In memory of Martie

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I am raising funds for Dementia Australia in memory of my loved one.

Thank you for donating to Dementia Australia in memory of our loved one.

In raising funds, I aim to get back on track for daily fitness runs which haven't totally slipped out of my routine but could do with a refresher. Each morning, I'll venture out for the ungodly hour, super unco, mini-marathon desperate dash of humanly avoidance I'm well versed at. I aim for about 3 laps of a circuit I have locally, about 6km/day but I'll see if I can push it a bit further

Goal 1. Maintain it for a minimum of a week as of 19/1 as this 'fundraising event'

All donations received will support the work of Dementia Australia to make a significant difference for people living with dementia, their families and carers through vital support, services, education, training and research.

Thank you for your generosity.

My Updates

Day 3. Remembering Martie

Tuesday 21st Jan

Before I venture for my run, taking a moment to appreciate some of Martie's art which she was very talented at. This is one of hers that sits in my loungeroom.

As cognition deteriorated, she lost the drive to pursue art and gardening but those were two passions she had that she loved, with a deep reverence for the natural world. That's one of the cruel things about cognitive decline, is it can rob one of the ability or drive to do the things they once loved and enriched their life.

It makes me ponder what contributes to 'healthy ageing'. A review "identified ten determinants of successful healthy ageing. These are as follows: physical activity, diet, self-awareness, outlook/attitude, life-long learning, faith, social support, financial security, community engagement, and independence. Healthy ageing appears to be the result of all these determinants being optimised."

"...many of the determinants of physical, mental/cognitive, and social well-being are interrelated. For example, in the physical domain both determinants, physical activity and diet can affect the mental/cognitive determinant of attitude/outlook. Increasing physical activity and eating a balanced diet has been shown to boost the mood and energy levels of individuals which consequently improves their attitude/outlook towards life"

Determinants of healthy ageing: a systematic review of contemporary literature Aging Clinical and Experimental Research (2022) 34:1215–1223 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-021-02049-w

Day 2: Thanks for encouraging me to Jog the Noggin

Monday 20th Jan

Thanks for all the ever so kind donations so far. Did 4 laps today, an extra 'Gratitude Lap' to appreciate the kind souls who have donated. It's so much easier running at 3.30am when I know kind souls like you are out there in the world.

Today a post on why I like joggin' the noggin. Some have even gone as far as suggesting 'Exercise should be the primary prescription for mental health' [1]

https://neurosciencenews.com/exercise-mental-health-14069/

Exercise has a large body of evidence to support it's benefits for mental health and cognitive impairment with higher activity levels associated with better neuropsychological functioning. The benefits are assumed to be linked with increases in neurotrophic factors like BDNF and increases in growth factors, glucagon-like peptide-1, epigenetic factors, increases in synaptic strength (increased neurotransmission, receptor density, dendritic spine formation), cerebral blood flow, immune modulation and brain metabolism which leads to strengthened neural circuitry and connectivity. Antidepressant and anti-stress effects are noted from exercise. Whilst chronic stress increases oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, decreases neurotrophic factors and decreases neurogenesis, decreases learning and memory and increases depression, exercise increases antioxidant enzymes, decreases neuroinflammation, increases neurotrophins (BDNF, IGF-1) and neurogenesis, enhances learning and memory and decreases depression. Exercise is also an important modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline, being able to slow the progression.

There is reasonable evidence of solid improvement of neurocognitive function in even severe conditions. It has been found " training-induced plasticity of executive control-related brain activity can be observed but depends on individual fitness gains." Acute aerobic exercise transiently changes neural response during an executive task in mental illness. Change in aerobic capacity predicted change in hippocampal connectivity. Cardiorespiratory fitness was positively associated with connectivity within the DMN. Gain in aerobic capacity was associated with increased connectivity between the DMN and prefrontal cortex. There seems to be exercise-induced modulation of resting state functional connectivity between key structures of the executive control and default mode networks, particularly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It increased coupling between the default mode network and orbitofrontal cortex, as well as a decreased connectivity between the sensorimotor network and thalamus

First Run complete

Sunday 19th Jan

3 laps/6km. Even braved the morning sunlight, rare for me

Thank you to my Supporters

$33.15

Karyn Neville

Well done, great work.

$21.10

Peter Bryans

Well done

$50

Dani And Andrew F

💛💛💛

$30

Vidar

$25

Jeff & Ruby

Running for a great cause, well done Nick

$58.02

Torsten Wiedemann

$31.50

H & P

Stay positive Nick.

$105.50

B & L Fenn General Builders Pty Ltd

Good luck Nick

$60

Lm

Our Grandmother's are everything 🙏🏽

$21

Anonymous

Your grandmother must have been amazing to inspire such a wonderful grandson. Thank you for keeping her in your heart