Tuesday's Brain Awareness Week Events

It was a "Terrific Tuesday" as we launched into our theme of "Brain Healthy Living" for the day. We had students join us from multiple states. We have reached the West Coast and additional countries (Hello, South Africa!) as we continued with our brainy celebration.

Rebecca Rigert of Rigert Mind-Body Arts started our day with the "Can-Do Workout" and provided us all a good reason to re-purpose our canned-goods. She explained our lightweights (3/4 pound - 2 pounds) can be used as part of our workouts to lengthen and tone our muscles. We were led through a variety of exercises that got the blood flow going from our head to our toes. Rebecca reminded us that it is important for us to provide different opportunities for our bodies to move throughout our spaces and the Can-Do Workout (Canned Bean Workout) was a light-hearted way to experience light resistance to tone and move our bodies while having some fun along the way! (I know I can say hello to my arms as I am typing this and acknowledge my hip flexors from yesterday's chair workout.)

We explored the topic of "Healthy Living for the Brain & Body" with Cynthia Davenport of the Cleveland Area Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Currently, there is no single known way to prevent Alzheimer's disease but there are many things we can do to delay the onset. She shared four pillars of healthy living that serve as great reminders that we all can do: physical health & exercise, diet & nutrition, cognitive activity, and social engagement. Cynthia encouraged us all to take care of ourselves and our health through these four key areas. Beyond sharing the latest science related to healthy living, students gained practical tips to make brain health a priority and not an option. Cynthia stated that we can all begin today and start small- small changes lead to lasting results. May this provide us all some inspiration as we celebrate all things brain health during our Brain Awareness Week events.

Our evening ended when I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Elliott Jardin, Ph.D. on "The Brain Boosting Benefits of Podcasts." Podcasts are a valuable tool that can help you achieve your wellness goals in a variety of areas: exercise, nutrition, relaxation, entertainment, meditation, and so much more! As of March 2021, the 2021 global podcast statistics report that there are over 1,750,000 podcasts with over 43 million episodes, and their topics span from murder mysteries to the news to stuff you should know (a top-ranking podcast on the Apple charts). Dr. Jardin shared that 75% of people who listen to podcasts report that they want to learn something new.

Podcasts offer a new way to be a lifelong learner and are a practical tool to add to your brain health toolbox to optimize your brain wellness. Dr. Jardin recently launched a Brain Health podcast to serve as a reliable source of information related to all things brain health from a variety of disciplines: psychology, neuroscience, biology, social interaction, artificial intelligence, behavior, evolution, and more! Dr. Jardin's podcast boasts (well I am boasting for him!) international and national experts in their respective fields and you can follow Dr. Jardin's Brain Health podcast here.

Thanks a mil to Rebecca, Cynthia, and Dr. Elliott Jardin, Ph.D. for sharing their brilliant brains and generous spirits in support of our Brain Awareness Week events at the Virtual Brain Health Center. We appreciate each student as they continue to join our virtual community and/or return to visit our programs- thank you, thank you, thank you!

Today's events emphasized the Virtual Brain Health Center's model of brain wellness and reiterated how our lifestyle can have an impact on our optimal brain health. Suggestions throughout the week so far have been to consider how we spend our time in exercises, activities, leisure, and relaxation across the various areas of brain wellness outlined below. Some exercises can involve multiple areas such as attending and actively participating in one of our virtual programs could "check-off" each area of brain wellness- cognitive engagement, physical activity, personal well-being, and social connections. Won't you join us?

There is still time to join the rest of our scheduled brainy events for the week. Registration remains open until an event is over. Register today online or email [email protected] for assistance.