Spring

I love this time of year.  The new calves, the daffodils and tulips rising from the ground, trees budding.  I got up this morning at 5:00 to go swimming with my daughter.  Such good exercise and good company.  How do you get exercise and have good companionship?

Hope

As I drive around my area of the world, there are lots of new baby calves to see.  They are such a sign of hope and continuity to me.  Having been raised on farms, I loved playing with calves and seeing how white the white of their hair is, how playful they are.  Life in its cycle.  Birth, decline, death.  Hope at new birth

Feel Our Feelings

"Though we fear it, feeling our feelings is the only clear and direct way to free our hearts of pain." Mark Nepo

It seems true.  The only way to be free of an emotion is to feel it.  Otherwise, we can turn to addictions, distractions, or disillusionment by avoiding the feeling.  Feel the feeling.

Interval Training

We all know that exercise is good for us no matter what our age, but recent research done at the Mayo Clinic indicates that interval training is especially good for repairing cellular damage that worsens as we get older.  Here is a definition of interval training.
Research shows that interval training—workouts in which you alternate periods of high-intensity exercise with low-intensity recovery periods—increases fitness and burns more calories over a short period of time than steady-state cardio (you know: just doing the same thing for your whole workout time).

Spring is Here

It is official.  Spring is here.  Or, if you live in the southern hemisphere, fall is here.  A change in seasons.  More mild.  Moving us into the fullness of the light or the dark.

Spring

Although spring has not arrived by the calendar in the northern hemisphere, on my hike today I saw many budding shrubs and bushes.  Spring is coming.  A time for renewal.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day.   I am grateful for my magical, mystical, lyrical Irish heritage.  What can you do for fun today?  

Caregiver Support

Please be sure you are giving yourself enough respite from caregiving.  I met with someone recently and was dismayed how little time this person had without caregiving obligation.  If we want to make it through this caregiving stint, we must have respite.

Happy Spring

I know spring has not quite arrived by calendar, but in my area it seems to be making appearances.  What is it like in your area?   Research on health tells us it is so important to be outdoors for some periods of time every day.  Rain or shine, sleet or snow.  Some time outdoors.

Reminders After Death

Today is the birthday of my deceased spouse.  Thoughts of him arise as holidays and special occasions bring memories.  How do you handle anniversaries, birthdays, etc.?

4 Ways to Avoid Dementia

"Diet, exercise, sleep and stress reduction." Dr. Rudy Tanzi

A leading expert on dementia research tells us that to avoid the neuroinflammation that seems to be at the root of dementia, we need to eat a Mediterranean diet (vegetables, legumes, fruits, lean protein) and be sure to take probiotics for intestine health.  Exercise at least 20 minutes a day, get adequate sleep and reduce the amount of stress we have.

Go With the Flow

It seems to me there is a fine line between going with the flow and participating in the direction of one's life.  It seems that finally, over 1 1/2 years after the death of my spouse, I am returning to my center.  Able to be flexible, pleasant, not anxious.  Hang in there if you are caregiving, and be very gentle with yourself --- it is very challenging.

Absence

My computer crashed last week, so I have been absent from this blog.  Thank goodness for good technological people who were able to retrieve important information from the crashed computer.  We have now moved into March.  Spring is coming soon.  I hope all is well with you.