Hi Byte Wellness Fam,

How are you feeling?

I’m so on this week. What’s the word for the feeling that combines peace, groundedness, and excitement? Whatever it is, that was my MOOD for the week, bolstered by our lively #PhyteWellWednesday conversation and a great Saturday walk and talk with the Ladies of Girl Trek’s Pasadena, CA chapter. Looking forward to riding this wave into next week.

After a brief break, our Self-Love Letter is back with a new format to make sure that the wellness gems we share don’t simply take up shelf-space in your brain, but you can actually use them In Real Life: IRL

In the IRL Self-Love Letter, each week we’re sharing:

• 1 INSPIRING IDEA from our #PhyteWellWednesday conversation that motivates us and makes us think more deeply

• 1 RESOURCE out in the world that’ll help us walk the talk and put all this wellness learning into action

• 1 LESSON from our Weekly Text Quiz or the Wellness Library to make sure we understand how to use your wellness superpowers

Ready? Let’s Go!

1 Inspiring IDEA: Joy Is A Wellness Superpower

Check out the recording of this week’s #PhyteWellWednesday Workshop. If you didn’t get an invite to the workshop, send TEXT to 1(866)717-1919 to join the text thread and get weekly invites sent to your phone. You can also send that hook to help friends and family join.

This week, we talked with Neurologist Dr. Bridgette Arnett about how we can use our big 4 Wellness Superpowers + 1 to lower our risk of Alzheimer’s dementia. More on those below. But, the biggest takeaway (according to lots of you who texted me about it later) was Dr. Bridgette’s closing thoughts.

We’re in this community because we want to take control of our health as much as possible and use our habits to do it. So, it’s easy to get wrapped up in worries over what chronic conditions we already have or which ones we might be at risk for.

But, after an hour of talking about the specific steps we can take to lower our risk, Dr. Bridgette reminds us that it’s not helpful to be concerned about our health. She points out that if we stress about our health we’re not practicing stress-management- the very wellness superpower that helps to lower dementia risk.

She says instead of worrying about whether we’ll develop dementia some 10-30 years down the line, just know that, “The joy of living helps to aid a stress-free life….Go into life being happy, alive, a testament to all the people around you who see all the wonderful things you’re doing.”

Can you imagine what it would be like to shift habits and unapologetically practice a healthy lifestyle without stressing about it? Are you already practicing fuss-free living? If so, let us know how you got there and how it feels.

1 Wellness Resource

One way to cut our Alzheimer’s risk nearly in half is to move as much as we can!

How can we build a daily exercise habit?

• Find movements we like doing

• Move with people we like spending time with

  If you’re looking for a set-up like that, Girl Trek might be your answer! Get connected with Girl Trek on their website (girltrek.org) or social channels. In fact, you’re just in time to start their 10 weeks of daily walks, which the GirlTrek community is starting in April.

1: Less Than A GlASS A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY

#PhyteWell QUIZ :

Good habits can lower our risk for many types of dementia. Which ONE could help us prevent it?

A) Poor Sleep

B) Low Alcohol Intake

C) Sitting

D) ALL

——————-

Answer: B!

Check the workshop recording above to see how getting good sleep, moving a ton, eating lots of plants, managing stress, and keeping alcohol to a minimum can help us lower our chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease (the most common cause of dementia in the US) and slow the progression of dementia symptoms once we have it.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 recommends that women drink no more than 1 drink per day (2 per day for men). The guidelines point out that drinking even less than that is generally better for our health.

In the session, we touch on the ways that drinking too much alcohol can increase our dementia risk in at least two ways: 1) increase our oxidative stress and harm blood vessels leading to vascular cognitive impairment 2) depleting our bodies of thiamine (Vitamin B1), which we need to make energy thus starving our brain in the areas that control memory and behavior.

Excited to hear how you put all this to good use! As usual, you can reach me via email or text. Talk soon!

Happy Healthy Living,

Dr. Wuse