NASM and AFAA reaffirmed their commitment as a world leader in fitness education and certification solutions by partnering with the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement (WAM) in their efforts to change the future of all minds. This summit, focusing on women’s health, was presented by WAM and LIFETIME, and hosted by Maria Shriver on November 1, 2017 at the Hearst Tower in New York City.
The Women’s Health Summit kicked off National Alzheimer’s Disease and Awareness and Family Caregiver’s Month. WAM featured talks and moderated panel discussions with experts in the fields of physical and mental health, preventative lifestyle measures, caregiving, and finance to provide accessible, integrated, and hopeful information and resources.
Other leading voices who shared their stories and insights at the summit included: Sally Quinn, long-time Washington Post journalist, Dr. Richard Isaacson founder of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic, and several others who have been impacted by Alzheimer’s and have taken active steps to manage its challenges.
The ultimate purpose of the summit was to raise awareness of the facts and share information about Alzheimer’s prevention to a diverse audience of editors, corporate leaders, and advocates. These thought leaders will then utilize their influence and access to media outlets to pass on this knowledge to an immense global audience that’s hungry for brain health information.
The summit focused strongly on the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s on women’s health. According to Maria Shriver, “Women in their 60s are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s as they are breast cancer, but most women are unaware of this increased risk. By convening a summit on women’s brains and exploring what they can do to protect them at an early age, we hope we can help delay the onset of Alzheimer’s in women. This is the ultimate women’s empowerment issue.” 
Speakers at the Summit emphasized that good habits, especially diet and exercise, can prevent or slow the symptoms of this devastating disease. That closely aligns with NASM/AFAA’s scientifically rigorous focus on healthy bodies/healthy minds. “Lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise have been proven to keep the brain healthy, said Jill Travis, AFAA Club Partnership Advisor. Who better to spread the word than NASM/AFAA.”
“With over 80 years of leadership in providing evidence-based protocols for personal trainers and group fitness instructors, all of us at NASM and AFAA were honored to partner with the Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement to advance important research around the power of cognitive training to mitigate and prevent the onset of this terrible disease,” said Laurie McCartney, President, Global Fitness & Wellness Solutions, Ascend Learning.
November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness and Family Caregiver’s Month and WAM has initiated “Challenge 66” which encourages everyone to take action to stop the clock on Alzheimer’s. Participants are invited to follow WAM on social media and pick one easy activity every day to keep their minds active. Go to www.thewomensalzheimersmovement.com for more information about the Challenge 66 initiative and how to donate and raise funds to support women-based Alzheimer’s research.
