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Welcome to Living Well Daily, the newsletter serving up a daily dose of care designed to support you, cheer you on and remind you, always, just how wonderful you already are.

In Today’s Edition:

🥰Well-Being & Self-Care: There's No One-Size-Fits-All Way to Regulate
💖Longevity & Wellness: Bodyweight & Brain Aging
✨Daily Affirmation & Daily Prompt

Just because something is a certain way doesn’t mean it needs to stay that way forever.

Change is the one constant in life.

Be the catalyst for the change you want to see.

Imagine two people having a stressful day.

One feels better after sitting quietly with a cup of tea. The other needs to turn on music and dance around the kitchen.

Both might be supporting their nervous systems, just in different ways.

Here's something important about regulation: what helps depends on the person, the circumstances, and what their body needs in that moment.

Sometimes we benefit from slowing down. Other times, gentle movement, stimulation, or connection can help us feel more present.

And a practice that feels wonderful one day might feel irritating or uncomfortable the next.

This is why nervous system regulation isn't about memorizing one perfect breathing technique or forcing yourself into a particular state.

It's about building a relationship with your body, recognizing its signals, and developing a variety of ways to respond.

The more options we have, the more flexible our approach to caring for ourselves can become.

🌿 Your Nervous System Experiment: Create a tiny regulation menu with three options:

You don't have to use them all today. Just begin discovering what works for you.

Regulation isn't about making your body behave. It's about learning how to care for it.

^{Love, Lola Graham}

As you get older, maintaining a healthy body weight can help protect your heart, joints, and, new research suggests, your brain as well.

This study followed more than 8,200 adults over age 50 for 24 years and found that people with a higher BMI experienced faster declines in memory, overall cognition, and executive function, which includes things like planning, focus, and decision-making.

The relationship became especially noticeable after age 65.

I will be the first to say that BMI is not an ideal measurement, but newer measures that do account for excess body fat beyond BMI alone estimate that more than 60% of U.S. adults may have obesity, which means this issue affects the majority of people.

Carrying excess body fat can contribute to chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and poorer cardiovascular health, all of which can negatively affect the brain over time.

Researchers found weight management was associated with a slower rate of cognitive decline, with differences showing up in as little as two years.

This research adds to a large body of evidence suggesting that maintaining a healthy body composition as you age may help support a longer, healthier life.

✅ Action Step: Focus on the boring-but-effective fundamentals to manage your weight: food quality and quantity, move your body often, including strength training at least a couple of times a week, and get enough sleep each night.

^{By: Joshua Graham | Source: PMID 41758252}

^{A supportive prompt to build health, nourishment, and long-term wellness.}

Ask yourself: what would “supportive” look like today instead of “perfect”?

Before you go, let us know what you thought of today’s edition and if there are any subjects you would like us to cover in the future reply to this email and let us know!

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With love and care,

Lola & Joshua | The Living Well Team

^{Living Well Daily is for educational purposes only and is in no way a substitute for professional medical and mental health advice and diagnosis. Please consult a qualified professional for care unique to your needs.}

^{Remember: It’s okay to ask for help. Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 (Canada & US).}