From the Editor

KIMBERLY BLAKER is a freelance

family and senior writer. She’s also founder and director of KB Creative Digital Services, an internet marketing agency, kbcreativedigital.com.

MICHAEL DANCISAK, PHD, is

Director of the Tulane University Center for Anatomical and Movement Sciences.

DIMITRI PAPADOPOULOS is

owner and instructor at New Orleans Shotokan Academy. He also is an assistant professor of Biology at Delgado Community College.

GEOFFREY RONIGER is the owner of

Freret Street Yoga. He has been teaching full time for nearly two decades and is considered an expert in the field of adaptive yoga. He lives in New Orleans with his wife, three children, and faithful dog.

MARIA SYLVESTER TERRY, MS, RDN,

is the dietitian behind the operations, marketing, programming, and social media for Ochsner Eat Fit NOLA. Dietetics is her second career; she was previously an English teacher and is passionate about educating our community about food and nutrition.

The articles in this Health & Wellness issue speak to me personally on multiple levels. First, being a younger Boomer myself, I’m at the stage in my life where I need to pay much closer attention to my own health. Gone are the days when I could blithely diet and go to gym for two weeks and the pounds would melt away, and muscles would appear again! Too, while I was an avowed gym rat from my 20s through my 40s, I’m sorry to report that I’ve been lax about my gym attendance these past few years and especially since COVID restrictions have kept me hidden away in my home office.

After editing the “Staying Active for Life” article, with its tips for developing a regular exercise routine, it occurred to me how silly it is for me not to be exercising again regularly. By not marking each day with a strengthening regimen, I’m only hurting myself. And then I was struck by the memory of how my dear mother’s health began to fail when she stopped her daily exercises in her 70s, with a fall leading to her passing.

Along the same line, my mother could have benefited from balancing exercises, such as the ones recommended in Geoffrey Roniger’s “On Falling” piece. Geoffrey is a regular contributor and his column this month describes how to cultivate balance for less chance of falling and better fitness, something all of us can use.

We also bring you this month an exploration of dementia and women’s health, with Dr. Demetrius Maraganore, Co-Director, Tulane Center for Clinical Neurosciences. In this fascinating piece, you’ll learn your risks for brain disorders (including Alzheimer’s) and how to improve your brain health.

Last, we should all be so dynamic as Dr. Reynold Verret, president of Xavier University of Louisiana, here in New Orleans. I hope you enjoy reading about his stewardship of the university, about to celebrate its centennial, with the same thrill that I felt learning about new learning initiatives and community partnerships. Xavier is truly a local and national academic gem.

Stay healthy and engaged in life -

Trevor Wisdom