Good morning! The Weekly Pounce provides five, encouraging and evidence-based tips that we refer to as the Pounce Pot Protocol. Each week, you can power up your future self by integrating these budget-friendly longevity and pro-aging strategies into your routine. 

It’s not too late (and it’s never too early) to pounce on life’s possibilities! Join our supportive community by subscribing to the newsletter. We achieve more by learning together!

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Pull out the jigsaw puzzles this week. Challenge yourself with a hard one! Messing up, making mistakes, and correcting them are key components of using games and puzzles to stay proactive about your brain health. Read more →

According to researchers, it’s the challenge, not the actual game itself that’s most important. Try a puzzle for a few minutes every day this week instead of passively watching shows or doom scrolling.

Thinking about puzzles gave me a great idea! It’s been ages since I’ve worked on a big jigsaw puzzle with the kids or friends. Why not join forces rather than working on a puzzle alone?

Connecting with others is so important to add vibrancy and “life” into your life. Keep working toward creating powerful relationship circles in your world… maybe even around your coffee table topped with 500 puzzle pieces. Explore more in the Pounce Pot Post:

Harness the hidden powers of your brain this week to help you achieve one of the Pounce Pot Protocols that you find the most difficult to complete.

Give “dopamine anchoring” a try. Take something you least like and pair it with an activity that you really enjoy. When you connect something pleasurable with something you just can’t seem to get motivated to do, your brain begins to associate them together favorably.

I use this technique to take an extra daily walk, rewarding myself by listening to my favorite fiction podcast only when I go out for those extra steps. You could try drinking a glass of water every time you scroll through Instagram, as another example.

Use the power of your inner reward systems to your advantage and see if you can develop a habit that feels a little less like drudgery and a little more like fun.

Focus on your hydration this summer. I know, I know, insert a sigh and an eye roll.

We hear this advice a lot and with wide variation: Aim for at least 2L of water daily. Drink more if you’re active or if it’s especially hot. Aim for 6-8 cups per day. The Mayo Clinic suggests 11-15 cups daily! I’ve also read “one ounce per pound of body weight.”

Let’s be real. For me at 140 lbs, that would be 140 ounces, which is 17 ½ cups daily - well over a gallon. Looking at a gallon container of water, plus another cup and a half sitting on my countertop, there’s a zero percent chance that I want to drink that much.

However, there’s a 100 percent chance that I am able to drink more than I’m currently downing every day.

When the suggestions for the “right” amount of daily water intake are all over the place, what should you do? Let’s just answer that question like this: you’re probably NOT drinking enough water every day. Like me, I’m sure you could drink more. That’s a small step in the right direction toward increasing your hydration.

So let’s anchor each glass to something fun. Sit down with a brain-boosting NYT mini crossword or Connections…and drink a glass. Listen to your favorite podcast… and have another. Watch 15 minutes of funny, short reels…and down another 8 ounces. Pair each glass with something you really enjoy. 

Don’t forget, unsweetened coffee and tea count, too. And pay attention to your body. Do you feel thirsty? Drink more water. Adopt a glass or metal water bottle that you carry around with you. Eat more foods that are super hydrating; they can account for about 20% of your water intake. You’ve got this! 

Add these super hydrating foods suggested by UCLA into your meal-planning to give your hydration a boost. Watermelon is not at the top, believe it or not.

Don't underestimate the physical activity embedded in everyday chores. Gardening, vigorous cleaning, or even organizing your home can be surprisingly effective ways to keep moving. They combine practical tasks with physical exertion, burning calories and building strength.

This week, try to spend just 30 minutes actively tackling a chore you've been putting off, like deep-cleaning a room. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been procrastinating cleaning my screen porches. It’s hard work, but I’m committing to getting it done this week.

Remember to pair your task with a small dopamine-boosting reward (perhaps download a new novel) and break longer projects into 10-minute chunks if you need to. 

Learn how everyday chores can contribute to your overall health: