I’m passionate about fitness, and want to help you achieve and maximize good health.
We’ll explore a variety of possibilities, seeking inspiration from people who have found ways to take care of themselves so they can be their best for people who need them. This includes everything from the most basic indoor activities to Ironman triathlons.
One key philosophy: Just because I can’t do at least 30 minutes or 45 minutes or whatever arbitrary cutoff I used to think was “worth the effort,” I don’t skip the workout. If 10 free minutes appear in my schedule, I seize them. Everything is an opportunity.
The stress reduction component of exercise is essential, and something we’ll circle back to repeatedly. A simplified explanation: Stress releases cortisol, which shrinks the hippocampus — the memory center of the brain, and the first area affected in Alzheimer’s disease. How’s that for motivation?
But encouragement is a better stimulus than fear or guilt, which is why we’ll also consult experts such as Harvard neuropsychiatrist and best-selling author John Ratey. With co-author Eric Hagerman, Ratey wrote Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.
If you want to get involved, look for Maria Shriver’s Move for Minds program during the month of June, hopefully in your area. She’s a remarkable Alzheimer’s advocate.
And…if you lack time and freedom, here’s a start:
The Seven Minute Workout – by Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times
