Welcome 2021!

By Michelle Szczepanski

As we say goodbye to 2020, which for many of us, proved to be a year of adjustment and loss, my hope for you and your family is that we can recover to whatever "normal" our lives will be. Like many people, I find inspiration in a new year. It is a clean slate for the 365 days ahead of me. 

"No one can go back in time to change what has happened. So, work on your present to make yourself a wonderful future."

Resolutions to improve health, having a better work life balance and being more mindful in daily tasks are common for many of us. Making some healthier choices can also help reduce your risk of dementia (age and genes aside). Risk factors alone do not cause dementia but keeping a healthy lifestyle can help to reduce the risk. Here are some ideas to consider: 

- get moving.... start with a few steps

- eat well/eat better (remove one "bad" choice item from your diet at a time to make it less overwhelming)

- cut down or remove alcohol and stop smoking

- keep your mind active (puzzles have been very popular in 2020, try to do mental math)

- look after your general health.

In closing, think about what you are bringing to the New Year. What the New Year brings depends on what we bring to it. The New Year is YOURS. What will you do with it?