Make It Happen Monday

Your weekly dose from the

The Healthy Living School®

Move More, Protect Your Brain: New Research Offers Hope Against Alzheimer’s

What if one simple habit could protect your brain from Alzheimer’s? Exciting new research suggests it can! Scientists have uncovered compelling evidence that regular aerobic exercise may significantly reduce disease markers associated with Alzheimer’s, offering fresh hope in the fight against this devastating disorder.

Published in Brain Research, the study focused on the hippocampus—the brain’s memory and learning center—and examined the effects of aerobic exercise on key Alzheimer's markers, including amyloid plaques, tau tangles, and iron buildup in myelin-producing cells. These markers are major contributors to Alzheimer’s progression.

Here’s the inspiring part: lab mice who followed a structured aerobic exercise program showed remarkable improvements:

76% fewer amyloid plaques
63% reduction in tau tangles
58% less iron buildup in brain cells
Reduced brain inflammation by up to 68%
Improved communication between brain cells
Increased numbers of protective brain cells

Based on this new study and a mountain of past studies, the message is clear: moving your body appears to be one of the most powerful ways to protect your brain as you age. Whether it’s walking, swimming, cycling, or dancing, making aerobic exercise a daily habit could help keep your memory sharp and your brain resilient.

This is your friendly reminder that it's never too late—or too early—to prioritize movement. Every step, every workout, every minute spent in motion is an investment in a healthier, brighter future. Let’s lace up our sneakers and get moving! Your brain will thank you. (1)

You're Invited

I want to let you know about a special (and rare) event happening this Saturday. My daughter Liz will be traveling to Charleston to deliver a transformative seminar titled "From Burden to Blessing: Embodying the Divine through Female Biology." This event offers a deep and engaging exploration of the healing power of embodied spiritual practices.

If you or someone you know would be interested, I encourage you to attend or share this opportunity as you feel called. A Zoom option is available for those who cannot join in person.

ABOUT THE SEMINAR

It’s one thing to believe women are powerful beings, but it’s quite another thing to feel this way in our bodies.

Modern culture is saturated with the rhetoric of female empowerment, and yet, many of us continue to experience our bodies and their unique capacities—the very sources and living expressions of our femaleness— as burdens, impediments, objects of shame, punishments by a vengeful god, or else entirely empty of meaning and intelligence.

This is why we can “have it all” and still not feel like enough.
This is why we can believe “all bodies are beautiful” and still feel disgust every time we look in the mirror.
This is why we can proselytize “the importance of self-love” and still be unable to feel this love outside of the validation of a romantic relationship.
This is why we can believe “aging is something to celebrate” and still dread the coming of another birthday.
This is why we can rail against “the objectification of women” while continuing to believe that our bodies must be starved, hardened, surgically augmented, plasticized, fetishized, or coveted in order to be acceptable or worthy of value.

If you’re one of the many women who has experienced this painful disconnect, a disconnect between what you believe and say and how you feel and behave, this seminar is for you.

Bring your mothers, sisters, daughters, and girlfriends, and experience the fullness of your femaleness as you never have before.

LEARN MORE OR REGISTER

Is Your Morning Coffee Your Secret Health Booster?

If you’re a coffee lover, here’s some exciting news: the timing of your coffee habit could make a big difference in your health! A recent study looked at over 40,000 adults (thanks to the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) to figure out how coffee drinking patterns might impact longevity.

The results are in, and morning coffee drinkers are coming out on top.

Here’s What They Found:

Morning Coffee Drinkers (36% of participants): These folks sipped their coffee before noon and had some impressive health perks:
- 16% less likely to die from any cause.
- 31% less likely to die from heart disease.
All-Day Coffee Drinkers (16% of participants): They drank coffee throughout the day but didn’t see the same benefits as morning drinkers.
Non-Coffee Drinkers (48% of participants): They missed out on the coffee advantage altogether.

Here’s the cool part: it didn’t matter if you drank two to three cups or more than three—if you had your coffee in the morning, the health benefits were there. Even light coffee drinkers (one cup or less) saw a small reduction in risk.

Why Morning Coffee Works Best

According to Dr. Qi, the lead researcher, this is the first study to look at when people drink coffee and how it affects health. And timing might be more important than you think!

A possible explanation? Drinking coffee in the afternoon or evening can mess with your sleep-wake cycle (your circadian rhythm) and hormones like melatonin. That disruption might increase inflammation and blood pressure, which could cancel out coffee’s health benefits.

What This Means for You

If you love coffee (or you’ve been looking for a reason to start), this is your sign: drink it in the morning. Whether you prefer two to three cups or more, timing your coffee before noon could be a simple way to boost your health.

So, are you a morning coffee drinker, an all-day sipper, or someone who skips coffee altogether? Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to hear from you!

And if you know someone who could use this coffee tip, forward this along and share the love (and the caffeine).