After reading a few books that featured dementia last week, it occurred me to talk about my Favourite Things to improve brain health. I mean, who can’t use tips on cognitive function these days? My friend Allison (HI ALLISON) and I were talking about perimenopausal brain fog, but Allison called it brain frog. You know when someone slips up a word, but that word ends up feeling exactly right? That was this. It will be brain frog for me now and forever.
Somewhat related: at least twenty-five years ago, I messaged one of my colleagues to see if she wanted to go for a walk at lunch. She replied “I can’t, I’m swampled” and to this day that typo is part of my daily lexicon. I’m swampled when I’m feeling overbusy. And also when I have brain frog!
Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Brain Health Edition
Work That Brain Muscle
I know. I know. Everyone has been doing the Wordle for years now, and for years I have had zero interest in it or in any of the other NYT games. Then my older son was over for dinner, and he was telling me about Connections. I said that it sounded interesting, but I didn’t need another thing to be obsessed with. But Mom! he said. That’s the great thing! You can only do one a day, and then you move on with your life.
Well.
That was speaking my language and now I have joined People Who Do Connections. Once I finish Connections, I do the Wordle, and then I quickly play another game that same son introduced me to: a world geography map quiz. If you had asked me one month ago to point out, say, Uzbekistan or Kosovo on a map, I would be able to give you the general area, but now I can accurately zone in on those and every other country in Asia and Europe. Next up: I’m working on Africa.
Along with the Little Women puzzle, my son had also given me a Pride and Prejudice puzzle for Christmas. It contains one of my favourite lines, which I have mentioned before: I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! It makes me laugh every time I think of it, as it is ascribed to Caroline Bingley, one of literature’s most vapid characters and absolutely NOT a reader.
It’s cut off in the photograph, but the line It’s been many years since I’ve had such an exemplary vegetable is also there.
Exemplary Vegetables
The Mayo Clinic advises a vitamin-rich diet, one with lots of fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens, as a way to prevent dementia. Exemplary vegetables! Done and done! Our meals are all very vegetable-heavy around here, and a couple of the best examples are Big Fun Salad and Stir-Fry Night, both of which occur weekly.
In only a couple of months, Big Fun Salad will be Homegrown Big Fun Salad, but for now, I’m buying mixed greens.
Historically, Stir-Fry Night coincides with Night Before Groceries, to clean out the crisper in a delicious way. I typically wing it when it comes to sauces, but I very roughly follow Vegan Richa’s Teriyaki Sauce recipe on occasion.
I say very roughly because never do I follow a recipe exactly: for this one I double all the ingredients but halve the sugar, and I measure ginger and garlic with my heart. The pages are all stuck and messy, which reminds me of when I was a kid, Grandma Fern told my mother that if anything ever happened to her, Grandma would be able to cook all of our favourites, just based on the shape of my mother’s very stuck-together cookbook pages. This was a bit of a joke, since Grandma Fern was an incredible cook and we would have happily eaten anything she made. But my mom and I both have the same messy habit of cookbook-splattering.
In terms of leafy greens, every single day I have a green smoothie for breakfast, except while travelling. I use a cup of cashew milk, a couple of tablespoons of almond butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a frozen banana, and about six to eight cups of spinach. I feel like it’s a power move to start the day like that; it is chock-full of vitamins, fibre, iron, calcium, and protein.
Something that low-key bothers me is the demonization of carbohydrates these days. It reminds me of the Snackwell-obsessed low-fat 90s, and I think we all learned a lesson from that. Carbohydrates are very important for our brains and their processes, as well as for good sleep, so let’s not lose our minds over basmati rice. Or even carrot cake! There’s space for everything.
Working On Our Night Moves
I am a bit of a Sleep Evangelist, for good reason: sleep is good for every part of our lives, including our brains. Also, if I don’t get enough sleep, I am an emotional, bitchy zombie. I make it a priority by going to bed early and performing my nighttime routine at least an hour before bed, so I can wind down. I wash my face and apply serums, I brush and floss my teeth, I put on a cute pajama set and foot cream, and then I curl up on the couch to read calmly for a while, with my phone turned off. The result is that I average about 7 1/2 hours of sleep a night, which feels right for me.
But we are not robots, and no matter how good our intentions and sleep hygiene, there is always the possibility of a hot flash, there are upsetting news stories, there are things to be anxious about and, for reasons that no one can articulate, these things usually visit us in the middle of the night, where we lie awake staring at the blinking illuminated numbers on our 40-year-old clock radios. Sometimes these thoughts will be accompanied by a nearly-lyricless song, going on a loop through our heads. Cuz you RIDE on time, RIDE ON TIME. Etcetera.
As I said, I am a sleep evangelist, and so I will stop at nothing to get those 7 1/2 hours, including these:
Not all at once, of course, and not every day, but I have no compunction about using a little “helper” to get me to get a good night’s rest. I am not recommending this to you! I am not a medical professional by any stretch of the imagination! All I am saying that these work for me, depending on the day and the need.
Get The Funk Out
It’s officially the start of garden season, and so I have been busy weeding. This might sound like a chore, but I actually find it kind of soothing and meditative. It’s also instant gratification, even if the weeds do grow back in a matter of days. Maybe it’s like one of those sand mandalas made by Buddhist monks to show the transitory nature of life on this earth. I feel like this kind of practice has to be good for cognitive health, if only for the meditative aspect.
Walking is a moving meditation for me; often I do listen to a podcast (Double Love or The Rest Is History, NOTHING IN BETWEEN), but sometimes I just walk in silence and look around me.
Physical activity and vitamin D are linked to dementia prevention; walking checks both those boxes.
People Who Need People Are The Luckiest People
One of the most important – and most fun – keys to preventing cognitive decline and dementia is to stay socially active and to nourish relationships. This past week alone I have had ample opportunity to do this: there was a book club meeting, a night out with The Squad to a murder mystery at a local winery, and a visit from one of my dearest, longest-term friends (HI TARA) and her family. Old friends and new, life is good. Although, it must be said that as bad as I am about figuring out murder mysteries in books, I am much, much worse at figuring out murder mysteries in musical revue form. None of us guessed the killer, and I kept losing the thread of the plot and forgetting which character was who. Wait, who’s that guy? What happened to the girl with the sparkly skirt? Who’s THAT guy?
When Tara and family were over, her husband asked if we had any favourite places to go out for dinner. My husband and I just looked at each other. Nicole goes out with her girlfriends, sometimes, my husband responded, and we had to admit that Date Night Out is not a thing with us. Instead, we have weekly cocktail hour, which gives us time to just reconnect and chat without any distractions.
This past week we were able to have rose on our deck, which felt like a little burst of spring. Alcohol is NOT good for preventing cognitive decline, but we cannot be perfect, can we?
Outfit of the Month
Spring must have sprung, because look how COLOURFUL I am!
Navy! I’m wearing NAVY, just like a fancy peacock of a woman. I believe this sweater has been a part of an Outfit of the Month before, but a) I think it’s cute, and b) I am trying not to buy new clothes these days for environmental reasons. I cannot be too smug though, because I HAVE bought new clothes recently. I needed to replace some extremely worn-out and hole-riddled tees as well as my ripped medical-grade compression stockings, but those felt a bit more urgent and necessary, and less I’m bored of my clothes. I also have recently purchased a pair of slip-on house sandals, because I seem to have accidentally given myself a case of plantar fasciitis, due to some extremely ill-considered shoeless farmer’s carries. HOWEVER. This cute, very lightweight sweater deserves another place of OOTM honour, along with Silver jeans and little ankle boots. It’s a perfect spring outfit, in my mind.
I hope this last week of March is treating you well, friends! Do you have any Favourites this month? Do share. xo
NICOLE! You have definitely helped me in the sleep department (although I still have a long way to go). I now make strategic use of Advil PM. If I have one of those nights where I wake up and can’t fall back asleep because my brain won’t stop worrying, then the NEXT night I’ll take an advil and sleep great. Even though I still wake up to pee (obviously) I can fall right back asleep. Then, I don’t take it again for a while, but when I’m awake in the middle of the night I can recall that groggy feeling of the nights where I took the advil, and fall back easily. It really helps break up a vicious cycle- otherwise I start to worry about not sleeping and it gets out of control. So- thank you!!!
I love that sweater! Yes, you fancy peacock wearing navy! It’s obviously spring.
Oh YAY I am SO glad it helped! Especially for us gals who like to work out, Advil PM is a lifesaver. I do feel it’s all about breaking the cycle. When my first son was just a baby a friend said to me that “sleep begets sleep” – i.e., an overtired baby has a hard time falling asleep. I think that’s so true. Once you get into a bad sleep cycle, it’s hard to break it! Little “helpers” get me back on track and I’m glad you’re finding them effective.
As a migraineur, I follow a very strict sleep hygiene regimen. It includes wearing my sunglasses at night (cue the music!) starting at 7 PM and being off screens by 9 PM (not television, but phone and computer). It works for me.
Even though Northeastern Ohio is not cooperating much with its rollercoaster weather, I was out in my herb garden briefly yesterday, evaluating and calculating, and ripping up a few goners. It made me so impatient for May, when I can finally put things into the ground. My chives, thyme, sage, and oregano are hardy and clippable, however.
YES to big salads and veg-forward stir frys! Both figure heavily into our meal rotations as well. And hooray for nuts as a snack and recipe ingredient. They are a powerhouse.
Sunglasses at night! Now I will be singing that all day.
Does the rollercoaster weather contribute to your migraines? My husband used to suffer with headaches when the weather would be volatile, like the barometric pressure (I almost typed bariatric pressure – very different) would fluctuate.
I am SO glad no one is nut-allergic in our house, I use them in so many things!
Yes, weather changes are one of my most reliable triggers, along with stress. I sometimes hate looking at the isobar weather map because it can tell me when I might be in for it.
Your routine is spot on, Nicole!!
Maybe I should hop on the Green-Smoothie Bandwagon. How does it taste? I’m thinking about roping my husband in too, but if it’s ghastly, he’s out (it took endless sermons on gut health to get him to eat sauerkraut daily!).
My favourite of the month has to be marathon training sleep: I’m so tired, the moment my head hits the pillow, I’m out cold. Instant bliss!
Catrina, it tastes great to me! I would probably start off with a bit less spinach, and work your way up to a larger volume. That said, I can’t usually taste the spinach. I tried it with kale and it was absolutely terrible. Never again! Spinach or nothing!
Twice in the last ten days, there have been lovely warm days with sun. Don’t confuse those with warm days with rain. And on those days, we’ve gotten our camping chairs out of the garage into the driveway, put Hannah’s sleep pad in front of them, and enjoyed an hour outside with people reading and the dog chewing something. That is my favorite. Pretty soon there will be too many bugs and my husband will refuse to leave the house, but right now? We’re hanging out in the great outdoors.
I have to admit that I sleep well, but I do not sleep enough. I probably need 8-9 hours to be at my best, and I regularly get 6.5-7.5. I honestly do not know how to make it more, though. Maybe someday when I don’t have a pesky job!
That’s the problem – life gets in the way of sleeping! I try to get more sleep on weekends but it doesn’t often happen.
Oooh it’s so nice, those first few warm days after a long winter!
Oh we, too, love sitting in our driveway when it is nice out. It seems we are the only people in our new neighborhood that do this but that doesn’t stop us. Our grill/smoker is also there so it’s really convenient. Our bugs (mosquitos galore) wait until dusk so we are safe until then.
That sounds lovely Joyce!
I managed to get out and weed the garden beds this past weekend and it felt so good. Even though weeds return, I do feel a real sense of accomplishment when the job is done. Unlike vacuuming which makes me sweaty and grumpy, weeding feels much more meditative.
Yes, to lots of veggies and greens, with the occasional beverage and sweet treat thrown in!
Hahahaha Jacquie, ARE YOU IN MY HEAD RIGHT NOW? I have to vacuum so much and I know that, hours later, I will be vacuuming again. Weeding feels much nicer. *stares at floor, realizes it needs vacuuming*
Swampled reminds of me the time I texted a friend and tried to say “woo hoo!” and it was autocorrected to “woo hip!” so that is the new exclamatory phrase with that friend group.
I am very obsessed with word games. I play Spelling Bee (my fave), Wordle, Connections, Strands, the Mini & Midi crossword puzzles and then some games on LinkedIn. I love a good word or logic puzzle! I’ve been meaning to introduce Paul to Wordle which is where they show a country and you have to guess what country it is. He’s very into geography these days. Each day the “star of the day” picks a country and they do a little research about that countries, it’s language, etc. He was Star of the Day yesterday and picked Qatar. Last time he picked Nepal. I am fairly certain I did not even know those countries existed when I was 8! He loves to share fun facts about the country of the day so I often learn something from him!
I need to up my veggie game. I’m working on prioritizing protein and fiber. I love a veggie-full stir fry!
I am SURE that I didn’t know Qatar when I was 8!! Or Nepal!
You must subscribe to NYT games? I can only get Wordle and Connections for free – the crosswords sound very fun and I can see myself enjoying them. Do you like Sudoku too? I used to do those years ago, haven’t forever.
WOO HIP
I am bringing woo hip into my lexicon for sure! WOO HIP!
Lisa – your “woo hip” was the first thing I thought of when Nicole was talking about these different words. HA. I remember you mentioned it on the blog!
Yay spring!!! Love your outfit– and I DID note that you were colorful. I also adore a green smoothie and eat more than one plastic tub of spinach from Costco a week. Mostly BY MYSELF.
Lol, yes, I buy spinach in the 40 ounce bags weekly, and it’s all for me. I’m looking forward to harvesting my own in a couple of months!
It’s too funny, Nicole, that I just started doing those NYT games a couple of weeks ago! My favorite is Spelling Bee (because I love it when they tell me I’m a genius! Ha! Ha!) and I also like Wordle, Connections, Strands, Letter Boxed, and Tiles. I can’t figure out Pips at all. I’m not good at Sudoku or the crossword puzzles.
Sleep is my worst area, and lack of it definitely messes up my brain power. I take Tylenol PM probably twice a week, and it helps, but I always worry that I’ll become an addict!
I love the words Brain Frog and Swampled! They’re just perfect!
Michelle, I have wondered “am I an addict” but I think I’m okay since I do sleep without those things. Although this week I’ve been taking more Advil PM than usual because my foot has been sore. Eeep!
I would love spelling bee but I think that it’s behind a paywall for me! Maybe because I’m Canadian? Or maybe I should subscribe? I don’t know!
Brain frog!!! That’s a much more accurate and fun term. Thank you Allison, and thank you Nicole for putting it on my radar.
If Wordle and Connections make you smarter, then I am set. Although I’ve been on a losing streak with Connections for a while. I can usually get 2 of the 4 and then I’m lost.
Judging by the time that I spent with you last summer, I can vouch that your veggie intake is on point. I also believe that people who eat carrot cake are better off than people who don’t. I don’t have any evidence to back that statement up, but c’mon we’re all on board with that right?
YES to that statement and I will up it: frosting. My friend Laura talked about people eating cake without frosting, and I think we are both on board with thinking “you do you, but that’s insane.” I mean. Frosting makes the world a better place.
There is always room for cake. Unless you don’t like cake. Then yay! more for me.
“measure ginger and garlic with my heart.” Same, absolutely the same. Give me all the ginger and garlic.
All these things are so good for the brain, but also – good for enjoying life too, right? I wonder if there are any good brain boosters that aren’t fun?
Diane! You hit it on the head! I cannot think of any non-fun brain boosters!
Some people do not like cake, and I will just happily take their share as well.
Thanks to your writing about it occasionally, I began drinking a green smoothie each morning! I call it my “smug shake.”
WELL NOW I MUST CALL IT A SMUG SHAKE!!! I love that!! Smug shake, yes please!
Navy! Who are you, Fancy with her One Chance? I love it when you say hi to me in your blog, it makes my brain frog all hoppy. I love doing Wordle and Connections and comparing notes (often complaints) with Eve. And the map one! I NEED this! I am so terrible at geography and if I can make learning it part of the daily games obsession? Thank you ever so much.
Allison, you will love that map game! I always look at the map first, and then when I’m doing it I note down which countries I didn’t know. And then I repeat it obsessively until I can do the whole thing without skipping a country.
I loved reading what you are doing to lessen your risk of dementia. It’s a concern for me, as both my parents had it. My father’s was vascular dementia, but I don’t know what my mother had. I do know she was a horrible sleeper her entire life, consumed too much sugar, and never exercised. I’m hoping to escape it by doing the majority of the things you mentioned.
I read daily, I’m attempting to learn Mandarin via an app (SO difficult!), I eat 30 different plants per week (more than 30 if counting spices), do two shorter workouts a day (or long walks when weather is nice), and also try to get 7-8 hours sleep/night. I turn off my brain with reality tv and a hot beverage (green tea or decaf coffee). I also protect my hearing, which is an important one. Ear buds at concerts and I only listen to my podcasts on the lowest level volume. Coincidentally, today I listened to Dr. Mary Claire Haver’s Unpaused episode about Alzheimer’s prevention plan for women: Hormones, Sleep, and Nutrition.
Oooh my son was learning Japanese, and I was learning Arabic, and it is SO DIFFICULT!!! But how lovely to be able to say some basic phrases, if you go to see your DIL’s family.
Hearing is a huge thing. It was one of the reasons we were able to convince my MIL to get hearing aids. People with hearing problems really do miss out on so much. You are so smart to use ear buds at concerts!!
I definitely need to improve my sleeping schedule, even if as a student it feels nearly impossible sometimes 😅. I watched a video once about the importance of creating things with our hands and how it can prevent cognitive decline, it’s great! https://youtu.be/X4BKRcqgBY8?si=X1L9xnQ1eTGOaICJ
It made so much sense because my grandma is 92 and she’s still sharp. I love your routine! I will continue my attempts to get more than 5 hours of sleep 😴.
Also, I love your style!
Yes, keep at it, Alondra! It is hard as a student – I know for sure! And with all your cool hobbies now, you are set!
There is something mesmerizing about that dancing Kermit (and brain frog is a catchy phrase).
I am wearing a denim skirt and a long-sleeved navy t-shirt today, so we can be peacocks together.
PEACOCKS FOREVER!! TWINS!
That dancing Kermit is mesmerizing, I had my choice of Kermits but that was my favourite.
LOL, brain frog. So perfect.
I have no problem taking melatonin, but haven’t tried any of the others you mention. Sleep is SO important. I went through a phase several years ago when it was ROUGH and all too often I woke up at 3am. That hasn’t been happening so much the last couple of years, and I’m grateful.
I love Wordle, but wouldn’t want to be doing it all day or anything. I’m going to check out that geography one.
This gives me and my perimenopausal self hope, J! Not that my sleep is that bad, but some weeks, whew.
Damn, Lady, you’re definitely not frogging around with this health and sleep routine for good mental health. I whole heartedly agree we need to be ac active physically as mentally, and word games, puzzles, music and lots of fresh air, are just as key.
Not so sure about the pill popping to get a good night’s sleep. Personally, I go to be within 20-30 minutes of the same time every night, and sleep on average 7hrs and 30 minutes with nothing more than clean teeth. But yeah, I get it, I’m way past menopause.
Well, I don’t pill pop EVERY day. But I don’t shy away from it! We are twinsies, I also go to bed and wake up at basically the same time every day, plus or minus 15 minutes. I think that’s the key!
Love all this advice! I am so lucky because I’ve never had a problem falling asleep at night. But I’m a light sleeper and every little thing wakes me up! I can always fall right back to sleep but it’s still an interruption to my sleep cycle. HOWEVER. I also find that when I’m really consistent with working out in the mornings, my sleep is much better at night. And when I work out in the afternoon/evenings, my sleep is not so smooth. The answer should be obvious, right? Execution? Not so much!!
Hahaha I understand – it’s so hard to fit everything into a day! Also, sometimes answers are clear but executing is much harder. For example, I KNOW I am going to have a disrupted sleep when I have a glass of wine. But does that stop me on a Friday night? Sadly no. But it’s all about balance I guess.
We have a friend with whom we were on holiday, who meant to say ‘ambience’ but instead said ‘ambulance’ without realising. Now we have a running joke whenever we are somewhere nice, we comment on the ‘ambulance’.
I used to do all the NYT games, but I gave it up for Lent and replaced with reading which I think I’ll continue after Easter. I read somewhere that you need to keep trying different games because if you stay on the same games, your brain gets kind of acclimatised to them. I’m not sure whether that is true or not. I think your writing would help keep your cognitive function anyway. Maybe the answer is just to continue to put yourself in different situations or have different types of problems to solve.
Ambulance! I love that.
I think you’re right – it’s all about new challenges/ problems.
I *love* your navy sweater. That photo is great. (Author photo for the next novel?!)
YES to brain health (and I am constantly in a state of brain frog — thank you for the Kermit gif, because now I can picture what my brain is doing instead of retrieving the word I want/recalling why I went into a room). I feel like I kind of flail around a little bit, trying to stave off dementia. Like, I do a variety of things, but I guess I don’t do them with a whole lot of planning or consistency. I do like the idea of Wordle and Connections being a brain health necessity, rather than a fun way to distract myself while I drag a feather around for the cat to play with.
I am super impressed by your geography prowess. I have next to zero knowledge of geography. Like, maybe I know where most of the US states are. And I might have a general idea where a few Canadian provinces are, and I know (generally) which countries belong on which continent, but that’s the extent of it. I tried to do Worldle a few years ago, which is extremely challenging for me, but I like it a lot because it not only reminds me that I know NOTHING but it also helps me understand the physical relationship between different countries.
While I love love love listening to audiobooks while I walk, I have been trying to take an intentional (if short) walk without any headphones in. It’s surprisingly difficult for me! I keep wanting to take out my phone and text someone, or call a friend. But my mind is so much more open to creative thinking when I allow it to wander, so I’m trying to give it space for that more often.
Suzanne, I know exactly what you mean. There is a part of our walk where I make myself turn off my podcasts to just look around, and it is such a good time for creative thinking. You’d think that I’d just not listen to podcasts then, for our whole walk, but no. I turn it right back on after we finish that particular path.
My geography prowess has not extended to Africa – holy moly, there are SO many coastal countries! I am working on it though.
“Brain frog” may be my favorite phrase of the month and I may use it forever! Appreciate the tips and tactics and your navy boldness, Nicole!
Thanks so much Lindsay! I love it too.
I am a daily Wordler and also Connections, and some days I also do Strands and Spelling Bee. I too never follow a recipe exactly, it’s just not in my genes. Spring is nowhere in sight here, but I’m off in search of it. I love maps and geography so I’ll have to take a look at that quiz.
Ooooh I cannot wait to hear where you’re seeking out spring! I sense an adventure!!
I agree with you that all these are great for physical and mental health. If I can order them, I’d do sleep, workout, relationships, diet. Over the years, my tolerance to not great sleep has steadily declined, so I also prioritize sleep above all when I can. I have been reading too much on my phone this month and neglected kindle, so that’s my April goal, get back to long stretch reading.
I agree that social connection is so important. This past week I’ve been going to visit my colleague everyday and spend an hour or more chatting with him. I feel rewarded for the simple act of doing it for an almost stranger (we are colleagues but he is in DC and only occasionally come to brasilia). The act of service is rewarding in itself and I should really do more.
That’s so kind of you to spend time with your colleague – I am sure he appreciates it. And as you say the rewards are yours as well!
My motto is “everything in moderation”..We eat well, both exercise, I read and write, and have fun! Do we eat junk and binge watch shows? Of course! Then we get back to eating a banana and nuts..lol Life is too short not to enjoy everything it has to offer!!
You’re so right, Judy – life is short, we have to make the most of it!
Okay, but you should be on the cover of some sort of Canadian magazine with that pose and those clothes and your GORGEOUS FACE. Yay for spring!
I am trying to learn my countries, so I did that geography quiz and I was embarrassingly bad. Only way to go is up from here, right?!
I love all my word games – Wordle, Connections, Strands, the mini crossword, and the easy version of Sudoku happen every day!
Oh my goodness Stephany, thank you!!!
I was absolutely terrible the first time I tried the geography quizzes, but I kept working at it. Nowhere to go but up for sure!
I love the striped sweater, and the brain frog. I think I have a case of that from time to time. I am a firm believer that if you walk enough and go outside, you can have wine. Needs must, Nicole.
I usually do the hard version of Sudoku these days, although I do live me some wordle! Also the country one sounds good. I am pretty good at most continents but Africa is a doozy!
Africa is a doozy but I’m getting there! Once I got the west coast, I was able to go from there.
I mean, life is too short to be without wine!
I’m here for all of the brain-saving tactics. My family (brother, parents) competes on Wordle, Quordle, Waffle, and (for my brother and father) Worldle daily. I get the updates via email re: who won the day, but I do not participate. I should. Sigh. I like to think that my perpetual state of learning these days is helping maintain my cognitive function. Then I’ll forget a word like, say, “perpetual,” and I am convinced that it’s early onset memory loss and anything I do is futile. (Perhaps it’s time to take up Wordle, at least, just in case?)
Also, your picture is gorgeous. Yay for navy! 🙂
I mean, you’re always learning in your job so I think your brain is a-okay! I forgot the word for “lunch” a little while ago, if you want to feel better about yourself!
I’m happy to say that after getting through menopause, I have a bit less Brain Frog than I once had. OR am I just oblivious to it now? Who knows.
I love wordle. I love connections. Do connections occasionally make me angry? Yes. But I like an abused person, I keep going back, hoping to be validated.
My aunt Trisha, who is a fairly healthy eighty-year-old woman, swears that the Fat Free Phase of the early 90’s contributed to much of the dementia and Alzheimer’s for a large part of the population. It kind of makes sense; your brain needs some fat! You know, the good fat.
Seven and a half hours is nothing to sneeze at, especially if it’s quality sleep. I’m one of those people who need 8+ hours (nine would be ideal) to not be a bitch zombie. I’ve found that limiting alcohol (easy to do), reading an actual book, and adding a magnesium supplement before bed helps immensely.
Great post to share!!
I also take magnesium! I think it does help! I really notice my sleep disruption if I have wine – which I still do on the weekend, life needs to be worth living – but during the week I don’t imbibe.
I am with your Aunt Tricia. Also – all the ridiculous “low fat” foods were so high in sugars and chemicals to make them palatable, and that cannot be good for the brain!
Oh, and that is such a lovely photo of you—the sweater, the jeans, the boots, the smile: PERFECT!!
Thank you my sweet friend!