WEBVTT - Jude Walters: Maintaining brain health 0:00:05.761 --> 0:00:10.201 You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talk SEDB. 0:00:37.201 --> 0:00:40.281 And welcome back to the Weekend Collective. I think we've 0:00:40.281 --> 0:00:42.401 got this. This theme sounds like it's more appropriate for 0:00:42.441 --> 0:00:44.001 the next hour, which will be smart Money, where she 0:00:44.001 --> 0:00:46.761 works hard for her money. And I'm judging by the 0:00:46.801 --> 0:00:50.441 expression from my producer Tyre's face, she's gone, oh yeah, 0:00:50.481 --> 0:00:54.241 that's right. Anyway, welcome back to the show. Just a 0:00:54.241 --> 0:00:57.481 bit of lighthearted band between presenter and producer there. So 0:00:57.601 --> 0:00:59.921 welcome to the Health Hub. We Want Your Cause eight 0:00:59.961 --> 0:01:05.641 hundred eighty eight text on nine to two and my guest, well, 0:01:05.641 --> 0:01:08.881 she's a brain Fit coach and her name is Jude 0:01:08.881 --> 0:01:11.081 Walter and she's with me. Now, good Jude, how are 0:01:11.081 --> 0:01:11.401 you going. 0:01:11.641 --> 0:01:12.881 I'm very well, thanks Tom. 0:01:13.041 --> 0:01:16.881 Yeah. So, actually, just you are from your organizations called 0:01:16.921 --> 0:01:21.241 brain Fit. Tell us about the work that you guys 0:01:21.241 --> 0:01:22.801 do specifically. 0:01:22.441 --> 0:01:25.561 Yeah, awesome. So at Brainfit, well, we are brain and 0:01:25.641 --> 0:01:30.121 memory educators and we really are all about empowering people 0:01:30.161 --> 0:01:32.881 to take control of their brain health, regardless of how 0:01:32.921 --> 0:01:35.321 young or old they are. You know, we've got a 0:01:35.401 --> 0:01:39.081 range of practical programs which are all evidence based, researched 0:01:39.081 --> 0:01:43.201 by new Zealand based neuroscientists doctor Allison Lamont, and they 0:01:43.321 --> 0:01:46.961 really help people with practical tips and techniques that they 0:01:46.961 --> 0:01:49.001 can do and apply to the stuff that they're doing 0:01:49.041 --> 0:01:51.161 every day. So it's not about doing. 0:01:51.481 --> 0:01:55.161 It's not like taking a particular vitamin. I reckon this works, No, 0:01:55.241 --> 0:01:57.761 and we'll go from there. I feel good. I reckon 0:01:57.801 --> 0:01:58.401 it works for me. 0:01:58.681 --> 0:02:01.081 Yeah, And look, you know there will be certainly different 0:02:01.081 --> 0:02:03.041 techniques that will work better for some people than others, 0:02:03.081 --> 0:02:06.121 and that's that's life. But the pros have already supported 0:02:06.121 --> 0:02:11.561 over eighteen thousand kiwis to have sharper brains and stronger memories, 0:02:12.241 --> 0:02:14.041 regardless of how young or old they are. And that's 0:02:14.041 --> 0:02:16.561 what we really are all about, is we'd love to 0:02:16.601 --> 0:02:19.601 live in a world where actually cognitive health got as 0:02:19.681 --> 0:02:21.761 much focus and attention as physical health. 0:02:22.121 --> 0:02:26.521 Actually, I guess because your physical health, well, naturally everything 0:02:26.561 --> 0:02:29.161 does decline in some way because otherwise we'd live forever, 0:02:30.041 --> 0:02:34.121 but we can look after our bodies so we stay 0:02:34.161 --> 0:02:38.001 fitter for longer. Is that similar for the brain. 0:02:38.321 --> 0:02:39.081 Absolutely? 0:02:40.041 --> 0:02:45.041 Obviously. Obviously your brain at some stage is going to 0:02:45.041 --> 0:02:46.521 decline somewhat, isn't it. 0:02:46.641 --> 0:02:46.841 Yeah? 0:02:46.841 --> 0:02:50.841 Absolutely, so were cognitive decline is an inevitable part of 0:02:50.881 --> 0:02:55.121 aging for all of us. However, the more you do 0:02:55.401 --> 0:03:00.521 proactively to actually build what's called cognitive reserve, which many 0:03:00.561 --> 0:03:02.281 of your listeners have probably heard me before when I've 0:03:02.281 --> 0:03:04.241 been on the show, I kind of liken this to you, 0:03:04.241 --> 0:03:06.881 almost like your back up battery brain power. The more 0:03:06.921 --> 0:03:09.441 you can do to build that cognitive reserve, the more 0:03:09.481 --> 0:03:13.881 protective effect you have got, regardless of whether it's age 0:03:14.001 --> 0:03:16.481 or disease, that becomes part of your journey. You're actually 0:03:16.481 --> 0:03:20.521 stepping forward with your best foot. And so what we 0:03:20.601 --> 0:03:22.881 do at brain Foot, what our programs are all designed 0:03:22.921 --> 0:03:25.961 around doing, is really encouraging and helping people to be 0:03:26.041 --> 0:03:29.801 proactive and building that cognitive reserve. And it's not just 0:03:29.841 --> 0:03:31.441 and often when I talk to people like, oh yeah, 0:03:31.441 --> 0:03:33.001 I'm really good. I do the suduku in the back 0:03:33.041 --> 0:03:35.921 of the paper each day. It's more than puzzles. It's 0:03:35.961 --> 0:03:38.961 more than brain teasers, you know, And exactly the same 0:03:39.001 --> 0:03:42.001 way you made the reference to, you know, physical fitness. 0:03:42.241 --> 0:03:44.081 You know, if I only go to the if I 0:03:44.121 --> 0:03:45.881 go to the gym and I only lift weights with 0:03:46.001 --> 0:03:47.641 my left bicep, I'm going to end up with a 0:03:47.641 --> 0:03:50.161 beautiful strong bicep on the left and nothing on the right, 0:03:50.401 --> 0:03:53.081 and our brain is exactly the same. It needs a 0:03:53.161 --> 0:03:56.721 variety of stimulation to stay to keep all parts of 0:03:56.761 --> 0:04:00.481 your brain and memory active, alert, challenged, and growing, because 0:04:00.521 --> 0:04:03.241 that's the beautiful thing is that our brain never ever 0:04:03.281 --> 0:04:05.041 stops growing unless we let it. 0:04:06.321 --> 0:04:08.561 I would imagine a natural sort of time where you 0:04:08.601 --> 0:04:11.241 should really folk. You don't want to be paranot about 0:04:11.281 --> 0:04:13.841 this stuff, but obviously when people have their working careers 0:04:13.841 --> 0:04:15.201 and they get up and they go to the office, 0:04:15.241 --> 0:04:17.241 so they do whatever they do, and when they retire, 0:04:18.121 --> 0:04:20.961 there is a change of social circumstance as well as 0:04:21.721 --> 0:04:23.961 well as anything. And I would think that that would 0:04:24.601 --> 0:04:26.921 This is just a guess, and it's meant as a 0:04:27.001 --> 0:04:30.321 question really because but it might come out as a 0:04:30.361 --> 0:04:33.041 statement that I would imagine that when you do stop 0:04:33.081 --> 0:04:35.961 doing things and you fall into simpler patterns in your life, 0:04:36.521 --> 0:04:38.441 that is not a great thing for your brain. 0:04:39.321 --> 0:04:42.361 I would absolutely agree, But I don't think it's necessarily 0:04:42.641 --> 0:04:46.441 necessarily sorry an age related or lifestyle kind of time 0:04:46.481 --> 0:04:50.481 of life. Because what we saw for anyone of any age, 0:04:51.281 --> 0:04:54.401 the impact that COVID and the changes in our lifestyle 0:04:54.401 --> 0:04:56.521 that COVID had and the fact that we weren't as 0:04:56.601 --> 0:05:00.561 easily interacting and connecting with people you know, in that 0:05:00.681 --> 0:05:05.161 time had massive effects on people's brains and memories. So yes, 0:05:05.401 --> 0:05:08.481 historically that that's actually where the brain Fit program started, 0:05:08.561 --> 0:05:10.881 the brain Fit for Life program, our very first program 0:05:10.921 --> 0:05:13.761 was targeted at a retiree market, actually helping them to 0:05:13.881 --> 0:05:16.401 kind of, you know, bridge that gap. But I've been 0:05:16.441 --> 0:05:19.441 coaching as a brain Fit coach now for over eight years, 0:05:20.041 --> 0:05:22.121 and I can tell you that the average age in 0:05:22.161 --> 0:05:25.881 the classes that I have community classes is probably now 0:05:25.961 --> 0:05:29.321 down in its early to mid forties. And I think 0:05:29.361 --> 0:05:31.641 a part of that is because we are all a 0:05:31.681 --> 0:05:34.281 lot more aware of health and wellness and it's not 0:05:34.561 --> 0:05:37.001 quite as tabu a subject as it potentially was eight 0:05:37.081 --> 0:05:39.921 years ago. But also I think because we are all 0:05:40.321 --> 0:05:43.681 far more aware of the fact that, you know, our 0:05:43.721 --> 0:05:47.561 brains are overloaded, many of us are. If we're not 0:05:47.681 --> 0:05:50.441 dealing with burnout, we're just aware of the fact of 0:05:50.481 --> 0:05:53.481 that overwhelm and that constant demand that we're putting on 0:05:53.521 --> 0:05:57.121 our brain and memory is massive. So memory is something 0:05:57.281 --> 0:05:59.561 that can affect any of us at any age. And 0:05:59.601 --> 0:06:02.601 my advice would be exactly the same. Well, it is 0:06:02.641 --> 0:06:05.401 exactly the same to my sixteen year old daughter who 0:06:05.441 --> 0:06:07.561 is studying for exams right now, as it would be 0:06:07.601 --> 0:06:10.601 for a ninety six year old you know, when you're 0:06:10.641 --> 0:06:12.641 you know, we all need to be able to live 0:06:12.681 --> 0:06:15.081 a productive, independent life. We all need our brain and 0:06:15.161 --> 0:06:17.401 memory to be firing on all cylinders. And that's what 0:06:17.441 --> 0:06:20.161 brain fits all about, is helping you to make sure 0:06:20.201 --> 0:06:21.281 that you are fired. 0:06:21.641 --> 0:06:23.281 Had your own journey into this. I remember from our 0:06:23.281 --> 0:06:25.601 earlier discussions that you know, you burn out in sort 0:06:25.601 --> 0:06:27.841 of a mental sort of I'm not sure if I'm 0:06:27.881 --> 0:06:30.041 being crude and describing it as a mental breakdown but 0:06:30.241 --> 0:06:33.641 shutdown or something. But anyway, you're pushing yourself too hard, 0:06:33.721 --> 0:06:37.321 which is you got a case of understimulation over stimulation. 0:06:37.641 --> 0:06:38.921 Is that a bigger threat. 0:06:38.681 --> 0:06:42.081 Than well, probably both are equally as dangerous. I think, 0:06:42.201 --> 0:06:45.001 you know, if we're a lack of stimulation means that 0:06:45.001 --> 0:06:47.561 we're not using our brains to our full potential. But 0:06:47.721 --> 0:06:50.281 if we are overloading our brains and demanding of our 0:06:50.281 --> 0:06:53.081 brains and our memories more than it is physically capable of, 0:06:53.081 --> 0:06:55.481 which is exactly my experience as a thirty three year 0:06:55.521 --> 0:06:59.121 old woman. You know, I had been burning the candle 0:06:59.161 --> 0:07:01.041 at both ends for too long, and I was just 0:07:01.161 --> 0:07:03.561 kept on pushing because the type a personality that I 0:07:03.601 --> 0:07:06.281 am should we right, you know, and all of the 0:07:06.321 --> 0:07:09.321 coping strategies that I'd had in earlier stages of my life, 0:07:09.361 --> 0:07:11.041 you know, when I was playing competitive netball and I 0:07:11.081 --> 0:07:12.961 was missing my shots, I'd just go out and shoot 0:07:13.001 --> 0:07:16.321 more goals and train harder. If I had more to 0:07:16.361 --> 0:07:18.561 do at work, I would stay longer, I'd work harder. 0:07:18.601 --> 0:07:21.241 But suddenly, as a mum with two young kids and 0:07:22.001 --> 0:07:24.961 you know, husband and a life outside of work, those 0:07:24.961 --> 0:07:28.761 coping strategies no longer benefited me, and I just I 0:07:28.801 --> 0:07:31.721 completely overloaded my brain. And it was that prolonged period 0:07:31.761 --> 0:07:33.681 of stress and the impact it had on my brain 0:07:33.681 --> 0:07:36.001 a memory which led me, as you say, to becoming 0:07:36.001 --> 0:07:38.761 a brain fit coach about eight years ago. 0:07:38.961 --> 0:07:41.761 What were the symptoms for you? And I'm sure you've 0:07:41.761 --> 0:07:45.681 told me, but I just remind our listeners as well, 0:07:46.041 --> 0:07:47.961 because there would have been a time when things wouldn't 0:07:47.961 --> 0:07:50.201 have been great. You just wouldn't. You might not not 0:07:50.241 --> 0:07:52.201 have even recognized it, and then there would have been 0:07:52.241 --> 0:07:54.881 a moment where okay. 0:07:54.721 --> 0:07:57.801 Yeah, and to be honest with you. I talk about 0:07:57.801 --> 0:07:59.841 this in my Brain Fit for Work programs where I 0:07:59.841 --> 0:08:02.881 go into workplaces now to try and help other young 0:08:02.921 --> 0:08:05.401 professionals not have the experiences that I I had. Our 0:08:05.441 --> 0:08:07.481 Brain Fit for Work programs all around that kind of 0:08:07.481 --> 0:08:12.881 workplace based resilience. And look, everyone's experiences with burnout and 0:08:13.321 --> 0:08:16.281 all of the chronic fatigues and the likea are different. 0:08:16.321 --> 0:08:18.641 But for me, you're right, it started as very simple 0:08:18.681 --> 0:08:21.881 things like tiredness, which yeah, you could put down to 0:08:21.921 --> 0:08:24.241 the fact that I was a full time working one 0:08:24.321 --> 0:08:26.641 with two young kids, but I knew in myself that 0:08:26.681 --> 0:08:30.361 it was more than that. And then it progressed over time. 0:08:31.041 --> 0:08:33.881 When it was at its absolute worst, I was having 0:08:33.921 --> 0:08:36.721 panic attacks, which I had never experienced before in my life. 0:08:37.481 --> 0:08:39.601 I forgot to pick up my two year old daughter 0:08:40.121 --> 0:08:43.321 from daycare one day. Now, that was a habit that 0:08:43.481 --> 0:08:46.241 obviously was a routine. Every night I left work, I 0:08:46.281 --> 0:08:48.961 went home via the daycare center picked up my daughter. Well, 0:08:49.001 --> 0:08:51.681 one night I didn't, and it wasn't till I got 0:08:51.721 --> 0:08:55.201 home that I realized I had forgotten my daughter. So 0:08:55.241 --> 0:08:58.121 that is a parenting low, but it was it was 0:08:58.281 --> 0:08:59.961 cumulative over a period of time. 0:09:00.281 --> 0:09:05.321 To be honest, I I think there'd be a few 0:09:05.361 --> 0:09:07.241 parents who might have done that. I remember, and I'm 0:09:07.241 --> 0:09:08.801 not sure if it was a sign of burnout, but 0:09:09.081 --> 0:09:11.481 because I have different routines with my daughters dropping them 0:09:11.481 --> 0:09:13.561 off at ballet, and there's one of the times I 0:09:13.641 --> 0:09:15.681 dropped one daughter off and I picked the other one up, 0:09:16.281 --> 0:09:20.281 and I dropped one off and I went home. I 0:09:20.361 --> 0:09:22.841 walked in the door, my wife says, where's Rosie. I 0:09:22.881 --> 0:09:26.601 was like, oh, it's a very good question. But I 0:09:26.761 --> 0:09:29.521 like to think that wasn't burnout, it was just absent mindedness. 0:09:30.041 --> 0:09:32.121 But well, they're all in the same. I mean, the 0:09:32.161 --> 0:09:36.361 fact that you didn't remember your daughter shows that your brain, 0:09:36.441 --> 0:09:38.641 for whatever reason, at that point in time, was under 0:09:38.681 --> 0:09:42.121 a level of juris stress, whatever overload. That meant that 0:09:42.201 --> 0:09:45.081 you weren't fully thinking about what it was that you 0:09:45.121 --> 0:09:47.721 had to do. And unfortunately, in life, you know, we are. 0:09:48.161 --> 0:09:51.561 It seems to be a badge of honor whenever anyone says, oh, howie, 0:09:51.561 --> 0:09:55.201 I'm so busy. I'm so busy, but actually I. 0:09:54.961 --> 0:09:59.201 Hate you know, Yeah, it's anyway carry out, it's just 0:09:59.241 --> 0:10:02.041 the yeah, it's a tiresome expression on my sol I'm 0:10:02.081 --> 0:10:03.241 so busy with us. I'm so busy that. 0:10:03.441 --> 0:10:06.441 Yeah, well we just need to be caref because busy 0:10:06.601 --> 0:10:09.081 is good to a point, but we do have to 0:10:09.201 --> 0:10:12.441 let our brains and our memories and our bodies physically 0:10:13.721 --> 0:10:17.521 rejuvenate and recover, because otherwise, like my experience, you know, 0:10:17.601 --> 0:10:20.241 I got off that plane one day after that road show. 0:10:20.361 --> 0:10:24.281 I'd been away for work, I'd done a four day, 0:10:24.401 --> 0:10:27.641 five city road show, and I actually collapsed. And to 0:10:27.681 --> 0:10:30.961 be honest with you, the the next we patch after 0:10:31.001 --> 0:10:33.361 that is still a bit of a blur. I ended 0:10:33.441 --> 0:10:35.761 up in hospital, had a huge number of tests to 0:10:35.921 --> 0:10:37.481 cross out any other possibilities. 0:10:37.481 --> 0:10:39.921 Why did you? But what was what led you to 0:10:39.921 --> 0:10:42.641 go to hospital? Was it somebody else collapse? 0:10:43.081 --> 0:10:45.921 So I literally collapsed. I physically collapsed. 0:10:46.241 --> 0:10:47.841 What just on the floor? 0:10:47.881 --> 0:10:51.561 Passed out? Oh okay, passed out on the floor. Felt 0:10:51.601 --> 0:10:54.761 like I had had concrete injected into every vein of 0:10:54.761 --> 0:10:57.081 my body, but my body just didn't want to work. 0:10:57.841 --> 0:11:00.881 And then I was also physically ill as well, and 0:11:00.921 --> 0:11:02.041 so I ended up in hospital. 0:11:02.081 --> 0:11:03.561 I just met. 0:11:03.561 --> 0:11:05.721 It was my body's way of saying, I've been trying 0:11:05.721 --> 0:11:07.681 to warn you for a long time that you're not right, 0:11:07.721 --> 0:11:09.481 and you're not listening, so I really am going to 0:11:09.521 --> 0:11:11.561 chop you down. 0:11:11.201 --> 0:11:13.961 Pretty much like being overwhelmed with stress in a way 0:11:14.681 --> 0:11:17.041 that's physical stress. It's like marathon runners. If they push 0:11:17.081 --> 0:11:18.801 it too hard, you'll see them often they'll throw up 0:11:18.801 --> 0:11:19.641 on the line or something. 0:11:19.681 --> 0:11:22.481 And yeah, it was my body's way of saying enough 0:11:22.521 --> 0:11:22.881 is enough? 0:11:22.921 --> 0:11:25.801 What could you have done? Because there'll be people who 0:11:26.081 --> 0:11:28.601 aren't at that stage, but he'll be thinking, because you know, 0:11:28.601 --> 0:11:32.081 it's conversations like this lead us to have a think. 0:11:33.841 --> 0:11:36.681 What do you know about what you went through that? 0:11:38.201 --> 0:11:41.361 I mean, maybe here's the long winded way of putting it. 0:11:41.881 --> 0:11:44.841 In a way, there was a benefit to your collapse 0:11:44.921 --> 0:11:49.601 was that you radically reformed your lifestyle. But there would 0:11:49.601 --> 0:11:52.601 have been, likewise, also a way where you could have 0:11:53.081 --> 0:11:55.801 taken a few things differently that might not have led 0:11:55.841 --> 0:11:58.641 to that stage. And well, I can tell you though 0:11:58.641 --> 0:12:00.201 it might not have been a great thing because you 0:12:00.281 --> 0:12:01.761 might have just been under the cusp of that, you 0:12:01.841 --> 0:12:02.281 know what I mean. 0:12:02.761 --> 0:12:07.561 My mom's right now and she will probably laugh at 0:12:07.641 --> 0:12:11.081 me saying this, but ever since I was probably about 0:12:11.281 --> 0:12:14.001 seventeen eighteen years old, she had told me that I 0:12:14.001 --> 0:12:15.721 couldn't keep going at the speed I was going, I 0:12:15.761 --> 0:12:18.721 was going to burn out. And I used to go, ah, whatever, mum, 0:12:18.761 --> 0:12:22.441 I've got this. I'm all over this. And now the irony. 0:12:22.601 --> 0:12:23.481 I got to thirty three. 0:12:23.601 --> 0:12:24.361 What would you have listened? 0:12:24.361 --> 0:12:26.961 I've got to thirty three. Look, there are many things 0:12:26.961 --> 0:12:29.881 now here. I was going to say, you know, eighteen 0:12:29.921 --> 0:12:32.441 year old listens to their parents. But what do I 0:12:32.481 --> 0:12:35.521 know about myself now? And let's be I'll be completely honest. 0:12:35.641 --> 0:12:39.001 There is a period towards the end of last year 0:12:39.841 --> 0:12:42.001 when I felt my wheels getting a bit wobbly again. 0:12:42.041 --> 0:12:44.161 So I've been on this journey and I am a 0:12:44.201 --> 0:12:47.401 brain fit coach, and I'm still human. I still kind 0:12:47.441 --> 0:12:50.041 of have to keep a sense check on myself. But 0:12:50.121 --> 0:12:53.721 there are certain key kind of like indicators for me 0:12:54.121 --> 0:12:56.841 that I know are a little bit alarming. And so 0:12:56.921 --> 0:13:02.441 if i feel myself feeling really tired, and I'm generally 0:13:02.481 --> 0:13:05.241 a morning person, if I feel myself not really peping 0:13:05.281 --> 0:13:07.161 out of bed in the morning, I know that that's 0:13:07.441 --> 0:13:10.281 an early sign that I'm probably overdoing things. If I so, 0:13:10.321 --> 0:13:13.121 if I'm kind of waking at five am, if I 0:13:13.161 --> 0:13:16.801 am not exercising, all of those things for me are 0:13:16.801 --> 0:13:19.441 my coping strategies, and as soon as they start falling 0:13:19.481 --> 0:13:21.401 by the wayside, I know I'm getting to that point 0:13:21.401 --> 0:13:23.081 where things are going to get a little bit wobbly, 0:13:23.121 --> 0:13:24.881 and yep, you can cope with it for a period 0:13:24.881 --> 0:13:27.841 of time, but the longer I did it, I really 0:13:27.921 --> 0:13:30.481 started going no, I actually need to jump back into this. 0:13:30.561 --> 0:13:32.961 So things like putting my like putting myself to bed. 0:13:33.001 --> 0:13:35.801 I sound like a kid, making myself go to bed, 0:13:36.641 --> 0:13:39.241 making myself go to bed at nine point thirty when 0:13:39.241 --> 0:13:42.361 I'm feeling wobbly, making myself go to bed at nine thirty, 0:13:42.361 --> 0:13:44.481 because it's the hours of sleep you get before midnight 0:13:44.721 --> 0:13:48.121 that are most the most restorative. So you know, I 0:13:48.241 --> 0:13:52.401 make myself and that's heart. I am sorry. And there's 0:13:52.401 --> 0:13:54.361 a lot of people who can't go to bed at 0:13:54.401 --> 0:13:57.241 that hour, but for me, that was that was a 0:13:57.241 --> 0:13:59.601 game changer, and that was a key part of my recovery. 0:13:59.641 --> 0:14:02.521 I had about six months where I was religiously going 0:14:02.521 --> 0:14:05.161 to bed between so like nine and nine thirty and 0:14:05.201 --> 0:14:07.241 I mean like lights out, so I've done my reading 0:14:07.281 --> 0:14:09.281 or whatever house I needed to do before that, but 0:14:09.441 --> 0:14:12.441 just really kind of restorative and stripping back my exercise. 0:14:12.481 --> 0:14:17.121 I've always been a very physical, physically active person, but 0:14:17.321 --> 0:14:20.081 it was not running, it was walking. So I kind 0:14:20.081 --> 0:14:22.201 of peered everything back, but I had to get back 0:14:22.281 --> 0:14:23.921 into those kind of habits and strategies. 0:14:23.961 --> 0:14:26.441 It's interesting with the sleep thing because I've found that, 0:14:26.561 --> 0:14:28.961 I mean, I do some couple of overnights as well 0:14:29.001 --> 0:14:31.641 as this show, and it takes me a little while 0:14:31.641 --> 0:14:34.441 to get back on and even keel. But I find 0:14:34.441 --> 0:14:38.121 that if I when I'm adjusting back to normal sleeping habits, 0:14:38.281 --> 0:14:41.001 if I get to bed a couple of hours before midnight, 0:14:41.521 --> 0:14:43.801 I actually will sleep quite well. Yeah, but if I 0:14:43.841 --> 0:14:45.801 get now, I'm not something after midnight. But if I 0:14:45.841 --> 0:14:48.561 go to bed sort of eleven eleven thirty, I'm awake 0:14:48.681 --> 0:14:51.441 till you know, it isn't funny. You hit these windows 0:14:51.481 --> 0:14:54.201 where I feel that sleep and I just know, Tim, 0:14:54.241 --> 0:14:55.841 you've got to go. Now you're feeling that little bit 0:14:55.841 --> 0:14:58.641 of that tinge of sleepiness, take it, run with the poor, 0:14:58.721 --> 0:14:59.321 get them to bed. 0:14:59.401 --> 0:15:02.561 Well, we're both parents, and you'll know probably less so 0:15:02.681 --> 0:15:04.601 now that my kids are teenagers. But you know, when 0:15:04.641 --> 0:15:06.481 they were young, you had that small window and if 0:15:06.481 --> 0:15:09.521 they got overtired, they were more alert and impossible to 0:15:09.521 --> 0:15:12.041 put to sleep. You know, we are big kids. Adults 0:15:12.041 --> 0:15:16.081 are big kids. We are no different, and therefore you 0:15:16.121 --> 0:15:19.401 know that that kind of sleep hygiene is equally important 0:15:19.441 --> 0:15:21.361 for us as it is for younger people. 0:15:21.561 --> 0:15:23.801 That's a fascinating conversation. We might dig into this a 0:15:23.801 --> 0:15:25.481 little bit more. We also do want to talk about 0:15:25.521 --> 0:15:27.881 maintaining your brain and so you don't age too quickly. 0:15:27.961 --> 0:15:30.161 So that's what that's what I teased before the show. 0:15:30.481 --> 0:15:33.241 But we're also talking about, man if you are concerned 0:15:33.281 --> 0:15:40.681 about your own mental resilience, that's not wrong word cognitive health, 0:15:40.801 --> 0:15:42.801 your cognitive health. There we go, there, we go. That's 0:15:42.801 --> 0:15:46.841 what we've got her in there. Then we have we've 0:15:46.881 --> 0:15:49.521 got Jude Walter here. She's a brain fit coach from 0:15:49.601 --> 0:15:52.801 brain fit dot World. Oh, by the way, if you 0:15:52.841 --> 0:15:54.401 go into brainfit dot world and there are a couple 0:15:54.441 --> 0:15:57.081 of publications, they've got a couple of books there. If 0:15:57.121 --> 0:15:58.881 you put a news talks there'd be there's a special 0:15:58.881 --> 0:16:01.081 offer for you there on the price. So I think 0:16:01.121 --> 0:16:03.241 it's about half price or something, isn't it, dude. So 0:16:03.441 --> 0:16:06.001 just if you're going into their for news talk listeners, 0:16:06.041 --> 0:16:08.681 just put news talk in there. But we'll be back 0:16:08.721 --> 0:16:10.601 in just a moment. Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty. 0:16:10.601 --> 0:16:13.161 If you've got questions around how are you coping, then 0:16:13.201 --> 0:16:15.241 we'd love to hear from you. E one hundred eighty 0:16:15.241 --> 0:16:17.121 ten eighty. This is the Health Hub on news Talks. 0:16:17.121 --> 0:16:19.921 He'd beat. It's twenty three past four. Yes, newstalks have 0:16:20.001 --> 0:16:22.121 been We're with brain Fit coach Jude while you're talking 0:16:22.121 --> 0:16:27.161 about well maintaining your mental cognitive health and if you've 0:16:27.161 --> 0:16:28.881 got any questions for us, we'd love to hear from you. 0:16:29.041 --> 0:16:31.001 I've got quite a few questions for you, Jude, but 0:16:31.041 --> 0:16:34.481 guess what, We've got a call first, So Peter, good afternoon. 0:16:35.241 --> 0:16:40.041 Oh hi there, hi Jude. And I've been taking up 0:16:40.481 --> 0:16:42.881 tai chi. I'd be in a year at it and 0:16:42.961 --> 0:16:46.201 I thought it's quite good for keeping my memory at 0:16:46.241 --> 0:16:49.361 seventy seven or helping that. Could you give me some 0:16:50.081 --> 0:16:55.121 thoughts about that, whether it's good to continue or or not. Well, 0:16:55.161 --> 0:16:56.161 I'm wasting the time. 0:16:56.241 --> 0:16:59.481 You are definitely not wasting your time, Peter, absolutely not. 0:17:00.641 --> 0:17:04.281 Any Any exercise you can do at any age is 0:17:04.321 --> 0:17:06.601 going to be really really good for a healthy brain 0:17:06.641 --> 0:17:09.481 of memory, and exercise can come in any form. It 0:17:09.521 --> 0:17:12.521 could be doing the gardening, but it could be something 0:17:12.561 --> 0:17:15.841 like tai chi, because what that does is it alerates 0:17:15.881 --> 0:17:19.201 your alevates, sorry, your heart rate, So you're sending a 0:17:19.201 --> 0:17:21.721 fresh supply of oxygen and blood to your brain, which 0:17:21.761 --> 0:17:24.281 is exactly what your brain needs to stay on its game. 0:17:24.681 --> 0:17:28.801 The other added bon benefit of something like a tai 0:17:28.921 --> 0:17:31.521 chi or yoga is that it involves quite a bit 0:17:31.561 --> 0:17:34.841 of cross brain exercise. So a cross brain exercise is 0:17:35.361 --> 0:17:39.361 any exercise where your hands or legs cross over your 0:17:39.361 --> 0:17:41.481 body center line. So this is hard on radio, but 0:17:41.481 --> 0:17:43.801 if you imagine that you were chopping yourself in half 0:17:44.081 --> 0:17:46.161 coming running your finger right down through the middle of 0:17:46.201 --> 0:17:47.881 your nose and down through your sternum and down the 0:17:47.921 --> 0:17:51.641 center of your body, any action where your hand crosses 0:17:51.721 --> 0:17:54.921 over that center line is called a cross brain exercise. 0:17:54.921 --> 0:17:57.241 And there's a lot of that in thai chi, as 0:17:57.281 --> 0:17:59.081 there is in kind of even some of the aqua 0:17:59.081 --> 0:18:01.081 aerobics and that sort of stuff. So that's awesome for 0:18:01.081 --> 0:18:03.081 cross brain because that gets both sides of your brain 0:18:03.121 --> 0:18:04.321 firing simultaneously. 0:18:05.121 --> 0:18:05.361 Do it. 0:18:05.481 --> 0:18:06.641 Absolutely, keep it up. 0:18:07.161 --> 0:18:10.361 I'll keep it up. Thank you very much. Indeed, thanks Tim, good. 0:18:10.161 --> 0:18:14.721 Stuff, cheers, Peter. It's just a couple of things. It's 0:18:14.721 --> 0:18:18.241 so stress, as they say, stress is the greatest killer. 0:18:19.881 --> 0:18:22.201 How effective is a good cry from time to time? 0:18:22.441 --> 0:18:24.081 I like a good cry again. 0:18:24.801 --> 0:18:27.841 I'm all for it absolutely. I think I'm certainly no 0:18:27.961 --> 0:18:32.601 expert in crying. But from what I do know from 0:18:32.921 --> 0:18:36.001 a stress and brain related point of view, is that stress, 0:18:36.001 --> 0:18:39.401 as you say, is the absolute enemy of a strong 0:18:39.441 --> 0:18:42.361 brain and memory. Because actually when you are stressed, and 0:18:42.441 --> 0:18:45.161 stress can come in any form, it can come from, 0:18:45.201 --> 0:18:51.281 you know, stress around relationships, finances, health, just life. You 0:18:51.321 --> 0:18:54.961 know that stress. What happens is your body, it's our 0:18:55.041 --> 0:18:57.801 human instinct. It goes into what we call survival mode, 0:18:57.841 --> 0:19:00.361 which is often referred to as fight, flight or freeze. 0:19:00.601 --> 0:19:03.401 And when your body is in survival mode, the memory 0:19:03.441 --> 0:19:06.601 parts of your brain actually designed and too dull because 0:19:06.601 --> 0:19:08.961 it's actually not important to remember stuff when you're trying 0:19:09.001 --> 0:19:11.841 to survive. It's all your energies for your body go 0:19:11.961 --> 0:19:15.881 into survival so that ability to outrun the tiger, fight 0:19:15.961 --> 0:19:18.881 the tiger, or freeze and hope the tiger doesn't see you. 0:19:20.241 --> 0:19:23.401 Now we've moved on from tigers chasing us, but actually 0:19:23.521 --> 0:19:26.281 life is a big tiger. Sometimes that can can chase 0:19:26.361 --> 0:19:29.001 us down. And so if you live in a prolonged 0:19:29.001 --> 0:19:31.321 period of stress, and this is exactly what my experience 0:19:31.521 --> 0:19:34.121 was personally. You know, when I had my breakdown as 0:19:34.201 --> 0:19:36.881 a young thirty three year old, you know, I had 0:19:36.961 --> 0:19:38.961 lived in a state of stress for so long that 0:19:39.041 --> 0:19:41.641 the memory centers of my brain weren't just dulled, they 0:19:41.641 --> 0:19:45.321