“What’s Good for the Heart is Good for the Brain” with Dr. Dianne McCaughey

Dianne McCaughey Ph.D. with a concentration in Gerontology is an international speaker, author, consultant, master trainer and presenter who has traveled the world touching lives and emphasizing optimal wellness of the mind, body and spirit. As a gerontologist, her expertise is successful aging in all domains. The two books she has authored are designed to coach individuals on mental and emotional wellness, as well as physical health to help them age with grace and vigor. Her mission and purpose is to educate, inspire and empower people to be the best they can be.Dianne is an award winning fitness specialist with 30 plus years experience in personal training, group exercise, coaching, and post-rehabilitation. She is a master trainer for multiple companies including: The American Council on Exercise (ACE), The Functional Aging Institute (FAI), and the International Sport and Conditioning Association (ISCA). You can email her at [email protected] this episode, Dr. Dianne:Differentiates normal cognitive decline from pathological decline. We all experience normal decline with age, but pathological decline can be sudden and interferes with activities of daily living. Be sure to see your doctor for evaluation if you are concerned. Don't let fear stop you.Defines neuroplasticity and lifestyle choices impact it.Positive factors - getting enough sleep, exercise (aerobic and strength), having a positive attitude, and brain stimulation exercises that are complex.Explains why it is more impactful for your brain health to combine cognitive and physical exercise.States how science demonstrates that exercise is good for the brain.When the heart is working well, we get healthy blood flow to the brain.We keep our hearts healthy with regular aerobic exercise - 150 minutes per week of moderate activity.Aerobic exercise increases endorphins, thereby decreases depression.Aerobic exercise benefits the hippocampus, responsible for memory, learning, and emotions.Aerobic exercise increases BDNF (brain derived neurotropic factor).The Alzheimers Association found that by decreasing cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, smoking cessation) we can see improvement in cognitive decline.Resistance training can be considered a form of cognitive exercise because it requires focus on form.Resistance training increases IGF-1 (insulin like growth factor 1) which helps with protein synthesis, insulin sensitivity, and fat uptake.Explains how our attention changes as we get olderSelective attention is slightly decreased with age (paying attention to one thing with distractions).Multitasking moderately declines with age, so we should decrease the number of tasks at once.Switching attention decreases the most with age - switching from task to task.Recommends cognitive and physical training approximately 3 times per week, 40 minutes per session. Results may take 3-6 months to see changes.Walks us through specific examples of cognitive exercise.First, she specifies that we should start in our sixth decade.She evaluates the client and designs individualized programs.FactorsPhysical fitness, cognitive status, how much time the client has, the time the client is willing to put in to homework.Functional Aging Institute variables to assess impairment - cardiovascular, muscular strength, cognition, balance, mobility, and neuromuscular.It’s important to avoid frustration, ensure the exercises are not too easy, and are challenging.Frustration negatively impacts neuroplasticity.States that exercises should have high benefit and low risk to