Tag: Preventive care

What if I told you there was something that you can do right now that would have an immediate, positive benefit for your brain including your mood and your focus?

And what if I told you that same thing could actually last a long time and protect your brain from different conditions like depression, Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

Would you do it? Yes!

I am talking about the powerful effects of physical activity.

Simply moving your body, has immediate, long-lasting and protective benefits for your brain.

And that can last for the rest of your life.

So what I want to do today is tell you a story about how I used my deep understanding of neuroscience, as a professor of neuroscience, to essentially do an experiment on myself in which I discovered the science underlying why exercise is the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today.

Now, as a neuroscientist, I know that our brains, that is the thing in our head right now, that is the most complex structure known to humankind.

But it’s one thing to talk about the brain, and it’s another to see it.

So here is a real preserved human brain.

And it’s going to illustrate two key areas that we are going to talk about today.

The first is the prefrontal cortex, right behind your forehead, critical for things like decision-making, focus, attention and your personality.

The second key area is located in the temporal lobe, shown right here.

You have two temporal lobes in your brain, the right and the left, and deep in the temporal lobe is a key structure critical for your ability to form and retain new long-term memories for facts and events.

And that structure is called the hippocampus.

So I’ve always been fascinated with the hippocampus.

How could it be that an event that lasts just a moment, say, your first kiss, or the moment your first child was born, can form a memory that has changed your brain, that lasts an entire lifetime?

That’s what I want to understand.

I wanted to start and record the activity of individual brain cells in the hippocampus as subjects were forming new memories.

And essentially try and decode how those brief bursts of electrical activity, which is how neurons communicate with each other, how those brief bursts either allowed us to form a new memory, or did not.

But a few years ago, I did something very unusual in science.

As a full professor of neural science,

I decided to completely switch my research program.

Because I encountered something that was so amazing, with the potential to change so many lives that I had to study it.

I discovered and I experienced the brain-changing effects of exercise.

And I did it in a completely inadvertent way.

I was actually at the height of all the memory work that I was doing — data was pouring in, I was becoming known in my field for all of this memory work.

And it should have been going great. It was, scientifically.

But when I stuck my head out of my lab door,

I noticed something.

I had no social life.

I spent too much time listening to those brain cells in a dark room, by myself.

(Laughter)

I didn’t move my body at all.

I had gained 25 pounds.

And actually, it took me many years to realize it, I was actually miserable.

And I shouldn’t be miserable.

And I went on a river-rafting trip — by myself, because I had no social life.

And I came back —

(Laughter)

thinking, “Oh, my God, I was the weakest person on that trip.”

And I came back with a mission.

I said, “I’m never going to feel like the weakest person on a river-rafting trip again.”

And that’s what made me go to the gym.

And I focused my type-A personality on going to all the exercise classes at the gym. I tried everything. I went to kickbox, dance, yoga, step class, and at first it was really hard.

But what I noticed is that after every sweat-inducing workout that I tried, I had this great mood boost and this great energy boost. And that’s what kept me going back to the gym.

Well, I started feeling stronger.

I started feeling better, I even lost that 25 pounds.

And now, fast-forward a year and a half into this regular exercise program and I noticed something that really made me sit up and take notice.

I was sitting at my desk, writing a research grant, and a thought went through my mind that had never gone through my mind before.

And that thought was, “Gee, grant-writing is going well today.”

And all the scientists —

(Laughter)

yeah, all the scientists always laugh when I say that, because grant-writing never goes well.

It is so hard; you’re always pulling your hair out, trying to come up with that million-dollar-winning idea.

But I realized that the grant-writing was going well, because I was able to focus and maintain my attention for longer than I had before.

And my long-term memory — what I was studying in my own lab — seemed to be better in me.

And that’s when I put it together.

Maybe all that exercise that I had included and added to my life was changing my brain.

Maybe I did an experiment on myself without even knowing it.

So as a curious neuroscientist, I went to the literature to see what I could find about what we knew about the effects of exercise on the brain.

And what I found was an exciting and a growing literature that was essentially showing everything that I noticed in myself.

Better mood, better energy, better memory, better attention.

And the more I learned, the more I realized how powerful exercise was.

Which eventually led me to the big decision to completely shift my research focus.

And so now, after several years of really focusing on this question, I’ve come to the following conclusion: that exercise is the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today for the following three reasons.

Number one: it has immediate effects on your brain.

A single workout that you do will immediately increase levels of neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline.

That is going to increase your mood right after that workout, exactly what I was feeling.

My lab showed that a single workout can improve your ability to shift and focus attention, and that focus improvement will last for at least two hours.

And finally, studies have shown that a single workout will improve your reaction times which basically means that you are going to be faster at catching that cup of Starbucks that falls off the counter, which is very, very important.

(Laughter)

But these immediate effects are transient, they help you right after.

What you have to do is do what I did, that is change your exercise regime, increase your cardiorespiratory function, to get the long-lasting effects. And these effects are long-lasting because exercise actually changes the brain’s anatomy, physiology and function.

Let’s start with my favorite brain area, the hippocampus.

The hippocampus — or exercise actually produces brand new brain cells, new brain cells in the hippocampus, that actually increase its volume, as well as improve your long-term memory, OK?

And that including in you and me.

Number two: the most common finding in neuroscience studies, looking at effects of long-term exercise, is improved attention function dependent on your prefrontal cortex.

You not only get better focus and attention, but the volume of the hippocampus increases as well.

And finally, you not only get immediate effects of mood with exercise but those last for a long time.

So you get long-lasting increases in those good mood neurotransmitters.

But really, the most transformative thing that exercise will do is its protective effects on your brain.

Here you can think about the brain like a muscle.

The more you’re working out, the bigger and stronger your hippocampus and prefrontal cortex gets.

Why is that important?

Because the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus are the two areas that are most susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases and normal cognitive decline in aging.

So with increased exercise over your lifetime, you’re not going to cure dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, but what you’re going to do is you’re going to create the strongest, biggest hippocampus and prefrontal cortex so it takes longer for these diseases to actually have an effect.

You can think of exercise, therefore, as a supercharged 401K for your brain, OK?

And it’s even better, because it’s free.

So this is the point in the talk where everybody says, “That sounds so interesting, Wendy, but I really will only want to know one thing.

And that is, just tell me the minimum amount of exercise I need to get all these changes.”

(Laughter)

And so I’m going to tell you the answer to that question.

First, good news: you don’t have to become a triathlete to get these effects. The rule of thumb is you want to get three to four times a week exercise minimum 30 minutes an exercise session, and you want to get aerobic exercise in. That is, get your heart rate up.

And the good news is, you don’t have to go to the gym to get a very expensive gym membership.

Add an extra walk around the block in your power walk.

You see stairs — take stairs.

And power-vacuuming can be as good as the aerobics class that you were going to take at the gym.

So I’ve gone from memory pioneer to exercise explorer.

From going into the innermost workings of the brain, to trying to understand how exercise can improve our brain function, and my goal in my lab right now is to go beyond that rule of thumb that I just gave you — three to four times a week, 30 minutes.

I want to understand the optimum exercise prescription for you, at your age, at your fitness level, for your genetic background, to maximize the effects of exercise today and also to improve your brain and protect your brain the best for the rest of your life.

But it’s one thing to talk about exercise, and it’s another to do it.

So I’m going to invoke my power as a certified exercise instructor, to ask you all to stand up.

(Laughter)

We’re going to do just one minute of exercise.

It’s call-and-response, just do what I do, say what I say, and make sure you don’t punch your neighbor, OK?

Music!

(Upbeat music)

Five, six, seven, eight, it’s right, left, right, left.

And I say, I am strong now.

Let’s hear you.

Audience: I am strong now.

Wendy Suzuki: Ladies, I am Wonder Woman-strong.

Let’s hear you!

Audience: I am Wonder Woman-strong.

WS: New move — uppercut, right and left.

I am inspired now. You say it!

Audience: I am inspired now.

WS: Last move — pull it down, right and left, right and left.

I say, I am on fire now! You say it.

Audience: I am on fire now.

WS: And done! OK, good job!

(Applause)

Thank you.

I want to leave you with one last thought.

And that is, bringing exercise in your life will not only give you a happier, more protective life today, but it will protect your brain from incurable diseases.

And in this way it will change the trajectory of your life for the better.

Thank you very much.

(Applause)

Thank you.

(Applause)

English

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Hello, and welcome to this presentation Understanding Prediabetes and Diabetes. My name is Kristen, and I’m an Omada Health coach team lead. I have a background in nutrition, health care, and also diabetes care and management and live in Ohio with my family.

In my role as a health coach for Omada Health, I have the privilege of providing employees like you with dedicated, one-on-one coaching to help them achieve their health goals. Before we begin, let me take a moment to introduce Omada Health, one of the sponsors of this presentation. Omada was founded in 2011 to inspire and engage people in lifelong health.

Omada delivers virtual first programs that help people manage chronic conditions, including prediabetes and diabetes, through engaging digital tools and one-on-one personalized coaching. Today, Omada serves more than 700,000 members across the U.S. in their goal to manage their condition and improve their health.

In today’s presentation, I’ll help you build your knowledge about prediabetes and diabetes. If you’re currently living with one of these conditions, I’ll also show you how you can take advantage of your Omada benefit that can help you feel better physically and mentally.

You may be one out of every three people who has prediabetes. Or you may be one of the four in five people with prediabetes – that’s 80% – who doesn’t know they have it.

Or maybe you’re one out of every 10 people who lives with diabetes. Guess what? One in five don’t know they have diabetes, and every 17 seconds someone is diagnosed with diabetes.

And then there’s Covid-19. Research has shown that being overweight and having underlying health problems can increase the seriousness of Covid-19. More recent research is finding that if you’ve had Covid-19, you are at increased risk of developing diabetes just one year later.

But there’s good news. Prediabetes and diabetes are both preventable and even manageable with education and the right tools and support.

What is prediabetes? Prediabetes means you have higher than normal blood sugar, or blood glucose level. For most people, without lifestyle changes, prediabetes can develop into type 2 diabetes. And having these high levels of blood sugar is harmful for your body.

Here’s why blood glucose matters. Any carbohydrate you eat is broken down by your body into glucose. Glucose is the fuel that gives your body energy. Your bloodstream carries the glucose to your cells, providing nutrients to keep your body going.

There’s just one catch. Your cells can’t absorb glucose without insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in your pancreas. When your food is converted to glucose, your pancreas dumps the right amount of insulin into your bloodstream so your cells can absorb it.

If you have prediabetes and it worsens, your pancreas may not produce enough insulin. This means more glucose is staying in the bloodstream and not fueling the cells. This is one of the reasons glucose levels will spike after eating and remain higher than normal long after you finish your meal. It’s also why cells start to starve. Over time, the condition becomes diabetes. If not properly managed, diabetes can cause serious damage to your body.

The two most common forms of diabetes are either type 2 or type 1 diabetes. Type 2 is the most common as nearly 95% of all people with diabetes has type 2. But it is largely preventable and can be managed through lifestyle changes, medications and insulin. Type 1 diabetes is an auto-immune condition, and no one knows how to prevent it. In many cases, the body stopped producing insulin, so it requires taking insulin in order to manage it.

What damage can diabetes do? In two words: a lot. Diabetes can lead to damaged blood vessels in the eyes, heart, kidneys and feet. It’s the number one cause of adult blindness, kidney failure, lower limb amputations and it’s tied to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. The entire body is impacted.

Many factors can increase the risk of prediabetes and diabetes. Let’s start with the things you can control. Being overweight and sedentary. The more fatty tissue you have on your body, the more resistant your cells become to insulin. If your blood pressure and cholesterol are at abnormal levels, the more prone you are to diabetes. Even sleep problems can increase the risk of insulin resistance and prediabetes. There are also factors out of your control. Race: If you’re African American or American Indian, you are more likely to develop diabetes. Family history: Your risk increases if a parent or sibling has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. And age: your risk increases with age, especially over the age of 45. As you see simple changes to your lifestyle can help prevent prediabetes and diabetes.

Navigating a chronic condition is touch. Having support along the way can make all the difference. Thankfully, through your health benefits, you get access to Omada, a leading virtual care provider that surrounds you with the personal support you need to manage your condition and make lasting, meaningful changes in between doctor visits, one small step at a time. Join over 700,000 Omada members on their path to better health.

Omada for Prevention is a virtual program that makes it easier to lose weight and reduce your risk of developing diabetes. If eligible, you get a program valued up to $700 at no cost to you that includes a personalized health coach, a personalized care plan, weekly lessons, tools for managing stress, and online peer group and communities. Plus, you get a smart scale to track your progress. It’s yours to keep.

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, Omada for Diabetes is a virtual program that makes it easier to control your glucose levels, improve your health, and live life with more confidence and less stress.

If eligible, you get a program valued up to $1,700 — at no cost to you — that includes a personalized health coach, a certified diabetes specialist, a personalized care plan, weekly lessons, tools for managing stress, plus smart devices to easily monitor your blood glucose and track your progress. You keep them all.

Just visit the website on your screen to learn more about Omada and apply. And thank you all for your time today.

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