Everything starts with brain health including dementia, weight loss and an optimal diet. This is why I focus on holistic nutrition and creating a weight loss plan that combines the mind and body. If the brain is not on board, it’s an uphill struggle. If the brain is not sharp, we don’t reach our goals. So let’s take some time to understand the development of dementia and lose weight at the same time.
Dementia and Weight Loss
The brain dictates your thoughts, memories, movement, speech, and organ coordination. Can you believe that preventing dementia starts in your 30’s? Whoa!!! We better get to work. What’s empowering to me is that, aside from aging, we can control the risk of brain decline. While most people come to me for weight loss, we work on all aspects of life that will get you to your goal AND in the process, strengthen your brain. This means undergoing a lifestyle overhaul. Give me a call and we can walk through how to implement all of these to prevent brain disease.
- More activity. When our heart rate goes up from exercise, we fuel the brain with more oxygen. Exercise can also ward off mental health issues, improve sleep, prevent cravings, improve BMI, etc.
- 7 – 8 hours of sleep (10 hours if you are a teenager; younger kids even more). Sleep is not a waste of time. We need sleep to repair and regenerate. Lack of sleep is directly linked to brain disease.
- Relaxation. This is different from sleep. We need time to slow down and relax. This turns on our parasympathetic system and allows our body to function efficiently versus on a fight or flight stress response of the sympathetic system.
- Social connections. Isolation is not good for the brain or the soul. We must find ways to connect even during COVID-19. Prolonged loneliness can be more harmful than smoking. Yikes!
- Healthy diet. We need an anti-inflammatory diet with healthy fats and lots of antioxidants.
- Less stress. Stress can kill brain cells, reduce brain size, and compromise memory.
- Quit smoking. Not much I need to say about this these days. Just quit! (Easier said than done.)
- Increase mentally stimulating activities. We have to use our brain just like any other muscle. Take a class, learn a new language or a new dance, and find passion and purpose. It goes far beyond crossword puzzles. (Thank goodness because I don’t like them.)
- Misuse of alcohol. Anything in abusive amounts is not good for us, even the healthy stuff. Enjoy in moderation.
If you want to prevent dementia and lose weight, you must start with a healthy lifestyle. Studies show that a combination of bad habits causes half of Alzheimer’s disease. You are at higher risk of dementia if you have high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and cholesterol. Let’s replace bad habits with healthy ones and make it simply a part of who you are.
Support is the key to brain health and successful weight loss.
Get it both professionally and personally. Get a free 30-minute phone consultation. See if this is the right match for you by addressing natural weight loss, cravings, emotional eating, balanced diet, disease prevention, nutrition, and getting to the root cause of what’s keeping you stuck. See what others are saying on Google and Yelp.
For more articles, read https://happyfoodhealth.com/blog
~ Samantha Hua, Online Nutrition Coach & Holistic Health Coach, San Diego, CA
