Today we are joined by Dr. Alexandra Fiocco, the Director of the Stress and Healthy Aging Research (StAR) Lab at Ryerson University. Dr. Fiocco will talk about her area of expertise, Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) – what it is, how it impacts the brain, and how to incorporate it into daily life.

In this episode, we’ll be talking about how to build healthy eating habits with our guest, Brittany Raftis - a Registered Dietitian. Brittany will share some healthy cooking tips, bust myths about healthy eating, and talk about Canada’s new food guide.

Today, we’re talking with Dr. Carol Greenwood - a senior scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute and a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto’s Department of Nutritional Sciences. She is a co-author of Mindfull – the first science-based e-cookbook for the brain (for more information click here), and has also co-authored the first Canadian Brain Health Food Guide (English guide download or French guide download).

Today we’re talking with Laurie Brager - a Personal Trainer for women who are 50 and above - about physical fitness and why it is so important for our overall health. It helps us feel better, gives us more energy and helps us perform the tasks that we do every day more easily. Evidence also shows that exercise positively impacts our brain health. It has been shown to reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms; it improves our mental abilities, such as memory, thinking speed and attention

Dance is a powerful tool that can be used to help keep your brain fit and engaged. To help us better understand how dancing positively impacts our brains and our bodies, we’re speaking with Rachel Bar. She talks about the physiological, emotional and social benefits of dance, and introduces us to Canada’s National Ballet School’s partnership with Baycrest to develop various dance programs for a variety of different types of seniors.

Welcome to the BrainShape Podcast!

I am your host Dr. Andrea Wilkinson. I have a PhD in Psychology with a specialization in cognitive aging. I have been studying brain fitness and cognitive maintenance for over 15 years and I am passionate about sharing research knowledge, and what I've learned over the years about how to optimize brain health with increasing age through social engagement, physical activity and mental challenges.