Healthy Everytime

Recently on “America’s Got Talent” a 75 year old woman performed a song and dance routine. (This reference is not to the Rappin Granny who was outstanding.)

Before she began I mentally cheered her on with, “You go girl!” I was reminded of a CD an older woman sent to me that captured her singing performance at a local nightspot. She was fantastic. And why not. if Tony Bennett at 80 something can still sing, others can do it too.

As it turned out, the contestant did not have a million dollar talent. How I wish she had been sensational. Because we are living longer, healthier lives, we desperately need accomplished older role models to show us what’s possible late in life.

I often mention Dr. Helen Harkenss, author of Don’t Stop the Career Clock, who has inspired me more than I can say. (I can’t reveal her age because I don’t know it, she doesn’t tell, and it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s her accomplishments that count, not her advanced age.)

Other role models of mine include 80 something David Oreck who still promotes his vacuum cleaners. Compare his sharp agile mind and youthful demeanor to that of many retirees his age whose brains and bodies have turned to mush.

Then there is 90 something Art Linkletter who writes books and does almost non-stop speaking gigs. When I was interviewed for his book, How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life, he and I disagreed about living in retirement communities, but we got beyond that. He has a flexible open mind and can see other points of view.

How about 90 plus Jack LaLanne, a testament to the benefit of lifelong super nutrition and exercise. He oozes energy. How can you watch his juicer infomercial and not want to buy two of them?

Recently, I watched a video that is truly awesome. I found it in “Celebrations” the official newsletter for Older Wiser Women™. It shows 80 something Yvonne Dowlen Ice skating, and doing it very well. When I tell people I ice skate, (not very well, but determination springs eternal!) a common response is, “Aren’t you afraid of falling?” Well, yes and no. I am more afraid of stepping off a curb and turning my ankle, which I have done on more than one occasion.

Fear is sometimes a healthy thing. It makes us stop and think. If forces us to face reality. On the other hand, unreasonable fear keeps us from doing what we want to do and know we could do if we tried. And if only we weren’t held back by a nagging inner voice that warns, “Be careful. You’re too old to do that.” We need role models like Yvonne Dowlen to help us overcome an age-based irrational fear of trying.

The video also makes clear that if you want a youthful flexible body in your older years, you have to start early to keep what you have. You can’t wait until you are 65, suddenly realize that you’ve almost completely lost all youthful competence and decide to try to recapture what’s lost. While some improvement is always possible, the longer you wait to reclaim what’s gone, the more difficult it is. A sedentary body rebels at being forced to do what it really doesn’t want to do anymore. There is nothing worse than realizing “It’s too late.” As entertainer Eubie Blake was known to say, “If I had known I would live this long I would have taken better care of myself.”

Whatever age you are now is a good time to take better care of yourself. The younger you are when you start the easier it is. And it’s truly helpful if you can find an inspiring role model to look to for encouragement.

A news report on kelp health benefits from the International seaweed symposium declared “In all patients there followed a dramatic drop in incidence of the common cold, as well as flu’s resultant in a very favorable kelp health benefit” from ingesting liquid kelp. People who had already got the virus, the strength and length of their sickness was cut down to the point that the irritation was greatly reduced by the health benefits of liquid kelp.

An array of mineral content will help strengthen bones, nails and is natural rejuvenator of skin and an anti-aging revitalizer for the skin. True providence has placed the kelp health benefit in our hands. Still another kelp health benefit is due to extracting and assimilating these vital minerals from ocean water, miraculously converting them from unavailable, inorganic substances into organic minerals which the body can use on a cellular level as a kelp health benefit.

Certification of these Kelp Health Benefits are derived from:

1- Journal of Nutrition Feb 2005

2- Secrets of Health and Beauty, Pyramid books1970

Doctor. David Derry has produced studies that show the many kelp health benefits in relation to breast cancer - just one of many sicknesses effected by Kelps Health Benefit. Traditional medicine has been used to treat breast cancer since the 1920’s, yet cancer rates have not improved significantly. In many areas cancer rates are infact much higher. Studies have shown all along that women with diets high in kelp such as Japan and other coastal countries have appreciably lower rates of cancer due to their high intake of these sea vegetables, yet North American are only now beginning to understand Kelps health benefits.

Dr. Derry’s hypotheses of kelp health benefits, are founded on extended studies of published medical papers in conjunction with his experience as a clinician, and are not just his opinions. Studies are currently underway involving the effects of organic iodine from kelp on cancer prevention and reduction - several studies are exhibiting very positive Kelp Health Benefits of natural kelp products. Because breast cancer rates worldwide carry on to increasing, more people are interested in early intervention or prevention.

In fact, research is already underway on the impact of iodine on cancer prevention and reduction-a VERY important kelp health benefit. Dr. Derry proposes supporting the body’s natural immune system and metabolic health with proper thyroid levels, and combining that with the intake of a small daily dose of iodine-another Kelp Health Benefit.

FORGOTTEN KELP HEALTH BENEFITS In February of this year health researchers at UCLA Berkeley(1), called for a dramatic increase in scientific research into kelp health benefits after Discovering that a diet containing kelp may decrease the risk of estrogen-dependent Diseases in humans, such as breast cancer”

Getting a massage can be an enlightening event. Whether you are stressed out, in a rut or just need a bit of me time, a massage can give you that moment while also cleaning out toxins and relaxing tensed up muscles in your back, neck and throughout the body.

Picture a massage and you, me and everyone else thinks of the version with a faintly Eastern feel to it. While such images are certainly correct, there are actually many styles of massages out there. In fact, the most popular is not Eastern at all.

One of the more common massages is the Swedish massage. This is a good introductory massage for beginners. Therapist use long, smooth strokes and circular motions in combination with lotions to relax surface muscles. A very relaxing massage.

And then there is the serious massage. Yes, the deep tissue. This massage is designed to get at the tension and knots deep down in your muscles. Strokes are strong and slow. It is designed to give you good results, not a good experience while it is occurring.

A deep tissue massage is not for the light hearted. You are going to groan and whimper. It takes serious pressure to get at the tension and knots in your deep muscles. There is a great payoff however. You will feel like a million bucks once it is done.

Next up we have the massage from Thailand. This can be a confusing massage the first time. It is done on a padded floor and involves the twisting and stretching of your body. It is designed to align energy points. When done properly, results are tremendous.

I am a huge fan of a properly done Thai massage. The problem is finding a therapist that does an authentic version. If you love a quality massage, I strongly suggest you take a trip to Thailand once in your life and get an authentic massage. They are less than $20.

Our next massage comes out of Japan and is also very popular. The Shiatsu massage is also designed to treat the energy points in your body. Instead of twisting and bending you, however, it accomplishes this through finger manipulation of your meridians.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the trendy new hot stone massage. As the name suggest, hot flat stones are placed on stressed muscles and the heat relaxes them. A very light massage that I find to be weak, but to each their own.

Having a child is a wonderful thing, but it can work over your body. The pregnancy massage is designed to help eliminate aches, pains and swelling for expectant mothers. This should only be undertaken using a therapist trained in the concept.

At the end of the day, it is pretty hard to go wrong with any particular massage. In one form or another, all massages are designed to give your body a much needed tune up. They certainly achieve such results.

The Two Common Cardio Workout Approaches

There are definitely a couple schools of thought when it comes to burning body fat. Personal trainers recommend varying cardio workouts, depending upon their training. A common way of doing cardio is by exercising at a low intensity level. It is suggested that the majority of calories burned will come from body fat at a lower intensity level. A common belief is that if one exercises too hard, then the calories burned will come from carbohydrates in the muscles and not from body fat.

Many people make the point that more total calories are burned if people exercise at a higher intensity level. They reason that if you simply burn more calories than you consume in a day, you will lose body fat. So now we will look in more detail at each school of thought.

Low Intensity Cardio Workout Approach

When you walk into most gyms, you will see people walking on treadmills at a slow and steady pace...You are witnessing the low intensity cardio workout in action. This form of aerobic exercise became very popular after university studies proved it was the best way to target body fat directly. A very large percentage of calories burned come directly from body fat. No wonder why this form of exercise is so popular!

When you are trying to work at a low intensity, you need to monitor your heart rate. Most gyms these days come equipped with treadmills and exercise bikes that have built in heart rate monitors, so this won’t be a problem. It normally takes about 5-10 minutes to reach the ideal heart rate...then you just want to continue working out at that level for 20-30 more minutes.

The High Intensity Cardio Workout

This form of aerobic exercise can be tougher to perform than the lower intensity version. Although not as popular, this is a very effective way at burning tons of calories. The calories burned in high intensity cardio workouts come from both carbs stored in the muscle (glycogen)...as well as stored body fat.

When you burn more calories in your cardio workout than what you consume, you create a calorie deficit. If you burn a more calories during the day than what you eat in food, you will lose weight.

The Imperfections of The 2 Versions of Cardio Workouts

With low intensity cardio, it takes about 10 minutes to get to the point where you are burning body fat. Those first 10 minutes aren’t very productive. After the first 10 minutes things are great, but it is a bit of a waste of time getting to that point.

Very few people have the pain tolerance to push hard for more than 10-15 minutes. This is the challenge with high intensity cardio...it is miserable after 15 minutes!

How to Combine The Two Approaches Into One Awesome Cardio Workout

Why not start out at a high intensity level for the first 10-15 minutes and end with low intensity for 20-30 minutes? If you think of the two approaches...this completely makes sense! You are making the first 10-15 minutes of a low intensity cardio workout productive. Instead of wasting those first 10 minutes, you are burning a ton of calories...after 10 minutes you are burning a ton of body fat!

What you want to do is find a cardio machine like a treadmill or exercise bike. After 2 minute warm up, push yourself really hard for 10-15 minutes. Set it at a level where it is tough to push past 10-15 minutes. You should be breathing hard and sweating at after 10 minutes if done properly. At this point, back down to a slower comfortable pace and keep it at that level for 20-30 more minutes. You will burn a bunch of calories as well as a bunch of fat. I use different variations of this cardio workout year-round to keep at a low body fat level.

The human brain is incredibly active. It’s constantly monitoring, adjusting and repairing the physical body to facilitate optimum performance. This massive activity gives rise to the mind that according to research produces over 60.000 thoughts every day. It is constantly busy associating, sensing, perceiving, retrieving and storing data to keep you on top of your game in a competitive and challenging world.

This constant mental activity is one of the biggest obstacles to good focus and concentration.

It can be very difficult to focus and concentrate when thoughts and emotions are always interfering with our attention. But this is the normal way by which the brain and mind work.

It’s good to know that the brain behaves much like a muscle. The more you train it the stronger it gets, so to make it more powerful you exercise it like you would a regular muscle.

To most people the brain does not feel as if it’s a muscle, it’s just an organ in the head that stores memories and enables thinking. But I assure you that with proper guidance and training you will soon discover that it behaves very much like a muscle. As you start to exercise it you will start to feel it. You discover that you can do more things with your brain and mind than you ever thought was possible.

Craig Ramey of the University of Alabama says that the brain and education are almost synonymous. Children need to rehearse in order to learn new skills. Without practice, new skills are lost. If you don’t use it you lose it; this is as true for cognitive skills as it is for muscles.

Brain plasticity is the ability of the brain to remodel its structure and function in response to outside stimuli. According to the theory of neuroplasticity, thinking, learning, and acting actually change the brain’s anatomy. Brain plasticity is at its peak with infants, when brains are most capable of adjustment but researchers have found that the brains capacity to change remains throughout life.

Scientists have discovered that the physical structure of the brain changes in response to mental exercise. Brain cells change or strengthen their connections and even form new ones. Some physical changes may occur within seconds or they may take hours or days.

You can develop specific abilities just by practicing certain exercises that affect the areas of your brain where these abilities reside. Scientists have already created programs for learning-disabled children by using this technology.

The mental patterns that get the most attention get stronger and more persistent. As you get older they become more ingrained, habitual and fixed, and you become more and more of the same.

In order to keep your memory sharp, it has been thought that you have to grow new dendrites. Decades ago, it was discovered that we can grow new dendrites, the microscopic tentacles that reach out from each neuron to make connections with other neurons. If you repeat something you have learned, your neural pathways will become more and more efficient in that part of the brain. Work hard on solving logical problems, math and language to power up your left-brain. Work on abstract, spatial or emotional problems to make your right brain more powerful. And last but not least work on improving concentration, solving future related problems, multitasking and meta-cognitive tasks to develop your brains master muscle, the frontal lobes.

You go to the gym and use the equipment there to exercise and train specific muscles. The same applies to your brain. You use specific “mental weights” to exercise certain areas of the brain, and the mental muscles you want to make more powerful.

A report on kelp health benefits from the International seaweed symposium stated “In all patients there was a spectacular drop in incidence of colds and flu’s resulting in a very positive kelp health benefit” from ingesting liquid kelp. In those that had already contracted the virus, the intensity and duration were so reduced that the annoyance was minimal due to the kelp health benefits of liquid kelp.

A range of mineral content will fortify osseous tissue, teeth and nails and is an anti-ageing revitalizer, providing more elasticity for your face and body. A wonderful act of Nature has provided the amazing health benefits of Liquid Kelp we have now. Yet additional kelp health benefits come from distilling these essential minerals extracted from Natures Ocean Grass Digitata Laminaria, also known as Sea Kelp. This extraction method releases vitamins & minerals from unavailable, inorganic essences into natural minerals which can be assimilated easily providing a definite health benefit.

Certification of these Kelp Health Benefits are derived from:
A- The Journal of Nutrition Feb 2005

2- Secrets of Health and Beauty, Pyramid books1970

Dr David Derry has produced studies that show the many kelp health benefits in relation to breast cancer - just one of many sicknesses effected by Kelps Health Benefit. Traditional medicine has been used to treat breast cancer since the 1920’s, yet cancer rates have not improved significantly. In many areas cancer rates are infact much higher. Studies have shown all along that women with diets high in kelp such as Japan and other coastal countries have appreciably lower rates of cancer due to their high intake of these sea vegetables, yet North American are only now beginning to understand Kelps health benefits.

Dr. Derrys hypotheses of kelp health benefits, are founded on extended studies of published medical papers in conjunction with his experience as a clinician, and are not just his opinions. Studies are currently underway involving the effects of organic iodine from kelp on cancer prevention and reduction - several studies are exhibiting very positive Kelp Health Benefits of natural kelp products. Because breast cancer rates worldwide carry on to increasing, more people are interested in early intervention or prevention.

In fact, research is already underway on the impact of iodine on cancer prevention and reduction-a VERY important kelp health benefit. Dr. Derry proposes supporting the bodys natural immune system and metabolic health with proper thyroid levels, and combining that with the intake of a small daily dose of iodine-another Kelp Health Benefit.

Realizing that a diet rich in kelp might lessen the danger of estrogen-dependent diseases like Breast Cancer, health researchers at UCLA Berkeley, demanded a significant increase in scientific research into kelp health benefits.

In today’s modern world, women and healthy diets don’t seem to be making time for each other. Whether women are busier now or diets are simply more complicated, that may never be fully understood. What people do understand right now is that women and healthy diets are connected in ways that will affect their future health.

Excuses that Women Use… All the Time

If you were honest with yourself, the link between women and healthy diets is something you already know. However, you might be suffering from these normal excuses:

- I just don’t have the time to (insert healthy habit here)

Can’t figure out where to start to improve the quality of your lifestyle? Here are some simple things to help get started. If you can follow the suggestions for a month, you will be well on your way to reducing belly fat AND establishing an anti-aging lifestyle.. It’s not difficult – if you really want to do it. Remember, these are baby steps, but you have to start some place.

1. Check your fridge. If you use butter, you can use less by diluting it half-and-half with olive oil. Let a bar of butter soften to room temperature. Beat it smooth and gradually beat in an equal amount of olive oil. It will be runny but will set up to a soft spread in the fridge.

2. Rethink the mayo. If you can’t live without it, make your own with olive oil. Then you will really have something worthwhile to spread on bread or to make a salad.

3. If you eat peanut butter, buy Smart Balance peanut butter for it’s omega- 3 content. If you are not taking an omega-3 supplement, you should.

4. Keep a gallon bottle of water on the kitchen counter or at work. Drink at least half of it every day. Having it in plain sight will help you drink more of it.

5. Check your pantry. Don’t restock chips, cookies, soda, toaster pastries, sugary breakfast “cereals” (a misnomer if ever there was one!) It’s just as quick and easy to scramble a couple of eggs for breakfast as it is to wait for a pastry to toast. I know how tough it is to get rid of the nutritionally bankrupt junk, so do it in small steps if you can’t do it cold turkey.

6. Substitute whole grain bread for white bread. Beware of “wheat” bread – it’s probably not whole wheat. If possible, go to a whole foods market and get some real whole wheat bread. In my area, I can buy incredibly good whole grain bread from Alvarado Street Bakery. You can buy it online, and if you do, put it in the freezer the minute it arrives. Because it’s “live” and preservative free, it will get moldy very quickly if you leave it out. I particularly enjoy the Alvarado sprouted whole grain bread.

7. Having a whole foods market nearby makes it easy to cut down on processed food. If you make a trip a couple of times a week you can get all the super-fresh veggies and fruit you will need to provide a healthier diet for your family. For protein, focus on chicken – preferably baked or roasted. I use a lot of ground turkey – you can prepare it so many ways. If you work and are pressed for time, many whole foods markets offer excellent take out.

You will notice I did not mention fish. I rarely buy fish because it’s so difficult to get good fish. If I can’t get wild salmon or other fish that hasn’t been farm raised, I don’t bother. I would never eat shrimp because it causes too many intestinal problems. There is another way to get the benefits of eating fish – in fish oil capsules. True, you run the risk of contamination there as well. But I think I’d rather opt for the capsules than supermarket fish that looks like it’s seen better days, and probably has.

8. Skip fried anything as much as possible. And you certainly won’t need your deep fat fryer anymore, so throw it away. (Well okay, give it away. But you won’t be doing anyone a favor.)

9. If you are an emotional eater, eat unbuttered popcorn or dry roasted nuts, such as almonds or cashews. You can flavor popcorn with garlic salt or any seasoning of your choice. Or try spritzing on garlic flavored olive oil. Drink green tea to wash it down. Most commercial green teas are bitter or tasteless but I have found some very tasty teas at Clipper teas.

This should be more than enough to help you start to live a healthier, anti-aging lifestyle. Start with at least one step and add others as you develop a system.

Just listen to anybody who smokes and quite regularly you’ll hear things like “I’m going to try and quit smoking, just as soon as I (fill in the blank)”. Perhaps you’ve heard them say these things a number of times and now you just don’t listen. Know what I mean?

First things first. Get out a notepad and spend some time writing down the exact reasons that are driving you to rid yourself of this habit. Then once you are done with that, turn the page over and jot down all the reasons (excuses) you might make to justify why you haven’t.

Just putting excuses down on paper so that they are something solid you can see is enough to make some people look at how silly they really are. For others, they may have to analyze their list of excuses and figure out why they believe these reasons to be true. Usually it is due to repetition. You’ve been telling yourselves for years that these are the reasons why you smoke, and if you tell yourself something enough times, eventually it will become an ingrained belief, whether it is the truth or not.

Have a look at a few of the most often stated excuses and apply them to your list if applicable, however in the end it is your job to list every single excuse as to why you smoke that you can think of.

“I’m afraid that I’ll gain weight if I quit smoking.”

Yes, it is possible that you may gain a little weight when stopping smoking. However it is usually less than 20 pounds (which, by the way is WAYYYY better for you than continuing to smoke would be). But if you take proactive steps to assure that when quitting, the only snacks available to you are healthy rather than high calorie comfort foods, this should not become an issue.

“Smoking makes me happy.”

If that were truly so, then chances are you wouldn’t be sitting there now gathering information on quitting, would you? Don’t worry. I’m not picking on you. I used to say the very same thing. Making statements such as this creates one major issue. And that is the fact that the more times you say it, the more you become to believe it. I’ve said it before. So time to come clean and be honest with yourself, is smoking really that enjoyable or is it just a fallacy you’ve convinced yourself to be true? What is it that you think smoking gives you? More money, better health and cleaner, fresher breath? Looking at it from that angle and writing down the answers will show you that you really don’t enjoy smoking that much at all.

Now don’t take those statements as viscious or cruel. In no way are they meant to be that way. What they are meant to be is a wake up call - and one that I needed as well. If, as smokers, we keep making excuses as to why we continue the habit, the outcome is that we will remain addicted to the nicotine. And the sooner we realize this reality, the easier quitting will be.

Trust in yourself and you’ll find that you already have what it takes to beat these lies.

Have you ever said those words? How about “I’m going to try AGAIN”, or “Might as well give it another shot, what have I got to lose.” You can’t think like this. A famous quote and pardon me for not knowing who said it, states that ‘Nobody who tries anything, accomplishes very much.’ And the same is true for quitting smoking.

Even though you are looking to convince yourself or someone else that you truly desire to quit, by saying ‘try’, you are conditioning your subconscious beliefs for potential failure.

Need an example? How about this. My wife has a fear of roller coasters and I don’t know where it came from. She’s not afraid of heights and not really afraid of speed, so why this is, I still haven’t figured it out. And the funny thing is she can’t tell me why either.

In any case, there have been occasions when my son and I have been able to convince her to stand in line with us and have got her to say ‘I’ll try.’ But here’s the thing; every time we get near the loading lane, she bails out and decides to wait for us at the end instead.

So how does she get out of it and still feel good about herself? Because she only said she would ‘try’ and that doesn’t really count. The same goes when you are the path to becoming a non-smoker. By only trying, you are leaving yourself an easy exit down the road. And this isn’t something you want to do.

Talk to any smoker who has gone through this process, some of them more than once, and you will find that when they set out to achieve their goal of quitting they said ‘I’ll try’ and when they failed, they state ‘Oh well, I tried.’

So what you need to do if you are to commit is remove the word ‘try’ completely. Use a statement like this. ‘I am going to quit to better my health. For the betterment of my family. For the betterment of my finances. No exceptions.’ Can you see the difference? You must state the exact reasons for why you want to quit. With no allowances for weakness or failure.

If you want to hold yourself accountable to your goal of becoming a non-smoker, then you MUST put statements like this onto paper. And then you MUST place these pieces of paper where you can see them often so that you never lose sight of your ultimate goal.