Move for Minds with Maria Shriver

WHAT IS MOVE FOR MINDS?

• On Saturday, June 4^th, Equinox Sports Clubs in eight different cities across the United States will become ground zero for a one of a kind experience to support women’s brain research into Alzheimer’s and raise awareness of the fact that Alzheimer’s disproportionately impacts women. For the second year, this unique event brings together two powerhouse brands in Equinox and Maria Shriver.
  

• Participants in Equinox Sports Clubs in New York, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Miami and Washington, D.C. will fundraise to participate in a one-hour work out specifically designed by Equinox’s top fitness experts to optimize both body and brain health. This workout marries the benefits of yoga and mindful meditation with the adrenaline rush of cross training.

• Following the innovative brain/body workout, attendees will engage with one another socially in a groundbreaking marketplace where they will get to meet and hear from leading superstars of brain research, fitness, food, nutrition, stress, sleep and caregiving.
  

• Move for Minds is an unprecedented gathering of empowered women, men and leading experts who believe funding women’s brain research will help us solve the Alzheimer’s epidemic and answer the question: Why are so many people getting Alzheimer’s and why are the majority of them women?
  

WHEN WILL IT TAKE PLACE? 

• Saturday, June 4^th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in each of the cities except for Dallas (1-4 p.m.).
  

WHO WILL BE THERE? 

• Some of the superstars joining participants from coast to coast include include Maria Shriver, Ann Romney, Dr. Lisa Genova, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Roberta Brinton, Dr. Adam Gazzaley, Dr. David Perlmutter, Dr. Richard Isaacson, Dr. Dena Dubal, Dr. Reisa Sperling, Bob Roth, Mallika Chopra, Brooke Burke, Leeza Gibbons,  Liz Hernandez, Dr. Pamela Peeke, Mary Hart, Moll Anderson, Lori La Bey and others.

• Participants include over a thousand women and men of all ages who come together for an empowering, educational and inspiring day of exercise and information. They are intent on learning about brain health and the lifestyle choices to make when we are young to better protect our brains as we age.

• Participants in the day’s activities must be at least 16 years of age. Anyone under 18 years old, must be accompanied by an adult.
  

WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?

• 100% of the funds raised by the over 1,250 attendees and their network of supporters will benefit The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, a non-profit devoted to raising awareness of the fact that women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer’s disease and raising funds to research why that is.

• Proceeds will support women-based research efforts at leading Alzheimer’s research institutions and in the labs of individual scientists.

HOW TO SIGN UP: 

• Every attendee must sign up at MoveForMinds.org where they select a city of their choice, and register as a fundraiser. They then reach out to their networks via email and/or social media to raise at least $250 to support WAM. Gifts will be awarded to the highest fundraisers in each club.
  

• If people want to form a team, they can call Samara Metz at (310)873-5000, and she will help them establish one. A team must consist of a minimum of 5 people, each of whom must have their own fundraising page and pledge to raise a minimum of $250.
  

• If you cannot attend the event, donate to someone who can. Go to MoveForMinds.org and look for a friend or person you want to support. Or you can join donate to Maria Shriver’s page. If you’d like to sponsor a caregiver to participate in Move for Minds you can underwrite her $250 fundraising minimum at MoveForMinds.org.

ABOUT WOMEN’S BRAIN RESEARCH & ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE  

• There are 5.4 million people living with Alzheimer’s in America

• Every 66 seconds someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s and two thirds of them are women.

• A woman in her early sixties is about two times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s than breast cancer over the remainder of her life.

• By 2050, 16 million brains will have fallen victim to Alzheimer’s and a majority of them will belong to our mothers, sisters, daughters and friends.

• Alzheimer’s is the only disease among the top ten causes of death in America that cannot be slowed, prevented or cured.

• Of the top killer diseases, Alzheimer’s disease research is severely underfunded. In 2017, the NIH will spend $910 million in Alzheimer’s research while it spends over $6 billion on cancer research, $1.3 billion on heart disease research and $3 billion on HIV/AIDS research.

• Per a recent WebMD and Shriver Report Snapshot: Insight into Alzheimer’s Attitudes and Behaviors, while 96% of survey respondents have heard of Alzheimer’s, nearly half aren’t concerned with getting the disease and only 11% have asked their doctors about preventing it.
  

ABOUT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN YOUR BODY AND YOUR BRAIN

• Increased blood flow and heart rate can improve the memory, function and biology at all stages of cognitive decline – from memory loss to Alzheimer’s. http://blog.aarp.org/2015/07/24/how-exercise-affects-the-brain-and-improves-memory-loss/ Blood flow also reduces potential dementia risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. (Alzheimer’s Association)

• In fact, in a recent study of Americans at a higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease due to the presence of the APOE 4 gene found that the brains of the high risk individuals who exercised regularly looked much more like the brains of volunteers who were not predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease. Meanwhile the brains of sedentary high-risk subjects appeared to be slipping, structurally toward dysfunction. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/can-exercise-reduce-alzheimers-risk/?_r=0

• Regular exercise also helps those coping with the disease and their caregivers and research shows that fit patients and caregivers have far less anxiety, irritability and depression that those who did not work out. http://www.nbcnews.com/health/aging/better-treatment-alzheimers-exercise-n397461
• Both yoga and meditation are ‘brain exercises’ that engage different parts of the brain through breathing, movement, changing, visualization and concentration. This forces the brain to develop new connections and stimulate neuroplasticity which prevents physical brain degradation. http://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/benefits-yoga-meditation-alzheimers-dementia/
• Chronic stress and related stress hormones could negatively affect brain structures important for memory and cognition, like the hippocampus. Chronic stress is also associated with inflammation in the body and in the central nervous system/brain that is linked to Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders of aging. Yoga can reduce stress hormones and inflammatory factors, and teach an individual over time how to cope more effectively and protect the body from going through the stress response. http://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/benefits-yoga-meditation-alzheimers-dementia/
• A 2013 study showed that as little as 15 minutes of daily meditation can significantly slow the progression of memory loss. Eight weeks after beginning a regular practice, participants had improved functional connectivity in the default mode network (ie the part of your brain that never shuts down) and slowed shrinkage of the hippocampus (ie the part of your brain responsible for memory which is affected by Alzheimer’s). http://www.prevention.com/health/brain-health/mindfulness-meditation-slows-progression-alzheimers-and-dementia