Have you ever lost your keys, grocery list, or forgotten a phone number?. It happens to all of us and primarily when we are preoccupied. However, if you find it a recurring theme in your everyday life, disrupting you from doing the things you usually do and is troubling or concerning you, it is really helpful to get evaluated to see whether it’s dementia or if it’s just a brain fog issue. 

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Rena Yudkowsky, a well-known memory coach and geriatric social worker in the field with more than twenty years of experience. She is an expert in memory functions and processes. We discuss the importance of sleep for your health, why exercising has great benefits for your brain, and the difference between brain fog and dementia. Rena also gives tips on how to overcome brain fog and other important notes.

Tune in to this episode and learn how to keep your memory sharp!

What’s Discussed in This Episode:

1. Rena’s background and professional experience [02:40]
2. Role of hormones in memory [05:00]
• Why sleep matters for everyone [07:58]
3. What sleep does for the brain [08:21]
4. Exercising to maintain the sharpness of the brain [09:23]
5. How to find balance in strengthening the body and mind [13:04]
• Opportunities of retirement [13:53]
6. What is the memory hormone [15:13]
• Sally’s story [18:48]
7. Why lifestyle modification positively affects people [19:58]
• Helping someone who is suffering from a cognitive problem [21:39]
• Advice for people caring for loved ones with cognitive impairment [22:55]
8. What can you do if you have brain fog [25:49]
• Stop multitasking and be more mindful [26:23]
• Use your senses to encode a memory [30:50]
• Not doing things automatically [32:47]
9. Behavior change is hard but not impossible [33:48]
10. The difference between normal and abnormal memory loss or function [35:23]
11. You can fight your genes [38:53]
• Importance of self talk and not beating yourself down [40:43]
12. Reaching out to people who have memory loss or cognitive impairment [41:52]

About the Guest:

Rena Yudkowsky is a memory coach and geriatric social worker. With over twenty years of professional experience, Rena has helped many individuals—particularly seniors and midlifers—overcome struggles with memory functions. She is the founder of Memory Matters, a course and group that helps improve the memory processes of different people. She aims to encourage people aged fifty years and older that they can age beautifully, both in the physical and cognitive state. 

Resources:

• Check my latest podcast or listen to the previous ones (https://www.drmichellegordon.com/podcasts/) 
• Connect with me on Instagram (@drmichellegordon)
• Follow me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DrMichelleGordon)
• Join in on the next beta group (menopausemovement.com/hormones)
• Rena Yudkowsky Website (https://renayudkowsky.com/) and Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/944333765906584/) 

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder by Arianna Huffington (Paid link: https://amzn.to/2Wv9Spj) 
• The Brain Warrior's Way: Ignite Your Energy and Focus, Attack Illness and Aging, Transform Pain into Purpose by Daniel Amen and Tana Amen (Paid link: https://amzn.to/3hicFMd)
• What You Must Know About Memory Loss and How You Can Stop It: A Guide to Proven Techniques and Supplements to Maintain, Strengthen, or Regain Memory by Pamela Wartian Smith (Paid link: https://amzn.to/2WyaxGn) 
• Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy - Until You're 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley (Paid link: https://amzn.to/2WxCYUP) 
• Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food by Catherine Shanahan, M.D. (Paid link: https://amzn.to/2KJNiq2)
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg (Paid link: https://amzn.to/37yFLn3) 
• The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline by Dale Bredesen (Paid link: https://amzn.to/3nCO4nF) 

For more podcast episodes, you may also visit my website. Tune in and subscribe to The Menopause Movement Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

Thank you for tuning in! 

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