Antiaging Wellness Blog

Today I want to talk with you about learning to gain better control over your mental state and how to engage your mental performance supply chain to prepare your brain for the right action.

The four main supply elements our brain needs daily for peak performance are:

1. Exercise
2. Relaxation
3. Quality sleep
4. Good nutrition

Until it becomes an ingrained habit to supply all four of these elements to our bodies we cannot attain a state of optimised health and wellbeing. We cannot reach a state where our brain is fully equipped to manage our emotions, thoughts and behaviour.

When faced with unexpected demands for fast and clear decision making, we need to engage a clear mental state ‘in the moment’. This means you must restrain your learned emotional response : outburst, fear and panic. The first effect of this response is a physical one, so our control mechanism must also first be physical: Breathe out, slow your mind and your pulse, and pay attention to your heart.

Once you have reached a physical state of calmness, you need to engage your cognitive capability – controlling your thoughts – and focus on some positive element of the situation. Even if this is generic as appreciating the opportunity to find a better way to do something. Focus on what can be learned from this situation. This help you find the silver lining. It also helps you respond calmly and positively.

Evoking this controlled response takes some practice. After all, you are trying to overcome a lifetime of learned response behaviour. So start practising with less challenging situations where you can be more mechanical in adopting your controlled response, just as you would if you were engaging a physical challenge.

One of my favourites is when stuck in traffic. In many of us this evokes a stress response, But instead, see this as a moment in time that you have to yourself and relinquish control. It’s about accepting that there are moments in life you simply cannot control despite your good intentions.

Practicing with interactions with children is another rewarding environment – in fact with any close personal relationship.

The result of this practice is that you develop the emotional flexibility, strength and capacity to respond readily to times of diversity and you quickly learn to recognise how much power you have over the way you feel. For instance if you feel tired, you can dial up a wave of exuberance and passion about the task you are currently working on. If you are irritated and angry in a traffic jam, activate care and compassion. Sit there are try to imagine where all the other people are going. They may have some personal emergency – whereas you are only late for a meeting. I’m not try to suggest this is an easy thing – it takes a very strong will to break a habit that has taken a lifetime to perfect and one that results in a vicious spiral of negative emotion. The result of this old response is a downward spiral of negative emotions focused on how bad things can get – as if they had already happened. So many of us worry more about what might happen that what is actually happening. A lot of you will know the book – How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. The author talks about living in day tight compartments, visualising the very worst possible outcome, building the resolve to accepting that – then everything better than that is a bonus and not to be stressed over. It really helps put things in perspective.

One of the surprising outcomes of adopting your new mental performance response state is that you start welcoming more challenges, strong challenges that would have sent you into a frenzy of anxiety. You start to appreciate the change in focus and the heightened state of awareness you feel.

I had a situation today when a truck driver attempted to make me into a Mercedes sandwich. The interesting thing was that my intuition kicked in before the event. I was turning left into a lane and he was turning right. I knew we each had our own lanes so there was nothing to stop me continuing but something made me pause for just an instance. Fortunately. Because within a few more seconds the driver crossed over three lanes, without indicating and should I have been a few meters forward of my position I would have been sandwiched between the truck and the parked car. I missed by millimetres. I could not have slid my hand between my car and the truck. I pulled alongside the truck at the next set of lights, wound down my window and attempted to gain the attention of the driver. I wasn’t about to abuse him, I merely wanted to inform him of what happened so that he might be more careful in the future. He was too busy talking on the phone [which is no doubt why his attention missed me earlier] and his look and demeanour told me that he would most likely not take my concern well. I was already shaken and not in the mood for a hostile confrontation. It was a beautiful day and I was enjoying being out and about – so I just let it go. Some of you may rightly say that I was selfish. That pulling his attention may save somebody else in the future. And you are right. But we are all allowed to be selfish. I am going through a very intense time in my life and as part of my planning; I had resolved to be kind to myself. To avoid any further stressors than necessary. So I just let it go, and took the opportunity to appreciate that fleeting moment of intuition that had just saved my life.

With so much media attention on the recession, and possible depression - it is difficult for it not to have a rather demoralising impact. And with that comes all the normal downhill feelings and impacts such as stress, depression, over-eating, lack of exercise etc etc.

The current situation has been caused by nothing more that GREED! As consumers, we have been over indulging our consumerism in an unhealthy manner - and the financial institutions have been greedy by offering loans at low interest rates, to those whom they KNOW will most likely be unable to handle payments at the average or above interest rate of 7.5%.

So guess what - the empire struck back!  And it is forcing all greedy, over indulgent consumers and businesses into a forced diet program. Nothing more, nothing less.

So don’t look around for someone else to blame, and don’t blame the government. Anger is a very unhealthy emotion, and if you have lost on the stock market or your property investment - guess what, the only person to blame is yourself. So toughen up and determine the worse possible outcome, accept it and be grateful for anything more that you hold on to from that worst position.

Don’t buy into worrying about the future. YOu are more likely to rise from the ashes so to speak if you remain calm, concentration on one day at a time, and above anything else - LOOK AFTER YOUR HEALTH.

Exercise is a great stress breaker. Refuse to buy into a depression - Get a T-Shirt printed with those very words and wear it proudly. Start a support group to help each other out - you may just make some new deep friendships along the way.

Stress, poor diet, smoking, excessive alcohol and lack of exercise are the fastest way to age.

So don’t pay out twice - you may lose some money, some assets but you still have your most valuable asset - you and those you love.

Be strong and age slowly!

Nicola

In response to my last aging humor post, a reader sent us this Q&A to share with you - warning!! reading further could endanger your health….but it will give you a good laugh.

HEALTH QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION

Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it… Don’t waste them on exercise . Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain…Good!

Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

A: You’re not listening…. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable. It’s the best feel-good food around! !

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! ‘Round’ is a shape! !

And remember: “Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, “WOO HOO, What a Ride!”

Well - I guess that’s one perspective. Me I’ll keep the chardonnay and chocolate, but I think I will pass on the rest.

Nicola

I was just emailed this delightful story written by a 98 year old woman, and wanted to share it with my readers - humour in life is just so important. And this wonderful woman certainly understands how to use it to maximum effect.

THE TIMES  - Letter of the Year

A SENIOR MOMENT - An elderly lady actually wrote this letter to her bank. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in The Times …how wonderful he also has a good sense of humour!

Dear Sir,

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my cheque with which I endeavoured to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three ‘nanoseconds’ must have elapsed between his presenting the cheque and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honour it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my Pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account £30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.

My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.

I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, re-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become. From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan payments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.

Be aware that it is an offence under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.

Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Solicitor, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.

In due course, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.

As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press Buttons as follows:

1– To make an appointment to see me.
2– To query a missing payment.
3– To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
4– To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
5– To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
6– To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
7– To leave a message on my computer (a password to access my computer is required. A password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorised Contact.)
8– To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 8
9– To make a general complaint or inquiry, the contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.

Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement. May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous, New Year.

Your Humble Client

We all know about the connection of blood sugar levels with diabetes - but did you know it may also indicate Alzheimers disease.

Alzheimer’s disease and the #1 blood sugar disorder, diabetes both degrade normal brain function through lack of insulin.
A long-term Swedish study has found that low levels of insulin increases the risk of Alzheimer’s risk.

Men with low insulin secretion at age 50 had a significantly greater risk of Alzheimers disease as well as other types of dementia later in life. The link is strongest in men without the gene that predisposes people to Alzheimer’s.

Alzhiemers is the most common form of dementia and its onset is typified by a general decline in mental ability. You can maintain mental cognitive function by ‘exercising’ the brain with memory tests and brain function stimulation doing simple tasks such as crosswords and memory games.

For more on Alzhiemers Disease

For lastest updates on Treatments for Alzheimers

By now you should know about the real benefits from protecting your skin from sun damage by using full spectrum sun blocks. But did you also know you can help protect your skin from the inside!!

According to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine you can help protect your skin by eating antioxidant containing foods - pomegranates, tomatoes, dark chocolate, and tea.

The antioxidants in these foods work their way to the upper layers of your skin, boosting resistance to ultraviolet damage.

But don’t rely on this method exclusively - remember to slip on a shirt, slop on the sunblock and slap on a hat. And regular skin self-exams can reduce your risk of dying of melanoma by 44 percent! By getting to know all the freckles, moles, scars, age spots, birthmarks, and other lesions on your body, you can watch for any changes in size, shape, color, texture, and condition of any unique marks. Consult your doctor if you notice any raising of the marks, irregular changes in the border, and marked change in color [getting darker or lighter].

I am a great fan of oatmeal for breakfast - summer and winter. I prefer to buy premixed museli and cover it with water then microwave it for 2 minutes. Its an easy and fast way to ensure that I get a good breakfast and helps to lower my cholesterol [something my family has a problem with].

However, what I didn’t know until recently was that including a glass of orange juice with my oatmeal breakfast doubles the nutrition power. It seems there is a special synergy between the two foods, based around the phenols in oatmeal and the vitamin C in the juice working together to make LDL more stable. In its more stable form - LDL is less likely to stick to the walls of ateries.

LDL is the bad side of the cholesterol ratio - the one that increases the risk of arteries clogging and leading to cardiovascular disease and strokes.

My oatmeal is just been converted from a great food to a superfood.

For more antiaging superfoods

Regular strength-training is a key element in your antiaging program.

For many people - ‘doing weights’ means slogging along to the gym at 5.30am and completing a round on weight machines. Yet you can get a really good workout without leaving the comfort of your home. Dumbbell weights or simple home gym cable-and-pulley machines allow freedom of motion and can actually give better strength gains than fancier commercial ‘fixed’ equipment.

Fixed machines such as the leg-press machine, loaded up a plate with weights uses a fixed plane of motion to push through. This does not bring into play other fitness functions such as balance and muscle control. And less effort, means lower results.

Studies have shown that those who used free-form equipment enjoy strength gains by 115 percent compared to just 57 percent for the fixed-machine users.

Even lifting weights for 10 minutes just 3 times per week can make a real difference.

Studies found that people with knee osteoarthritis experienced less pain and disability simply by losing weight:

• A 5 per cent weight loss was enough to ease problems
• A 10 percent weight loss resulted in ‘moderate to large’ improvements in physical ability

All good news for sufferers of this painful joint condition.  Researchers suggest suffers of arthritis lose 10 percent of their weight in a period of two months to gain the most benefit. Since mobility is often a problem for such patients, the emphasis must be on food intake. Once the pain starts to ease, and mobility improves, exercise will help with further weight loss

In David Louis Edelman’s novel ‘Infoquake’ nanotechnology is injected into the human body to act as a carrier for programs that can be activated on demand to control emotions, to assist the host to sleep or stay awake, and the receive communications and partake in a virtual world, without external viewing interfaces. The process was coined ‘Human Biological Programming or Bio-Logic.

Human biological programming is an emerging medical science being heralded as the future to the self healing human. In reading through the programs used in Infoquake, it is hard not to ask oneself, are these not the very mechanisms that the body is designed to control itself, through our hormonal and neurological pathways. Could it be that living is evolving faster than life. The human body is not keeping up with the demands that merely existing in the world are placing upon it. Could it be that this accounts for the number of people who are:

• Obese
• Emotionally stressed
• Physically wearing out
• Sleep deprived
• And so on

All biological systems exhibit adaptation and robustness in dealing with widely changing environments. By adopting these properties of biological systems, the medical world is aiming to design systems that operate adequately even in the presence of ‘catastrophic failures and large scale attacks’. Sort of like a utility system that can detect, repair and restore, akin to that of modern computers. Just as computers have built in fault tolerance, so too does the human body. However, when the level of toxins in our human environment escalate beyond the level with which our bodies can resolve on a daily basis, as residual of toxins builds up in the body, and illness follows. Back to our computer analogy, the same thing occurs in a PC. Every day, small indiscernible flaws build up in the operating system and memory, and in spite of regular cleansing and defrag programs, the hard drive is eventually deemed ‘corrupt’. At this point the only remedy is a complete reformat, and reload of programs. Biological programs could well act in the same capacity – allowing for mini restorations as our bodies become contaminated in any number of ways.