Earning the Brains & Balance Past 60 Certificate Part 4: Making Connctions: Challenging the Older Brain

This is part 4 of the 4 parts covering the Exercise Etc seminar I attended on Saturday, October 18, 2014

Part 1 Forever Young: Secrets of the Older Mind      

Part 2: Balance, Stability & Fall Prevention

Part 3 Balance, Mobility & Function

Articles like this are why I train older clients the way I do.

 
New York times article: A tiny stumble- a-life-upended. 

The first topic Guy covered in this session was Understanding Cognition:

What other things besides mental stimulation and exercise effect cognition?

     *  Nutrition
     *  Hydration
     *  Medication
     *  Alcohol
     *  Companionship
     *  Depression

Just like mental stimulation and exercise we have control over most of these things. Depression can be a whole other issue. It can be effected by everything else on this list.

According to the Centers of Disease Control the following statistics cover Cognitive Disorders:

        INCIDENCE:                                                      CAUSES:
   *  Alzheimer's                                                         *  Alzheimer's
      -  Over the age 65:    13%                                        -  Family History
      -  Over the age 85:    45%                                        -  Lack of mental stimulation

  *  Vascular Dementia                                                *  Vascular Dementia
      -  Over the age 71:      5%                                          -  Poor Blood Flow
      -  Over the age 90:    38%                                          -  Stroke

  *  Depression                                                             * Depression
      -  Community based:  1%                                         - Isolation
      -  Nursing home:       15%                                        -  Hopelessness
         

Consider what stands out about these statistics:

     - As seniors age the chances of developing Alzheimer's increases 346% in twenty years and   
       Vascular Dementia increases 760% in 19 years.

     - Being part of a socially active community instead of a nursing home decreases your chances of 
       developing depression from 15% to 1%.  It pays to have friends when you get older.

 What are the leading causes of being 
admitted to a Nursing Home?

     -    Neurological
           *  Dementia

     -    Cardiovascular
           * Congestive Heart Failure
           
     -    Musculoskeletal
          *  Osteoporosis
          *  Osteoarthritis

According to the Wall Street Journal, February, 2014, the medical cost of treating dementia exceed the cost of Heart Disease and Cancer combined.

What role does the Medical Community play in Intervention? 

       *  The Primary Care Physician must be an active participant in the effort to maintain cognition.  

       *  Every individual (or their caregivers) should request a medication review with the following questions:
            
           -  Are they all necessary?
           -  Can Dosages be reduced?
           -  What are there interactions of the drugs being taken?
           -  Are there vitamin/mineral deficiencies?

10 Drugs that May Impair a Persons Memory 

AARP: May 2013                  

   
          *  Stain Drugs                                                              *  Anti-Anxiety Meds
          *  Blood Pressure Meds                                               *  Parkinsons Drugs
          *  Anti-Depressants                                                      * Incontinence Meds
          *  Anti-Seizure Meds                                                   *  Sleeping Aids
          *  Narcotic Pain Relievers                                            * Antihistamines

According to the Centers for Disease Control (2012) 
the average American 65 year-old is on 4 prescription meds. 

The average 85 year-old is on 14. 

 

What role does Hydration play in 

keeping your cognitive functions?    

   -  Dehydration can mimic the symptoms of dementia. If you become too dehydrated your blood 
      pressure can become so low that not enough blood and oxygen gets to your brain

Some excellent sources of vitamins

What Vitamin Deficiencies are 

Associated with Impaired Brain Function?

    -  B - 12 and Folate 

I wonder what effect Spirulina and Cholrella might have on retaining memory?

What Supplements play a role in 

keeping Cognitive Functions.

      *  Lactulose
          -  This laxative also removes ammonia which is considered a Neurotoxin from the body.

      *  Lysine - ask you Dr. about it
          - Some research suggest the it slows the progression of Alzheimer's, some research suggest it
            accelerates the progression.

      * CoQ10 - ask your Dr. about it.
         -  Research is interesting yet inconclusive regarding it's effect of cognition.

I added:
 
      *  Coconut Oil
        - It is an excellent source of Medium Chain Fatty Acids which might help feed the brain.

       *  Vitamin D
           -  Dr. Mercola article talking about the role of Vitamin D levels and Dementia

 
Alcohol, Ammonia and Cognition 

      *   Ammonia is a known neurotoxin that shows down processing speed and affects language,
           memory, problem solving and reasoning abilities. 

      *  Risk factors for Elevated Ammonia Levels:

          -  Alcohol use: Guy stated that they (I wish I knew who) consider drinking 2 servings of
              alcohol per day as Heavy Drinking.  This equates to 2 cans or bottles of beer or 8 ounces 
              of wine.  

          -  Smoking
          -  Aging Livers and Kidneys.

          -  Use of Barbiturates, Diuretics, and Narcotics, especially when combined with Alcohol.

 

 Sugar Intake and Cognition:

       *  1 tsp of sugar = 4 grams
       *  Seniors with the highest sugar consumption are almost twice as likely to develop cognitive
           impairment. - Mayo Clinic, 2014
       *  Although the brain runs on sugar, too much sugar increases insulin resistance, which deprives
           the brain of glucose.

Sodium and Cognition:

     *   Salt RDA = 2400 mg per day
     *  Avoid foods high in sodium because they can:
         - Cause dehydration which affects cognition  
     *  Seniors with the highest salt intake also are more likely to suffer cognitive impairment. -

         University of Toronto, 2014

IMO, we should not compare processed Table Salt with Unprocessed Sea Salt. 

Although I don't drink coffee, I love chocolate. I wonder what effect chocolate consumption has on memory?

Caffeine and Cognition:

     *  A 2014 study found that older women who consumed around 370mg of caffeine per day
         (around 2 cups) had maintained a higher cognitive level than women who did not.
     *  Caffeine from Tea or Soft Drinks DID NOT have the same effect.

How to Train the Brain:

      -  Lumosity.com (most of us have seen their commercials on TV.
      -  Crossword Puzzles, Sudoku, Jigsaw Puzzles. etc.
      -  Reading, Conversations which make you think and remember details.
      -  Scrabble, Bridge and other Card Games which require strategy.
      -  Brain Teasers, Riddles
      -  Painting a Picture, Writing a Poem.
      -  Making a list
      -  Writing in a Blog (I added this one)

100, 97, 94, 91........

Integrating Brains & Balance Drills:

Multitasking Drills

       *  Walk Forwards, Laterally or Backwards while:
           -  Counting Backwards from 100: by 2's, 3's, 5's 7's or any other numbers
           -  Answer questions such as State Capitals, Birds, Types of Pets, etc. Think of any type of list.

       *  Tracking Drills.
           - Step Side to Side while pretending to draw various shape using your hand, switch hands, etc.

This concludes my Blog Post on the 

Brains & Balance Past 60 Seminar. I hope you enjoyed reading them and learned some things as I did by I attending it.

          

"I believe that life itself is an athletic event. Therefore, I believe that most older adults should train like athletes."

I don't like it when I see everyone sitting down as they try to build their strength. There are companies that market their machines specifically to the senior market.

Are older adults being taught how to train functionally? (and why I believe they should be)


It bothers me every time I see older adults being put on strength training machines when being taught how to exercise.  One of our local Senior organizations is constantly promoting their new machines. Both they and their teachers/trainers/coaches are selling themselves short.  I feel the main reason machines are used is it is easier to teach how to train that way. It is an example of taking the easier way out, or following the path of least resistance. IMO, easier is usually the opposite of better.

During my first job in the fitness field (at Wetterau Incorporated Employee Fitness Center) from 1989 until 1993, I taught members who to use the Universal machines we had in the weight room. We had some free weights in the room, but about the only thing they were used for bench pressing and arm curls. This was actually a good thing since I had no idea how to teach anyone how to squat, lunge, hip hinge or deadlift. It wasn't until 1996 when I began studying for my NSCA Personal Trainer Certification that I began to learn how these movements should be taught.  

The clients I have worked with Parkinson's Disease train while standing on their feet. What is your excuse?

Can you imagine older adults doing this for strength. I can. They just have to be able to tailor the exercises to their current abilities.

If you want to get better balance, you should learn to train on your feet. The older we get, the more important training your balance becomes. Therefore; the older we get, the more important it becomes to train while on our feet.

This will help improve balance.

I realize not everyone is going to be able to do all their training while standing. Machines can have their place in training. (It is common knowledge that you can get stronger and/or bigger muscles training on them. All you have to do is look at body builders. A lot of them tend to rely on machines to perform their strength training)  The question is how functional this increase in strength is. How much work do all the supporting muscles get when you don't have to rely on them while seated? How much control of movements do you learn when a machine is in control of the path that your body is moving in? How different muscle groups learn to coordinate their movements is very important to strength and balance training. Keep in mind the phrase: USE IT, OR LOSE IT. This applies to the coordination I am writing about.

How did I develop this attitude when it comes to how I train my clients? One name sticks out.

Vern Gambetta

This quote is mine: "I believe that life itself is an athletic event. Therefore I believe most people should train like athletes."

Once exposed to Vern Gambetta's training ideas I decided when he talks, I better listen.
One of my favorite sayings is: "Pick your mentors wisely." I feel that I did a great job making Vern my favorite mentor. I learned more about how athletes should train from Vern than anyone else.

In addition to being a great coach, he is very good at expressing his thoughts.

His post on the simplicity in coaching sums up my training philosophy nicely. Even though his post share his ideas on training athletes they still apply to older adults. I use these points when training  every one of my clients.

From his blog post:

"The following are some systematic athletic development concepts on which I base my training. They are very simple and straightforward and they can be made as complex as necessary.

Dynamic postural alignment and dynamic balance are the foundation for all training

Train movements not muscles

Train fundamental movement skills before sport specific skills

Train postural strength before extremity strength

Train body weight before external resistance

Train joint integrity before joint mobility

Train strength before strength endurance and power before power endurance

Train speed before speed endurance

Train to build work capacity appropriate for your sport or event

Train sport appropriate - You are what you train to be"

Thank you Vern for being such a great mentor to me.