Maria Shriver, The Women's Alzheimer's Movement and Equinox Sports Clubs Announce Move for Minds® 2018

LOS ANGELES, May 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Maria Shriver, The Women's Alzheimer's Movement and Equinox Sports Clubs, the high-performance lifestyle leaders in health and fitness, are excited to announce that Move for Minds® will go global in 2018 by expanding to all 93 Equinox locations across the world. Held this June in recognition of Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, the groundbreaking initiative educates the public on the latest in Alzheimer's research and on lifestyle changes they can make today to care for their brains and possibly prevent the disease. Funds raised through the initiative will be used to accelerate women-based Alzheimer's research, since women are at an increased risk for the disease.

"For every three brains that are diagnosed with Alzheimer's, two belong to women and no one knows why that is," Shriver said. "Women are at the epicenter of this global Alzheimer's crisis, and we can be at the heart of the solution."

"We're proud to partner once again with Maria and Move for Minds," says Niki Leondakis, Equinox CEO. "Our mission at Equinox is to maximize our members' high-performance lives, which cannot be done without a high-performance brain. This year, we are going to enhance our most popular fitness class into 'MetConM' – a unique, specially-designed program that will train the brain and body simultaneously. Along with other activations throughout the month, we are excited to promote the importance of brain health across all clubs and digital platforms."

The month-long Move for Minds initiative will be anchored by a nationwide tour, hosted by Maria Shriver. The tour will travel to four cities in June: New York City (June 2), Boston (June 3), Los Angeles (June 9) and San Francisco (June 10). Held at Equinox Sports Clubs in each city, the events kick off with a one-of-a-kind brain-body workout class and will be followed by an informative and inspiring conversation featuring today's A-list experts in the fields of nutrition, fitness, sleep, brain science, meditation, and caregiving — all of whom will share their latest research, offer prevention tools, and sign their best-selling books. Participants will have the unique opportunity to meet and mingle with these superstar experts, as well as sample brain-healthy foods and enjoy health and wellness products from other top companies. The multi-faceted events will leave participants feeling educated, empowered, and inspired to care for their brains.

Among the leading voices at Move For Minds 2018: Dr. Rudy Tanzi, PhD, Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, Vice-Chair of Neurology and Director of the Genetics and Aging Unit at Mass General, Chair of Cure Alzheimer's Fund; Dr. Lisa Mosconi, PhD, Associate Director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell and New York-Presbyterian Hospital; Dr. Bruce Miller, MD, Director UCSF Dementia Center; Dr. Ruth Benca, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair for the Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior at UC Irvine; Dr. Mark Hyman, MD, Director at Cleveland Clinic's Center for Functional Medicine, New York Times best-selling author, Founder and Medical Director of The UltraWellness Center; Bob Roth, New York Times best-selling author and Executive Director of the David Lynch Foundation; Dr. Richard Isaacson, MD, Director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic Weill Cornell, Associate Professor of Neurology, Director of the Neurology Residency Program at Weill Cornell and New York-Presbyterian Hospital; Dr. Dale Bredesen, MD, New York Times best-selling author, Founding President and CEO of Buck Institute for Age Research, Professor of Neurology, and Director of UCLA Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research; Marcia Gay Harden, Academy and Tony Award-winning actress, and author of "The Seasons of My Mother"; Lisa Genova, New York Times bestselling author of "Still Alice" and "Every Note Played"; Natalia Neidhardt, WWE superstar and star of E! Total Divas; and Lauren Miller Rogen, co-founder of Hilarity for Charity.

"Research shows that cognitive health is the foundation for a happy and healthy life," said Dr. Bruce Miller MD, Director UCSF Dementia Center. "The Women's Alzheimer's Movement is on the right track by raising awareness of the risk factors of developing Alzheimer's disease, educating individuals about the lifestyle choices we make to protect our brains and cognitive health as we age, and raising funds for women-based brain-science research."

In addition to Equinox, Move For Minds expands its other corporate partners in 2018. Partners include Starbucks, Bank of America, Beats, Beautycounter, Genworth, UBS, Blaze Pizza, Koral Activewear, AFAA and NASM, Google Ventures, OWN, Bloomingdales, City National Bank, and more.

"Millions of American workers are trying to manage loved ones with Alzheimer's and at the same time, are eager to learn more about how they can care for their own brain health," Shriver said. "At long last, corporate America is stepping up and recognizing the fact that brain health and caregiving are professional issues that affect the health and well-being of their employees."

Move for Minds partners once again with Home Care Assistance, the nation's leader in science-based in-home senior care, to offer Recharge Grants to caregivers across the country. One-hundred family caregivers will be selected this year to receive a weekend, or two consecutive days, of respite care through the program. For more information on the opportunity, please go to https://homecareassistance.com/caregiverrechargegrants.

Outside of Equinox Sports Clubs, The Women's Alzheimer's Movement is encouraging supporters who can't make it to Move for Minds to plan their own Alzheimer's fundraiser — no matter their location. All across the country, from Arizona to Wyoming and beyond, hikers, dancers, chefs, and others have already organized their own innovative fundraising opportunities – including a "Dance for Minds" event in multiple cities, a "Hike for Minds" event in northern California and a "Dine for Minds" event in New York featuring Chef David Bouley and Dr. Drew Ramsey.

Those interested in attending Move for Minds this June, or hosting their own fundraiser "for minds" to support The Women's Alzheimer's Movement, can sign up at www.moveforminds.org.

About The Women's Alzheimer's Movement
The Women's Alzheimer's Movement (WAM), a nonprofit organization founded by Maria Shriver, is committed to finding out why Alzheimer's discriminates against women. We believe that answering the question of why women are disproportionately affected by Alzheimer's will unlock the other mysteries surrounding this mind-blowing disease and that will lead to a treatment or cure for all. To that end, we urge scientists to conduct women-based research and raise funds to support it. To date, WAM has awarded numerous women-based Alzheimer's research grants across the country, ignited the creation of research initiatives at major institutions, and supported caregivers — who work 24/7 on the frontlines of humanity — with respite grants. WAM also works with leading experts and strategic partners to educate the public about the connection between brain health and lifestyle. WAM is an ongoing digital resource for women and for those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's to share their stories. For more information, go to TheWomensAlzheimersMovement.org.

About Equinox
Equinox operates 93 upscale, full-service clubs in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Houston, and Washington DC, as well as international locations in London, Toronto, and Vancouver. The company offers an integrated selection of Equinox-branded programs, services and products, including strength and cardio training, studio classes, personal training, spa services and products, apparel, and food/juice bars. Launching in 2019, Equinox Hotels will cater exclusively to the high-performance traveler to serve as the ultimate hotel destination with a 360-degree lifestyle experience. For more than 25 years, Equinox has consistently offered bespoke experiences and unparalleled services to consumers, developing a lifestyle brand that represents service, value, quality, expertise, innovation, attention to detail, market leadership and results.

About Maria Shriver
Maria Shriver is a mother of four, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist and producer, a seven-time New York Times best-selling author, an NBC News Special Anchor and the founder of The Women's Alzheimer's Movement. Shriver is one of the nation's premier Alzheimer's advocates, with over 14 years of boots-on-the-ground activism, journalism and personal testimony about the disease and the future of America's brains. In 2010, her groundbreaking report "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Takes on Alzheimer's," developed in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association, was the first to report that Alzheimer's disproportionately affects women. Since then, Shriver has worked tirelessly to spread that message to women around the world. Her nonprofit The Women's Alzheimer's Movement grew out of "The Shriver Report" findings and now works to hammer the point home that women are at an increased risk for the disease. Shriver executive produced the Academy Award-winning film, "Still Alice," which tells the story of a woman affected by early onset Alzheimer's disease. She also co-executive produced the Emmy Award-winning HBO series "The Alzheimer's Project" and authored the best-selling children's book "What's Happening to Grandpa?" In 2017, she also created the first-ever coloring book for people with Alzheimer's and those who love them, "Color Your Mind." Shriver has testified in front of Congress twice on behalf of Alzheimer's. Her voice was instrumental to the 2010 passage of the National Alzheimer's Project Act. In 2017, Shriver received the Alzheimer's Association's first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maria-shriver-the-womens-alzheimers-movement-and-equinox-sports-clubs-announce-move-for-minds-2018-300650088.html

SOURCE The Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement