Age and Metabolic Whaaaat?

So your trying to loose weight and your over the age of 25 and you have crappy nutritional habits. Welcome to the world of thousands.

Well don’t despair there are a few things you have control over to change. No- one of those things isn’t that you can stop time. No -there isn’t a magic fountain of youth and no- you aren’t immortal. Now that we cleared that up, lets take a look at whats really happening. According to a study in the Journal of Applied Physiology, 1998, after the age of 25, your RMR declines 2-4% with each passing decade. Oh and one more monkey wrench just for shit and giggles, you’ll loose about 5 lbs of lean muscle mass each decade from age 25-65. Sounds kinda glum ha?

I know what your thinking, holy cow my RMR is declining!!!! Whaaat the heck does that mean, cause I don’t know what part of my body is my RMR! And muscle mass loss - geez what next, aging really does suck! Well hold your horses, lets not panic here. If we break down whats happening in our bodies it looks like this. First, your RMR refers to your “resting metabolic rate”. This refers to the number of units of energy that your body uses to process all of the chemical actions during rest time.

So an average 25 year old female may have an RMR of 1500 kcal, then at 35 yrs her RMR is at 1400 kcal, at 45 yrs her RMR is at 1300 kcals and so on. In addition she’ll lose 5 lbs of muscle mass by 35 yrs, 10 lbs by 45 yrs, 15 lbs by 55 yrs and 20 lbs by 65 yrs. This chick has declined about 300 kcal of metabolic burning and 20 lbs of lean muscle by age 65. Great your thinking this is all bad news, so whats the silver lining in all this?

Since you can’t change your age, then change your lifestyle!!!  Lean muscle is responsible for a huge amount of metabolic activity, so a loss of lean muscle is most likely responsible for a huge amount of decline in metabolic activity. Increase your muscle mass to increase your RMR. How do I increase muscle mass- contract your skeletal muscles. Run, jump, cycle, skip, lift weights- all use energy and build muscle. The more intense the activity the more calories burned and the more lean muscle built.

Now there is one more glitch. You can have the best exercise program ever, but if you have poor nutrient consumption (your diet is crappy) it may lead to the inability to build and preserve muscle mass.

Lessons learned: just because you may be aging that doesn’t mean you can’t impact your metabolic rate or ability to build muscle. High intensity exercise burns more calories during and after increasing your RMR. Proper nutrition plays a HUGE roll in your metabolic rate and ability to build and keep muscle. 

Aging is natural but to stop moving your body is not! Proper posture, musculoskeletal alignment, correct nutrition and lots of movement--- the keys to keeping my body, mind and soul young!

A Thousand Words

A picture is worth a thousand words. We have all heard that phrase a million times. It really is amazing how a picture can evoke so much from our minds. Smell, taste, touch and much more. 

My mom’s passing brought out many picture albums, old wonderfully discolored boxes and cardboard picture covers. From the 50, 60 etc. Pictures of my dad as a little boy in Flin Flon from the 30s, Piney and Vassar from the 40’s and Winnipeg of the 50s.

My dad wasn’t one to sit and reflect, look at pictures or watch videos but lately we’ve done a lot of it. New albums with old memories keep emerging from the closet.

In todays world, Instagram and the electronic files of pictures is rampant. If you want to look at a picture turn your phone on or Ipad or laptop. Where is the rough texture of old print paper, the look of wrinkled covers and torn cracked edges of a page in an album.

There just isn’t anything, anything that compares to holding onto and looking through old pictures. Create an album today and put it away. The smiles it will bring when 10,20,30 years from now, you pull it out and touch the past, priceless.

my mom and dad circa 1954

Feel Your Breath

Yesterday was about looking and calling for brother Miko in heaven, looking for her husband behind a locked door, not knowing who is there.

Yesterday was about wanting to go home because she is needed, why can’t I go, why don’t you listen. Yesterday was about finding her voice, when nutrient deprivation won’t let her. Smell, taste, nothing. 

Yesterday was about going to South America, so we went where it was warm. The sun was bright. Where are my glasses.

Mom struggled to make sense of our world. It was so different from what we saw. What was she thinking, what did she see. We struggled to make sense of her world, what did we see. 

Don’t struggle, release, let it go. Find peace with what you see in front of you, in front of me. See the moment, it changed, see the new moment, it changed. Go with the flow of what you see.

Love, peace, freedom to live or die. Go find Miko and watch our moments change from the sky. Rest and comfort, no pain only time. but what is time? 

Friday was about leaving this plane of existence. Of finding her brother and mother once again. Peaceful she sleeps until we see her again.

Friday was about letting go. Finding new moments to live. Family, friends, coping, celebrating life. 

Feel the sun, feel the rain, feel your heartbeat. Breathe deep, breathe deep again, be free, happy. let the doves fly free.

life goes on.....

Advice

I came to see my mom this morning, expecting her to be as sleepy and incoherent as she was on Saturday. Much to my surprise she was sitting up in her hospital bed and having a conversation, with herself mind you, but still words were flowing from her lips. Her dry cracked 86 year old lips. When she saw me she said oh my another visitor. Oh how many visitors did you have already today. At least 5 she said.

Later I figured out it was the nurses and healthcare aids, lab techs and visitors for the lady in the next bed.  Mom thought they were all coming to see her. It was a bit overwhelming since she couldn’t figure out who was who.

I sit beside my mom as she tells me what a funny day it is. I read her an email from my brother Larry. She doesn’t quite grasp that my brother is in Calgary. I put vaseline on her lips and she holds my hand. Looks me square in the eye and says who are you? Who am I, I ask back to her, my little Cathy she replies. I’m still her child and she is still my mom.

My mother keeps saying this is a funny day. The conversation flowed from taking a train to Chicago, to asking me who’s house we were in, to Andrew Jackson and Bridget Bardot. Clipping finger nails to sipping orange juice, to putting hand lotion on, to singing about a rose garden. Blood work taken, to moving into a chair.

Lunch was about eating soup, back scratches, making my dad sing “Pop goes the Weasle” when he couldn’t remember the words, not wanting to take meds, to eating caramel pudding.

The 4 hours went by quickly for me but for my mom time has no meaning. It was just a morning of asking questions, singing songs, saying you’re funny and smiling. As my mom got tucked into bed for an afternoon nap and I said my goodbyes, she said we should just all love each other, since we’re all eating soup anyway today.

Mom is right soup is always good any day, no matter where you are or who you’re with and we should just all love each other!  Words to live by.

Live, Laugh, Love

and listen and feel and talk and see and be and do and smell etc etc etc. Sometimes it just seems like there is too much for me to be aware of. I try to live in the moment, try to be present and focused from minute to minute. 

Try it, take typing a blog for instance. I’m sitting in an office chair which feels to low, so I readjust. Feet firmly on floor, shoulders rolled back and down, head down, chin in, tummy tight. Whew I haven’t even gotten to my arm height, keyboard ergonomics etc.

Then to focus on the words, uh don’t let your shoulders sag, have you eaten recently, where is my glass of water, I also hydrate while I write, have no idea why, guess cause its in the morning and sipping on a smokey port at this time may not be a healthy option.

Shit forgot to sign up for the gym class, be right back!

Our days are filled with hundreds of thoughts and things to do. Make lists, write out things you want to get done today, this week, this month. When you do something from the list don’t just check it off take a pen and make a thick line through it. Its really done, don’t think about it, move on. And boy does it feel good. 

Here is important thing number 1, be flexible. Sometimes things happen around you that you can’t control. Yes as silly as that sounds to some of you Type A people, go with the flow. Maybe I find it easier to do because I’m a Pisces, we morph and change with the environment. 

Important thing number 2, don’t wait, life goes on without you, people move on, things happen and if you just keep going through your mundane life without goals, without dreams, without motivation to try new things, eat new foods, meet new people, your stagnation will lead to illness and an early demise. 

Important thing number 3, laugh. A sense of humor about yourself and others can sure make life a lot more bearable especially through the tough times. There is definitely laughing space in my life.

Important thing number 4, love. Find someone to share your thoughts, dreams, life with. Find someone who truly loves you because you are who you are. The goofy, smart, sensitive, beautiful person they see in their eyes when they look at you. They want to be with you.

Life is simple, we make it complicated. Each day I truly live, laugh and love for my body, mind and soul. 

The Art of Dying

As a child I always thought of my parents as so old. Not just mine, but all parents were old to me. I thought I was very lucky though because I had two parents, some kids I went to school with weren’t so lucky I thought, they only have 1 parent. Each year I looked forward to my birthday, anxious to grow up become a teen, then graduate from high school. Work, university, marriage, babies, travel, whatever the next years bring, I didn’t really think too much about my parents aging.

If your parents are fairly healthy, you don’t think about them dying. I remember my grandmother dying, she was really old, 94 years to be exact. She was also overweight and had many health concerns. I was thankful then my parents were active, fairly healthy and somehow not that old to me.

However over the years, I came to terms with my parents becoming less active, less healthy and older. With age came, heart attacks, angioplasty, stents and joint replacement surgery.

With age also came, many miles of travel throughout the US and Canada. Many beautiful and memorable moments with grandchildren, many more laughs, big family get togethers that were loud and crazy. And at each one, my dad always blessed the meal and thanked the lord that we were all here together one more time.

Nine years ago my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Nine years of borrowed time as my brother put it. My mom was always a fighter, never believing in medical intervention, never doubting that when it was her time to go, it was her time to go, end of story. This was truly the first time my mom and dad talked openly about dying. They went and purchased all their funeral arrangements so not to burden the children. They let each of us know of their wishes and had their wills re-written. Death isn't something I wanted to dwell on, but looking back these conversations were important and part of my aging parents reality. Looking back I'm glad my parents and I had an open, honest chat about life and death.

Last Tuesday at 86 yrs old, my mom was taken by ambulance to the hospital, after 4 days of not keeping food in her stomach. For my mom to agree to go to a hospital, you know she wasn’t well. I looked at my mom and saw for the first time a tired, old women. Even though her body was giving out, my mom managed to joke around with medical staff and spoke philosophically about life and death. Friday was the family meeting with the doc to tell us how bad the cancer had spread and asked my mom what her wishes were.

She decided on a dnr on her chart, no interventions except for pain and chatted with me about all the things she has accomplished in life. She has accepted her fate gracefully and now it is our turn to do the same. Life is about living it to the fullest, being happy with the path you choose, staying healthy and accepting when the two ends of the spectrum meet to complete the circle of life.

Now we wait, sharing stories, laughing, crying and comforting each other as my mom prepares herself for the next phase of her journey and I prepare as well. I have longevity in my genes, so I will do everything I can to stay healthy until I become an old, tired women and my daughter and I will have many chats about life and death.

We can't prevent death. We can't prevent aging from occurring but we can slow the process. I will exercise, eat nutrient dense meals, reduce stress, sleep well and live life to the fullest. I want to live til I'm 86 (at least) and be healthy in body, mind and soul. 

Its Not Always About Physical Health

I read Psychology Today magazine religiously, it seriously is like a bible to me. My husband Neil is taking his masters degree and one of his courses was on eating disorders. He was reading an article in PT and when finished popped the magazine in the recycling bin. It was garbage day and I was taking the trash out and noticed the bright front cover of PT so I picked it out of the recycling bin.

The article Neil read was on behavior change. Not only did I read that article I read every one in that issue and continue to read PT on a regular basis. The latest article I read that resonated with me was on Relational Values and its importance for our mental health.

There is so much written by so many people on what we should do to keep our bodies physically fit, to prevent disease, to live longer, to live healthier from a physical perspective. But there is not a lot written by many people on the emotional/mental aspect of health.

Many people know they lack self confidence, self esteem, feel anger, depressed etc. but  they many not know why they feel that way or how to get themselves out of feeling that way. So their mental health is one of the spokes not lined up in the wheel of life. (I love riding and every time I see a balanced wheel spin - it is my analogy for a healthy life). We all know how important relationships are to our mental health and the PT article explained how the value we place on these relationships correlates to positive mental health.

The article in PT goes on to talk about the importance of relationships in ones life and of a concept called relational value. This is the value we self impose on the relationship with important people in our lives. If we don’t feel we have any relationships or we don’t value those relationships we have a huge void in becoming a healthy human.

Humans are social creatures. I live in Winnipeg where per capita we have more restaurants then anywhere in Canada. We socialize in places like coffee shops, restaurants etc. Look at the social media revolution. It is easier to link up with people all over the world than ever before. We wouldn’t think anyone would have a problem finding a relationship.

But its not just finding people to socialize with its about the value you place on that relationship. Its about the feelings you and the other person express, the thoughtfulness, sacrifices made, etc show the value that is placed on that relationship. It  is also about how we respond to changes in a relational value. 

The PT article tells how a positive change sparks happiness, pride, love, joy etc and how a negative change may spark hurt, anger, resentment etc. It is how we learn, grow and move forward in our relational changes that helps create who we are. But it is how we value ourselves that is of huge importance. We need the balance between self focused and community focused to be healthy. Our self confidence, self reliance, achievement, power balanced with giving, loving, compassion, self sacrifice will bring about healthy relationships.

Sometimes people know they lack relationship value but don’t know what to do about it and sometimes people deny, or put up a wall that doesn’t allow them to have relationships and doesn’t allow others in that may see the relationship with you as value.

The author Gregg Henriques, Ph.D. of the PT article goes on to say he believes the “high paced, economically driven, highly complex society, we have inadvertently created a society that has many, many cracks for people to fall through. People who feel devalued and who don’t know how to change and who don’t know what to do with their feelings that result”. 

Dr. Henriques goes on to ask whether as a society we should be looking at ways to measure relational value. 

Perhaps we need to work toward developing a society that utilizes relational value to increase positive mental health. As someone who works at keeping all the spokes balanced in my wheel of life I know the importance of relationships and the value I place on them has such a positive impact on my body, mind and soul.

                                      

I AM AN OLYMPIAN!!!!

Okay those who really know me, know that I am not an athlete that actually competed at the 2012 London Games. However, lets think about this carefully, is 2016 out of the question? Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro! How cool would that be!  

I just watched Clara Hughes compete in road cycling at age 39! There is a member of the Canadian women’s rowing team who is 53!!! Okay she doesn’t actually row but sits in the bow and barks out the tempo and hey I’m between 39 and 53 soooo maybe?

My point is age has only a part to do with your chances of being on an Olympic team. Your will power, skill and bodies ability to endure plays a role. Of course there are some sports that younger athletes do better in, so I just have to choose my sport wisely! 

Archery for example in London 2012, Karen Hultzer (RSA) was the oldest woman on the archery field at 46. Remarkably, she had never picked up a bow before five years ago. I tried it once in high school and liked it, although the bow string hit my forearm and left a welt as big as a softball and I couldn’t hit the target.

What about fencing? I think it looks cool, the shiny armour dress and headgear and those gloves, oooh I’m all over that! I’ve never actually poked a sabre at anyone, but practiced with broom sticks jousting with my daughter Sarah. One of us usually got smacked on the hand and then ended up tickling the other into submission. I guess tickling your fencing opponent might be frowned on? Just a guess but not sure the Queen would approve, all that giggling would send her into a tizzy. 

There is shooting then. I shot a gun once in Piney Manitoba at the gravel pit. My dad and uncle would line up old cans and bottles and we tried to shoot them off a fence post. I can’t remember actually hitting a target and I think I hurt my shoulder once.  Hmmmm this is getting harder. 

What about horse jumping? Ian Miller on team Canada is 65 years old and competed in London 2012.  I like horses and I rode a few times, never fell off either. Not sure I want my horse to jump while I’m on its back. Yeah I think I just dropped horse jumping from my list and I’m way too young!

Is knitting, crocheting, basket weaving or bracelet making (I only use those small plastic beads that my nieces share with me) Olympic events yet! 

Alright maybe Olympic blogging, tweeting or messaging athletes IS the way to go. 

Wow, all those sports I played in high school. Basketball, softball, volleyball, soccer, even women’s ice hockey when women’s ice hockey wasn’t cool yet! I was super athletic growing up. Tennis, badminton, golf, curling (a lot of curling- on ice and off, poker straight hair) just to name a few. Played field hockey in university for one term, but that ball was sooo hard and those sticks whacking against my legs—oooh that hurt!

And come on I lift weights, do TRX, crossfit, road ride, trail ride, toss a basketball now and again, swat at a birdie when I can find someone to play with, fling a frissbe err I mean disk, and throw a football.  All athletic feats in my mind! 

So I guess that’s it, I missed my opportunity to participate in the Olympics. So at 49 calendar years (even though my mind is telling me I’m only 29 yrs), I’ll stick to my own Olympic prowess and my own gold medal standings!  My own competitions and pushing myself to my limits. That is my personal growth for awakening my body, my mind and my soul! I am an Olympian!

And you, be the best athlete you can be! Get back on track no matter what sport you play, no matter what your athleticism level, you know- “Play Safe and Have Fun”, it is the participation that matters.  “Just Do It” stop talking about starting an exercise program, And .....“Go”! 

My Brother My Hero

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero- Marc Brown

Some of you may have read on Facebook or Twitter that my sister got married on July 14, 2012. This was my younger sister, the baby of the siblings I might add. Even though this was her second marriage, the excitement for her special day and love we have for her brought my whole family together. 

Whole family you wonder, yes all seven of us. My parents who are in their eighties and my four siblings. Well of course my little sister was there, she was the bride. So me, the bride and my three other siblings all together again. As we all get older, my little sister being forty six, making the rest of us barely hanging on to our forties and into our fifties, we realize it is harder and harder to be all together. The fact that my older sister Barb lives on the West Coast and my brother Larry lives in Calgary makes the getting together for family dinners a bit harder. And using skype on the IPad and placing it on their place setting at the table just isn’t quite the same. Punching my IPad hurts a bit more than punching my brothers arm and giving a hug to my IPad just isn’t the same as hugging my big sisters soft skin.

So whole family time (not even including kids) comes by few and far between, so we make the most of it when we are together. So when my sister announced her wedding I knew there was a good chance my siblings and I would be together to celebrate.

The wedding day came and went without a hitch, well there were a few minor hiccups, but what event doesn’t have a few. Besides no animals were hurt during the production so all was good! Unless you count the actual dinner then yes, some animals did sacrifice for the carnivors in attendance. Me being one, yes I love my meat!

The bride looked radiant, the groom had a glossed over look in his eyes, the ceremony was lovely, the meal was delicious, the entertainment (Free Ride) was fun, cousins reconnected and my siblings and parents were together again.

Of course like all weddings, we stayed up too late, hollered too much, danced til our feet hurt and perhaps enjoyed the free bar a little too much! I’m just guessing on the last one, but when I saw my oldest brother Richard wearing a t-shirt the next day, that said “Rum Pig” I kinda thought that may be the case.

The next day, oh that will be the day we remember more so perhaps than the wedding itself. The Sunday after, my little sister bless her heart, planned a gift opening, entertaining day. So with about thirty five people in her big beautiful house in La Salle, pizza, chicken, salads and taco chips abundantly being consumed, with Elvis – yes I said Elvis just starting his first set, everyone was enjoying yet another family filled day.

My dad after filling a plate with food walked into the living room and placed himself beside a fellow he’d just met, but both were discussing how good the Elvis impersonator was. It was at that point my dad lost his sense of wear he was standing, took a step back onto what he thought was floor, however he stepped backward over the stairs with no flooring to put his foot on. I was in the family room farthest away, while my brother Larry stood across from me in the large open kitchen area. 

I saw my brother move quickly to the living room but from where I was the room was out of view. Suddenly the music stopped and I heard “someone just fell down the stairs”. Without hesitation and  now thinking about my brothers sudden dash, the thought of my mother (because of her lack of mobility) laying at the bottom of the stairs came to mind.

Shocked I was to see my father laying helpless, not breathing and my brother Larry doing a finger sweep of pizza and false teeth. It was amazing to me to see how calm Larry was. He knew exactly what needed to be done to clear my dad’s airway and once opened, rolled my dad onto his side in the recovery position. An ambulance was called and dad taken to hospital for xrays, ct scan and a three day stay. 

Dad has no broken bones, but a bruised back and tailbone to go along with his bruised ego. My brother Larry saved my dads life by his quick actions, truly being a hero. Larry is an unassuming guy, that goes through life doing what needs to be done. 

Larry has had a few high level strategic positions in the telecommunications and oil and gas industry. But it was his last position with a start up company that let him go, “to take the company in another direction” that hit him the hardest. He gave his heart and soul.

He bides his time these days, doing a lot of house work (while my sil works) and a lot of fly fishing. He found his true love and passion, creating his own flies, teaching kids about fly fishing and being on the streams for hours, to see which of his homemade flies work the best.

His patience, love for the outdoors, his experience of the hellish corporate boardrooms, and his new found passion, have shaped him into the man he is today. Oh and the fact he saved a mans life!  I think he should definitely write a book as he surely has a story to tell from boardrooms to fly fishing! To saving his own dads life. 

I aspire to be half the human being my brother is, my brother, my hero! Oh he doesn’t know it yet, but my sister Barb and I have already titled his book, “Hooked”.  He just has to write it and I can’t wait until he does. My whole family will be first in line for our copies. His journey will no doubt touch all of us and bring growth to everyone’s body, mind and soul!

Just remember Larry, dad is eighty one this year and mom is eighty six, so take a pen and paper along on your next fishing trip! 

Take Action - Exercise!

The other day I followed up with one of my clients. I asked how her last week was, how often she got to the gym and how often she followed the exercise plan I set out for her.

Well her answer really didn’t surprise me. She commented, she just doesn’t have enough time in the week. Aaaack I feel like banging my head against the wall sometimes when clients who have come to me to loose weight, feel healthy and get fit, don’t walk the talk. She said getting healthy is a priority but she isn't making the action a priority.

Oh yeah, lots of people are at the stage where they know they need to take charge and make changes, they verbalize all the right things. Its just the action phase they can’t perform, yet they know no one else can make the changes for them. They’ve fallen off track and can’t find their internal voice or haven’t looked deep enough to find the internal voice. 

Part of the problem is their diet is poor and lacks the proper nutrients to help energize their body. Part of the problem is that exercise has not become part of their lifestyle. Exercise is something you do to loose a bit of weight, fix a problem with a muscle or joint according to them.

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Exercise and healthy eating MUST become part of a lifestyle, part of your routine. Just like brushing your teeth, putting on cloths, doing laundry, eating, etc, we do sooooo many other things automatically why isn’t exercising one of them? Lots of those other behaviours we do infinitely. People need to understand exercise is an infinite behaviour. It is vital to living a long life and a healthy, strong long life.  And who doesn't want that. 

So one of the tools I like to use is a calendar. A visual to place on the fridge right beside the kids schedule of activities. Its YOUR calendar of activities. I don’t know about you but I can’t remember nor do I want to try and remember all the things I have planned. So I use a calendar! Schedule your workouts, just like everything else. And ya there will be times when self talk that you don’t feel like working out. But thats when the true you needs to step up to the plate because you know how good you’ve been feeling since getting back on track with a healthy lifestyle. How much more confidence and happy you are. You are proud of the accomplishments and personal growth you’ve done.

You know exercising and healthy eating is a life long positive habit. Don’t talk about starting, just do it now. Change your lifestyle, no beginning, middle or end. It’s an infinite way of life. If you don't know how to get started talk to a personal trainer, a friend who exercise regularly, family member who will support you.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.
– Mark Twain

I’m 49 years old, stronger and more fit and healthier than I’ve ever been. I've been on the unhealthy, overweight side. I know how much work you need to do, to face fears, to struggle to learn to love who you are. Age has nothing to do with your abilities. Always challenge and always grow. This is a lifestyle, change yours and I guarantee you will never look back! Awaken your body, mind and soul!

Shakespeare's Question?

To Be or Not to Be…..

One of my recent lessons learned is that events happen all the time, all around us and how we react to those events is what makes us happy or unhappy. Why would we want to be unhappy? I don’t think anyone, prefers to be unhappy, or chooses to be unhappy on purpose.

So why then do we react to things/situations/events in such a way that makes us unhappy? Someone once asked me, why do you react in such a negative way to circumstances? How does that make you feel? How does that make the people you are with feel? Yikes, I hadn’t thought about it and that was one of my big lessons. Wake up and be aware of your thoughts. 

How I react to things is my choice. If I approach life (each and every event) with an open loving heart, I feel happy and the people I am around also feel happy. So why aren’t we ALL happy ALL the time? Why aren’t we living in a euphoric, Yoko and John love the world way.

Well we can, we all can if we choose to. However most often we let the events of the external world dictate how we will feel. We listen to our egotistical mind and allow those thoughts to be what we react to. In his book, “The Untethered Soul The Journey Beyond Yourself”, Michael A. Singer suggests once you decide you want to be unconditionally happy, something inevitably will happen that challenges you. It is this test of your commitment to being happy that is exactly what stimulates an awaking within and true growth. 

We know a million things are going to happen to you or you will be a part of in your life. The real question is what are you going to think when these things happen? They are just things/events. Good, bad, ugly we categorize them. Be happy that you have experienced them. Don’t listen to your ego thoughts and create drama, sadness, hurt to yourself or others. Realize you are the observer of those thoughts and let them go. Don’t hold onto them, they will only make you suffer. 

Commit to being happy and you will learn all about your mind, your heart, and your soul. Every time you start to feel unhappy, let it go, keep your heart open and if you do you will experience life at a different level. So it really is a simple choice; 

Do you want to be happy or not?

There Is No Key To Happiness, The Door Is Always Open By J. Johnson, picture courtesy of therocketdream May 5, 2012

 There is no key to happiness, the door is always open. 

Many of us throughout the world are on our own journey's toward peace, fulfillment, and most of all happiness, even though we know that engaging on this journey is a commitment for the rest of our lifetime. On this road to happiness and fulfillment a person must be able to realize and accept a variety of things. One of these things is that a person must realize who they are, and that true happiness will only be achieved if they are willing to be themselves and not who others may want them to be. 

What is Maca?

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a hearty root vegetable grown in the high Andes of Bolivia and Peru. The locals have been using maca for hundreds of years for its nutritional and medicinal properties, for power as an aphrodisiac, energy enhancer and hormonal balancer

Nurtional Profile:

A dietary staple for the local people of the Andes, maca is rich in nutrients, containing 31 different minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, alkaloids and sterols. Maca is an adaptogen- a substance which brings the body to heightened state of resistance to disease. Studies suggest that it has a balancing effect on the hypothalamus, which in turn balances other endocrine glands in the body.

Clinical Research:

Maca root has flourished for thousands of years in the high Andes at altitudes up to 14,000 feet in extreme climatic conditions where few other plants can survive a single season. Scientists suggest the maca’s remarkabler endurance may help to explain its energizing and adaptogenic properites. Peruvian and Chinese researchers have conducted clinical tests on both humans and animals verifying the maca capacity to strengthen the libido and increase sperm count.

For Women:
Bolivian natives have traditionally turned to Maca root to treat a variety of female health problems, from infertility to menstrual dysfunction and menopausal difficulties. In North America, some naturopaths and clinicians suggest Maca as a safe alternative to HRT (hormone replacement therapy), for balancing hormones and improving sexual function.

For Men:
The native peoples of Bolivia and Peru have used Maca root as a libido enhancer and reproductive aid for thousands of years. Since being "rediscovered by modern science" Maca supplements have become popular as a safe and natural way to improve sexual vitality, desire and performance.

Other

Maca has been cultivated in the Andes for thousand of years. It is extremely rich nutritionally and contains 31 different minerals along with amino acids, antioxidants, alkaloids and sterols.

Maca flourishes in conditions where few other plants can survive, at altitudes above 14,000 feet, through freezing winds and blistering heat. This tolerance to extremes may help explain its potent healing and energizing properties.

PS- my favourite way of eating maca is in a Macasure chocolate bar! Its good for my body, mind and soul!

Listen to the Peace and Truth Within

“The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace.
With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Interesting isn't it. When you take a look back you can now say, "oh ya I remember that" and think about why it happened, who came into your life at that point, the lesson's you've learned from it. There are no coincidences. Everything happens for a reason, everyone that comes into your life is for a reason.

I had a great chat with someone I recently met. He has a career that does not fulfil him, he knows he is meant to be doing something else. He told me he felt really good around food and wine. He loves to smell it, taste it, describe it and write about it. Wine in particular. So he took a couple of courses and loved them, passing each level onto the next. Now he is at a point where he needs to take the one last big step to get to where he wants to be. A Sommelier! Thats fantastic I said, I can hear how passionate you are about this change. But I also hear some hesitation, tell me about that.

My friend started in on struggling with the unknown of moving ahead. Leaving the security of one job for something maybe he won't be good at. He worried about letting others down. He said he is fighting himself on moving ahead, fear that he is making the wrong journey.

Wow, was my first response, then I sat back and smiled and realized he was exactly at the spot I was last year. He was saying almost word for word what I said, how I felt. I was so fortunate to have a beautiful young soul guide me. Ask me the tough questions, tell me about the ego, fear, having a vision, emotions, aligning your actions with whats inside you.

By the end of our conversation he agreed to stop fighting and let things be. He agreed that preparing himself for the right moment is what he needs to focus on. Opportunities will come later. My friend said he feels the passion for food and wine inside his heart. It feels right he said. He is going to take the next step.

So whats the problem I countered back? My friend laughed and said I just had to talk it out. Thanks for listening and asking the right questions. We finished our coffee and I was grateful to be the one asking the tough questions and helping him to peel back a few more layers to understand a deeper soul.

One last question he said, what if I fail?  What is failure I asked? He had a hard time defining it, but didn't want to let others down. Then don't have the thought of failure in your mind I said. He looked back at me and said, oh I know I will be successful, it just might take a bit of time. Enjoy the journey I said and don't worry so much about the destination. You will arrive.

Oh and if you "fail", try again!

My Partner, My Soul Mate

I love it when:

you don’t shave 

you whisper sweet shit in my ear. yes I want that

when you surprise me with a single rose on no special occasion

you send a limo for me on date night with a note that says........

you passionately hold me and tell me you love me

you take me for a Winter walk through a park on a Sunday afternoon

you share a good bottle of red wine with me on Friday night in front of the fire and we talk about our passion for life, our goals, our wishes, our future

we exercise together and I see how hard you work your body, not a whimpy, half assed workout but a strong willed workout.

we meet for lunch in a downtown resto neither of us have ever been to.

we go to a movie 

we go to bar and listen to a band

we have dinner parties 

we go to a beach and lay in the sand

we meet friends after work for drinks

we have a favorite lounge we can go to and talk, laugh, share.

we work together to create a home. Not a house but a warm, cozy inviting home

we support each others hobbies.

we have the hottest sex 

we support our community, our city 

we volunteer to help at or participate in events that our friends are involved with

we mountain bike together

we ski together

we make each other dinners- because we want to not because we have to

we make each other laugh

we make each other cry

you play the guitar for me

we give each other a massage because it feels so good

we sit on the hood of the car outside the city and watch the sun set on a warm summer night

you are spontaneous

you are a mans man, take charge kind of guy

you are confident when I am not

we face fears together

we embrace each others individuality

I feel connected to you

Exercise Reverses Aging in Muscle

As I get older I get wiser. One thing I know for sure is that exercise is the key no matter what age I am. It is engrained as part of me and what I do. I hope you understand the importance of exercise too. Here is a great article describing what happens to muscle as we age and how to keep that muscle strong. Exercise Reverses Aging in Muscle


Stay strong and healthy!

PLAY

is not just for kids! I was was reading an article the other day about play and how we forget as we get older that we can exercise because it is fun. Not because we want to loose weight, build muscle or look good in a bikini. A huge number of adults don't exercise because they haven't found a form of movement that they enjoy doing.

When I was at Crossfit Winnipeg the other day I was sooo excited when I saw on the board rope climbs. I hadn't roped climbed in months. With nervous anticipation I swung my right foot around the rope a couple of times, jumped up and grabbed the rope as high above my head as I could. I immediately brought my knees up and my left foot stepped onto the rope that dangled over my right. Again I reached up with my hands and pulled. Before I knew it I scampered up to the 15 ft mark and slowly hand over hand retreated to the ground. EXILLERATING!!! Damn that was so FUN!!! Before the class was over I had scampered up all 3 sizes of rope right to the top of the beam!!! Its the challenge of doing an activity that is fun = PLAY.

Maybe thats why I love getting on my road bike and just heading out on a sunny day, down an endless highway. It reminds me of being a kid jumping on my bike and just riding, no destination, no time line. Just riding for fun = PLAY

When I see ads for a Mud Run, an obstacle course through a bush, or an Adventure Race of mountain biking and canoeing, a High Ropes course(which I've been on and is play to the nth degree!), or other activities that sound challenging and fun, the first thing I think of = PLAY.

When I go to the beach I love to bring a disk or football or some sort of equipment to throw around in the water. Swim and dive and float and plash = PLAY

When my daughter was younger, we would kick a soccer ball around, play badminton, tag, rollerblade, walk, play on the monkey bars at a school ground. So many activities that just keeps our body moving, keeps us feeling good. So whatever age or ability, find something you enjoy, something that is fun something you do just to =PLAY!

In Europe there a number of parks and playgrounds created for adults popping up as governments want older adults to stay healthy by playing.

Playtime for Grandma: Council opens new playground for the over-60s

By NIALL FIRTH

Last updated at 14:05 02 February 2008

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Like most playgrounds, it is filled with smiling faces and laughter.

But these faces have seen more of life than you might expect, and the laughter is a little more mature in tone.

Britain's first playground for the over-60s opens today in Manchester.

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60 going on six: Vivien Backhouse and Peggy Yuill go for a swing in the Older People's Play Area in Dam Head

Instead of slides and roundabouts, it is equipped with machines specially designed to provide gentle exercise for different parts of the body such as hips, legs and torso.

The Massage offers upper body exercise, the Skate trains leg muscles, the Ski works the hips, while the Press tones the stomach and legs.

There are also stations for pull-ups, push-ups and pedalling and, to stretch the mind as well as the body, engravings of quotes from famous philosophers dotted around the park.

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Local resident Joan Fitzgerald stretches her legs in the playground

The playground, based on a German idea, was built by the residents' association in Dam Head Park, Blackley.

It cost £15,000 and was funded by the local housing management company. For many young children, the trip to the park with the grandparents may never be the same again.

While they play in the neighbouring children's playground, they will be able to watch their oldies over the fence having just as much fun as them.

Residents' association chairman Joan FitzGerald said: "When we tested it all the people we took in were over 70 and I have never heard so much laughing. I believe you are never too old to play and this also helps keep you fit."

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Swinging 60s: Thigh training while (left) even the infirm can benefit

Peggy Yuill, 74, one of the test group, said: "It makes you feel 21 again."

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: "A well-designed fitness park could be a great way to encourage older people to exercise and socialise.

"Many older people aren't exercising enough and we are really keen for local authorities to offer a range of accessible and affordable facilities that promote physical activity in later life."

So by yourself or with a buddy, weekday or weekend, get you PLAY on!!!!!!