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Thanksgiving is still weeks away, but it’s interesting to note that 162 years ago today, President Lincoln declared a national Thanksgiving holiday for the U.S.

I did not know, however, that Thomas Jefferson and our first 15 presidents, thought it was not appropriate to have a mandatory day of thanks due to their strong conviction in the Constitutional separation of Church and State. The need for a reconciliatory move during the Civil War tipped Lincoln’s decision. Read the details at History.com.

Okay, let’s get to our weekly tips!

P.S. I’m refining the focus of The Pounce Pot to specifically address women's voices in the proactive aging space. However, I invite everyone to continue your free subscription, carry on learning about the 5 essential actions, and forward The Weekly Pounce to the important women in your life.

Boost Your Brain

This Week's Homework: How Self-Education Boosts Your Brain

While I haven’t been a full-time student since 1999, I still learn new skills at what seems like a full-time pace.

I’ve taken informal courses on platforms such as Coursera, EdX, Duolingo, Khan Academy, and Udemy. Of course, YouTube provides practically the entirety of the world’s knowledge for free, as does TEDx. Let’s just say: I love learning.

Turns out, self-education is having five minutes of fame right now. You might have seen stories about creating a “personal curriculum” and “assigning yourself homework” trending in your various social media feeds. Read more on CNN.

Influencers insist it’s a great way to “prevent brain rot.” And I agree! Continuous learning plays a major role in our Boost Your Brain path toward a more vibrant healthspan.

This week, take some time to think about what you’d like to learn about but never studied in school. Really make some effort to take a free course, read a few books in a very specific subject, and learn how to research your chosen “curriculum” online.

I’ve selected ancient Mayan history to focus on for a few months. Join me in discovering something new. I’d love to hear about what you decide to study. Hit reply to this email and let me know!

Connect & Thrive

5 Ways Your Free Time Can Boost Your Longevity

Connecting with others not only helps to increase our lifespan, it also increases our satisfaction with life.

According to a recent study in the Harvard Business Review, five strategies can be helpful to help us decide how to best use our free time:

1. Engage with others. (Connecting with others outweighs the hassles.)

2. Avoid passive pursuits. (At least once a week, engage in a hobby instead of scrolling or watching tv.)

3. Follow your passion. (Practice hobbies that YOU like, not what others think you should do.)

4. Diversify your activities. (“Variety not depth” boosts happiness.)

5. Protect your time. (Don’t just work. Find time for other activities.)

A mantra that I’ve found helpful is: “Create before you consume.” This keeps me accountable to studying, playing a brain teaser, or reading before I mindlessly scroll through funny babies, psycho cats, or travel reels.

Try to “create before you consume” for yourself this week and see how it goes.

Harness Hidden Powers

Beet Juice: A Hidden Power for Your Heart

Your body has an incredible "hidden power" in its oral microbiome, the community of microbes living in your mouth. Studies like this one have long shown a direct relationship between oral health and heart health. But I’ve not seen research about how what we eat can subsequently affect our mouth biome until this one from the University of Exeter. Read more here.

Turns out that beet juice shots help your body convert nitrates into nitric oxide, which in turn regulates blood pressure. Learn about the benefits of nitric oxide.

I’ve always loved beets, and is it just me, or do you also think it’s weirdly interesting how the look of foods somehow relates to what they are used for in the body? Walnuts = brain health. Beet juice = blood pressure. Freaky coincidences or not?

Let’s find a good source of beet juice shots this week, or a nice recipe for roasting beets. Add roasted beets to arugula, walnuts, balsamic reduction, and some feta … yum. Let me know about your experiences with beets this week.

Fuel Your Journey

12 Healthy Snack Recipes to Fuel Your Journey

Maybe it’s because my daughter made a batch of delicious, oatmeal peanut butter balls this week, but I’ve been on a reenergized mission to find even more snacks that we can make at home.

Our family is trying (again … yes, it’s okay to keep trying) to cut out our ultraprocessed foods, which means most all store-bought snacks are off-limits. So we’re making our own from scratch.

I found these 12 recipes that meet my criteria for ones that look promising:

✔️ simple ingredients
✔️ fully or mostly plant-based
✔️ lots of fiber
✔️ easy directions
✔️ delicious

Join me this week in cutting out one of your ultraprocessed snacks with one you can make at home. Read why it’s so important here at the American Medical Association.

Let me know what you decide to make, or if you need some protein ball recipes. We have a few good ones that stir up in one bowl.

Stay Active

Practice Balance with Habit-Stacking

After years of practicing yoga, I feel like my balance is pretty dang good. Nevertheless, I continue to focus on it nearly every day. Why? Keeping up a strong sense of balance now can help protect us from falls later.

And as I’ve repeatedly said: It’s not too late to start, and it’s never too early.

Try out these 5 leg and balance-strengthening exercises this week.

I had a particularly bright light-bulb moment with the section on walking backwards. I have always avoided this particular recommendation thinking I’d be walking backwards around my neighborhood, tripping into an oncoming car, and looking like a ding-dong. Why did it never occur to me before to practice walking backwards inside down the length of my hall?!

Habit-stacking is a proven way to add a new habit to something you already successfully manage. For example, I always practice my balance routine while my coffee or tea is brewing, and again while I’m brushing my teeth. Learn more about habit-stacking in Real Simple.

Pounce Pick of the Week

Y’all know that my family loves to play games that require thought and creativity (not just games of pure chance). A lot of readers asked me what we like to play, so here are three more of our absolute, all-time favorites:

Pounce Pot Post

Pounce Pot Perspective

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