Dear Friends,
Where's my phone?
My girls make fun of me all the time because I seem to misplace my phone multiple times a day.
My husband makes fun of me when we are re-watching a movie from a few years ago and it's like I'm watching it for the first time again.
And these days, if I don't write down my to-do list pretty much immediately when it pops into my head, then I might not remember to do it until it's too late.
Losing our memory is a real fear!
Where are my The Notebook fans?
*insert hyperventilating bawling*
Keep Dancing!
A few days ago, my friend Seran sent me the screenshot above taken from a British magazine called "Woman & Home."
There is more and more growing evidence of research that supports the idea that dancing specifically, is, "the only physical activity associated with a lower risk of dementia.”
https://bethesdahealth.org/blog/2020/04/10/can-dancing-prevent-alzheimers-disease/
But the quote below nailed it for me on why dancing is so important:
“It combines three things that have been shown in multiple studies to reduce the risk of developing dementia:
social engagement, cognitive engagement, and physical activity."
https://www.wsj.com/articles/can-dancing-prevent-dementia-11566223731
1) Social Engagement
We're meant to interact with one another!
This is one of the reasons that early on in the pandemic, I discovered Zoom was the only platform I was willing to teach on. Even from those little Zoom squares, it made a difference to SEE each one of you, moving together.
Now if you are ready to come back in-person...
Well, you can imagine just how much more amazing that feels to BE together.
This past week we celebrated a belated birthday for Erin Meyers on Tuesday and she was joined by her daughter, Elle, who is modeling our "Life is a Dance" sweater!
And on Saturday, we celebrated Marci Rinkoff's birthday with a group of her supportive friends, including her husband Mark!
2) Cognitive Engagement
It's good for your brain!
This past week, we had a special choreography class on Thursday to learn the official dance moves to a new kpop song, "Permission to Dance," by BTS. It was definitely more exercise for the brain as we all tried to memorize the moves, but what a sense of accomplishment afterwards when we could dance the whole routine!
Thank you to Lisa Butcher for recommending the song!
Below is the YouTube link to the free 15 minute recap of our class, or you have THREE MORE DAYS to take the full 60 minute class (expires Thursday morning) and master the moves!
If you're interested in some of the actual research dancing has on cognitive engagement...
BioMed Central Blog || Keep dancing... it turns out it is good for the brain
https://blogs.biomedcentral.com/bmcseriesblog/2016/04/04/keep-dancing-turns-good-brain/
New England Journal of Medicine || Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa022252
3) Physical Activity
Movement is medicine!
If dancing is not your thing, that's ok. Just find an exercise you enjoy and make it a regular habit (or in the case of our newest Wednesday 9:30am HIIT Camp 30/30 class... some classes you can also have a love/hate relationship and you just do it because it's good for you =)
Unfortunately, dementia is hard to prevent. But your overall health and mind can benefit from exercise, consistent social interactions with friends or in the community, and keeping your mind alert by learning new hobbies, reading, or doing crossword puzzles.
Life is a dance.
Life is a gift.
Live life to the fullest.
New Mask Recommendation
As of July 16, Marin has joined the Bay Area in recommending that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, should wear a mask indoors.
We are fortunate that our newest weekday location at UU Marin has 3 walls of windows and doors, which we will be opening up to create an indoor/outdoor space with ventilation. We will still, however, require non-vaccinated individuals to wear masks and keep social distance. Thank you for your cooperation!
*MARK YOUR CALENDARS*
We will be at a different, temporary location on August 3rd & 5th for 9:30am Stop Drop And Dance due to a summer camp scheduling conflict at UU Marin. Location TBD!
If we are to take away anything from the pandemic last year, it is learning to be flexible and to roll with the changes. Everything is out of our control, so our work is learning to stress less about staying in control. Instead, let's focus our energy on overcoming obstacles and on moving forward one step at a time.
Happy Monday, friends!
Love,
Grace
