Numerous studies have shown if we move our bodies, our minds grow stronger, healthier brain structures. Not only does moving our bodies help strengthen our brains, but it also improves our sleep, boosts our mood, and prevents memory loss.
EmpowHer LA is happy to announce that we are teaming up with Move For Minds to raise awareness to the community of the importance of moving our minds and how it can help protect our brains from Alzheimer's.
Growing up I was very close to my mother, in fact, people used to say we were attached at the hip. I never wanted to leave her side and I very much looked up to her for all her wisdom and knowledge. My birthday was on October 7th and I always think of my mom at this time of year. She always made a point of making my birthday so special- a gift from my childhood I will always hold onto.
My mom had an amazing heightened sense of intuition and an ability to read an individual quickly and with accuracy. This was a gift that my mom also imparted to my sisters and me in different ways. After I graduated from college, I went home to live with my mother and people used to say, “are you going to marry your mother”? It was very hard for me to move out of my childhood home and away from my mother as her presence was, and still is, so important in my life.
My mother, Karin Valenzuela, immigrated from Weimar, Germany and escaped from East Germany in 1932 to West Germany where she met my father, a Mexican American from East Los Angeles. Together, they moved to Los Angeles, and if you believe it, she didn’t speak any English but her strength carried her through the move with grace.
Every day, I thank my mother for the strength that she gave me.
I am a WAM champion. A WAM Champion is a woman who has a family member that is currently battling or has lost their life to Alzheimer's. My mother, Karin Valenzuela, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2008. She is a warrior who taught me what it means to be strong and every day I see the effects of this disease.
Women are pivotal in my life. As a wife, mother of 3, and youngest daughter of 3 girls, my life is surrounded by amazing women. Just after the birth of my first daughter, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Her diagnosis had a profound effect on me and was one of the driving forces behind EmpowHer LA.
My mom taught me that everyone is capable of achieving their dreams and that strong community connection plays a vital role in a woman’s life. The sense of community connection, building a tribe of women to support and champion one another is a large part of what drove me to launch EmpowHer LA.
When my mother was diagnosed, I was devastated to see the strength of her character fall victim to Alzheimer's. I would not have gotten through her diagnosis without my sisters, who reminded me of the power of community my mother taught me.
I had a realization: We need to move our minds to push ourselves to grow. The support and connection of the EmpowHer LA community pushes me to use my brain in new ways every day.
I owe so much of that to my mother, Karin Valenzuela.
EmpowHer LA is teaming up with Maria Shriver's organization, The Women's Alzheimer's Movement at her event Move for Minds on
November, 2nd, 2019 8:00am-12:00pm and 2:00pm-6:00pm Equinox Los Angeles.
Move for Minds is so important to me because it’s all about people coming together, building a community, and raising awareness of this issue. The Women Alzheimer’s Movement is dedicated to changing the future for all minds through education, awareness and all of their proceeds go towards women-based Alzheimer's research.
Join the EmpowHer LA Team for a half-day of fun, fitness, and information that will transform your mind, body, and soul - AND make a difference for the future of
all minds!
If you can't join us on November 2nd but want to help make a difference, donate to our team page where all of the proceeds go towards women-based Alzheimer's research.
Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. This disease is the leading cause of dementia and the 6th leading cause of death in America.
The statistics around Alzheimer’s are alarming. 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today and someone new is diagnosed every 65 seconds. Of the 5.8 million, ⅔ diagnosed are women. As people, as women, we can can’t afford to be complacent about our brain health. The statistics are staggering and increasing every day.
As you may have heard in my recent TidBit Tuesday about Alzheimer's, I offered a few tips to help protect and keep our brains moving.
These are tangible tips that you can start today.
Three Helpful Tips to Move Our Brains -
1. Get Quality Sleep- Our brains don’t turn off when we go to sleep- our brains consolidate what we learned in the day while we sleep. Getting a good night's sleep is crucial. Adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night to benefit fully and perform at their cognitive peak each day.
2. Keep Learning- Studies show that people who actively learn new things have healthier brains. We need to train our brains to engage in different ways. Whether it be learning a new language or doing daily brain tests like Sudoko, keep your mind active!
3. Have Healthy Relationships - As it turns out, the more diverse your friends, the more they challenge you to think creatively. They provide you with information you would not normally have and give you different perspectives on everything. Your friends, figuratively, keep your mind open.
Together, let's find a cure for Alzheimer's!
XOXO,
Female Entrepreneur's Pop-Up!
Thursday, October 24th from 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Private Residence in Pacific Palisades, CA
Tips and advice from fellow female entrepreneurs on how to kick start a business
Facebook Live Pop-Up w/ Purpose
Thursday, October 24th at 7:00 pm
Learn about Alzheimer's and ways to prevent it
Shop Beautycounter products - all proceeds go towards women-based research
Beautycounter Glow Girls Pop-Up
Sunday, October 27th from 11:00 am-2:00 pm
Private residence in Santa Monica
This pop-up will feature a guided meditation, mini facials, massages, and shopping of products.
Second Female Entrepreneur's Pop Up!
Tuesday, November 5th from 6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Private Residence in Pacific Palisades
Tips and advice from fellow female entrepreneurs on how to kick start a