4 the Better: Cross-country Walking Inspiration, MSG Damages Brain Cells, Exercise Benefits Cognition
Bite-sized inspiration and information in 4 minutes
Cross-country Walking With a Purpose
Right now, as I am tapping away on my keyboard, a woman is walking 3,000 miles across the United States, from the shores of San Diego, California, to the sands of St. Augustine, Florida. She began her challenging coast-to-coast journey on April 5, 2025, and as of this writing, she has traversed 240.3 miles and crossed into Arizona. Oh, by the way, she is 80 years old. Oh, and if that isn’t sufficiently impressive, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 67, the same disease that her mother succumbed to after a 20-year battle.
Her name is Judy Benjamin. Instead of taking her diagnosis sitting down, she took control of her health and made significant changes to her diet and lifestyle. Serendipitously, she met Dr. Dale Bresdesen, a world-renowned expert in the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases who has one guiding principle: Alzheimer’s is not just preventable, but reversible.
Back in August 2023, I wrote “Your Brain Health is in Your Hands” about Dr. Breseden’s program after reading his book, The End of Alzheimer’s. In a nutshell, his clinically proven regime to prevent and reverse cognitive decline encompasses seven simple lifestyle strategies: nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, brain stimulation, detoxification, and supplementation. Ostensibly, everything within our control.
Judy was the first person to officially adopt his revolutionary and clinically proven “Breseden Protocol®,” becoming his “patient zero” and opening the door to a renewed life and a new career. Dr. Bresden is now Chief Science Officer with Apollo Health, which offers the Bedesen Protocol through two subscription programs, the PreCODE Program™ (for prevention) and ReCODE Program™ (for reversal.) With a sincere desire to “pay it forward,” Judy became a ReCode-trained coach and opened her own consulting business, Access Longevity.
Despite Judy’s many responsibilities as a health and wellness coach with a thriving business, she wanted to inspire others with her story and amplify her message of hope for those with cognitive decline…ergo this 3,000-mile trek across the states. Accompanied by a videographer who drives her rolling home and documents the journey for an upcoming film, Judy still consults with clients during her breaks from walking. To keep friends and supporters up to date, she maintains her journal on the very well-designed (kudos to her team) and engaging Judy Walks website, which tracks her progress, tells her story, and salutes her sponsors.
As she embarked on this journey of a lifetime, Judy’s goal was to shine a light on the many avenues available to combat this potentially devastating disease and impart to others a message that we can live healthy and productive lives at any age. I, for one, am inspired by her story and her courage to attempt such an endeavor. I will most definitely be living vicariously through her until she reaches St. Augustine.
As a side note, Judy and I favor the same footwear. I learned of Judy’s inspirational quest through one of her sponsors, Xero Shoes: a favorite zero-drop of mine, and the shoes she is logging her 3,000 miles.
MSG Damages Brain Cells
My current read is “Lymph and Longevity” by Dr. Gerald Lemole, cardiothoracic surgeon and integrative physician (I’m totally fascinated by the lymphatic system). In the “Brain and Mind Conditions” chapter, I found an interesting section about the effects of monosodium glutamate (MSG) on the brain and cognition.
Although we often think of MSG primarily in Chinese food, truth be told, it is widely used in processed foods across cultures, because it stimulates the brain to think we are eating something yummy. Unfortunately, too much glutamate in the brain leads to nerve and cellular damage, which causes an increased inflammatory response. Many experts, Dr. Breseden included, believe inflammation lays the foundation for much of the cognitive decline and dementia plaguing our population.
Another side note: I did a quick search around the net to confirm what I was reading, and the top responses reported MSG as being totally safe. But a little bit more digging uncovered a couple of studies that support Dr. Lemole’s contentions, stating, “Pathologies similar to AD, including neuronal shrinkage and short-term memory impairment, were demonstrated by MSG at an early age. Illness-risk groups should attempt to reduce their MSG consumption because it can contribute to a greater illness burden. The continued correlation between high levels of MSG consumption and memory impairment suggests that caution is warranted.”
One more reason—if you need one more—to clean out MSG and processed foods from your cupboards.
Exercise Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factors (BDNF)
You may remember that I covered this amazing phenomenon in Muscles Are Your Pharmacy.
When contracted and stressed, skeletal muscles produce and secrete a miraculous protein called BDNF—brain-derived neurotrophic factor—which encourages muscle regeneration, regulates metabolism, and fortifies synaptic function.
Specific to the brain, BDNF aids in neuron growth, neuronal network development, synaptic plasticity and function, and the strengthening of neuromuscular junctions. In other words, these miraculous proteins help keep your brain healthy and fend off disease.
However, it’s not only derived from strength training; moderate to high-intensity walking and other aerobic activities also boost BDNF production, promoting neuroplasticity and potentially enhancing cognition.
Now is the ideal time to try Interval Walking (Lightbulbs & Pearls 20) and pick up something heavy!
Check out our updated Ageosophy Substack; the navigation has two new categories—Health & Wellness and Wellbeing—so topics of interest are easier to find! If you have any questions, requests, or suggestions, please feel free to message me.