“Twenty years ago, there was no discussion about brain health,” says Shriver, 66, founder of the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM). “At that time, people saw it as something that happened to older people. But we no longer believe that there’s nothing you can do about it.” She created the HBO documentary series The Alzheimer’s Project, wrote a bestselling children’s book on the subject, What’s Happening to Grandpa?, and soon became an expert on the dietary and lifestyle habits that help ward off the disease. She joined forces with the Alzheimer’s Association to publish the Shriver Report, and announced in 2010 that the disease was disproportionately impacting women and that women’s research was lagging far behind men’s. Today, two-thirds of those who develop Alzheimer’s are women, so Shriver and her nonprofit WAM have partnered with Cleveland Clinic to find out why. “I’m optimistic that women are now front and center in the narrative when talking about Alzheimer’s,” she says. We caught up with Shriver to discuss her daily cognitive-boosting endeavors, why we need to reframe aging and the steps everyone can take, at any age, to better their brains. Why have you focused on shifting the narrative of aging? We have 10,000 people turning 65 every day in this country. So, I’m trying to shift the narrative of what it means to be a certain age in our society. People always say you get to your 60s, you retire and it’s over. But that’s not what I’m experiencing at all. I’m experiencing a spurt of energy. I’m experiencing dreams. I raised my kids, I’m out of a marriage [to Arnold Schwarzenegger], I took care of my parents. Many of the things that I set out as goals for myself have been realized, and I have more dreams left. Society doesn’t consider people in their 60s as vital and relevant and excited and interesting. And I want to be a part of changing that narrative, not just for myself, but for my generation. Boomers have changed so much when it comes to how we look at the world. And we’re changing how aging is perceived. People are empty nesting and they’re not falling apart. They’re selling their stuff and hitting the road. They’re becoming entrepreneurs. But you can only do that if you’re healthy. What can women do to ensure their medical worries are not being dismissed or that they’re not being gaslit? As women, validating your own feelings when it comes to your health is critically important. That means honoring what you feel and what you’re experiencing, even if your doctor says, “Hey, that’s in your head” or “That’s not possible.” Give yourself the credit that you know your body, that you know your brain. Keep track of your health journey. If you notice you’ve been waking up feeling exhausted, write that down so you can meet with your doctor as a well-prepared reporter. Women need to consider themselves the CEO of their own health. Go to your provider prepared, insist on being heard, validated and seen. If you aren’t, move on to a different doctor. What does a brain-healthy lifestyle look like? We are beginning to know what a brain-healthy lifestyle is. We know that many of the cases of Alzheimer’s might be preventable if people have different lifestyles. That doesn’t mean that those who have Alzheimer’s were bad or did something wrong. But this whole space is awakening to intervention, to different ways of thinking. When talking about cognitive health, more and more people are saying, “Wait a second, I’m foggy, I feel like I can’t focus.” And they notice the impact of exercise on that feeling. They notice the impact of certain foods on that feeling. They notice the impact of sleep on that feeling. They notice the impact of having a fulfilling personal life on that feeling. These things impact a brain-healthy life. What do we know about how exercise can impact your brain’s health and longevity? Exercise creates something called brain-derived neurotrophic factor. It cleans out the brain. It gets blood flow into the brain. So walking, doing HIIT exercises, doing anything to keep yourself moving instead of sitting is beneficial to your brain. If you go to a gym or go walking with a friend, you feel better. And feeling better is the name of the game. I know if I sit and watch TV, all of a sudden, my hand is in the cracker jar. I’m lethargic. We have a lot more power over our health than many people have been led to believe. What’s a common misconception about Alzheimer’s? That there is that there’s nothing you can do. Most people just think it’s an inevitable part of growing old or that it’s not in their family, so they don’t have to worry about it. And both are wrong. Research on women and Alzheimer’s is picking up. What are optimistic about? I’m really hopeful because we’re doubling down on research on women after neglecting it for decades. And we’re looking at the aging brain and asking, “What is that silent period when someone is cognitively ‘healthy,’ but they may be developing Alzheimer’s?” We believe that Alzheimer’s begins in your brain 15-20 years [prior to symptoms], and until recently, no one was talking about what was happening in women at midlife: menopause, perimenopause and brain shrinkage due to the loss of estrogen. That connection opened up a whole new world for me. WAM has partnered with Cleveland Clinic and we’ve launched the largest brain study in the world to look at that space. Is that space at 45 years old? Is it at 55 years old? When is that happening? I really believe that we are within striking distance of a cure. There’s more interest, there’s more money, there’s better technology. You have a lot of people talking. How has research shifted over the past five or so years? We now have an entire topic of brain health that really didn’t exist 5-6 years ago. It’s still in the toddler stage, where people ask, “What is brain health? I just got familiar with heart health!” But there was no discussion about lifestyle and its impact on Alzheimer’s, just like no one discussed women’s risks or the fact that women were also two-thirds of the caregivers. No one discussed researching younger people. No one discussed looking at women in middle age. They started asking what keeps your brain healthy. Can you eat to have a healthy brain? Can you exercise? Then people started talking about the pillars of brain health. They started looking at following these pillars and its impact on neurological disease. Could that also diminish or prevent or delay Alzheimer’s? What healthy brain habits do you take part in? I meditate. I make sure that I have at least an hour and a half of silence in the morning where I don’t have a phone or any outside influences. I try to go to bed earlier and prioritize my sleep. I try to get up at the same time. I eat a lot less sugar than I used to—although that’s still a challenge for me. I eat more of a plant-based diet, a lot less red meat than I used to. I don’t always adhere to it, but I know that a Mediterranean diet is ideal. I prioritize my exercise. I do weight training. I try to do balance work. I prioritize meaningful work and my spiritual life. I speak up for my health, and I stay on top of my doctor’s appointments. Are you focusing on cognitive exercises or do you take the full-body approach to brain health? I do cognitive exercises, but if I’m really honest, I don’t do them religiously. When I do them, I feel better. I try to brush my teeth with my alternate hand. I try to memorize directions. I try to do small things every day. I’ve never been a crossword puzzle person, but I admire people who are. And I’ve tried to take up Wordle. But when it comes to your brain, you definitely want to keep learning, whether you’re learning through a puzzle, game or activity. You saw Alzheimer’s up close, with your father. How did that experience impact you? Anybody who has seen Alzheimer’s up close or has been in a caregiving situation wants to do everything they can so that doesn’t happen to them. I really have worked hard to put women in the center of this disease. I’ve worked really hard to educate women about their health, to educate them about the need for research. I’ve used my voice as much as humanly possible to advocate for more research, to advocate for more funding, to advocate on behalf of not just my generation, but my daughter’s generation and women, particularly women of color. I’ve really made it my mission to make sure that women from all walks of life understand what we know and understand how they can take control. What are some other ways you’re taking care of yourself? I do expressive writing. So, if I’m feeling down, I write it out. I try to adopt the mentality that my best days are ahead of me. I’ve become an entrepreneur in the past year, which has been challenging, but rewarding. I started MOSH [a protein bar made for brain health] with my son Patrick [Schwarzenegger]. As you get older, it’s important that you have dreams that keep you moving forward or things that make you feel like your best days are ahead. How are you protecting your own mental health? Having practices that support your mental, emotional and physical well-being is critical. I always tell my kids that when sh** hits the fan, you should have a practice to cope—a breathing technique, a meditation technique, a writing technique, a talking technique, some kind of practice to help you through it because everybody in life is going to get smacked with something. What does your day-to-day look like when you’re not working? When I’m not working, I go for walks or hikes with my kids [Katherine, 32, Christina, 30, Patrick, 28, and Christopher, 24]. I play Uno. I have family night on Sunday night. I like pickleball. I love playing games, charades, watching rom-coms, dancing, being in nature and walking. I’m at my happiest when I’m with friends and family at a table with lots of laughter and great conversation. Next, See Inside a Dementia-Friendly Home Created by the Alzheimer’s Foundation
