Brain Health
For Optimal Aging
After all of the blogs I have written over the years, and all the people clamoring for a book, I thought it was time to actually write. Since this is my first book, I would love for you to be a part of the experience. If that is something that appeals to you, hit the Contact Pat button and
let me know if you want to be involved.
Below is the introductory article to give you an idea of the flavor of the book!
Title: Too Old to Change Your Brain?
Subtitle: Experience the joys of longevity with a younger, sharper brain
It was a subtle change. A missed word, a lost name, a tip-of-the-tongue, and I was freaking out. What was happening to me? The kicker was when I forgot a word in the middle of a presentation, which I had done ten times before. Sweat was rolling down my back, and many, many eyes were staring at me as I tried to talk around the word I forgot. That became a life-long memory and overshadowed every presentation I did from then on.
Lord have mercy! Was I in trouble? Was I experiencing the onset of dementia?
Not content to sit in my fear, I started researching the workings of the aging brain. It was a bittersweet discovery that my brain was aging, and I was losing my quick-minded functioning. It turned out that this was a normal aging change. I was not on the slippery slope to dementia. The moment that I discovered I could reverse these aging changes felt like a life-saving event to me.
The aging process is tough, and there are so many changes that we don’t feel like we have any control over. This undermined my confidence in all aspects of my life. I was feeling vulnerable about what was happening to me and that it would diminish everything I thought I was.
Then by chance, I was at a Conference on Aging, and I looked across the exhibition hall and saw a booth about Brain Fitness. The little that I learned that day – rocked my world! I still had control and I could change my brain! The years that followed were filled with learning all the nuances of the aging brain and how to prevent dementia. I knew that if I was worried about getting Alzheimer’s disease, many more people my age were probably worried too.
This brain journey I have been traveling has resulted in a personal pledge to teach other boomers that it is not too late to change our brains. There is no secret sauce or magic pill that can turn back the time to our younger brains. Even though all this brain change is possible and valuable, it takes understanding why and how all this happens. Then it takes determination in making the required lifestyle changes to alter the state of our brain.
Does that sound like too much work for you? Look at your alternatives – you can live longer with a high-functioning brain, with a high-functioning life, or you can succumb to a long life of resignation to the aging changes that just keep happening. Longevity is a blessing if you are healthy in your body, mind, and spirit. Should you choose to take the aging hits as they happen – you become the old person you never wanted to be.
That is where this book can be your longevity guide. It captures the why and the how of aging changes and turns them into your starting point for making critical updates in your brain. Having knowledge, strategies, and tools is necessary to change your brain and life. Knowing how to use them and committing to the process of change are your keys to successful aging. Too good to be true? Only you can decide!
I'm Writing a Book!
What's Happening?
As I write this article, I am stunned that I am talking about the end of summer! The months did seem to go by quickly, but I love summer, so it always meant I was getting closer to summer or enjoying summer. This weekend the U.S. will celebrate Labor Day which officially marks the end of summer! That doesn’t mean our weather will change immediately but the signs of autumn are becoming apparent. I was walking with my granddaughter the other day and she started jumping around on the leaves that had fallen – to make them crackle. (Gotta love a 4-year-old’s life perspective). My message here is just to enjoy the moment. Look at your life through the eyes of a child. Maybe your perspective will change your life’s situations. It is a blessing!
This has been a very challenging year for many people. Climate change weather patterns have spurred a lot of environmental events, such as drought, floods, wildfires, tornadoes, and now an active hurricane season. Whether you have personally been affected by any of these events, please send good intentions to those who are suffering. We are all in this together.
Finally, The Walk to End Alzheimer’s is just five weeks away! Many people believe that the new drugs released to combat Alzheimer’s facilitate a cure. That is not so. These new drugs slow down the cognitive declines in the very early stages of the disease. And they are not appropriate for everyone. They are a breakthrough however and we need to be grateful that research is persevering to find the first survivor. For all of us now in our older years, this is a critical time. The Alzheimer’s Association lobbies and supports Alzheimer’s research with the funds raised through the Walk and other fundraisers. Money raised also goes to family support and education.
Please join me by supporting the Walk to End Alzheimer’s either through a donation or walking with team My Boomer Brain. Your link to register and donate is https://act.alz.org/walk Click on my name (Patricia Faust) or on the Team Button (My Boomer Brain). I am so grateful for anything you can do to help.
Take good care of yourself,
Pat