supplements) 
Think calcium, protein, vitamin D and magnesium. 
 
Calcium
The jury is out on how much calcium we really need (many say that our 1200mg/day requirements in North American is inflated).  Regardless:

• Our bones need calcium

• It doesn't have to come from dairy

• It's best to get from food (vs supplements)

Great vegetable sources are green leafy vegetables, especially collard greens, spinach, Chinese cabbage and bok choy.  White beans are also high in calcium, followed by other beans such as chick peas, black and navy beans. Figs, almonds and canned salmon/sardines are also great sources.

If you do feel the need to supplement, don't take more than 500mg at a time, and look for supplements that have a bone formula, vs taking straight calcium. 
 
Protein
Getting enough protein seems to be on all women’s minds lately - and that's a good thing. It gives our bones strength and flexibility, and provides nutrients to help build and repair bones. 
 
Ensure you get protein at every meal - our body needs the amino acids that make up protein “on demand” but can’t store it.  It always needs to be circulating.  Aim for 25-30g per meal. 
 
Vitamin D
We know that Vitamin D3 is essential for the absorption of calcium into our bones. We also know how challenging it is to get from food and/or sun.  Hence supplementation is often recommended.  On average, 1000 iu’s daily seems to be the suggested minimum amount, but as with much nutritional scientific research, it’s a moving target. 
 
Magnesium
Bone health is a team effort of nutrients, and magnesium rounds out the vitamin D and calcium requirements when it comes to their interdependence on each other.
 
Ideally we want to get magnesium from food.  Whole foods provide us with all the right interactions of micronutrients, as well as the amounts we need, should we have a balanced approach to our food consumption.  Here is a list of “Top 10” magnesium filled foods.
 
When should I have a Bone Mineral Density Test
I know doctors won’t be happy with me saying this, but I recommend pushing to have this done as early as your doctor will allow you. Right now in Canada, the age to have a bone mineral density scan is 65 years or older, unless you have had a fragility fracture, parental history of osteoporosis, high alcohol intake and/or these other risk factors.  Having this information earlier can absolutely help us as we age.
 
As an aside - I asked to have a scan done at 58 years old, but was told that I didn’t need one given I was very active and had a healthy diet. I pushed to have it done, which I eventually did, only to find out I had osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis) in one hip.  Ever since then I’ve been super focused on strengthening my bones, to at least try and slow down the potential onset of osteoporosis. 

Balance
I’ve talked about balance before (and loved the many responses to the “blind” balance test of seeing how long you could stand on one foot with your eyes closed!).  On that note, how many of you are still practicing?  This is not a one-off thing – we need to make balance a priority. 
 
Think about standing on one foot while brushing your teeth – one minute one foot, a minute the other foot.  When that’s easy, do it with your eyes closed. Or, on one leg, try using your opposite hand to brush your teeth to get some brain activation happening, while balancing (with eyes open please!).
 
One of the best exercises?  Single leg dead lifts – no need for weight and you can do it anytime.  Plus you can do it in about two minutes.  Not only is this an amazing balance/stability exercise, it’s also great for your glutes, your hamstrings, ankle strength and your core.  All of these are essential for preventing a fall. 
 
Here’s a link to some more balance “tests” you also might enjoy… I confess some were quite hard for me (aka I could not do them for the allotted time).  Obviously I have some work to do!  Note that in the same link, the balance tests are followed by some good exercises to help you improve you balance. 
 
Summary
Net net – falling is inevitable. Not for all of us, but for many. Let’s do everything we can to not only prepare ourselves, but to also ensure we have mobility for as long as possible. We are all living longer… let’s make the most of it.
 
Thanks for reading :)
 
Gillian x
 

The power of a smile

So. Much. Information.
 
There are times when I feel overwhelmed with all the health and wellness information available to us nowadays - the studies, the podcasts, the blogs (!), social media, the experts, the non-experts, the sensational headlines. It’s like a background of incessant chatter and whoever yells the loudest wins.
 
It can be exhausting (and that’s coming from someone who loves this stuff).
 
So it was utter joy to read the following piece at my dentist’s office recently - something so simple and so accessible, with big rewards for both the giver and the receiver:

S M I L E :)
 
It lengthens life;
releases endorphins
and kills pain;
slows the heart;
reduces the stress anxiety;
helps the body relax
and this lets the immune system
react more quickly
and effectively
against invaders;
it makes you appear more
confident, trustworthy,
attractive and younger;
makes you more creative
and productive;
it will be more likely
to earn more money
through tips and raises;
it’s contagious;
it’s free
& a smile is the prettiest thing
you can wear. 

 
What incredible benefits from something so easy.
 
Backed up by science
 
Science has shown that the mere act of smiling (whether it’s a real smile or a fake smile – more on that shortly) can lift your mood, lower your stress, boost your immune system and possibly even prolong your life. 
 
A smile literally spurs a chemical reaction in our brains – releasing certain hormones, including dopamine and serotonin.  And we know that dopamine increases our feelings of happiness, and a serotonin release is associated with reduced stress – both positively impacting our emotional health.
 
Laughing helps too
 
To that end, there was an interesting article in the Globe and Mail a couple of weeks ago, titled, “The science behind why laughter can help you live life to the fullest”.  The author, psychiatrist Thomas Verny, starts the article by saying that laughter has positive, quantifiable physiological and psychological effects.  It then goes on to list all the same health benefits as a smile, with the addition of improving pain tolerance.
 
Do you suffer from high blood pressure?  Laughter increases blood flow in our body (whereas stress constricts our blood flow).  In fact, the positive impact laughter has on our endothelium (the tissue lining our blood vessels) has a cascade effect throughout our body, including potentially decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.  
 
Do you suffer from high blood sugar?  Kazuo Murakami, a Japanese geneticist and author, carried out an experiment with diabetics, showing that laughter can lower blood sugar. 

Fake it till you make it
 
As for the “fake it till you make it” approach – smiling and laughing when you don’t feel like it, but pushing yourself to do it anyway – that works too.  The group, Laughter Yoga International is an exercise program developed by a physician, where people laugh without depending on humour or jokes.  It is not only practiced in 110 countries around the world, but they also have groups that work specifically with people suffering from depression, individuals with special needs and people with cancer.
 
On that note, Mark Dryden (mentioned in Tom Verney’s article), is a two-time cancer survivor, comedian, actor and motivational speaker, who depended on humour during his recovery. He advises, “If your life is touched by cancer, laughter should be a part of your regular therapy”. 
 
Of course I’m not saying that smiling and laughter is the only medicine – of course it’s important to eat well, exercise and get your sleep. But sometimes, in this whirlwind world, replete with terrible grief and sadness at the moment, it might just take a smile or a laugh to lift our spirits and help heal our bodies. 
 
And the icing on the cake – by smiling at someone else, you might even make their day.
 
Thanks for reading :)
 
Gillian x
PS - Fall has definitely arrived, and for those of you in Toronto and surrounding area, my Walk & Talk Wellness Reset is going strong. It's a fantastic way to get the therapeutic benefits of a walk in nature while getting personalized nutritional and lifestyle recommendations. Let me help you get your brain and body fine-tuned to help take you to the next level. You can reach me by replying to this email or at gbwellness.ca.

Memory and Menopause

I’m excited to continue our foray, with the help of a menopause specialist, into the many things that impact our memory… all with the intent of putting your mind at ease when it comes to memory issues. 
 
A quick recap of my first post on memory and aging… in case you forgot ;-)

• Forgetting is completely normal as we age

• Our brains are not designed to remember every name we hear, every movie we watch, every day we experience

• In order to remember, we need to PAY ATTENTION

• In addition to paying attention, try to attach meaning, emotion or importance to what you’ve paid attention to 

The second post on memory and aging included a list of things that can impact our memory:

• Exercise

• Food

• Stress

• Menopause

• Sleep

• Inflammation

• Genetics

• Dehydration

• Play

In this second post, I delved into the impact of exercise, food and stress. Today, with the help of a guest post from a menopause specialist, I want to focus on how menopause impacts our memory.
 
Whether you are in perimenopause (the approximately two to seven years leading up to menopause), menopause (when you haven’t had a period in 12 consecutive months) or post menopause (self explanatory!), our memory takes a beating.  And it’s not pretty.
 
But fortunately, there is an explanation, and most of the time the brain fog and forgetfulness associated with menopause is temporary. 
 
Hence, for those of us who tend to jump to the worst possible outcome… that we are in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s disease - fear not. Much more often than not (although sadly not always), it’s a serious case of brain fog that is very typical of the many peri/post/menopause symptoms that ail us.

“Menopause reshapes the landscape of the female brain”
Lisa Mosconi, author of Brain Food, The XX Brain, and Director of the Women’s Brain Initiative at Weill Cornell Medicine.
 

And based on what is known to date, this “reshaping” is, in large part, due to estrogen, which fluctuates wildly during perimenopause, and then drops significantly after menopause.  Estrogen plays a significant role in changes that occur in our hippocampus during the menopause transition, and we know the hippocampus is a key player when it comes to our memory.
 
The good news, as mentioned, is that the brain fog and forgetfulness is usually temporary, and even though estrogen levels don’t increase after menopause, the brain adapts and stabilizes. 
 
But, until this happens, how do we stay sharp while dealing with brain fog and forgetfulness? 
 
To that end, I’ve included a guest post below from Teresa Isabel Dias, a pharmacist and Certified Menopause Practitioner (NCMP) who provides education and support on symptom management for women through MenopausED.org. 

***

Brain fog in Menopause (and how to adapt)
Teresa Isabel Dias
 

I didn’t have a very productive week because I couldn’t focus on a single task. I didn’t accomplish much in my business or in my personal life. A week like this reminded me of my perimemopause when it was impossible to concentrate on a task and I dabbled all day long, accomplishing next to nothing. 

Lack of concentration and difficulty remembering things are often referred to as “brain fog”, and commonly reported by women experiencing the hormonal changes of midlife. It’s the “whatchamacallit” phase of life.

And things can get bad. During a bus ride recently the woman sitting next to me actually told me that she couldn’t remember the name of the liquid inside her Tim Horton’s cup! 

Cognitive menopause symptoms take many women by surprise because, unfortunately, most women aren’t aware or prepared for the challenges of the menopause transition, including brain fog. Some women erroneously think it’s dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, which can be a frightening prospect.
 
I know a woman in the UK who thought for years she had something wrong with her brain despite doctors not being able to diagnose her with anything. It turned out she had extreme brain fog during perimenopause. Sadly, she ended up quitting her job before she could get any proper support. That shouldn’t happen to any woman. We need to raise awareness and provide education about menopause.
 
When I was studying for my Menopause Practitioner Certification, I would finish reading one paragraph and have no idea what I had just read. I would have read the same paragraph over and over until it finally sank in. Thankfully I passed the exam, but it took some planning and techniques to study efficiently, which I've outlined below. 

Seven tips that may help you get things done when your brain is foggy and your memory sabotages your best intentions:

1. Organize
As Marie Kondo says in her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Reorganizing and Decluttering, get rid of clutter in your house, your office and on your desk so your brain can be calm. 
 
2. Make lists
Lists are the perfect memory aid. I used to be one of those people that could remember everything, but not anymore. I started making lists, although I then started forgetting where I put the list, or forgetting to even refer to the list!
 
Now I have ONE notebook where I write my lists (and more – see next tip). On the top of the page I describe what’s on the page: To Do, Weekly Chores, People to Call, Groceries, and so on, to make the lists easy to find.
 
3. Take notes and review
My memory is so unreliable that during meetings or phone calls I take notes of the important things discussed. That way I can pay full attention during the meeting instead of trying to remember everything that’s being said.  And then I reread my notes as soon as soon meeting is over… repetition is a key tactic when it comes to improving our memory.
 
4. Don’t multitask
This is key. Multitasking used to be highly prized until the brain specialists discovered it is one of the most toxic things you can do for your brain.  We consistently ignore the fact that we can only do one thing well at a time. Your concentration and focus is lost when you move between tasks. In fact, research shows that task switching actually fatigues our brain.
 
5. Disconnect
Need I say more!  This is the same as multitasking, but more insipid. Distraction at its finest. We simply can’t focus or concentrate when we are constantly distracted with emails, social media, texts, or any other form of electronic notifications.
 
6. Feed, water and exercise your brain
Dr. Lisa Mosconi, a Neuroscientist & Neuro-Nutritionist, has written two books, Brain Food and The XX Brain.  She says that by the time we feel thirsty our brain already is dehydrated. She suggests drinking a glass of water every hour to keep our brain hydrated and productive.  
 
Being sedentary and spending too much time sitting negatively affects our mental faculties (and our mental health).  Exercise/movement increases circulation and oxygenation, for both our body and our brain - critical when it comes to a sharper brain.

We also need to feed our brain. The best place to start?  Whole foods, aka lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, clean proteins and healthy fats.  Check out the MIND diet for specifics. 
 
7. Challenge your brain
Seeking new experiences, learning new skills – languages, music, dance – are essential for the brain. Without brain stimulation and deep concentration, the connections between neurons (brain cells) shrink or disappear, adding to brain fog. It’s a case of “use it or lose it”. Don’t allow your brain to get comfortable for too long – instead, challenge it.  As Norman Doidge states, in his book, The Brain that Changes Itself, “Neglect of intense learning leads plasticity systems to waste away”. 

Final thoughts…
Brain fog is common, not pleasant, and often embarrassing - but it’s usually temporary. Most women get their brains back a few years after menopause.  But when you’re in the throes of it, refer to the seven tips above and then go easy on yourself… beating yourself up over something that is inevitable (for many) only aggravates the situation.
 
Warmly,

Teresa
If you would like to know how Teresa can improve your menopause transition, schedule a complimentary Discovery Call at MenopausED.org.
 
Teresa is also organizing the following Bali retreat, Navigating the Waves of Menopause – reach out to Teresa directly if you are interested in the following unique getaway:

Navigating the Waves of Menopause: A Bali Retreat, February 11-19, 2024
 Discover the Power of Your Midlife Journey
 
Join us in the tranquil beauty of Bali, February 11-19 2024 for a unique retreat designed specifically for women navigating the transition of menopause. This is a safe space to pause, reset and reclaim your life during this potent period of transformation.
 
Uncover the power of collective experience and the strength of shared stories on this menopause retreat.
 
This retreat offers a unique blend of science-based education, wellness practices and social connection.
 
You’ll discover the transformative power of menopause while you PAUSE from the busyness of daily life and RETREAT (break free) from society’s negativity associated with menopause. You’ll RESET your perception of menopause to accept it as a natural transition, a profound phase of growth, a chance to rediscover your inner self, and to be empowered for the next chapter of life.
 
Learn more and sign up here – https://wwwltraveldesignbyleila.com/wellness-bali
 
Space is limited to 14 women since we want to ensure an intimate and enriching experience. Registration ends October 10th.  If you have questions, direct them to Teresa Isabel at teresa@menopaused.org

***

Thanks for reading :)

Gillian x

How NOT to lose your mind

So… how to improve our memory.
 
My last blog focused on what we need to do to get a memory “embedded” in our brain.  In case you forgot (!), two of the key things are as follows:

• Pay attention!

• And understand that there needs to be an emotion, some sort of meaning, or purpose attached to the event, to the name... to whatever it is that we want to remember

But are there other ways to improve our memory?  Absolutely. 
 
Things that impact our memory, positively or negatively

• Exercise

• Food

• Stress

• Sleep

• Inflammation

• Menopause

• Genetics

• Dehydration

• Play

… just to name a few.
 
Given that one could write a book on each of the above, today’s focus will be exercise, food and stress.  It will then be up to you to pay attention and commit the information to memory ;-). 

Exercise
You’ve heard it a thousand times before from me (and others I’m sure)… exercise is critical on so many levels.  But does it actually impact our memories?  Yes – in a big way.

Indirectly, exercise increases our insulin sensitivity (a good thing), and at the same time reduces inflammation (another good thing).  Both of these have a direct impact on the health of our brain, and in turn can increase our ability to think more clearly and enhance our memory.
 
More directly, exercise improves memory by increasing a key molecule in our brain called BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor).  BDNF forms new synapses in our brain that help with learning and memory, making it easier for us to absorb information and form long-term memories. 
 
Neuroscientist Shane O’Mara, author of “In Praise of Walking”, goes further and states,

“BDNF could be thought of as a kind of molecular fertilizer produced within the brain because it supports structural remodelling and growth of synapses after learning… BDNF increases resilience to ageing, and damage caused by trauma or infection.”
 
Whether you are doing weights, cardio, hiking on uneven terrain, tai chi or ballroom dancing... it's all good.

Need I say more?  Start moving. 
 
Food matters
Hippocrates was pretty close when he stated, 2000 years ago, that all disease begins in the gut. Most experts believe that our gut microbiome - the bacteria that live in our large intestine - greatly influence our overall health, especially our brain.
 
There is a direct link between what we eat and how we think, referred to as the gut-brain connection. Specifically, what we feed our gut microbiome influences how we think, learn and remember.
 
How it works
To recap from an earlier newsletter, the good bacteria in our gut feed on fibre (think vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds) and the bad bacteria feed on sugar (sugar, and simple carbohydrates that turn into sugar - such as breads, cereal, bagels, pasta, etc). 
 
Bottom line – sugar and simple carbs (and any packaged foods) can cause inflammation depending on how much we eat.  One of the best things we can do is start to track, in general, what we are eating.  If we are having cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, a protein or granola bar for a mid-afternoon snack, and pasta with a glass of wine for dinner (and maybe a sweet for dessert), we are providing a smorgasbord of delights for the bad bacteria in our gut.  
 
The prevalence of these foods over time can have a direct influence on our brain (and the rest of our body), whether it’s via our blood sugar levels causing brain fog (and poor memory retention), or the chemicals secreted by the bad bacteria in our gut, which affects our brain (and body) in a myriad of negative ways.
 
At the same time, look at the fibre you are ingesting on a daily basis.  Are you getting your 5 to 7  x 1/2 cup servings of vegetables and fruits/day?  If you don’t think you are getting enough fibre, start by simply adding one more vegetable serving (1/2 cup) per day.  As well, ensure you are eating whole grains instead of refined grains.  For example, stick with whole oats or steel cut oats vs instant oats; and black, brown or wild rice vs white rice. 

Finally, nuts and seeds are a great source of fibre (and healthy fats - excellent for our brain). 
 
Vitamins and minerals from food… yes, they matter!
Our body literally depends on the nutrients (vitamins and minerals) we get from food in order to function. If you were to look at a chart as to how and where nutrients play an essential role, you would be astounded.  For our memory specifically, think:

• Omega 3 fatty acids from fatty fish - anti-inflammatory, helps build brain and nerve cells, as well as communication between brain cells

• Berries – especially blueberries – are excellent source of antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory properties

• Leafy greens – such as kale, spinach, collards and broccoli – rich source of brain essential nutrients, such as vitamin K, lutein, folate, and betacarotene.  

• Eggs – rich source of choline, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate mood and memory; plus other B vitamins essential for brain health

• Nuts and seeds – healthy fats, antioxidants, key vitamins and minerals for brain health

Think of one thing you could add (or subtract) from your diet, and start doing it now.

Stress
Now things get trickier. Stress can have a serious impact on our brains and memory, but it’s a bit more challenging to tackle.    
 
Brain areas impacted by the stress response include the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.  All of these areas are involved in memory making.
 
Not only that - the brain also tends to process information in a different way when it's under stress, interfering with our cognition, our attention span and our memory.
 
In fact, over the long term, stress can actually rewire our brains. For example, it can build up a part of the brain that is designed to handle threats (the amygdala), whereas the parts of the brain that are tasked with more complex thoughts (such as the prefrontal cortex) take a back seat.
 
And to top it all off, high levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) over the long term has been associated with the shrinking of ones hippocampus. 
 
Breathing exercises, meditation, exercise, sleep enhancement… all of these are critical ways of helping relieve our bodies of stress.  It’s a long-term commitment, no question, but absolutely worth pursuing. 

As always, start small. For example, if you think you are the only one that says, "My mind races too much - I could never meditate", think again. Most people start off that way - and, understandably, the idea of sitting for 20 minutes off the top seems outrageous. Because it is!  

Start with two minutes. And over time increase it slowly.  However long you choose to do it, the key, as always, is consistency.  

Finally, breathing exercises can be the fastest, most effective way to engage your parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.  For example, you can do a round of box breathing sitting at your desk in under two minutes and feel immediate results.
 
Final thoughts…
There is never the "perfect time” to start exercising, to start incorporating certain foods or avoiding others, or to start a meditation practice in your already fully packed day.  More often than not, it’s only when we have a “pain point” that we are pushed to take action.
 
But truth be told, it’s a lot more difficult to get back on track once we hit that pain point.
 
Many of us, including myself, are worried about our memory.  If that’s you, know that anything you do when it comes to increased exercise, enhancing food choices or focusing on stress reduction techniques is going to help.  My best advice - don’t get caught up in the details. Choose one thing to focus on, and start small. 
 
It’s the starting that counts.  There may not be a "perfect time", but there is a  “best time” to start.  It’s now.
 
Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not because it's summer.  Now. 
 
Thanks for reading :)
 
Gillian x
 
PS – feel free to forward this newsletter to friends who you think might benefit from it.  And as always, should you need any health and wellness guidance, you can contact me here, check out my website, or simply reply to this email.  Have an awesome day! 

No you are not losing your mind!

When is it time to start worrying about your memory?  Is it when you park your car in an underground garage and then have to find someone from maintenance to help you find it after your meeting?
 
Or perhaps when you’ve read a book titled, “Remember”, and you refer to the name of the book as, “Forgetting” when you are recommending it to someone? 
 
Yes, I’ve done both. 
 
It seems we are all worried about our memories right now, or lack thereof.  I’ve done an unofficial poll, and name recall is at the top of the list, closely followed by running upstairs and completely forgetting the reason why, or opening the fridge and… completely forgetting the reason why. 
 
Then of course there are the classics – you can’t find your keys (or your car for that matter), your glasses or your phone. 
 
What is considered “normal” brain aging, as opposed to something more sinister? 
 

It’s mostly normal!

The good news is that forgetting is completely normal as we age. As amazing as our brains are, they are far from perfect (regardless of our age). They are not designed to remember every name we hear, every plan we make or every day we experience. 
 
In a nutshell, our brains have evolved to remember what is meaningful, and forget what isn’t. 
 

Memory 101

According to Lisa Genova, author of the book, Remember (!), creating a memory takes place in four basic steps – encoding, consolidation, storage and retrieval. 
 
In laymen’s terms:

• you have to put the information into your brain

• you have to weave the information together

• you have to store that woven information via structural and chemical changes in your brain

• and then you have to find it when you want to access it

Exhausting!  It’s incredible we remember anything given this process.
 

Command Centre

Our hippocampus is at the centre of this – it’s the memory weaver - necessary for the formation of any new memories that you can later retrieve. So any new information from today that you find interesting, special, surprising, useful or meaningful, will be processed by your hippocampus for consolidation into memory. 
 
Hence if ones hippocampus is damaged, our ability to create new memories will be impaired.  Which is why Alzheimer’s is so devastating, as it begins in the hippocampus. 
 

It’s all about connections

Even though the hippocampus is at the centre, it’s not our “memory bank”. In fact, we don’t have one place in our brain where all of our memories reside.  Rather, our memory is stored throughout the brain, based on the stimulated neural activity that took place when we first experienced the event. 
 
For example, let’s say you went to an outdoor concert, and someone asked you a week later how the concert was. The details you describe will be the ones activated when the question is asked. Perhaps during one of their most popular songs there was a breeze blowing, the sun was setting and you were transported to an earlier time when you first heard the song. You will be able to recall in vivid detail all these elements because of the strong emotional connections from different parts of your brain, all woven together in a single unit. 
 
Your memory requires the activation of all the various neurons that perceived, paid attention to and processed this experience. 
 
But what’s the most important thing to know?
 

None of the above will happen if you don’t pay attention.

If we want to remember something, we need to notice what is going on. It’s not enough to experience something – we still have to pay attention to it in order for all the various activated neurons (see concert example above) to be linked. 
 
And in this world of information bombardment, social media, societal pressures and sheer busyness, it’s very easy to not pay attention. Often our mind is so cluttered with thoughts, we are simply “somewhere else”.
 
Noticing requires two things:

• Perception – seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling

• Attention

 Lisa Genova uses a great example that we’ve all experienced in some form. To get to her office, she drives across the Sagamore Bridge daily, which she describes as a formidable, memorable structure. Of course she sees it (perception) as she both approaches it and drives across it.  And yet more than once, after she has crossed it, she has had absolutely no recollection of actually having crossed it. 
 
Or the names of the characters on the Netflix series you are watching every night. You hear the names (perception), but if you don’t pay attention to them, you won’t recall them. Even if you are on Season three!
 
Without paying attention, you won’t remember what is right in front of you, no matter how obvious and beautiful and impactful it is. Paying attention requires conscious effort. Our brain generally hangs out in “inactive” mode, unless we consciously activate it. 
 
So it’s not necessarily that you forgot the name of the person you were just introduced to, rather, by not actively paying attention, it never made it into your memory in the first place. 
 

But we’re not quite there yet…

There is one more step – yes, paying attention is the critical first step, but that doesn’t quite get the event or name or experience to your hippocampus. Right now it’s hanging out in your prefrontal cortex – and is known as working memory.  It’s a memory in the present. 
 
This could be a password, someone’s name, a phone number, or a sunset. And we have about 15 seconds before that “memory” is gone. In order to hold onto it, we need something more to get that information from our prefrontal cortex into our hippocampus.
 
And that something is emotion, or meaning, or importance… something that is going to take it to the next level.
 
Let’s say you were just introduced to a gentleman named Robert Townsend, and early in the conversation you realize this person is a great contact for your business.  All of a sudden there is importance attached to remembering Robert’s name.  Or if he reminds you of an old boyfriend and it conjures up good memories, there is a good chance you will remember his name.    
 
Working memory becomes an actual memory when details in our present moment capture our attention by having special meaning or emotion attached to them. 
 

Don’t beat yourself up!

Don't beat yourself up and don’t compare yourself to others. Some people simply have better memories, and that could be for a whole variety of reasons.  But it doesn’t mean you are suffering from any sort of neurological disorder! 
 
The first step is to start paying more attention to the things you want to remember, and to understand how emotion and meaning play an important role.  Ultimately, it's life events infused with emotion that we tend to remember in the long term. 
 
Having said all this, of course there are many things you can do to improve your memory… stay tuned.
 
Thanks for reading and happy summer!
 
Gillian xx
 

Can you do this? Your life might depend on it...

I came across an interesting study recently on balance.  Not about having more balance in your life, rather the standing on one leg kind of balance.  A quote from the study is as follows:
 
“For someone aged 51-75 years, the risk of dying is – on average – higher if unable to complete a 10 second one-legged stand, than if that person has coronary artery disease, obesity, arterial hypertension, or high blood cholesterol”. 
 
So of course the first thing I did before reading any further was to see how long I could balance on each foot! Fortunately, I passed the 10 second mark. BUT, after doing a bit more research, I came across the following:

"A good test of your balance is to see how long you can stand on one leg, first with your eyes open and then  closed. Take your shoes off, put your hands on your hips, and stand on one leg. See how long you last. The test is over as soon as you shift your planted foot, or you put your raised food back on the ground.  Best of three. Then repeat with your eyes closed. You will be dismayed by how quickly you start to fall over. Here are the targets that different age groups should be able to manage."  Dr. Michael Mosley

• Under 40: 45 seconds with eyes open and 15 seconds with eyes closed

• Aged 40-49: 42 seconds eyes open and 13 seconds eyes closed

• Aged 50-59: 41 seconds eyes open and 8 seconds eyes closed

• Aged 60-69: 32 seconds eyes open and 4 seconds eyes closed

• Aged 70-79: 22 seconds eyes open and 3 seconds eyes closed

So of course my challenge now was to BEAT my age group (yes I’m a little competitive), although I think I may have fallen short with the eyes closed part. I'm not sure hopping around with my eyes closed counts. Need some practice.
 
Anyway, I digress. And I’m also making light of something that is deadly serious – the importance of balance.
 
This study, by Dr. Claudio Gil Araujo and colleagues, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2022, found that being able to complete a ten second one-legged stance test was linked with lower risk of all-cause mortality. 
 
The objective of the study was based on the fact that balance quickly diminishes after our mid-50s (doubling every 5 years from the age of 55), increasing the risk for falls and other adverse health outcomes.
 
Having good balance is a powerful predictor of how long and how healthily (yes, it's a word!) we will live.

So much depends on our balance
Many of us don’t appreciate where balance comes into play in our every day lives. There are so many things we simply take for granted. Like getting up and down off the floor with ease; reaching to get something from an upper cupboard; walking up and down stairs or hills.

Even walking in general, where we spend 40% of our time on one leg.  Stepping off a curb, getting out of a chair, catching ourselves before slipping on the ice - all these seemingly innocuous things that depend on our ability to balance.
 
How do we improve our balance?
When we talk stability or balance, one of the key things we have to talk about is our muscle strength. It’s our muscles that allow us to perform most movements and mobilize our body, and also to maintain balance and posture. 
 
And as we know, our muscle mass decreases with age, with our strength decreasing in parallel. Between the ages of 25 and 50 years old, we lose 3 - 8% of muscle mass per decade. That’s huge. The good news is that this can be offset by strength/resistance training. 
 
Strength training isn’t as intimidating as it sounds – it doesn't have to mean crazy heavy weights in a sweaty gym. In fact here is a very easy “at home, no equipment, strength training, beginner” routine.  There are also some balance elements in it as well. 
 
The other bonus of strength training?  It’s great for our bones (which I wrote about here), so if we do have a fall, we will have stronger bones and therefore hopefully a more positive outcome.
 
Other things to incorporate on a daily basis to help with balance?

• Stand on one foot while brushing your teeth, with your grounded leg slightly bent at the knee. And if you want to really challenge yourself, put your non-toothbrush hand out in front of you with your thumb pointed up, and move it from side to side, following its path with your eyes/head.

• Practice putting your socks and shoes on while balancing on the opposite leg (that includes bending down on one leg, after your sock is on, to pick up your shoe)

• Single leg dead lifts (no weight necessary) while you are waiting for your coffee to brew

• Practice getting up and down off the floor, initially using hands but ultimately, if you can do it, with no hands. Either way, it takes strength. This is a great video that walks through the many different variations. I know this sounds so basic, and yet I know a lot of people that struggle with it. Part of the problem is we get lazy and end up always using something to help us get up. And in the long term this is not good – if you don’t use it you lose it.

• Other suggestions – I strongly encourage you to work on these if you are at all concerned about your balance.  It’s never too early (or late) to start.

Back to the study…
Based on the conclusions of the study, the authors felt that this 10s one-legged stand test could potentially be used by physicians as part of their general checkup for their middle aged and older patients.
 
I couldn’t agree more.
 
Balance, and therefore strength, is so critical as we get older. The majority of people over 75/80 years old are severely limited in the activities they do because of lack of strength and balance.
 
Don’t wait “until your older”
If we don’t do any sort of training/practicing now, our rate of decline could be staggering. And as I’ve mentioned in a previous newsletter on osteoporosis, if one is 70 years old and they break their hip from a fall (due to poor balance), 10% will be dead in three years. For those over 80 years old, the mortality rate is close to 33% within a year.

Sobering statistics. So start now.
 
Thanks for reading :)
 
Gillian x
 
PS – If you know of someone who might be interested in this newsletter, feel free to forward.  As well, lots of Walk & Talk spring action, so reach out if you are interested in a Wellness Reset.  Happy Spring! 






 

12 steps to a sharper brain

Given this week is Brain Awareness week, I thought I’d share highlights from an interview in The Times I read recently with top brain surgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta. 
 
Dr. Gupta is a professor of neurosurgery in Atlanta, but many may know him as CNN’s chief medical correspondent. He recently wrote a book, 12 Weeks to a Sharper You, based on his own experience and his 20 years of attending neuroscience conferences. As well, he interviewed many prominent neuroscientists on how they live their lives differently now, based on all the new information available on brain health.
 
 He thinks of his book as a 50,000-mile service manual for the brain (he is 53!). 
 
Interestingly, Gupta feels his most important message is to rethink our notion of exercise.  Specifically, that although HIIT (high intensity interval training) may be great for our heart rates, it’s regular movement throughout the day that is far better for our brain than these short, intense bursts followed by sitting for the rest of the day.  I’ll explain why below.
 
In the meantime, his list (which includes a few surprises) is as follows:
 
Follow the MIND Diet
Most of you (hopefully all of you!) know of the Mediterranean Diet. The MIND Diet is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet (a diet for reducing blood pressure).  Foods include vegetables (especially leafy greens), nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine (although with the recent Health Canada parameters on alcohol, I wouldn’t get too excited about the wine part). 
 
And of course minimizing red meats, processed meats/foods, butter, cheese, sweets and fried/fast food. 
 
Gupta provides some stats from this study of nearly 1000 people. It states that the third of those who followed the MIND diet the least had the fastest rate of cognitive decline, whereas the highest third of MIND scores experienced the slowest rates of decline and had a 53 percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's. The one caveat here is the way the study was done. It leaves many factors unaccounted for. Having said that, there is no question that enough rigorous research has been done over the years to show the positive impact of a healthy diet on brain health.
 
As well, there is new research on the risks of having high blood pressure in midlife and its potential impact on developing Alzheimer’s at a later age.  That it itself should be enough to propel one to switch up their diet if they are suffering from high blood pressure. 

Cut out all added sugar (and artificial sweeteners)
Gupta says the most important dietary recommendation is to reduce sugar.  Many studies are showing that people with high blood sugar (regardless of whether they have diabetes or not) have a higher rate of cognitive decline as they age, relative to those with normal blood sugar. 
 
Although Gupta doesn’t mention this, high blood sugar over time damages blood vessels in the brain that carry oxygen rich blood.  When your brain receives too little blood, cells die. Known as brain atrophy, over time this can cause problems with memory and thinking, and potentially lead to vascular dementia. 
 
Artificial sugars are known to disrupt our gut bacteria, and of course our gut bacteria and brains are inextricably linked. He suggests, if you need, to use natural sweeteners such as stevia or monk fruit instead.
 
Slash your salt intake
As we know, salt has long been implicated in increasing the risk for high blood pressure, which in turn raises the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and other health problems.  There is also evidence showing that high salt intake harms the brain directly.
 
Having said that, we need to be careful here. We all need salt. If you are already following a Mediterranean or MIND style diet, where you aren’t eating any processed or store bought foods (ie - soups, processed meats, prepared foods, etc), ensure you are getting some source of salt as it’s a very important electrolyte and we need it to function. In general, unless you've been told otherwise by your doctor, we should be having around 1500mg or ¾ tsp of salt a day. 
 
Drink instead of eat
Gupta believes we often mistake thirst for hunger. Our brain is roughly 73 percent water, and it takes only two percent dehydration to affect our memory, our focus and our cognitive abilities.  If we misread the cues, and eat instead of drink, we could be walking around, as he says, overstuffed and chronically dehydrated. 
 
And of course when we do reach for drinks, make sure they aren’t sugar laden. Iced tea is one of the most misleading out there, having more sugar than most pops do.  Kombucha is another one to be careful of – there are huge differences between brands. Make sure you read the labels closely to determine how much sugar there is (refresher:  4 grams sugar = 1 tsp sugar).
 
Don’t sit still for more than an hour
In Gupta’s mind (and in many others), this is the single most important thing you can do to enhance overall brain function: move more.  He states that getting up and walking for two minutes every hour is associated with a lower chance of dying over a three-year period. 
 
Our brain produces an important protein called BDNF (brain derived neurotropic factor), which is essential for brain health. And, it is produced when we move. 
 
As I’ve mentioned in other newsletters, movement is essential for brain health – it reduces brain fog, increases focus, puts us in a better mood, increases our productivity, plus a whole number of additional benefits. 
 
Walk for 30 minutes a day – and walk fast
Gupta says that moderate activity, just intense enough to raise our heart rate, such as brisk walking, appears to be better for our brains than intense exercise (which raises our cortisol levels and can inhibit the production of certain helpful neurotrophic factors (aka BDNF)). 
 
I certainly agree that a 30 minute brisk walk/day is going to be excellent for our health, but you still want to get a good cardio workout once or twice a week, as well as a strength workout, ideally twice a week.  It’s all important!
 
Deep breathe, twice a day
Deep breathing is a great stress reduction technique, and there is no question doing it two times/day is going to be helpful. 
 
Chronic stress can impair our ability to learn, to focus and to remember. In fact, over time, chronic stress can actually shrink our hippocampus, which is the memory centre of our brain.
 
I’ve shared two simple but very effective breathing exercises in the past. The first is called the Physiological Sigh, re-popularized by the neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman. This exercise can literally be done in 10 seconds, and can be done anywhere (I will often use it while driving in city traffic ;-).  The second is Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 Breathing.  It takes slightly longer (although not much) and is also very effective over the long term.
 
Dr. Gupta’s breathing exercise, very similar to the physiological sigh, is as follows:
Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor, close your eyes and make sure your body is completely relaxed. Inhale through your nose as much as you can, feeling your diaphragm and abdomen rise as your stomach moves outward. Then take a little more air in on top of that, and slowly exhale to a count of 20, pushing every breath of air from your lungs (he doesn’t say whether to exhale through mouth or nose, but I would guess mouth). Then continue for at least five rounds.
 
Try analytical meditation (which he learned from the Dalai Lama)
Think about a problem you are trying to solve and place it in an imaginary clear bubble. Then with eyes closed, see the problem floating weightlessly in front of you, and as it rises, watch it disentangle from other attachments, including your emotions.  Doing this, one can more easily bring logic into the picture and solve the problem reasonably and without distractions.
 
Gupta has meditated this way since 2017, and finds the first two minutes (creating his thought bubble and letting it float above him) still the hardest part. Once he is through that though, he is able to settle and will meditate anywhere from 20-30 minutes.
 
Any type of meditation will be helpful reducing stress. And if you’ve never meditated and would like to start, just ease into it, starting with 1-5 minutes.

Go to bed 15 minutes earlier
We now know that sleep is essential for consolidating our memories, as well as filing them away for later recall. Sleep is also the time where our brain is cleansed of toxins, including amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s.
 
Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and if you aren’t close to that, start working towards going to bed earlier, by 15 minute increments every few days, or when you feel ready to trim it back more. 
 
Try using your non-dominant hand
Cognitive stimulation increases the density of neurons, synapses and dendrites, building a brain more resistant to disease.  Gupta feels many people get it wrong when it comes to defining brain-challenging activities. It’s not so much puzzles and games, rather it’s picking up a new hobby, such as painting or learning a new language (or learning tai chi, as I am doing at the moment… not well, btw!). 
 
At the recommendation of a prominent neurosurgeon, Dr. Gupta took up painting with his left hand (he is right handed). After 15 minutes of each painting session, despite (he says) being a terrible artist, he can feel different areas of his brain firing.
 
Definitely worth a try... although maybe start small, such as brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand.
 
Floss twice daily – it’s good for your brain as well as your teeth
There are more and more links between dental health and brain health. Brushing and flossing twice daily removes food residue and bacteria build-up that can ultimately lead to gum disease and risk of stroke. 
 
And how does this connect to the brain?  Gum disease, such as periodontitis, causes inflammation.  And as the barrier between the tooth and gum erode, inflammatory bacteria from the infection in the mouth can enter the bloodstream and cause havoc in other parts of our body, including our brains.

Having said all this, I find it hard enough to floss once a day, let alone twice a day. And I think that's just fine :).
 
Make more social plans
We all know by now how loneliness is a big contributor to Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive challenges. The data is very strong on this. In fact, studies have shown actual changes in our brains that take place if we don’t have any social interaction over long periods of time. 
 
Prioritize being social. Gupta suggests listing a few important people in your life today you can rely on when things get tough. Then not only cultivate those relationships with intention, but understand they need to be nurtured, just like anything else you value in life. 
 
Summary
So… there you have it.  12 steps to a sharper mind! We are already familiar with most of them (great reminders), but there are a few new ones you may not have considered that may be of interest.
 
Depending on what you already do on a daily basis, see what you could possibly add into your daily routine. The most important part is to choose one or two things that you can realistically incorporate into your life.

The bonus? What we do for our brain is also great for our overall health.

Thanks for reading :)

Gillian x
PS - Spring is in the air!  Well, sort of. For those of you in Toronto and surrounding area, my Walk & Talk Wellness Reset is up and running. It's a fantastic way to get the therapeutic benefits of a walk in nature while getting personalized nutritional and lifestyle recommendations. Let me help you get your brain and body fine-tuned, putting some systems in place to help take you to the next level. You can reach me by replying to this email or at gbwellness.ca.

To drink or not to drink

There has been a great deal of reaction to the recent low-risk drinking guidelines outlined by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA). 

For many women, the thought of having only two measured drinks a week is, literally, outrageous. And yet for others, it's given them pause.

The good news? The buzz these guidelines have created. Alcohol needs to be a part of the conversation when it comes to our health. It is not a benign substance. 

The bad news? That things have gone eerily quiet since the initial buzz. Hence the timing of my newsletter.

Aside: Before I continue, I think it's important to share with you that I enjoy my wine (and beer). I only say this as you may feel when reading this newsletter, given its slant, that I don't drink alcohol. I do. Having said that, these new guidelines have got my attention.

What about red wine being good for heart health?
Many of us think that certain types of alcohol are actually good for us. That's not entirely our fault. Over the years, there have been many studies touting the benefits of alcohol. Tequila is a good example - it might be better compared to other hard alcohols, but it doesn't mean that it's good for us, as this article suggests. And of course red wine. "Just look at the French!" we say. See the following excerpt from a PubMed study done in 2009:

Alcohol, specifically red wine, has been suggested to play a key role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and other chronic pathologies, including cancer... this phenomenon, known as the 'French Paradox', would be explained mainly by the high levels of polyphenols present in red wine... the habit of having one or two drinks of red wine every day with meals may translate to a longer, healthier and better quality of life. 
From:  "Polyphenols are medicine: Is it time to prescribe red wine for our patients?"; National Library of Medicine, PubMed Central 2009.

Given studies like these, why would we think otherwise? Sadly, red wine is not good for heart health, nor does it prevent cancer. In fact, 15% of breast cancer cases are affected by alcohol consumption.

And yet, in our society, wine is about food pairings, and a drink at the end of the day is about decompression, and well deserved. Alcohol is about celebrations, joyful occasions, connecting with friends and family, cheering on our favourite teams. The list is endless... just ask the 79% of Canadians 15yrs and older that drink alcohol. It is our favourite drug.

Yes, alcohol is a drug - an addictive, carcinogenic toxic substance.

Some schools of thought
Ann Dowsett Johnston, author of the acclaimed book, Drink: The Intimate Relationship between Women and Alcohol, and someone who had a very intimate relationship with alcohol for many years, doesn't necessarily believe the new guidelines will change our behaviour. Don't get me wrong - she thinks they are accurate and very much informed by scientific evidence. And she knows the research and researchers well. But Ann is not convinced that telling people they should only be drinking two measured drinks per week is realistic.

Rather, she believes this is a moment to persuade individuals to start counting their drinks, much as they count calories and count their steps. Her point: you probably don't know just how many ounces of wine you've consumed at any one sitting. Start measuring. 

Then there is Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist, associate professor in the department of neurobiology and host of the very popular podcast Huberman Lab. He cuts to the chase, and is very forthright (albeit sympathetic) about the very real physical and mental repercussions of alcohol. 

One of the many unsettling elements of Huberman's podcast, titled Alcohol & Your Health: What Alcohol does to Your body, Brain and Health is that his version of "chronic alcohol intake" is what many of us would consider pretty darn normal (if not light in some cases) - one to two drinks a night, or maybe just having a drink or two on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. His version of light drinking would be a drink once every few weeks, IF that. Yikes. 

So where do I stand?
Will I suggest to my clients to follow the new guidelines? No, I won't. But do I think it's realistic to ask clients to be more aware of how much they drink and how it might be impacting them? Absolutely.

For example, when I am asked for advice on how to have better sleeps, my first question usually revolves around alcohol. Alcohol can play havoc with our sleep - even a glass of wine can cause sleep disturbances.

Sleep expert Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep, says that alcohol is one of the most powerful suppressors of REM sleep. REM sleep is essential for the integration of all recently learned information and our entire back catalogue of memories.

When I am asked for guidance on how to lose weight, inevitably the question of alcohol consumption comes up. Clients have lost pounds and more pounds by cutting back or cutting out alcohol.

And sadly these two examples are barely scratching the surface when it comes to the impact of alcohol on our brain and body. 

My suggestions?
Appreciate that alcohol is a drug. And with that in mind, increase your awareness of where you might be able to cut back. Is it during the week when you are prepping dinner, or perhaps when you are about to pour yourself that third glass of wine? Do you really need that second martini?  

I also recommend listening to Andrew Huberman's podcast on alcohol to become more informed. 

Ultimately, we need to start being more aware of when, why and how much we are drinking. At the same time, we also might want to experiment with what a 5oz glass of wine looks like...

I'm not trying to be a party pooper. If I was, I'd be pooping all over myself. I simply think it's important to be aware of how much drinking and whether we might want to consider cutting back.

Thanks for reading :)

Gillian x
PS - for those of you in Toronto and surrounding area who would like a nutritional and lifestyle reset, think about booking my Walk & Talk Wellness Reset. A one hour walk - you talk, I listen. Let me help you set some goals - nutrition, sleep, cognitive health, stress management, and movement - and put some systems in place to help take your health to the next level. You can reach me by replying to this email or at gbwellness.ca.

How to get back up when you fall

There have been so many emails over the last couple of weeks regarding our New Year's resolutions – how to achieve them; what to call them (resolutions, goals, intentions, aspirations); how to structure them; how not to fail. And the list goes on.

What is so striking, though, is how few people follow through on them. Three weeks seems to be the time when the wheels start to fall off. And this doesn't just apply to New Year's resolutions - it also applies to any situation where we plan to make a change, such as losing weight, starting to exercise or embracing new time management skills (me!).  So what to do when you "fall off the wagon?"

You get back up!

 How, you ask?

• If your goal is too lofty, make it smaller, specific and more achievable. And then get back up. 

• Does it fit into your schedule? If not, make it sure it does. Then get back up.

• If you’ve set too many goals, pare back, maybe even to just one. Break it down into bite size pieces if necessary. And then get back up. 

• Do you need help? Zero shame in joining a group or getting help. Just get back up.

• Find someone to do it with. And let them help you get back up.

• Have you created an environment to help you achieve your goal?  Perhaps leaving your walking/running clothes out the night before, or removing all the chips from the kitchen chip cupboard? Great! Now get back up.

• Revisit your reasons for setting the goal. What motivated you to set this goal? Tap into "the why" and "the want". Is it to boost your energy level? Improve your mood? Combat disease? Again, tap into these reasons. And then get back up :)

Important things to know
Know there is never going to be a perfect time.
Know that whatever you're trying to achieve isn’t supposed to be easy. 
Know that we aren’t perfect.
Know that change is never as rapid or transformative as we would like it to be.
Know that slipping up is going to be inevitable.
Know that you are capable of doing this.
 
And now get back up. 

Thanks for reading :)

Gillian x
PS - HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

PPS - Note that year after year, getting healthy is THE most popular New Years resolution, whether it's eating healthier, exercising more or losing weight. If you need help either implementing or sticking to your health focussed resolution(s), reach out here or respond to this email. I'd love to help you get there.