Health

from Marlborough Magazine - September 2022

Architecture Awards

Brain fitness

Movement isn’t just good for our bodies, it’s also one of the most powerful tools we have to keep our brains healthy. Dr Marissa Kelaher explains how exercise can stimulate chemical changes in the brain that enhance learning, mood and thinking.

Being physically active is proven to help our mental health and our brain function, improving concentration, memory, decision making, and creativity. Exercise also protects our brain from damage, making it more able to recover from illness or injury. Plus, it’s one of the most powerful tools we have to reduce the risk of dementia.

Ways physical movement helps our brain health:

• Increases heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain.

• Reduces insulin resistance (high insulin causes type 2 diabetes, and can also damage brain cells).

• Triggers the release of hormones such as BDNF.

This is a chemical that stimulates growth of new brain cells and blood vessels in the brain, keeps brain cells healthy, and helps new brain pathways form.

• Promotes neuroplasticity.

• Reduces inflammation in the brain and helps remove damaged brain cells.

• Increases the size of our hippocampus (part of the brain involved in learning, memory, and mood).

• Increases the size of our prefrontal cortex and medial temporal cortex (parts of the brain which help concentration, creativity, memory formation, and decision making). Exercise helps us grow new brain cells and connections, and boosts our ability to rewire faulty connections, in a process called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is crucial for ongoing learning and is a key part of reducing stress and pain levels, as it literally changes how our brain works. Brain growth from regular exercise can occur in as little as six months.

It also improves mood and sleep, both of which are important for a healthy brain. Exercise also has an antidepressant effect due to the release of ‘feel good’ hormones (dopamine, endorphins, serotonin) and the reduction in stress hormones (cortisol). This is what gives us the ‘exercise high’, and makes exercise oddly addictive! You don’t need to go to a gym to get the benefits of exercise - the key is finding movement you enjoy and doing it daily. Exercising in the outdoors has extra benefits as it can help reduce stress hormones and boost mood even more.

For good health we need at least 150 - 300 minutes of moderate intensity cardio each week (or 75-150 min of high intensity), as well as balance and flexibility exercise most days, and resistance exercise 2-3 days a week. These all have different benefits and give our body and brain variety and challenges. Many forms of exercise combine these, like hiking, yoga, paddleboarding and dance.

Dr Marissa Kelaher is a GP and lifestyle medicine doctor. She runs health courses and offers oneon-one consults at yourlifestylemedics.com

The friendly team at Wairau Pharmacy offer a huge range of services and an extensive gift selection.

More than a pharmacy

There is something extra special about Wairau Pharmacy. This locally owned Scott Street store offers a unique shopping experience, with its range of services all conveniently housed under one roof.

From a warm welcome and expert advice to an enticing range of gifts, beauty treatments and a gorgeous accessories collection for babies, there is no other shop quite like it. Owned by head pharmacist Rebecca since 2008, Wairau Pharmacy has evolved to be much more than simply a pharmacy. The staff pride themselves, not just on their professionalism, but also on the extensive services offered in store.

The customer always comes first at Wairau Pharmacy and with an expert staff of around 13, there is always someone on hand happy to help. With a private consultation facility for blood pressure and blood glucose checks and other services including a serene space for great value beauty treatments and earpiercing, Wairau Pharmacy is the place to go. While staff will always do their best to accommodate you, booking is advised. Health and well-being are at the heart of the exceptional service you can expect as standard at Wairau Pharmacy. At a time when maintaining good health and well-being is more important than ever before, it is reassuring to know that help and support is readily available in Blenheim’s town centre. The pharmacy offers the convenience of a walk-in flu and Covid-19 vaccination clinic, with pharmacists and dispensary technicians on hand to advise every step of the way. As well as the extensive range of traditional healthcare, vitamins and first aid, the pharmacy is renowned for its beautiful giftware. Stepping into the store is a pleasure; bright, airy and welcoming. There is plenty of room to browse the generous selection of gifts, health range and beauty products. Popular Kiwi brands including Moana Road, Mod & Tod, Lola & Me, Pepper & Me, Tui Balm, The Nude Alchemist and Petite Eats offer a beautifully curated range of special gifts, no matter who you’re buying for. The colourful and extensive range of children’s items gives you plenty of gift options to choose from at a price right for all pockets. There truly is something for everyone, from soft leather handbags and shrugs in attractive colours to homeware and gifts for the man in your life. The selection is special, with each item carefully selected to offer customers gifts that are out of the ordinary. Shopping for that special gift at Wairau Pharmacy makes perfect sense, especially with complimentary gift wrapping.