September 22, 2024 • 39 mins
Brain health is more than just crosswords and fish oil.
Brainfit Coach Jude Walters joins Tim Beveridge on The Weekend Collective to discuss what you can do to maintain and improve your brain health.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And welcome back to the Weekend Collective. I think we've
got this. This theme sounds like it's more appropriate for
the next hour, which will be smart Money, where she
works hard for her money. And I'm judging by the
expression from my producer Tyre's face, she's gone, oh yeah,
that's right. Anyway, welcome back to the show. Just a
bit of lighthearted band between presenter and producer there. So
(00:57):
welcome to the Health Hub. We Want Your Cause eight
hundred eighty eight text on nine to two and my guest, well,
she's a brain Fit coach and her name is Jude
Walter and she's with me. Now, good Jude, how are
you going.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I'm very well, thanks Tom.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah. So, actually, just you are from your organizations called
brain Fit. Tell us about the work that you guys
do specifically.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, awesome. So at Brainfit, well, we are brain and
memory educators and we really are all about empowering people
to take control of their brain health, regardless of how
young or old they are. You know, we've got a
range of practical programs which are all evidence based, researched
by new Zealand based neuroscientists doctor Allison Lamont, and they
(01:43):
really help people with practical tips and techniques that they
can do and apply to the stuff that they're doing
every day. So it's not about doing.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
It's not like taking a particular vitamin. I reckon this works, No,
and we'll go from there. I feel good. I reckon
it works for me.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, And look, you know there will be certainly different
techniques that will work better for some people than others,
and that's that's life. But the pros have already supported
over eighteen thousand kiwis to have sharper brains and stronger memories,
regardless of how young or old they are. And that's
what we really are all about, is we'd love to
live in a world where actually cognitive health got as
(02:19):
much focus and attention as physical health.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Actually, I guess because your physical health, well, naturally everything
does decline in some way because otherwise we'd live forever,
but we can look after our bodies so we stay
fitter for longer. Is that similar for the brain.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Obviously. Obviously your brain at some stage is going to
decline somewhat, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Absolutely, so were cognitive decline is an inevitable part of
aging for all of us. However, the more you do
proactively to actually build what's called cognitive reserve, which many
of your listeners have probably heard me before when I've
been on the show, I kind of liken this to you,
almost like your back up battery brain power. The more
(03:06):
you can do to build that cognitive reserve, the more
protective effect you have got, regardless of whether it's age
or disease, that becomes part of your journey. You're actually
stepping forward with your best foot. And so what we
do at brain Foot, what our programs are all designed
around doing, is really encouraging and helping people to be
proactive and building that cognitive reserve. And it's not just
(03:29):
and often when I talk to people like, oh yeah,
I'm really good. I do the suduku in the back
of the paper each day. It's more than puzzles. It's
more than brain teasers, you know, And exactly the same
way you made the reference to, you know, physical fitness.
You know, if I only go to the if I
go to the gym and I only lift weights with
my left bicep, I'm going to end up with a
beautiful strong bicep on the left and nothing on the right,
(03:50):
and our brain is exactly the same. It needs a
variety of stimulation to stay to keep all parts of
your brain and memory active, alert, challenged, and growing, because
that's the beautiful thing is that our brain never ever
stops growing unless we let it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I would imagine a natural sort of time where you
should really folk. You don't want to be paranot about
this stuff, but obviously when people have their working careers
and they get up and they go to the office,
so they do whatever they do, and when they retire,
there is a change of social circumstance as well as
well as anything. And I would think that that would
This is just a guess, and it's meant as a
(04:27):
question really because but it might come out as a
statement that I would imagine that when you do stop
doing things and you fall into simpler patterns in your life,
that is not a great thing for your brain.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
I would absolutely agree, But I don't think it's necessarily
necessarily sorry an age related or lifestyle kind of time
of life. Because what we saw for anyone of any age,
the impact that COVID and the changes in our lifestyle
that COVID had and the fact that we weren't as
easily interacting and connecting with people you know, in that
(05:00):
time had massive effects on people's brains and memories. So yes,
historically that that's actually where the brain Fit program started,
the brain Fit for Life program, our very first program
was targeted at a retiree market, actually helping them to
kind of, you know, bridge that gap. But I've been
coaching as a brain Fit coach now for over eight years,
and I can tell you that the average age in
(05:22):
the classes that I have community classes is probably now
down in its early to mid forties. And I think
a part of that is because we are all a
lot more aware of health and wellness and it's not
quite as tabu a subject as it potentially was eight
years ago. But also I think because we are all
far more aware of the fact that, you know, our
(05:43):
brains are overloaded, many of us are. If we're not
dealing with burnout, we're just aware of the fact of
that overwhelm and that constant demand that we're putting on
our brain and memory is massive. So memory is something
that can affect any of us at any age. And
my advice would be exactly the same. Well, it is
exactly the same to my sixteen year old daughter who
(06:05):
is studying for exams right now, as it would be
for a ninety six year old you know, when you're
you know, we all need to be able to live
a productive, independent life. We all need our brain and
memory to be firing on all cylinders. And that's what
brain fits all about, is helping you to make sure
that you are fired.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Had your own journey into this. I remember from our
earlier discussions that you know, you burn out in sort
of a mental sort of I'm not sure if I'm
being crude and describing it as a mental breakdown but
shutdown or something. But anyway, you're pushing yourself too hard,
which is you got a case of understimulation over stimulation.
Is that a bigger threat.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Than well, probably both are equally as dangerous. I think,
you know, if we're a lack of stimulation means that
we're not using our brains to our full potential. But
if we are overloading our brains and demanding of our
brains and our memories more than it is physically capable of,
which is exactly my experience as a thirty three year
old woman. You know, I had been burning the candle
(06:59):
at both ends for too long, and I was just
kept on pushing because the type a personality that I
am should we right, you know, and all of the
coping strategies that I'd had in earlier stages of my life,
you know, when I was playing competitive netball and I
was missing my shots, I'd just go out and shoot
more goals and train harder. If I had more to
do at work, I would stay longer, I'd work harder.
But suddenly, as a mum with two young kids and
(07:22):
you know, husband and a life outside of work, those
coping strategies no longer benefited me, and I just I
completely overloaded my brain. And it was that prolonged period
of stress and the impact it had on my brain
a memory which led me, as you say, to becoming
a brain fit coach about eight years ago.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
What were the symptoms for you? And I'm sure you've
told me, but I just remind our listeners as well,
because there would have been a time when things wouldn't
have been great. You just wouldn't. You might not not
have even recognized it, and then there would have been
a moment where okay.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Yeah, and to be honest with you. I talk about
this in my Brain Fit for Work programs where I
go into workplaces now to try and help other young
professionals not have the experiences that I I had. Our
Brain Fit for Work programs all around that kind of
workplace based resilience. And look, everyone's experiences with burnout and
all of the chronic fatigues and the likea are different.
(08:16):
But for me, you're right, it started as very simple
things like tiredness, which yeah, you could put down to
the fact that I was a full time working one
with two young kids, but I knew in myself that
it was more than that. And then it progressed over time.
When it was at its absolute worst, I was having
panic attacks, which I had never experienced before in my life.
(08:37):
I forgot to pick up my two year old daughter
from daycare one day. Now, that was a habit that
obviously was a routine. Every night I left work, I
went home via the daycare center picked up my daughter. Well,
one night I didn't, and it wasn't till I got
home that I realized I had forgotten my daughter. So
that is a parenting low, but it was it was
(08:58):
cumulative over a period of time.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
To be honest, I I think there'd be a few
parents who might have done that. I remember, and I'm
not sure if it was a sign of burnout, but
because I have different routines with my daughters dropping them
off at ballet, and there's one of the times I
dropped one daughter off and I picked the other one up,
and I dropped one off and I went home. I
(09:20):
walked in the door, my wife says, where's Rosie. I
was like, oh, it's a very good question. But I
like to think that wasn't burnout, it was just absent mindedness.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
But well, they're all in the same. I mean, the
fact that you didn't remember your daughter shows that your brain,
for whatever reason, at that point in time, was under
a level of juris stress, whatever overload. That meant that
you weren't fully thinking about what it was that you
had to do. And unfortunately, in life, you know, we are.
It seems to be a badge of honor whenever anyone says, oh, howie,
(09:51):
I'm so busy. I'm so busy, but actually I.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Hate you know, Yeah, it's anyway carry out, it's just
the yeah, it's a tiresome expression on my sol I'm
so busy with us. I'm so busy that.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Yeah, well we just need to be caref because busy
is good to a point, but we do have to
let our brains and our memories and our bodies physically
rejuvenate and recover, because otherwise, like my experience, you know,
I got off that plane one day after that road show.
I'd been away for work, I'd done a four day,
(10:24):
five city road show, and I actually collapsed. And to
be honest with you, the the next we patch after
that is still a bit of a blur. I ended
up in hospital, had a huge number of tests to
cross out any other possibilities.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Why did you? But what was what led you to
go to hospital? Was it somebody else collapse?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
So I literally collapsed. I physically collapsed.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
What just on the floor?
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Passed out? Oh okay, passed out on the floor. Felt
like I had had concrete injected into every vein of
my body, but my body just didn't want to work.
And then I was also physically ill as well, and
so I ended up in hospital.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I just met.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
It was my body's way of saying, I've been trying
to warn you for a long time that you're not right,
and you're not listening, so I really am going to
chop you down.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Pretty much like being overwhelmed with stress in a way
that's physical stress. It's like marathon runners. If they push
it too hard, you'll see them often they'll throw up
on the line or something.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
And yeah, it was my body's way of saying enough
is enough?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
What could you have done? Because there'll be people who
aren't at that stage, but he'll be thinking, because you know,
it's conversations like this lead us to have a think.
What do you know about what you went through that?
I mean, maybe here's the long winded way of putting it.
In a way, there was a benefit to your collapse
(11:44):
was that you radically reformed your lifestyle. But there would
have been, likewise, also a way where you could have
taken a few things differently that might not have led
to that stage. And well, I can tell you though
it might not have been a great thing because you
might have just been under the cusp of that, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
My mom's right now and she will probably laugh at
me saying this, but ever since I was probably about
seventeen eighteen years old, she had told me that I
couldn't keep going at the speed I was going, I
was going to burn out. And I used to go, ah, whatever, mum,
I've got this. I'm all over this. And now the irony.
I got to thirty three.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
What would you have listened?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
I've got to thirty three. Look, there are many things
now here. I was going to say, you know, eighteen
year old listens to their parents. But what do I
know about myself now? And let's be I'll be completely honest.
There is a period towards the end of last year
when I felt my wheels getting a bit wobbly again.
So I've been on this journey and I am a
brain fit coach, and I'm still human. I still kind
(12:47):
of have to keep a sense check on myself. But
there are certain key kind of like indicators for me
that I know are a little bit alarming. And so
if i feel myself feeling really tired, and I'm generally
a morning person, if I feel myself not really peping
out of bed in the morning, I know that that's
an early sign that I'm probably overdoing things. If I so,
(13:10):
if I'm kind of waking at five am, if I
am not exercising, all of those things for me are
my coping strategies, and as soon as they start falling
by the wayside, I know I'm getting to that point
where things are going to get a little bit wobbly,
and yep, you can cope with it for a period
of time, but the longer I did it, I really
started going no, I actually need to jump back into this.
(13:30):
So things like putting my like putting myself to bed.
I sound like a kid, making myself go to bed,
making myself go to bed at nine point thirty when
I'm feeling wobbly, making myself go to bed at nine thirty,
because it's the hours of sleep you get before midnight
that are most the most restorative. So you know, I
make myself and that's heart. I am sorry. And there's
(13:52):
a lot of people who can't go to bed at
that hour, but for me, that was that was a
game changer, and that was a key part of my recovery.
I had about six months where I was religiously going
to bed between so like nine and nine thirty and
I mean like lights out, so I've done my reading
or whatever house I needed to do before that, but
just really kind of restorative and stripping back my exercise.
(14:12):
I've always been a very physical, physically active person, but
it was not running, it was walking. So I kind
of peered everything back, but I had to get back
into those kind of habits and strategies.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
It's interesting with the sleep thing because I've found that,
I mean, I do some couple of overnights as well
as this show, and it takes me a little while
to get back on and even keel. But I find
that if I when I'm adjusting back to normal sleeping habits,
if I get to bed a couple of hours before midnight,
I actually will sleep quite well. Yeah, but if I
get now, I'm not something after midnight. But if I
(14:45):
go to bed sort of eleven eleven thirty, I'm awake
till you know, it isn't funny. You hit these windows
where I feel that sleep and I just know, Tim,
you've got to go. Now you're feeling that little bit
of that tinge of sleepiness, take it, run with the poor,
get them to bed.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Well, we're both parents, and you'll know probably less so
now that my kids are teenagers. But you know, when
they were young, you had that small window and if
they got overtired, they were more alert and impossible to
put to sleep. You know, we are big kids. Adults
are big kids. We are no different, and therefore you
know that that kind of sleep hygiene is equally important
(15:19):
for us as it is for younger people.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
That's a fascinating conversation. We might dig into this a
little bit more. We also do want to talk about
maintaining your brain and so you don't age too quickly.
So that's what that's what I teased before the show.
But we're also talking about, man if you are concerned
about your own mental resilience, that's not wrong word cognitive health,
your cognitive health. There we go, there, we go. That's
(15:42):
what we've got her in there. Then we have we've
got Jude Walter here. She's a brain fit coach from
brain fit dot World. Oh, by the way, if you
go into brainfit dot world and there are a couple
of publications, they've got a couple of books there. If
you put a news talks there'd be there's a special
offer for you there on the price. So I think
it's about half price or something, isn't it, dude. So
(16:03):
just if you're going into their for news talk listeners,
just put news talk in there. But we'll be back
in just a moment. Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty.
If you've got questions around how are you coping, then
we'd love to hear from you. E one hundred eighty
ten eighty. This is the Health Hub on news Talks.
He'd beat. It's twenty three past four. Yes, newstalks have
been We're with brain Fit coach Jude while you're talking
about well maintaining your mental cognitive health and if you've
(16:27):
got any questions for us, we'd love to hear from you.
I've got quite a few questions for you, Jude, but
guess what, We've got a call first, So Peter, good afternoon.
Speaker 5 (16:35):
Oh hi there, hi Jude. And I've been taking up
tai chi. I'd be in a year at it and
I thought it's quite good for keeping my memory at
seventy seven or helping that. Could you give me some
thoughts about that, whether it's good to continue or or not. Well,
I'm wasting the time.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
You are definitely not wasting your time, Peter, absolutely not.
Any Any exercise you can do at any age is
going to be really really good for a healthy brain
of memory, and exercise can come in any form. It
could be doing the gardening, but it could be something
like tai chi, because what that does is it alerates
your alevates, sorry, your heart rate, So you're sending a
(17:19):
fresh supply of oxygen and blood to your brain, which
is exactly what your brain needs to stay on its game.
The other added bon benefit of something like a tai
chi or yoga is that it involves quite a bit
of cross brain exercise. So a cross brain exercise is
any exercise where your hands or legs cross over your
(17:39):
body center line. So this is hard on radio, but
if you imagine that you were chopping yourself in half
coming running your finger right down through the middle of
your nose and down through your sternum and down the
center of your body, any action where your hand crosses
over that center line is called a cross brain exercise.
And there's a lot of that in thai chi, as
there is in kind of even some of the aqua
aerobics and that sort of stuff. So that's awesome for
(18:01):
cross brain because that gets both sides of your brain
firing simultaneously.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
Do it.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Absolutely, keep it up.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
I'll keep it up. Thank you very much. Indeed, thanks Tim, good.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Stuff, cheers, Peter. It's just a couple of things. It's
so stress, as they say, stress is the greatest killer.
How effective is a good cry from time to time?
I like a good cry again.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
I'm all for it absolutely. I think I'm certainly no
expert in crying. But from what I do know from
a stress and brain related point of view, is that stress,
as you say, is the absolute enemy of a strong
brain and memory. Because actually when you are stressed, and
stress can come in any form, it can come from,
(18:45):
you know, stress around relationships, finances, health, just life. You
know that stress. What happens is your body, it's our
human instinct. It goes into what we call survival mode,
which is often referred to as fight, flight or freeze.
And when your body is in survival mode, the memory
parts of your brain actually designed and too dull because
(19:06):
it's actually not important to remember stuff when you're trying
to survive. It's all your energies for your body go
into survival so that ability to outrun the tiger, fight
the tiger, or freeze and hope the tiger doesn't see you.
Now we've moved on from tigers chasing us, but actually
life is a big tiger. Sometimes that can can chase
us down. And so if you live in a prolonged
(19:29):
period of stress, and this is exactly what my experience
was personally. You know, when I had my breakdown as
a young thirty three year old, you know, I had
lived in a state of stress for so long that
the memory centers of my brain weren't just dulled, they
were actually switching off. And that's why I forgot to
go and pick up my daughter.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
So, now that we're moving on to to what we're
originally talking about, as you get older, are you conscious
about cognitive client decline yourself or if this is something
you do something to address, or is it.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Just I'm conscious of it, but I'm not terrified by it. No,
And that's my biggest advice I would give to in
and lots of people say, oh, it's easy for you
to say you're still in your forties, but actually, let's
stop worrying about the wattifs and really focus on what
we can do. And research shows us that our brains
continue to grow from the day we're born till the
(20:20):
day we die, as long as we nurture them. And
really focusing on what we can do to build that
cognitive reserve and as I said before, Tim, it's not
about expensive gym memberships. It's not about finding an extra
two hours in the day to do stuff. It's about
doing the stuff we do every day smarter. You brush
your teeth every day, once a week, twice a week.
Brush your teeth with your non dominant hand. That will
(20:42):
trigger a different part of your brain, Stimulate your brain
in a different way, that will grow and challenge it.
When you are sitting at the traffic lights, and let's
be honest, we do quite a bit of that living
in Auckland.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
You know.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
I glance up now and I will look at a
sign on the shop that's beside me, and for instance,
if it is the Florist, i will go right before
this light turns green. I'm going to think of as
many words as I can that start with the letter
if if for florist.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
This is quite hardcore for most people, like wow, she's working.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
But I've got that idle time when I'm sitting at
the lights. It's it's about doing the stuff we can
do smarter, not about doing necessarily more. And it is
you know, as I mentioned before, it's more than just
doing puzzles and brain teasers. It's about eating healthily, it's
about getting that quality sleep, it's about interacting and connecting
with different people. And this is where like talkback is
(21:32):
brilliant because you're actually exposing yourself to different people's perspectives
that actually make you sit up, think, challenge, refine your
own thought processes, and all of that is stimulating your
brain and new and different ways.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
That's funny that it's something every now and again, because
you do get regular callers and you think that you
know where they're going to come from. But sometimes I
just go, hang on, just cancel that for a moment,
and it's just let's just pretend that view is absolutely
brilliant and go from there. Look, we want your calls.
In fact, we're going to take some calls right now.
And what are you doing to improve or maintain your
(22:04):
brain health? Actually, because make sure that you remind me
of this, and I'll write a night for myself because
things like diet and vitamins and all that sort of stuff. Joe,
we'll have a chat about that at some stage. But
let's take some calls.
Speaker 7 (22:16):
Bill, Hello, Hello, I totally agree with that.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Lady, Jude, She's with you right now.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
You can say Hello, Hi Bill, Hello, how are you?
Speaker 7 (22:29):
I very well say yes, I agree with that. I
I was in the building trade and I took retirement,
retirement when I was fifty nine.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Oh that's good, hasn't it.
Speaker 6 (22:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (22:52):
So and then when I've got it now, that doesn't
suit me. So I sat at work again, contracting, and
the family started call me your work aholic?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And what was it? Did you? Were you happy? Were
you doing well?
Speaker 7 (23:12):
Very happy? Happy in my work? But my work was
my my thing and because I was also what I
was doing resiration work. Plus in the winter time, I
used to we will restore antique furniture, and that's very
(23:32):
very creative. Absolutely yeah. And then I start making other
what what ornaments like birdhouses, letter boxes, and then I'll
get to old people. And they said, oh, how much
is that? I said, oh yes.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
The smile is this this case of the moral of
the story for you has been to keep working? Or
did you have a particular question you're curious about with them?
Speaker 7 (23:58):
With Jude, yeah, well I did. I did have a
messive for her to text thirty five years ago. Oh
it's three days I'm conscious. And it took them twenty
minutes to get me back. They told me, Yeah, their
own town. No next next month, I'll be ninety six
(24:24):
wood work.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Do you know the oldest person I've had in one
of my Brainforit classes was ninety six, and she blew
my mind. So you keep doing whatever it is that
you're doing. Keep that brain active and agile, keep building
those birdhouses and crafting, because it's clearly doing good things.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
I think. Actually I got a suggestion as well. If
you're a listener then and you've been listening a long
time listener, I love that expression, a long time first
time caller. But actually, you know what, if you're a
long time listening your first time call I'll tell you what.
That is a workout for you to put your put
your point of view and explain it in a cogent
way to a national audience. That has to be good
for brainforit.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
Doesn't it absolutely. That's why I'm saying, even to my
daughter at the moment, studying for exams. The ability to
write notes versus the ability to actually speak or articulate
uses different parts of your brain really really good for
actually creating those multiple memory traces. You will be more
likely to remember stuff if you do a mixture of
writing and talking and you know, and the like, because
(25:20):
it's all again this variety of the brain. There's actually
forty different ways that our brain remembers things, and so
all of those are stimulated in different ways.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
It's interesting. I'm doing a language course at the moment,
just through Duo Lingo. But I'm on day six hundred
and twenty one, and it does say, I mean, you
can just stay on the app and click on list
and click on that, but it does say, if you
really want to learn the language, as you go through
the lessons, write things down as well. And I'm not
quite doing that, but I am trying to find a
different way of thinking of everything. So I'm learning. So anyway, look,
(25:49):
let's take another call Karen.
Speaker 6 (25:51):
Hello, Yeah, Hi, Yeah, you know me.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
I'm up at night on my days off because I
do n It's just.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Where are you sleeping, Karen?
Speaker 6 (25:59):
You're just oh, well, I get a I actually get
about four zero sleeper day and I manage really well.
But the problem with me is like I cannot stand
brain games, you know, like.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
And crossroads and all that.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
Yeah, No, I cannot stand anything like that. My problem
is I'm like completely engaged and as soon as I
hear you want radio, that's it. My brain's awake and
I'm listening. I pick up on topics and I like
podcasts and things. But what I was want to ask
in was about a natural remedy because I like natural
rememdies and I keep really good health. I really don't,
(26:38):
but a natural remedy because I did, didn't I find
that all the stimulates because it makes you kind of
had the vigil And again no idea.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I was going to say, it's just lying.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Here resting is enough? Like I'm just laying bed here
at the moment, doing nothing, just on my back resting.
Is that good as good as.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Like, well, it's probably not as good as sleep. But
there are a huge number of experts out there who
are sleep experts.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
So you know, I have one on our show out.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
There, so hock up with Alex. And there's actually also
a number of podcasts that are actually really good for
helping with different sleep techniques. The challenge we've got when
it comes to sleep and why we go on about
sleepers that actually, when you're sleeping, that is when your
memories are consolidated. So it's because you've got less senses
(27:28):
active at that time. That's when your brain does it's
kind of sorting, and it's filing for the day. And
I almost like in the sometimes, so you know, when
you log off your computer and shut it down, sometimes
it does a whole lot of whirring in the background
before it goes completely quiet. That's exactly what's happening in
our heads and our brains when we are sleeping. And
that's why sometimes you'll have that three am in the morning,
or maybe not for you, Karen, because that's actually when
(27:49):
you're awake for night. Just but you'll have that moment
of absolute clarity. We go, oh, her name was Sarah,
and you actually needed that person's name hours ago. But
that's because that's where your brain's got to and the
filing and the sorting.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Actually, is there something while we've got you there, Karen?
Do you think we should you say you don't like
Sadokia in any of these brain teasers? I reckon, I reckon,
you should give it a whirl. And because I don't
know is it worth trying it, I say that you
might end up loving it.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Yeah. Well, and even if you don't love it, And
a lot of the time people don't love it because
they're not good at it. And we've got this whole
mentality around the fact that you have to be good
at something. Actually the act of doing it, the act
of trying it, the act of the challenge is the
bit that's going to grow and nurture your brain. Actually
solving the suku, cracking the co cracker, that's all icing
(28:38):
on the cake. It's the act of doing it and
getting yourself in that challenge and growth so important.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Get into the brain teaser. I love that I do.
I find myself often quoting one of my favorite quotes
from Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice, and it's a line
where mister Darcy says to miss Bennett, he says, I
think she's sort of hastling, teasing, hassling him about is
not being very social. And he says, I find I
don't have the He basically says, I don't converse well
(29:05):
with others. I don't have that easy knack of conversing
well with others. And she says, well, I don't play
the piano particularly well. But I take that to be
my own fault, having not taking the time to practice.
And I can't tell you how many times I've used
that quote, but it is such an app sort of thing.
It's like, you're not very good at it, try again, well.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
Do you know what? And there's a lot of talk
at the moment, especially around limiting beliefs. And if we
say I am terrible with nams, guess what you're going
to be terrible with. Now that's one of my more
and I'm forever forgetting things. Guess what you're going to
always forget things. We've got to believe in ourselves and
that's one of the very first things we talk about
(29:44):
in terms of important lifestyle factors for a healthy brainer
memory is self belief.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Good stuff. Right, We're going to be back in just
a moment. We'd love your call. So eight one hundred
and eighty ten and eighty Ross is next. My guest
is Jude Walter. She is a brainfit coach from Brainfit.
If you want to check out her work or her
world literally I mentioned that because that's her website, it's
brain fit dot World. Back in just a moment, Welcome
(30:42):
back to the show. This is the Health of I'm
Tim Beverage. My guest is a Jude Walter. You know
what I was just thinking living on a prayer how
many times every And I listened to this song every
now and again on sort of rotate in my playlist
or something. And I imagine when they wrote this song
and thought we're on to a winter here. I'd love
to know how much money bon Jovi made out of
just this one particular song. And anyway, music good, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Ju As we were just saying, music is a fantastic
way to trigger and stimulate your brain in new and
different ways. So listening to different genres of music, you know,
reading different genres of books, watching different genres of TV programs,
all of this. It doesn't have to be going back
to Karen's point before about hating Sodoku's. You know, there
are so many ways that we can stimulate our brains
(31:25):
and our memories. You know, the weather here in Auckland
today is beautiful. Getting out and spending time and nature,
going for a walk in a new and different place,
talking to different people. All of that will stimulate your
brain in new and different ways. And it's that challenge
and grow that needs to be our goal every interesting.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
I've got so many notes of things I've got to
talk with you about. But we're going to take some
more cause I'm just going to write down another one
about it about you know, the difference between routine, which
is valuable as well, and breaking that routine. But tell
you what, let's take another call Ross.
Speaker 8 (31:55):
Hello, I love your couple of ideas about brushing your
teeth with the other hands. And and I do a
little bit of work on computer, and I have from
time to time used by left hand.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Oh you're a man. You're a man after my own heart.
I do month on month off. I changed my mouth
from one side to the other each month. The first
first couple of days of the month with the left
hand are pretty gnarly, but it's amazing how quickly your
brain adapts.
Speaker 9 (32:25):
Yeah, okay, and I will do this staff as well.
I am wondering what your thoughts are about the role
of new tropics brain house and supporting brain Now what's that?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
What's the word neotropics? Did you say? How did you
just drop out there? What was that again? Ross? Say
it again?
Speaker 9 (32:43):
Just coming up the Bombay Hill, I c s.
Speaker 3 (32:51):
I don't know actually neotropics in so I I as
a brain fit coach, I I am I don't have
an opinion on any of the kind of vitamins, neotropics,
you know, medical interventions, et cetera. Our programs are purely
based around lifestyle factors that anyone can adapt to their
(33:13):
own lifestyle without masses of increased expense. I think one
of the key things that I would always be mindful
of when it comes to any of the kind of
supplements or the products that are targeted at lots of
different health and wellbeing, but particular brain and memory, is
(33:33):
that just be very very mindful of the science that
goes over them.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
The term it's the term that is refers. It's basically
about chemicals that meet specific criteria, new tropics, so it's
cognitive enhancers or smart drugs. So I just the questions
do they work and are they safe? And it might
be a little bit beyond the scope of.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Our it is I'm not, as I say, I'm not
an expert, but I also need to be careful about
you endorsing certain products. But there is what we do know,
and what our neuro scientist who's part of the brain
Fit team continually reiterates to us is that the majority
of everything your brain and memory needs you can get
(34:13):
from a balanced, healthy diet, and so that's the key.
If you're using the supplement to make up for things
that you're not getting in your diet, then that's one thing.
But actually everything our brain and memory needs can come
to us quite happily through a healthy, balanced diet. And
there are certain foods that are definitely much better for
(34:34):
brain and memory than others.
Speaker 6 (34:35):
You know.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
A massive one is around hydration. Staying hydrated is unbelievably important.
If you are just one percent dehydrated, your brain is
five percent less effective. Now, actually it's massive.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
I think glass of water if you're feeling tired. Maybe
if you feel like a coffee. Sure, But by the way,
on the neotropic thing, I just done a bit of
a couple of science websites that I rely on for
some good and basically there's no strong evidence that they
actually do anything. However, they do think that the neotropics,
if you've taken, you think you're going to be fantastic.
The cognitive effect from the placebo effect. It's a bit
(35:11):
like saying negative and positive reinforcement.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
That's why I'm not I'm certainly not anti taking vitamins, supplements,
et cetera. If you believe they're working for you. This
comes back down to the self belief. If you believe
they're making a difference for you, brilliant. But actually what
we know through science is that it shouldn't be necessary
if you are getting a balanced, healthy diet.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
Yeah, so sorry, we couldn't we If we get we
get some more info on that, we'll have a chat
about that another time. A ross, So good on you.
I tell you what we need to be Take a
quick moment, we'll come back and just a ticket. There's
ten minutes to five, do you know?
Speaker 5 (35:55):
No long.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
And welcome back to the show. Part of me was
the thinking, what the hell is this? But apparently this
is hip right now, so I'm not hip showing your age, Yes,
I am now whe this is that we can collect
and my guess is Jude Walter, it's the health Hub. Jude.
I didn't want to just discuss routine because the things
you talk about is it's about doing things differently, almost
in a way breaking routine. Is there a better way
(36:25):
of looking at routine because routine is also important for
kids and all that sort of stuff, and.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Well, actually having a routine around your own brain health
is equally important. So I'm not anti routine. What I'm
I guess encouraging you to do is not thinking of
routine as something that is the same doing exactly the
same thing every day, you know. So if you have
a routine that you get up and go for a
walk every morning, brilliant, But maybe don't do the same
(36:52):
walk on the exact same loop every morning. Choose a
different loop a couple of mornings a week. Even something
as simple as as doing a loop around the block
in reverse. So instead of going out your front gain
and going to the left, go out your front gate
and go to the right. It'll still take you the
same amount of time to do your loop around the block,
but you'll actually see things from a different perspective. You
will notice things that you've never noticed before. So yeah,
(37:13):
absolutely routine is good, but just get variety, don't. Or
if you always do the saduku in the paper in
the morning, that's going to be good exercise for your brain,
but it's not necessarily going to challenge and grow your brain,
because what we're wanting to do that challenge and grow
is all about growing new neural pathways and so by
you know, if you always do the taduku, maybe once
a week do the crossword or the cryptic crossword or
(37:36):
the creat code cracker. Just do something different just to
get that variety of stimulation.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
It's interesting even on people who do there more, you know,
who commute to work and you've got a pattern of
what you notice and what you look at and the
view you like. I sometimes do try and tell myself
to look at the view in a different way or
focus on something different, just to see if I can
change my perspective on something. I don't know why I
do that, but it's just I guess it's just playing
around with my thoughts and having time to think about it.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
I might it's probably sacrilege saying this on radio, but
you know, if you are in the car and you
do have the same oh no, outrageous, Well you but
choose a different I can you what's going to say?
You could choose a different station. But it doesn't even
have to be like that. If you want to listen to,
you know, a different presenter, a different you know, you
listen to one of them on.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
The earlier there you go listen to a news talks
the podcast instead of too you know, and you can
listen to our podcast of course by going to iHeartRadio.
Just look for the Weekend Collective. By the way, if
you want to check out Jude Walter, because the time
is upon us, go to brainfit dot world. If you're
interested in the books, if you put news Talk into
the when you're buying it, you'll get you'll get a
(38:45):
discount of about fifty percent. So there you go. Anyway, Hey, thanks,
nice to see again.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
Jud to see you too.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
Yeah, and we'll look forward to next time. We will
be back with smart Money, Ben Brinkerhof. We're going to
talk about Kiwi Saber, lots of things about Kiwi Saber.
That's as much as the teas as I'm going to do.
We'll be back in just Tom I love you, So,
I love you, So, I love you so, Please don't go.
(39:10):
I love you, I love you, so, I love you so.
Speaker 6 (39:13):
I love you so.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to News
Talks it'd be weekends from three pm, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talk SEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And welcome back to the Weekend Collective. I think we've
got this. This theme sounds like it's more appropriate for
the next hour, which will be smart Money, where she
works hard for her money. And I'm judging by the
expression from my producer Tyre's face, she's gone, oh yeah,
that's right. Anyway, welcome back to the show. Just a
bit of lighthearted band between presenter and producer there. So
(00:57):
welcome to the Health Hub. We Want Your Cause eight
hundred eighty eight text on nine to two and my guest, well,
she's a brain Fit coach and her name is Jude
Walter and she's with me. Now, good Jude, how are
you going.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
I'm very well, thanks Tom.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah. So, actually, just you are from your organizations called
brain Fit. Tell us about the work that you guys
do specifically.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Yeah, awesome. So at Brainfit, well, we are brain and
memory educators and we really are all about empowering people
to take control of their brain health, regardless of how
young or old they are. You know, we've got a
range of practical programs which are all evidence based, researched
by new Zealand based neuroscientists doctor Allison Lamont, and they
(01:43):
really help people with practical tips and techniques that they
can do and apply to the stuff that they're doing
every day. So it's not about doing.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
It's not like taking a particular vitamin. I reckon this works, No,
and we'll go from there. I feel good. I reckon
it works for me.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, And look, you know there will be certainly different
techniques that will work better for some people than others,
and that's that's life. But the pros have already supported
over eighteen thousand kiwis to have sharper brains and stronger memories,
regardless of how young or old they are. And that's
what we really are all about, is we'd love to
live in a world where actually cognitive health got as
(02:19):
much focus and attention as physical health.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Actually, I guess because your physical health, well, naturally everything
does decline in some way because otherwise we'd live forever,
but we can look after our bodies so we stay
fitter for longer. Is that similar for the brain.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Obviously. Obviously your brain at some stage is going to
decline somewhat, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Absolutely, so were cognitive decline is an inevitable part of
aging for all of us. However, the more you do
proactively to actually build what's called cognitive reserve, which many
of your listeners have probably heard me before when I've
been on the show, I kind of liken this to you,
almost like your back up battery brain power. The more
(03:06):
you can do to build that cognitive reserve, the more
protective effect you have got, regardless of whether it's age
or disease, that becomes part of your journey. You're actually
stepping forward with your best foot. And so what we
do at brain Foot, what our programs are all designed
around doing, is really encouraging and helping people to be
proactive and building that cognitive reserve. And it's not just
(03:29):
and often when I talk to people like, oh yeah,
I'm really good. I do the suduku in the back
of the paper each day. It's more than puzzles. It's
more than brain teasers, you know, And exactly the same
way you made the reference to, you know, physical fitness.
You know, if I only go to the if I
go to the gym and I only lift weights with
my left bicep, I'm going to end up with a
beautiful strong bicep on the left and nothing on the right,
(03:50):
and our brain is exactly the same. It needs a
variety of stimulation to stay to keep all parts of
your brain and memory active, alert, challenged, and growing, because
that's the beautiful thing is that our brain never ever
stops growing unless we let it.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I would imagine a natural sort of time where you
should really folk. You don't want to be paranot about
this stuff, but obviously when people have their working careers
and they get up and they go to the office,
so they do whatever they do, and when they retire,
there is a change of social circumstance as well as
well as anything. And I would think that that would
This is just a guess, and it's meant as a
(04:27):
question really because but it might come out as a
statement that I would imagine that when you do stop
doing things and you fall into simpler patterns in your life,
that is not a great thing for your brain.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
I would absolutely agree, But I don't think it's necessarily
necessarily sorry an age related or lifestyle kind of time
of life. Because what we saw for anyone of any age,
the impact that COVID and the changes in our lifestyle
that COVID had and the fact that we weren't as
easily interacting and connecting with people you know, in that
(05:00):
time had massive effects on people's brains and memories. So yes,
historically that that's actually where the brain Fit program started,
the brain Fit for Life program, our very first program
was targeted at a retiree market, actually helping them to
kind of, you know, bridge that gap. But I've been
coaching as a brain Fit coach now for over eight years,
and I can tell you that the average age in
(05:22):
the classes that I have community classes is probably now
down in its early to mid forties. And I think
a part of that is because we are all a
lot more aware of health and wellness and it's not
quite as tabu a subject as it potentially was eight
years ago. But also I think because we are all
far more aware of the fact that, you know, our
(05:43):
brains are overloaded, many of us are. If we're not
dealing with burnout, we're just aware of the fact of
that overwhelm and that constant demand that we're putting on
our brain and memory is massive. So memory is something
that can affect any of us at any age. And
my advice would be exactly the same. Well, it is
exactly the same to my sixteen year old daughter who
(06:05):
is studying for exams right now, as it would be
for a ninety six year old you know, when you're
you know, we all need to be able to live
a productive, independent life. We all need our brain and
memory to be firing on all cylinders. And that's what
brain fits all about, is helping you to make sure
that you are fired.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Had your own journey into this. I remember from our
earlier discussions that you know, you burn out in sort
of a mental sort of I'm not sure if I'm
being crude and describing it as a mental breakdown but
shutdown or something. But anyway, you're pushing yourself too hard,
which is you got a case of understimulation over stimulation.
Is that a bigger threat.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Than well, probably both are equally as dangerous. I think,
you know, if we're a lack of stimulation means that
we're not using our brains to our full potential. But
if we are overloading our brains and demanding of our
brains and our memories more than it is physically capable of,
which is exactly my experience as a thirty three year
old woman. You know, I had been burning the candle
(06:59):
at both ends for too long, and I was just
kept on pushing because the type a personality that I
am should we right, you know, and all of the
coping strategies that I'd had in earlier stages of my life,
you know, when I was playing competitive netball and I
was missing my shots, I'd just go out and shoot
more goals and train harder. If I had more to
do at work, I would stay longer, I'd work harder.
But suddenly, as a mum with two young kids and
(07:22):
you know, husband and a life outside of work, those
coping strategies no longer benefited me, and I just I
completely overloaded my brain. And it was that prolonged period
of stress and the impact it had on my brain
a memory which led me, as you say, to becoming
a brain fit coach about eight years ago.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
What were the symptoms for you? And I'm sure you've
told me, but I just remind our listeners as well,
because there would have been a time when things wouldn't
have been great. You just wouldn't. You might not not
have even recognized it, and then there would have been
a moment where okay.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
Yeah, and to be honest with you. I talk about
this in my Brain Fit for Work programs where I
go into workplaces now to try and help other young
professionals not have the experiences that I I had. Our
Brain Fit for Work programs all around that kind of
workplace based resilience. And look, everyone's experiences with burnout and
all of the chronic fatigues and the likea are different.
(08:16):
But for me, you're right, it started as very simple
things like tiredness, which yeah, you could put down to
the fact that I was a full time working one
with two young kids, but I knew in myself that
it was more than that. And then it progressed over time.
When it was at its absolute worst, I was having
panic attacks, which I had never experienced before in my life.
(08:37):
I forgot to pick up my two year old daughter
from daycare one day. Now, that was a habit that
obviously was a routine. Every night I left work, I
went home via the daycare center picked up my daughter. Well,
one night I didn't, and it wasn't till I got
home that I realized I had forgotten my daughter. So
that is a parenting low, but it was it was
(08:58):
cumulative over a period of time.
Speaker 2 (09:00):
To be honest, I I think there'd be a few
parents who might have done that. I remember, and I'm
not sure if it was a sign of burnout, but
because I have different routines with my daughters dropping them
off at ballet, and there's one of the times I
dropped one daughter off and I picked the other one up,
and I dropped one off and I went home. I
(09:20):
walked in the door, my wife says, where's Rosie. I
was like, oh, it's a very good question. But I
like to think that wasn't burnout, it was just absent mindedness.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
But well, they're all in the same. I mean, the
fact that you didn't remember your daughter shows that your brain,
for whatever reason, at that point in time, was under
a level of juris stress, whatever overload. That meant that
you weren't fully thinking about what it was that you
had to do. And unfortunately, in life, you know, we are.
It seems to be a badge of honor whenever anyone says, oh, howie,
(09:51):
I'm so busy. I'm so busy, but actually I.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Hate you know, Yeah, it's anyway carry out, it's just
the yeah, it's a tiresome expression on my sol I'm
so busy with us. I'm so busy that.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Yeah, well we just need to be caref because busy
is good to a point, but we do have to
let our brains and our memories and our bodies physically
rejuvenate and recover, because otherwise, like my experience, you know,
I got off that plane one day after that road show.
I'd been away for work, I'd done a four day,
(10:24):
five city road show, and I actually collapsed. And to
be honest with you, the the next we patch after
that is still a bit of a blur. I ended
up in hospital, had a huge number of tests to
cross out any other possibilities.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Why did you? But what was what led you to
go to hospital? Was it somebody else collapse?
Speaker 3 (10:43):
So I literally collapsed. I physically collapsed.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
What just on the floor?
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Passed out? Oh okay, passed out on the floor. Felt
like I had had concrete injected into every vein of
my body, but my body just didn't want to work.
And then I was also physically ill as well, and
so I ended up in hospital.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I just met.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
It was my body's way of saying, I've been trying
to warn you for a long time that you're not right,
and you're not listening, so I really am going to
chop you down.
Speaker 2 (11:11):
Pretty much like being overwhelmed with stress in a way
that's physical stress. It's like marathon runners. If they push
it too hard, you'll see them often they'll throw up
on the line or something.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
And yeah, it was my body's way of saying enough
is enough?
Speaker 2 (11:22):
What could you have done? Because there'll be people who
aren't at that stage, but he'll be thinking, because you know,
it's conversations like this lead us to have a think.
What do you know about what you went through that?
I mean, maybe here's the long winded way of putting it.
In a way, there was a benefit to your collapse
(11:44):
was that you radically reformed your lifestyle. But there would
have been, likewise, also a way where you could have
taken a few things differently that might not have led
to that stage. And well, I can tell you though
it might not have been a great thing because you
might have just been under the cusp of that, you
know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
My mom's right now and she will probably laugh at
me saying this, but ever since I was probably about
seventeen eighteen years old, she had told me that I
couldn't keep going at the speed I was going, I
was going to burn out. And I used to go, ah, whatever, mum,
I've got this. I'm all over this. And now the irony.
I got to thirty three.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
What would you have listened?
Speaker 3 (12:24):
I've got to thirty three. Look, there are many things
now here. I was going to say, you know, eighteen
year old listens to their parents. But what do I
know about myself now? And let's be I'll be completely honest.
There is a period towards the end of last year
when I felt my wheels getting a bit wobbly again.
So I've been on this journey and I am a
brain fit coach, and I'm still human. I still kind
(12:47):
of have to keep a sense check on myself. But
there are certain key kind of like indicators for me
that I know are a little bit alarming. And so
if i feel myself feeling really tired, and I'm generally
a morning person, if I feel myself not really peping
out of bed in the morning, I know that that's
an early sign that I'm probably overdoing things. If I so,
(13:10):
if I'm kind of waking at five am, if I
am not exercising, all of those things for me are
my coping strategies, and as soon as they start falling
by the wayside, I know I'm getting to that point
where things are going to get a little bit wobbly,
and yep, you can cope with it for a period
of time, but the longer I did it, I really
started going no, I actually need to jump back into this.
(13:30):
So things like putting my like putting myself to bed.
I sound like a kid, making myself go to bed,
making myself go to bed at nine point thirty when
I'm feeling wobbly, making myself go to bed at nine thirty,
because it's the hours of sleep you get before midnight
that are most the most restorative. So you know, I
make myself and that's heart. I am sorry. And there's
(13:52):
a lot of people who can't go to bed at
that hour, but for me, that was that was a
game changer, and that was a key part of my recovery.
I had about six months where I was religiously going
to bed between so like nine and nine thirty and
I mean like lights out, so I've done my reading
or whatever house I needed to do before that, but
just really kind of restorative and stripping back my exercise.
(14:12):
I've always been a very physical, physically active person, but
it was not running, it was walking. So I kind
of peered everything back, but I had to get back
into those kind of habits and strategies.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
It's interesting with the sleep thing because I've found that,
I mean, I do some couple of overnights as well
as this show, and it takes me a little while
to get back on and even keel. But I find
that if I when I'm adjusting back to normal sleeping habits,
if I get to bed a couple of hours before midnight,
I actually will sleep quite well. Yeah, but if I
get now, I'm not something after midnight. But if I
(14:45):
go to bed sort of eleven eleven thirty, I'm awake
till you know, it isn't funny. You hit these windows
where I feel that sleep and I just know, Tim,
you've got to go. Now you're feeling that little bit
of that tinge of sleepiness, take it, run with the poor,
get them to bed.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Well, we're both parents, and you'll know probably less so
now that my kids are teenagers. But you know, when
they were young, you had that small window and if
they got overtired, they were more alert and impossible to
put to sleep. You know, we are big kids. Adults
are big kids. We are no different, and therefore you
know that that kind of sleep hygiene is equally important
(15:19):
for us as it is for younger people.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
That's a fascinating conversation. We might dig into this a
little bit more. We also do want to talk about
maintaining your brain and so you don't age too quickly.
So that's what that's what I teased before the show.
But we're also talking about, man if you are concerned
about your own mental resilience, that's not wrong word cognitive health,
your cognitive health. There we go, there, we go. That's
(15:42):
what we've got her in there. Then we have we've
got Jude Walter here. She's a brain fit coach from
brain fit dot World. Oh, by the way, if you
go into brainfit dot world and there are a couple
of publications, they've got a couple of books there. If
you put a news talks there'd be there's a special
offer for you there on the price. So I think
it's about half price or something, isn't it, dude. So
(16:03):
just if you're going into their for news talk listeners,
just put news talk in there. But we'll be back
in just a moment. Oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty.
If you've got questions around how are you coping, then
we'd love to hear from you. E one hundred eighty
ten eighty. This is the Health Hub on news Talks.
He'd beat. It's twenty three past four. Yes, newstalks have
been We're with brain Fit coach Jude while you're talking
about well maintaining your mental cognitive health and if you've
(16:27):
got any questions for us, we'd love to hear from you.
I've got quite a few questions for you, Jude, but
guess what, We've got a call first, So Peter, good afternoon.
Speaker 5 (16:35):
Oh hi there, hi Jude. And I've been taking up
tai chi. I'd be in a year at it and
I thought it's quite good for keeping my memory at
seventy seven or helping that. Could you give me some
thoughts about that, whether it's good to continue or or not. Well,
I'm wasting the time.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
You are definitely not wasting your time, Peter, absolutely not.
Any Any exercise you can do at any age is
going to be really really good for a healthy brain
of memory, and exercise can come in any form. It
could be doing the gardening, but it could be something
like tai chi, because what that does is it alerates
your alevates, sorry, your heart rate, So you're sending a
(17:19):
fresh supply of oxygen and blood to your brain, which
is exactly what your brain needs to stay on its game.
The other added bon benefit of something like a tai
chi or yoga is that it involves quite a bit
of cross brain exercise. So a cross brain exercise is
any exercise where your hands or legs cross over your
(17:39):
body center line. So this is hard on radio, but
if you imagine that you were chopping yourself in half
coming running your finger right down through the middle of
your nose and down through your sternum and down the
center of your body, any action where your hand crosses
over that center line is called a cross brain exercise.
And there's a lot of that in thai chi, as
there is in kind of even some of the aqua
aerobics and that sort of stuff. So that's awesome for
(18:01):
cross brain because that gets both sides of your brain
firing simultaneously.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
Do it.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
Absolutely, keep it up.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
I'll keep it up. Thank you very much. Indeed, thanks Tim, good.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Stuff, cheers, Peter. It's just a couple of things. It's
so stress, as they say, stress is the greatest killer.
How effective is a good cry from time to time?
I like a good cry again.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
I'm all for it absolutely. I think I'm certainly no
expert in crying. But from what I do know from
a stress and brain related point of view, is that stress,
as you say, is the absolute enemy of a strong
brain and memory. Because actually when you are stressed, and
stress can come in any form, it can come from,
(18:45):
you know, stress around relationships, finances, health, just life. You
know that stress. What happens is your body, it's our
human instinct. It goes into what we call survival mode,
which is often referred to as fight, flight or freeze.
And when your body is in survival mode, the memory
parts of your brain actually designed and too dull because
(19:06):
it's actually not important to remember stuff when you're trying
to survive. It's all your energies for your body go
into survival so that ability to outrun the tiger, fight
the tiger, or freeze and hope the tiger doesn't see you.
Now we've moved on from tigers chasing us, but actually
life is a big tiger. Sometimes that can can chase
us down. And so if you live in a prolonged
(19:29):
period of stress, and this is exactly what my experience
was personally. You know, when I had my breakdown as
a young thirty three year old, you know, I had
lived in a state of stress for so long that
the memory centers of my brain weren't just dulled, they
were actually switching off. And that's why I forgot to
go and pick up my daughter.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
So, now that we're moving on to to what we're
originally talking about, as you get older, are you conscious
about cognitive client decline yourself or if this is something
you do something to address, or is it.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Just I'm conscious of it, but I'm not terrified by it. No,
And that's my biggest advice I would give to in
and lots of people say, oh, it's easy for you
to say you're still in your forties, but actually, let's
stop worrying about the wattifs and really focus on what
we can do. And research shows us that our brains
continue to grow from the day we're born till the
(20:20):
day we die, as long as we nurture them. And
really focusing on what we can do to build that
cognitive reserve and as I said before, Tim, it's not
about expensive gym memberships. It's not about finding an extra
two hours in the day to do stuff. It's about
doing the stuff we do every day smarter. You brush
your teeth every day, once a week, twice a week.
Brush your teeth with your non dominant hand. That will
(20:42):
trigger a different part of your brain, Stimulate your brain
in a different way, that will grow and challenge it.
When you are sitting at the traffic lights, and let's
be honest, we do quite a bit of that living
in Auckland.
Speaker 4 (20:54):
You know.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
I glance up now and I will look at a
sign on the shop that's beside me, and for instance,
if it is the Florist, i will go right before
this light turns green. I'm going to think of as
many words as I can that start with the letter
if if for florist.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
This is quite hardcore for most people, like wow, she's working.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
But I've got that idle time when I'm sitting at
the lights. It's it's about doing the stuff we can
do smarter, not about doing necessarily more. And it is
you know, as I mentioned before, it's more than just
doing puzzles and brain teasers. It's about eating healthily, it's
about getting that quality sleep, it's about interacting and connecting
with different people. And this is where like talkback is
(21:32):
brilliant because you're actually exposing yourself to different people's perspectives
that actually make you sit up, think, challenge, refine your
own thought processes, and all of that is stimulating your
brain and new and different ways.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
That's funny that it's something every now and again, because
you do get regular callers and you think that you
know where they're going to come from. But sometimes I
just go, hang on, just cancel that for a moment,
and it's just let's just pretend that view is absolutely
brilliant and go from there. Look, we want your calls.
In fact, we're going to take some calls right now.
And what are you doing to improve or maintain your
(22:04):
brain health? Actually, because make sure that you remind me
of this, and I'll write a night for myself because
things like diet and vitamins and all that sort of stuff. Joe,
we'll have a chat about that at some stage. But
let's take some calls.
Speaker 7 (22:16):
Bill, Hello, Hello, I totally agree with that.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Lady, Jude, She's with you right now.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
You can say Hello, Hi Bill, Hello, how are you?
Speaker 7 (22:29):
I very well say yes, I agree with that. I
I was in the building trade and I took retirement,
retirement when I was fifty nine.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
Oh that's good, hasn't it.
Speaker 6 (22:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (22:52):
So and then when I've got it now, that doesn't
suit me. So I sat at work again, contracting, and
the family started call me your work aholic?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And what was it? Did you? Were you happy? Were
you doing well?
Speaker 7 (23:12):
Very happy? Happy in my work? But my work was
my my thing and because I was also what I
was doing resiration work. Plus in the winter time, I
used to we will restore antique furniture, and that's very
(23:32):
very creative. Absolutely yeah. And then I start making other
what what ornaments like birdhouses, letter boxes, and then I'll
get to old people. And they said, oh, how much
is that? I said, oh yes.
Speaker 2 (23:51):
The smile is this this case of the moral of
the story for you has been to keep working? Or
did you have a particular question you're curious about with them?
Speaker 7 (23:58):
With Jude, yeah, well I did. I did have a
messive for her to text thirty five years ago. Oh
it's three days I'm conscious. And it took them twenty
minutes to get me back. They told me, Yeah, their
own town. No next next month, I'll be ninety six
(24:24):
wood work.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Do you know the oldest person I've had in one
of my Brainforit classes was ninety six, and she blew
my mind. So you keep doing whatever it is that
you're doing. Keep that brain active and agile, keep building
those birdhouses and crafting, because it's clearly doing good things.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
I think. Actually I got a suggestion as well. If
you're a listener then and you've been listening a long
time listener, I love that expression, a long time first
time caller. But actually, you know what, if you're a
long time listening your first time call I'll tell you what.
That is a workout for you to put your put
your point of view and explain it in a cogent
way to a national audience. That has to be good
for brainforit.
Speaker 3 (24:58):
Doesn't it absolutely. That's why I'm saying, even to my
daughter at the moment, studying for exams. The ability to
write notes versus the ability to actually speak or articulate
uses different parts of your brain really really good for
actually creating those multiple memory traces. You will be more
likely to remember stuff if you do a mixture of
writing and talking and you know, and the like, because
(25:20):
it's all again this variety of the brain. There's actually
forty different ways that our brain remembers things, and so
all of those are stimulated in different ways.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
It's interesting. I'm doing a language course at the moment,
just through Duo Lingo. But I'm on day six hundred
and twenty one, and it does say, I mean, you
can just stay on the app and click on list
and click on that, but it does say, if you
really want to learn the language, as you go through
the lessons, write things down as well. And I'm not
quite doing that, but I am trying to find a
different way of thinking of everything. So I'm learning. So anyway, look,
(25:49):
let's take another call Karen.
Speaker 6 (25:51):
Hello, Yeah, Hi, Yeah, you know me.
Speaker 4 (25:54):
I'm up at night on my days off because I
do n It's just.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Where are you sleeping, Karen?
Speaker 6 (25:59):
You're just oh, well, I get a I actually get
about four zero sleeper day and I manage really well.
But the problem with me is like I cannot stand
brain games, you know, like.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
And crossroads and all that.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
Yeah, No, I cannot stand anything like that. My problem
is I'm like completely engaged and as soon as I
hear you want radio, that's it. My brain's awake and
I'm listening. I pick up on topics and I like
podcasts and things. But what I was want to ask
in was about a natural remedy because I like natural
rememdies and I keep really good health. I really don't,
(26:38):
but a natural remedy because I did, didn't I find
that all the stimulates because it makes you kind of
had the vigil And again no idea.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
I was going to say, it's just lying.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
Here resting is enough? Like I'm just laying bed here
at the moment, doing nothing, just on my back resting.
Is that good as good as.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Like, well, it's probably not as good as sleep. But
there are a huge number of experts out there who
are sleep experts.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
So you know, I have one on our show out.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
There, so hock up with Alex. And there's actually also
a number of podcasts that are actually really good for
helping with different sleep techniques. The challenge we've got when
it comes to sleep and why we go on about
sleepers that actually, when you're sleeping, that is when your
memories are consolidated. So it's because you've got less senses
(27:28):
active at that time. That's when your brain does it's
kind of sorting, and it's filing for the day. And
I almost like in the sometimes, so you know, when
you log off your computer and shut it down, sometimes
it does a whole lot of whirring in the background
before it goes completely quiet. That's exactly what's happening in
our heads and our brains when we are sleeping. And
that's why sometimes you'll have that three am in the morning,
or maybe not for you, Karen, because that's actually when
(27:49):
you're awake for night. Just but you'll have that moment
of absolute clarity. We go, oh, her name was Sarah,
and you actually needed that person's name hours ago. But
that's because that's where your brain's got to and the
filing and the sorting.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Actually, is there something while we've got you there, Karen?
Do you think we should you say you don't like
Sadokia in any of these brain teasers? I reckon, I reckon,
you should give it a whirl. And because I don't
know is it worth trying it, I say that you
might end up loving it.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Yeah. Well, and even if you don't love it, And
a lot of the time people don't love it because
they're not good at it. And we've got this whole
mentality around the fact that you have to be good
at something. Actually the act of doing it, the act
of trying it, the act of the challenge is the
bit that's going to grow and nurture your brain. Actually
solving the suku, cracking the co cracker, that's all icing
(28:38):
on the cake. It's the act of doing it and
getting yourself in that challenge and growth so important.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
Get into the brain teaser. I love that I do.
I find myself often quoting one of my favorite quotes
from Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice, and it's a line
where mister Darcy says to miss Bennett, he says, I
think she's sort of hastling, teasing, hassling him about is
not being very social. And he says, I find I
don't have the He basically says, I don't converse well
(29:05):
with others. I don't have that easy knack of conversing
well with others. And she says, well, I don't play
the piano particularly well. But I take that to be
my own fault, having not taking the time to practice.
And I can't tell you how many times I've used
that quote, but it is such an app sort of thing.
It's like, you're not very good at it, try again, well.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
Do you know what? And there's a lot of talk
at the moment, especially around limiting beliefs. And if we
say I am terrible with nams, guess what you're going
to be terrible with. Now that's one of my more
and I'm forever forgetting things. Guess what you're going to
always forget things. We've got to believe in ourselves and
that's one of the very first things we talk about
(29:44):
in terms of important lifestyle factors for a healthy brainer
memory is self belief.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
Good stuff. Right, We're going to be back in just
a moment. We'd love your call. So eight one hundred
and eighty ten and eighty Ross is next. My guest
is Jude Walter. She is a brainfit coach from Brainfit.
If you want to check out her work or her
world literally I mentioned that because that's her website, it's
brain fit dot World. Back in just a moment, Welcome
(30:42):
back to the show. This is the Health of I'm
Tim Beverage. My guest is a Jude Walter. You know
what I was just thinking living on a prayer how
many times every And I listened to this song every
now and again on sort of rotate in my playlist
or something. And I imagine when they wrote this song
and thought we're on to a winter here. I'd love
to know how much money bon Jovi made out of
just this one particular song. And anyway, music good, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (31:05):
Ju As we were just saying, music is a fantastic
way to trigger and stimulate your brain in new and
different ways. So listening to different genres of music, you know,
reading different genres of books, watching different genres of TV programs,
all of this. It doesn't have to be going back
to Karen's point before about hating Sodoku's. You know, there
are so many ways that we can stimulate our brains
(31:25):
and our memories. You know, the weather here in Auckland
today is beautiful. Getting out and spending time and nature,
going for a walk in a new and different place,
talking to different people. All of that will stimulate your
brain in new and different ways. And it's that challenge
and grow that needs to be our goal every interesting.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
I've got so many notes of things I've got to
talk with you about. But we're going to take some
more cause I'm just going to write down another one
about it about you know, the difference between routine, which
is valuable as well, and breaking that routine. But tell
you what, let's take another call Ross.
Speaker 8 (31:55):
Hello, I love your couple of ideas about brushing your
teeth with the other hands. And and I do a
little bit of work on computer, and I have from
time to time used by left hand.
Speaker 3 (32:10):
Oh you're a man. You're a man after my own heart.
I do month on month off. I changed my mouth
from one side to the other each month. The first
first couple of days of the month with the left
hand are pretty gnarly, but it's amazing how quickly your
brain adapts.
Speaker 9 (32:25):
Yeah, okay, and I will do this staff as well.
I am wondering what your thoughts are about the role
of new tropics brain house and supporting brain Now what's that?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
What's the word neotropics? Did you say? How did you
just drop out there? What was that again? Ross? Say
it again?
Speaker 9 (32:43):
Just coming up the Bombay Hill, I c s.
Speaker 3 (32:51):
I don't know actually neotropics in so I I as
a brain fit coach, I I am I don't have
an opinion on any of the kind of vitamins, neotropics,
you know, medical interventions, et cetera. Our programs are purely
based around lifestyle factors that anyone can adapt to their
(33:13):
own lifestyle without masses of increased expense. I think one
of the key things that I would always be mindful
of when it comes to any of the kind of
supplements or the products that are targeted at lots of
different health and wellbeing, but particular brain and memory, is
(33:33):
that just be very very mindful of the science that
goes over them.
Speaker 2 (33:38):
The term it's the term that is refers. It's basically
about chemicals that meet specific criteria, new tropics, so it's
cognitive enhancers or smart drugs. So I just the questions
do they work and are they safe? And it might
be a little bit beyond the scope of.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
Our it is I'm not, as I say, I'm not
an expert, but I also need to be careful about
you endorsing certain products. But there is what we do know,
and what our neuro scientist who's part of the brain
Fit team continually reiterates to us is that the majority
of everything your brain and memory needs you can get
(34:13):
from a balanced, healthy diet, and so that's the key.
If you're using the supplement to make up for things
that you're not getting in your diet, then that's one thing.
But actually everything our brain and memory needs can come
to us quite happily through a healthy, balanced diet. And
there are certain foods that are definitely much better for
(34:34):
brain and memory than others.
Speaker 6 (34:35):
You know.
Speaker 3 (34:35):
A massive one is around hydration. Staying hydrated is unbelievably important.
If you are just one percent dehydrated, your brain is
five percent less effective. Now, actually it's massive.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
I think glass of water if you're feeling tired. Maybe
if you feel like a coffee. Sure, But by the way,
on the neotropic thing, I just done a bit of
a couple of science websites that I rely on for
some good and basically there's no strong evidence that they
actually do anything. However, they do think that the neotropics,
if you've taken, you think you're going to be fantastic.
The cognitive effect from the placebo effect. It's a bit
(35:11):
like saying negative and positive reinforcement.
Speaker 3 (35:13):
That's why I'm not I'm certainly not anti taking vitamins, supplements,
et cetera. If you believe they're working for you. This
comes back down to the self belief. If you believe
they're making a difference for you, brilliant. But actually what
we know through science is that it shouldn't be necessary
if you are getting a balanced, healthy diet.
Speaker 2 (35:32):
Yeah, so sorry, we couldn't we If we get we
get some more info on that, we'll have a chat
about that another time. A ross, So good on you.
I tell you what we need to be Take a
quick moment, we'll come back and just a ticket. There's
ten minutes to five, do you know?
Speaker 5 (35:55):
No long.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
And welcome back to the show. Part of me was
the thinking, what the hell is this? But apparently this
is hip right now, so I'm not hip showing your age, Yes,
I am now whe this is that we can collect
and my guess is Jude Walter, it's the health Hub. Jude.
I didn't want to just discuss routine because the things
you talk about is it's about doing things differently, almost
in a way breaking routine. Is there a better way
(36:25):
of looking at routine because routine is also important for
kids and all that sort of stuff, and.
Speaker 3 (36:30):
Well, actually having a routine around your own brain health
is equally important. So I'm not anti routine. What I'm
I guess encouraging you to do is not thinking of
routine as something that is the same doing exactly the
same thing every day, you know. So if you have
a routine that you get up and go for a
walk every morning, brilliant, But maybe don't do the same
(36:52):
walk on the exact same loop every morning. Choose a
different loop a couple of mornings a week. Even something
as simple as as doing a loop around the block
in reverse. So instead of going out your front gain
and going to the left, go out your front gate
and go to the right. It'll still take you the
same amount of time to do your loop around the block,
but you'll actually see things from a different perspective. You
will notice things that you've never noticed before. So yeah,
(37:13):
absolutely routine is good, but just get variety, don't. Or
if you always do the saduku in the paper in
the morning, that's going to be good exercise for your brain,
but it's not necessarily going to challenge and grow your brain,
because what we're wanting to do that challenge and grow
is all about growing new neural pathways and so by
you know, if you always do the taduku, maybe once
a week do the crossword or the cryptic crossword or
(37:36):
the creat code cracker. Just do something different just to
get that variety of stimulation.
Speaker 2 (37:41):
It's interesting even on people who do there more, you know,
who commute to work and you've got a pattern of
what you notice and what you look at and the
view you like. I sometimes do try and tell myself
to look at the view in a different way or
focus on something different, just to see if I can
change my perspective on something. I don't know why I
do that, but it's just I guess it's just playing
around with my thoughts and having time to think about it.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
I might it's probably sacrilege saying this on radio, but
you know, if you are in the car and you
do have the same oh no, outrageous, Well you but
choose a different I can you what's going to say?
You could choose a different station. But it doesn't even
have to be like that. If you want to listen to,
you know, a different presenter, a different you know, you
listen to one of them on.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
The earlier there you go listen to a news talks
the podcast instead of too you know, and you can
listen to our podcast of course by going to iHeartRadio.
Just look for the Weekend Collective. By the way, if
you want to check out Jude Walter, because the time
is upon us, go to brainfit dot world. If you're
interested in the books, if you put news Talk into
the when you're buying it, you'll get you'll get a
(38:45):
discount of about fifty percent. So there you go. Anyway, Hey, thanks,
nice to see again.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
Jud to see you too.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
Yeah, and we'll look forward to next time. We will
be back with smart Money, Ben Brinkerhof. We're going to
talk about Kiwi Saber, lots of things about Kiwi Saber.
That's as much as the teas as I'm going to do.
We'll be back in just Tom I love you, So,
I love you, So, I love you so, Please don't go.
(39:10):
I love you, I love you, so, I love you so.
Speaker 6 (39:13):
I love you so.
Speaker 1 (39:20):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to News
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