WOW provides activities for the brain and heart

Fallbrook Regional Health District offers its monthly Woman of Wellness (WOW) program as part of its mission to help area residents (women and men) get and stay healthy. The topic for the April 5 event was “The brain changing benefits of exercise.”

Instead of having a speaker from the area, a video was shown of a TED talk by neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki in November 2017. [Note: TED stands for technology, entertainment and design and is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks.]

In her talk, Suzuki said that the effects of exercise can be long-lasting protection against depression, Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases, as “exercise is the most transformative thing you can do for your brain.”

To explain how she discovered those effects, she said that as a researcher she spent many hours in her lab by herself. She was not exercising or socializing. After she realized she had gained 25 pounds, was out of shape and miserable, she started exercising.

Being a “focused A-type personality”, she took all of the exercise classes that were available and, after each workout, she felt an energy boost. She also lost those 25 pounds and noticed that she was now able to focus and maintain her attention and her long-term memory was better. She realized it was the exercise that put her in a better mood, gave her energy as well as better attention and focus.

At that point she shifted her research focus on exercise’s effect on the brain. The immediate effects on the brain include the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that elevates one’s mood for over two hours. It also temporarily improves reaction times.

Routine exercise can produce long-lasting effects, Suzuki said. It helps produce brand new brain cells in the hippocampus, improving long-term memory. Protective effects of exercise include a bigger and stronger prefrontal cortex and hippocampus which means it will take longer for diseases to take effect. Exercise creates a “super charged 401K for your brain,” Suzuki said.

She recommended a minimum amount of exercise as three to four times a week, 30 minutes at a time, especially aerobic exercise. Taking an extra walk around the block, taking the stairs when possible and power vacuuming will all help toward that goal.

Suzuki “wants to understand the optimum exercise level to have a happier, more productive life and protect from incurable diseases.” The 15 minute video ended with a brief exercise routine that everyone joined in – pumping and swinging their arms in a dopamine-producing exercise.

Since FRHD is planning a wellness center and intends community gardens to be included in its services as well as part of its Blue Zone Project®, the speaker for the next WOW program Thursday, May 3, will be Pam Meisner, aka Ms. Smarty-Plants™, education director at The Water Conservation Garden in Rancho San Diego.

Meisner gained national recognition with the American Public Garden Association's Program Excellence Award (APGA 2015) and the Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence (GEELA 2013). She will provide vital information about the county’s ecological system, the importance of smart water usage and gardening, and the value of butterflies and bees.

Her topic will be “Butterfly Gardening is Good for the Heart”. Women and men are invited to join her at the Fallbrook Library Community Room, 6 p.m. for social time and 6:30 p.m. for the presentation.

This is a free event with light refreshments and door prizes. Donations of non-perishable food items are collected for the Fallbrook Food Pantry. The library is located at 124 S. Mission Road.