Gratitude

"Thank you for all the colors of the rainbow." Mattie J.T. Stepanek

I was not aware of Mattie Stepanek until a friend lent me the book, Heartsongs, although that is surprising, as he was on the Oprah Show and seems well known.  His poems are lovely.  He started writing poetry at age 3 and wrote until he died of muscular dystrophy as age 14.  His life is a lovely model for living.  His poems sometimes reflect his sadness, but also give us a peek into how he found joy in life.

Mind Set Matters

"It's clear to scientists that emotions affect our biology." journal Psychology and Aging

Negative attitudes toward aging are damaging to our bodies.  Opinions, such as 'old people are forgetful', are damaging for us to hold.  Holding negative stereotypes seems to cause us stress.  So, together, let us support each other in aging well, being vital, having good minds, and enjoying movement.

Move During the Day

"The latest research says you don't have to join a gym to reap benefits.  A body that is moving is what matters." Time magazine Feb 22, 2016

Prolonged sitting seems to have the most damaging effect on our bodies.  Even fidgeting while sitting can help.  People who move the most in a day have the least chance of having a heart event, and it can be as simple as being up and doing chores.  

Importance of Diet in Aging Well

"Diet is by far the most powerful intervention to delay aging and age-related diseases."
Dr. Frank Longo

According to this research, in Time magazine Feb. 22 issue, eating less is the most important thing one can do to age well, as well as eating mostly plant-based foods.  Taking in fewer calories seemed to help decrease inflammation.  Inflammation occurs when the immune system gets stuck on "on" in its natural response to insult.

Aging Well

"Aging is inevitable, but aging well is not." Dr. Frank Longo

The Feb. 22, 2016, Time magazine has a lot of good material about aging.  Some suggested ways to avoid dementia, according to this article, are to tame inflammation and to consider the role of insulin and tau protein - as well as the more familiar, amyloid - in the role of dementia.  So, what can we do?  Exercise, eat mostly plant-based foods, and manage our thoughts toward the positive.  

Life Cycles

"Life is amazing, and then it is awful.  And then it is amazing again.  And in between the amazing and the awful it is ordinary and mundane and routine.  Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary.  That's just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life.  And it is breathtakingly beautiful.  LR Knost

A beautiful, longtime friend sent me this quote -- knowing that I am still processing through the grief of my husband's death.  How lovely and how true.  It is a good motto for life.

Being Shaped By Our Thoughts

"We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.  When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves." Buddha

I think if we look around we will see that we are shaped by our thoughts, so it is very important that we manage them.  I do not want to think negative thoughts because I am certain they have negative impact on the body.  It isn't that hard.  Just notice what our thought content is, and change it if it is negative.  It can become a habit to think thoughts of benevolence toward ourselves and others.

Living from Our True Self

"It is the True Self that lets us know what is authentic and what has become artificial, while the False Self is a diplomat of distrust, enforcing a lifestyle of guardedness, secrecy and complaint." D. W. Winnicott

And, it is our choice from which to live.  Do we dare to be authentic?  Authenticity is attractive to others and healthy for ourselves.  Let us become proud of who we are and live from that.  It is not about ego; it is about staying real.

Living Our Potential

"If we did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."
Thomas Edison

All we have to do is look around to see that some people seem to live more fully who they are than others do.  What is the difference?  Partly it is opportunity, as described in book, Outliers, where someone is born into a unique situation, partly it is perseverance, partly it is having a mentor, partly it is having an unusual and recognized talent.  But, the important thing is:  we can each live more fully.  Let's support each other in doing so.  

Living From Our Wisdom

"Wisdom comes from our heart brain."  John Veltheim

Dr. Veltheim says that most of our stress is caused by our thoughts, and the only real relief from that is to live from our heart center which is where wisdom is.  He recommends that we let go of the habit of trying to think our way through life, and live more from our body and its deep wisdom.  

New Guidelines for Healthy Heart

"When it comes to protecting your most critical organ, new science is making old advice obsolete." Alice Park and Jeffrey Kluger for Time magazine
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Cardiovascular disease is the number 1 killer of both men and women and the cause of 1 in 4 deaths.  According to this article, which quotes research from several sources, raising "good" HDL cholesterol levels is more important than lowering LDL levels, taking a "baby" aspirin daily is no longer recommended unless you have already had a heart attack, avoid trans fats (not necessarily all saturated fats, but anything with hydrogenated oil), blood pressure may need to be lower than the current guidelines of 120/80,  and control weight by limiting refined carbohydrates.  Of course, one needs to check with one's doctor before adopting new practices, but these are interesting new recommendations.

Fear and Anger and Arthritis?

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one out of every three Americans – or an estimated seventy million people! — is affected by arthritis. In fact, arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Arthritis has been around since ancient times. Prehistoric man and even the dinosaurs had it!"  - See more at: http://www.drnorthrup.com/heal-arthritis-release-fear-and-anger

Dr. Christiane Northrup goes on to say that more women have arthritis then men because we are trained from an early age to not express anger.  She gives some tips in the above link on how to heal arthritis.  By identifying the unrecognized emotion that is causing the arthritis specific to the body and releasing it.  Since inflammation is one of the major causes of aging, healthy recognition of anger and fear is a worthwhile step toward greater health.  Her blog is worth reading.

Living From an Open Heart

"Under normal circumstances, our state of openness is left to psychological factors.  Basically, we are taught to open or close based on past experiences.  Impressions from the past are still inside of us, and they get stimulated by different events." Michael Singer

I misspoke of the book title I was reading -- it is the untethered soul by Michael Singer.  It is very good.  It is simple and practical and helps us to know that our reactions - which close our hearts - are based on experiences we have had before and whose energetic remnants remain within us.  An example is when you start to say something and the person with you talks over you, you might be taken back to a time in childhood when that happened and you did not feel heard.  The experiences can be either positive or negative, but if we are hooked by them instead of observing them, our heart's energy will close down.  This is something I can actually feel physically - not just in my heart, but in my whole body.  The point seems to be to live from a point of observing neutrally, so that we can live from a place of more love toward ourselves and others.

Living Our Passions

"To sing a wrong note is insignificant, but to sing without passion is unforgivable." Beethoven

To live out our passions could be misunderstood, and some people do live it this way, to mean our carnal passions, but I think to live our passions is much deeper and more spiritual than that.  It is more than what we eat or how many times we have sex, it is living with enthusiasm.  My daughter has signed my granddaughter up for dance lessons.  When they drove up to the building for the lessons last week, my granddaughter said, "I just LOVE this place!"  That is living from one's passions, and something most of us can do better.