Resisting a Sedentary Lifestyle for the Long Haul
 
Over these past few weeks, we’ve been talking about exercise—planned and intentional physical exertion—as a critical component of a comprehensive lifestyle program to improve cognitive function and prevent cognitive decline. Equally important, but in different ways, is physical activity—as in the type that simply occurs through living your life, known as Activities of Daily Living or ADLs.

Moving often throughout the day to avoid sedentary behavior is another critical component for your comprehensive lifestyle program for brain health.

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10,000 Steps a Day

And that brings us to the idea behind walking 10,000 steps a day. You see, that recommendation is actually not about going for a 5-mile walk or jog. Instead, it is about avoiding sedentary behavior. It is a metric for physical activity. Sitting is problematic, so the objective is to fight gravity by standing up frequently and moving the body often.
 
Do your ADLs keep your body in motion, or do you sit for most of the day?
Even if you exercise with intention one hour a day, you are still considered sedentary if your steps are limited on average to about 2,700 steps a day (note: if you jog 5 miles a day (10,000 steps) but your step count outside that intentional activity is in the 2,700-step range, then you are still considered sedentary).
 
Are more steps equal to better health?
Research has demonstrated more steps (i.e., movement/fighting gravity) equals reduced BMI, and lower rates of diabetes and hypertension, and better cognitive function. At present, they have not elucidated the magic number of steps, just that getting in more steps equals more physical activity, which, in turn, equals better cognitive function.

This year, Motivated Mondays is dedicated to fighting cognitive decline. Exercise has been extensively studied as a critical component of any brain health program.
 
Exercise increases brain volume (bigger brains!), causes the secretion of BDNF (Miracle Grow for the brain!), improves blood flow to the brain bringing with it critical oxygen and nutrients, "uses up" excessive blood sugar and makes cells more sensitive to insulin, improves sleep which combats oxidative neurological stress, and improves our physiological resilience to stress and anxiety.
 
As mentioned above, even if one exercises with intensity for one hour a day, those brain benefits are offset if the rest of the day is spent sitting. Thus, we want to exercise AND engage in physical activity throughout the day. Here is an interesting look at five things that happen when we stop exercising. 

For our Track 1 participants—we focused on getting started, overcoming obstacles and staying motivated. 
 
For those in Track 2—we focused on intensity and explored three modalities- cardio-respiratory exercise, strength training and mind-body exercises.

...for both tracks - KEEP GOING! 
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CHOOSE YOUR TRACK: BEGINNER OR INTERMEDIATE
 
Click below for this week's mini resolution tailored to your needs & goals—at the beginner (starting a new routine) or intermediate level (optimizing an existing routine):

​Week 4

Happy Monday! Please click above for your tailored mini resolution track.

Today, in Track 1 we're discussing what's next... and in Track 2, we explore mind-body exercises.


...Now how about some R&R?

By now, everyone may be feeling the effects of their new exercise program... maybe you notice some new/different aches and pains?

What is the value in a rest day and what are the means of facilitating active recovery?

A rest day doesn’t necessarily mean a day on the couch with a pint of Ben & Jerry's. Active recovery facilitates healing by delivering nutrients to the muscles via increased blood flow and is typically a better option for healing than a Netflix binge. A few recovery options include:

• Massage – this can be a pricey option, here are some tips for keeping costs down.
  
  
• Foam Rolling – this is a form of myofascial release, essentially self-massage, but not exactly as enjoyable. Foam rollers are fairly inexpensive on Amazon, here are a few highly rated versions. And here is some additional information on foam rolling.
  
  
• Stretching – is an essential recovery tool and an important aspect of any comprehensive fitness program. Here is a link to a simple full body sequence of stretches you can do at home.
  
  
• Bath time – as an adult, did you outgrow baths? Maybe it’s time to revisit the benefits of a relaxing bath with Epsom Salt Baths

It is advisable to schedule an occasional rest day. How often you need those rest days will be determined by how hard you are working (i.e., harder work = need for more rest). If you don’t schedule it, your body will schedule it for you!

We hope you had a nice weekend and are enjoying your exercise mini resolution! 

Today, Track 1 is all about tips to stay motivated, and Track 2 is about strength training.

No matter your track, you may find that your workout clothes, well—they stink, even after washing and drying! Workout clothes may need a different approach to cleaning than your regular laundry. Here are a few tips to try

CHOOSE YOUR TRACK: BEGINNER OR INTERMEDIATE
 
Click below for this week's mini resolution tailored to your needs & goals—at the beginner (starting a new routine) or intermediate level (optimizing an existing routine):

Originally posted May 7, 2024

We hope everyone had a nice weekend and is ready to dig into their exercise this month!

As a reminder, Track 1 is for folks who do not already have an exercise habit. Their goal is to walk 30 minutes a day. Today, for Track 1, we discuss overcoming obstacles.

Track 2 is for folks who already have an exercise habit. Their goal is to optimize that habit for cognitive function. Today, for Track 2, we discuss cardio-respiratory exercise and intensity.

Regardless of your chosen track, you may be considering a gym membership. We wanted to share with you that certain insurances might provide coverage or financial assistance with gym membership dues. It's certainly worth it to call to your insurance carrier to see what is available to you. 

CHOOSE YOUR TRACK: BEGINNER OR INTERMEDIATE

Click below for this week's mini resolution tailored to your needs & goals—at the beginner (starting a new routine) or intermediate level (optimizing an existing routine):

Originally published April 29, 2024

Introducing your NEW Mini Resolution: Exercise!

Good morning! We hope Motivated Mondays 2024 is helping you to eat less added sugar, sleep better and enjoy the benefits of nature! We are now ready for our next resolution: exercise!
 
Exercise is the most extensively researched lifestyle factor associated with cognitive decline. This data has shown that exercise yields a universal, positive impact on cognitive function.
 
In fact, a quick search within the National Library of Congress for search terms "exercise and cognitive function" yields 95,200,000 study results! In these studies, the degree of impact to the individual is different based upon several variables, such as a history of previous physical activity, the intensity of the exercise, the modality of the exercise, the age, genetic susceptibility, biological sex of the participant and the degree of cognitive impairment already experienced (or not). However, at this writing, the evidence is irrefutable: exercise improves cognitive function in one or more domains and can also decelerate cognitive decline.
 
Below we present information about how exercise impacts the brain.

IMPORTANT: Keep scrolling after reading the information in the pink box below to select your mini resolution exercise track: beginner or intermediate!

Now that you know some of the many ways exercise affects your brain's health, let's get started by choosing your track.

Select which option best applies to you, beginner (starting a new routine) or intermediate (optimizing an existing routine), and click the associated link for your tailored Brain Brawn mini resolution and to download your log:

Originally published April 22, 2024

Exposure to Nature

 Happy Monday! We hope, with two resolutions under your belt, you are still enjoying meals with no added sugar and getting better quality sleep!

Before we tackle our next big resolution, we'd like to recognize Earth Day with a micro resolution to spend more time in nature.
 
It has been almost 170 years since Walden, Thoreau’s exploration of living simply surrounded by nature, was published. In it, he famously says, “We need the tonic of wilderness… we can never have enough of nature.” Regarding cognitive tasks, he was correct.
 
A growing body of evidence has shown that exposure to nature improves performance of cognitive tasks and urban exposure may be detrimental to cognitive tasks. As with many phenomena, the mechanism by which this works is poorly understood but theories abound. Each theory relates to how we perceive the color (hue and saturation) and softer lines (fewer edges, less linear) of natural vs. urban environments, as well as the reduced need to filter stimuli such as traffic, crowds and signage. These benefits are best achieved by immersion in nature, but some benefits can be achieved by simulated environments (e.g., virtual reality).
 
In addition:
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• Being outdoors provides daytime exposure to blue light, critical for the circadian rhythm which is responsible for the timeclocks in every single cell in the body and responsible for our sleep-wake cycles (you may remember we discussed this during the Sleep Better resolution).
  
  
• Being outdoors reduces the stress response and associated negative physiological effects (such as inflammation)—chronically existing in the “fight or flight” response when we don’t actually need to fight or run.
  
  
• Being outdoors exposes us to the terpenes of plants and trees and the aromatic compounds given off by them. Specifically, pinene found in rosemary, pine and basil has been found to have a bronchodilator effect (i.e., it makes breathing easier). The scents in terpenes also have a positive effect on mood (consider how sniffing an essential oil impacts you).

See you next week for our next new mini resolution!
 
Feel free to email your Motivated Mondays Coach Michele at [email protected] with your individual questions.
 

Originally published on April 16, 2024

Short Sleep Genes, Sleeping Pills, and Coffee Naps... Oh My!

 
We couldn’t conclude our sleep mini resolution without addressing a number of trends and miscellaneous tidbits of interesting information.
 
Don’t forget to keep logging in your calendar and trying our sleep tips each night.
 

The short sleep genes
 
Can you imagine sleeping only 4-6 hours a night and waking up feeling refreshed, and also without suffering the negative physiological consequences of sleep debt? It is estimated that only 3% of the human population encodes for one of the known three “short sleep” genes mutations (DEC2, ADRB1, NPSR1). What a gift! In addition to not requiring sleep to feel refreshed, short sleepers have been found to be Type A personality types, driven, ambitious and also positive outgoing and optimistic.

 
Polyphasic sleep

Historians believe that monophasic sleeping (sleeping in a single block of time) didn’t become the norm until the 17th century. That notion, combined with erratic schedules and the need for productivity have led to a trend called polyphasic sleep whereby sleep is broken up into bursts over the course of the day (think single sleep cycles spread out over the course of the day)-much like an infant or animals in the wild. While this trend has many proponents, scientists agree the current research on groups of people who inadvertently follow this style of sleep because of their chosen careers (shift-workers, healthcare workers, emergency responders) is compelling enough to advise against this style of sleep 

 
Sleeping pills

Oftentimes when people report difficulty falling asleep, they resort to sleeping pills. However, plainly and simply, sleeping pills are a crutch, allowing the user to mask a deeper physiological or psychological problem that is the source of their difficulty falling asleep.
 
Ironically, sleeping pills don’t actually provide people with more or deeper sleep. The net gain in sleep, depending on the brand, is roughly only 20 minutes of sleep. In actuality, sleeping pills provide sleep amnesia, where the individual forgets they haven’t slept. Sleeping pills can lead to “parasomnias,” whereby people walk, drive, eat, and do other activities while sleeping—talk about danger! Sleeping pills also interact adversely with a long list of over the counter or prescribed medications.
 
Reliance on sleeping pills is not without long-term health consequences either, such as memory problems, depression, hypertension, hormonal fluctuations and weight gain, just to name a few. You may recall from Week 1, that one study places the risk of developing dementia for sleeping pill users at 80%.
 
Worse yet, sleeping pills generally don’t fix the underlying cause of sleeplessness, rebound insomnia is usually inevitable. It is a good idea to have a chat with your concierge physician if you are using sleeping pills more than just a few times a year.

 
Dreams

As discussed, we really don’t know why we sleep-we just know we need to get those Zzz's to stay alive and healthy. Unfortunately, we know even less about why we dream! There are more theories in existence about why we dream than we can count. We wanted to re-share this interesting piece of trivia about dreams. Dreaming occurs during the REM stage of sleep and is also called “paradoxical sleep” because the brain is very active, but the body is essentially paralyzed. Why is that? Probably so you don’t act out your dreams and injure yourself or others!

 
Stress
 
Most people tend to find sleep difficult when under stress. However, there is a small subset of the population that when stressed, well, they fall asleep. Scientists don’t completely understand these “fear naps,” but if this is you, we wanted you to know you are not alone!

 
Coffee naps

On a long road trip? Staying up late to study? Enter the coffee nap! It takes roughly 20 minutes for the caffeine in coffee to kick in, so the process is to have a cup of coffee, lay down for twenty minutes. Awaken refreshed and ready to go!

​See you next week for a special micro resolution! Until then, keep logging!

Use the calendar below to log your time in bed. If you have a sleep tracker, log actual hours slept. Note that the benefits of each resolution build upon the others, and the habits we develop are meant to stay with us well beyond the month the resolution is held. We will continue to log meals without sugar alongside our sleep progress.

Feel free to email your Motivated Mondays Coach Michele at [email protected] with your individual questions.
 

 
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS:  YOUR MINI RESOLUTION TO SLEEP BETTER

Log how many hours you've slept each day, and record which sleep tip you followed from the above link. Click to view and download the log.

Originally published April 8, 2024

The Architecture of Sleep

Good morning! We hope our sleep tips are helping you wake up feeling primed and ready for the day.

​So far, we’ve discussed sleep pressure (the increasing pressure to sleep during the day determined by rising levels of our neurotransmitter adenosine), circadian rhythm (the daily sleep/wake cycles impacting all human physiology influenced by light exposure) and sleep debt (the difference between how much sleep you need vs. how much you get).
 
Now we would like to discuss another sleep topic: sleep architecture.

Theories abound but no one really knows why we sleep. What we do know is what happens physiologically to the body during sleep and how this impacts health and vitality.
 
Human sleep is characterized by a succession of sleep cycles. Within each sleep cycle are 4 stages. Within each stage, different physiological changes happen to recharge, restore and repair the body. Completing each stage and cycle fully is the key to sleep quality.
 
FUN FACT: Newborns and those with narcolepsy are the exceptions to the sleep stages rule. Newborns have three stages specific to their age, and narcoleptics spend very little time in earlier sleep stages and almost go straight to REM.

 
Sleep Stages

For the rest of us, one full sleep cycle runs about 90 minutes, and we go through about 4-6 sleep cycles per night. One full cycle consists of these four stages which happen in succession and adequate time in each stage is required for the body to achieve benefits of sleep:

The Effects of Inadequate Sleep Quality

 
What happens if you sleep with a snorer, or have a dog that barks when the wind blows or live on a busy street and as a result, your cycles are disrupted? In other words, what if you get through stages 1 and 2, but as you are entering Stage 3 something arouses you? Well, you go back to Stage 1 and miss out on the “magic” of Stages 3 and REM… uh oh!

Fragmented sleep, i.e., failing to complete the sleep cycles by awakening frequently, ravages the body impacting all areas of our health-no cell is left unaffected.
 
NOT-SO-FUN FACT: If you oversleep, these health risks are the same! Yikes!
 
We need to build sleep pressure to fall asleep with relative ease (latency) and stay asleep for most of the night (quality) to achieve efficiency (time in bed vs. time spent sleeping) and reap the magic that sleep brings us.


Here are some additional tips that can help you achieve these goals:

 Create a bedtime routine.
Having a routine will tell your body “Hey, it’s getting close to bedtime; it is time to feel sleepy.” What activities might that include?
 

• Take a hot bath. Soaking in a hot Epsom salt bath with a good book before bed can be very enjoyable and comforting. The hot water relaxes tight, aching muscles and joints, and the magnesium (AKA nature’s valium) in the Epsom salt is absorbed through the skin further facilitating relaxation. It may be an ideal way to spend that last hour before bed without access to electronics. A drop in body temperature signals the body’s readiness for sleep. Well, guess what happens when you get out of the bath? (Hint: the answer typically results in three Z's).
• Read a book in bed. A paper book! Make this final hour your time away from the blue light in your electronics to deepen the effect
• Have a cup of herbal tea. Try Googling “Sleep Teas” and find a formula that is enticing to you
• Aromatize your room. Either spritz your linens with an essential oil or try a diffuser on a timer. Try Googling “Sleep Inducing Essential Oils” for one that is right for you!
• Journal. As discussed in Week 1, journaling helps you empty your mind, preventing ruminating
• Meditate. We have a future resolution around mindfulness with plenty of options for everyone to try! People who engage in mindfulness activities have been shown to have improved sleep latency (fall asleep faster) and efficiency (spend more time sleeping in the hours they spend in a bed).
• Just breathe. Don’t have a mediation practice just yet? Applying a diaphragmatic breathing technique is probably the single best thing you can learn to do for yourself to reduce stress in general. Applying a cycle of 30 breaths as you retire to bed can be very effective for relaxation and restfulness. Check out this 4-minute YouTube video to learn the technique

 
Create a Sleep Sanctuary.
As with many things in life, the right environment facilitates the desired outcome and sleep is no different. Here are tips which will set the mood for sleeping in the bedroom!
 
No TV, eating, or working in bed. The bedroom isn’t a satellite office, dining room or den! Keep your work and meals where they belong and lose the TV. Instead, limit the activity in the bedroom to sleeping, reading and intimacy.
 
Block out light. It seems obvious and it’s true: limiting the amount of light in your bedroom at night can help you sleep better. This means covering up or turning away lights from your line of sight in bed, including all the lights illuminating from your electronics, like alarm clocks, cable boxes and modems, etc. You may also want to take the extra step to prevent ambient outdoor light from entering the room through the windows. For instance, you can use blackout curtains. If this isn’t possible, a sleep mask is an alternative option. Fun Fact: Even during sleep with your eyes closed, 5-10% of light in your room is still registered by your eye and messaged to your hippocampus.
 
Adjust the thermostat. We know that no two people will agree with this one, but the “ideal” temperature for sleep is 60-68 degrees. This is really one of those “Goldilocks” things in life—what may be just right for one person may be too warm or too cool for another. Play with your thermostat and see if your perfect temperature falls within the suggested range. One of the ways the body signals readiness to sleep is by dropping the body temperature. A room too warm will prevent this signal from happening; a room to cold will result in restlessness.
 
Invest in your comfort. How old is your mattress? When was the last time you bought new pillows? Linens? Experts recommend we replace our mattress every 10 years, whereas pillows and sheets should be replaced every two years, and comforters every 15 years. (Did you know your pillows should be washed every 6 months?) A third of our lives are spent in bed, so many will say investing in bedding is money well-spent. Considering how often we use our beds, the investment in bedding typically amounts to just pennies a day.
 
Today, all the fundamentals (mattress, linens and pillows) come in a wide array of options, from the basics we all grew up with, to some very high-tech options designed to measure, track and improve our sleep experience. Try Googling “Sleep Aid Technology” to explore some of these “smart” options.
 
Try soothing sounds. Do you sleep in an apartment with a noisy neighbor? Does your partner snore? Do barking dogs and car alarms wake you from a peaceful night of slumber? These may be out of our control, but we can try a few options to minimize their impact.
 
Some report running a fan in the bedroom at night does the trick. The market is also full of “sound machines,” which simply offer “white noise” or an array of nature sounds or music. If music interests you, try Googling “Music for Deep Sleep” and see if something pops up that you would like to try.
 
Add aromatherapy. Safety first: we do not recommend burning candles while you sleep! Instead, there are sprays and washes you can apply to your linens, as well as aromatherapy devices (that often come with timers) you can run while you catch those Z’s. Try Googling “Aromatherapy for Sleep” to explore an option that is right for you.
 
In clinical trials, essential oils have been shown to be effective at reducing anxiety and improving sleep. Lavender is perhaps the best-known scent for this purpose, but other essential oils thought to facilitate relaxation and sleep include ylang-ylang, clary sage, chamomile and rose. There are plenty more “sleep blends” out there for you to explore.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Use the calendar below to log your time in bed. If you have a sleep tracker, log actual hours slept. Note that the benefits of each resolution build upon the others, and the habits we develop are meant to stay with us well beyond the month the resolution is held. We will continue to log meals without sugar alongside our sleep progress.

Feel free to email your Motivated Mondays Coach Michele at [email protected] with your individual questions.

YOUR MINI RESOLUTION: SLEEP BETTER

Log how many hours you've slept each day, and record which sleep tip you followed from the above link. Click to view and download the log.

​

Originally published April 1, 2024

Balance Your Sleep Spreadsheet and Stay Out of Sleep Debt
 
Happy Monday and welcome to another month of our sleep mini resolution! We hope it is a good morning for you and that you are sleeping better! Once again, here is our list of sleep tips:

Sleep debt is the difference between hours of sleep needed and the hours actually slept. Everyone has different requirements for sleep. It is unique to the individual and genetically determined—it's the sweet spot of sleep where you awaken refreshed and have energy throughout the day. Your individual need for sleep is best determined in a time and place where you can fall asleep when tired and awaken without an alarm (much like camping under the stars as we recommended in Week 2).
 
Let’s say for example, your requirement for sleep is 7 hours, but you get 6 hours of sleep. That means you are in sleep debt for one hour. Research has shown that it can take FOUR days to recover from one hour of sleep debt!

Can you get out of sleep debt?

 
Recent research says “sort of...” If you have had a night of lost sleep, your best strategy is to go to bed a little earlier each evening. In theory this should be doable because your sleep pressure should be high. However, it is not advisable to rely on “sleep bulimia” where your “binge and purge” on sleep (discussed last week) as your regular practice. The distinction is between a pattern of daily reliance use vs. occasional use.

 
Can naps help us recover from sleep debt?

 Yes, a nap might help but it is the same rationale: occasional use vs. a detrimental habit. If you are in sleep debt and need an occasional nap, here are a few things to consider:
 
Nap duration: in general, a nap should not run longer than 90 minutes.
​

• A catnap, or simply closing the eyes and laying still, runs about 7-11 minutes and can be effective for a quick refresher
• A power nap will allow you to drift into some light sleep for roughly 20 minutes
• There’s also the 45-90-minute nap, about the duration of one complete sleep cycle (cycles to be discussed next week!) and is considered “poly-phasic sleep.” This sleep strategy is useful in limited circumstances and will be discussed in greater detail in Week 5

 
Nap timing: according to our Circadian Rhythm, the best time for a nap is roughly 5-7 hours after waking for the day.
 
Shaking off the nap: upon rising from a nap, just like in the morning, getting some daylight will help you to get going.

 
What habits increase your sleep debt exponentially?

 
Wrong light, wrong times. Blue light after sunset will delay your ability to fall asleep (latency) keeping you tossing and turning under the covers because it keeps you alert and delays melatonin release. (From Week 2)

Not exercising. As discussed last week, this adversely affects latency and efficiency by reducing sleep pressure

Alcohol consumption. While a nightcap may help you conk out faster, alcohol will likely prevent you from entering the deeper/later stages of sleep, waking you in the middle of the night, increasing sleep debt.

Alcohol needs time to be metabolized at an approximate rate of 0.016% per hour. If you choose to imbibe before bed, try calculating the time it will take for your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to drop to negligible amounts. (Please note: we are not encouraging alcohol consumption.)

Seeing is believing! Below is an image of Coach Michele’s sleep tracker on one night with consuming alcohol and the other night without. The stress response is measured by respiration, heart rate and heart rate variability.

Use the calendar to log your time in bed. If you have a sleep tracker, log actual hours slept. Note that the benefits of each resolution build upon the others, and the habits we develop are meant to stay with us well beyond the month the resolution is held. We will continue to log meals without sugar alongside our sleep progress.

Feel free to email your Motivated Mondays Coach Michele at [email protected] with your individual questions.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS: YOUR MINI RESOLUTION TO SLEEP BETTER

Log how many hours you've slept each day, and record which sleep tip you followed from the above link. Click to view and download the log.

Originally published March 25, 2024

Increasing Sleep Pressure
 
Happy Monday! We hope you have been waking feeling better rested these last couple of weeks. Remember, we're challenging you to try at least one tip each night during our sleep resolution:

As we mentioned last week, there are two primary drivers impacting alertness and sleepiness at the right times of day. One is the Circadian Rhythm (addressed last week) and the other is sleep pressure.
 
Sleep pressure is our need for sleep and is driven by the neurotransmitter, adenosine.
 
After an evening of sleep, our sleep pressure is typically lowest in the morning and, after a busy day, highest at night. Adenosine is the neurotransmitter responsible for sleep drive. It accumulates in the cells during the day, inducing sleepiness at night and is metabolized during sleep, encouraging wakefulness.
 
Essentially, the “pressure” for sleep rises as the day progresses and adenosine rises in our cells.

What do many people do to destroy their sleep pressure?
 
Nap! Naps can be an effective tool to refresh the brain and body on the occasion when you haven’t slept. However, naps become a problem when they replace and interfere with a good night’s sleep because naps reduce sleep pressure. Napping creates a vicious cycle of not sleeping, napping to recover and then not sleeping because you napped! Consistently relying on naps to make up for lost sleep is a sign of a deeper, underlying issue to be discussed with a healthcare professional.

How do we increase sleep pressure so we can fall asleep at bedtime?
 
The following tips can directly impact your sleep pressure:

​Use the calendar to log your time in bed. If you have a sleep tracker, log actual hours slept. Note that the benefits of each resolution build upon the others, and the habits we develop are meant to stay with us well beyond the month the resolution is held. We will continue to log meals without sugar alongside our sleep progress.

Feel free to email your Motivated Mondays Coach Michele at [email protected] with your individual questions.