grow older better

Author: Lynn Dorman, Ph.D.

  • Do You Want To Be Healthy? Then stop eating rocks and dirt!

    rocksLately there have been “big” news articles about the downside of taking supplements. I previously wrote about one study regarding older women.

    The latest news is that taking calcium supplements may lead to a higher incidence of heart attacks. So it is now suggested that one get calcium through food sources.

    My issue with all these studies is that they do not tell you what “supplements” the people were taking. This is important because there are “supplements” and there are supplements!

    And the problem with the “food” solution is that food is not food anymore – it’s pink slime, fillers and genetically modified yuk! [yup – my bias is showing]

    What can we do to get better nutrition?

    Try these tips

    Tip 1

    For starters, bake your current supplements in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Do the results look like baked food or do your supplements now look black and oozy?

    Black and oozy suggests they are made from rocks, petroleum and coal tar. And yes – that is allowed – and is what 95% of supplements in North America are made from!

    Tip 2

    Read the supplement labels and try pronouncing the words out loud. Do they sound like food words or chemical words?

    Tip 3

    If the results of Tips 1 and 2 scare you – then try Tip 3
    NutriVerus
    Buy vitamins that are food based! Bodies are made to process foods, not chemicals like the product to your right.

     

    And you always contact me about this product via my Mannatech business site….

    And the disclaimer – if you buy any products I mention on my sites or in my blog posts, I am an affiliate, and if you buy from my link – I do make some money. 

    And so can you!!

     

  • Muses and Emotions: Is It Aging or Is It Me?

    writing_scroll

    I woke up with this post in my head and I’m slowly learning to just “go with it.”

    So I went with it

     

    Over the years I’ve seen that I work in cycles of various lengths.

    Jobs? Two years max!

    Daily exercise at a club? About 1.5 years!

    Regular worship attendance?  Very varied so I guess it is never what you could call “regular.”  

    But writing? That’s one part of me with a cycle I cannot yet figure out. And after the last few weeks I am no longer trying to figure it out – I'm sort of just "accepting" it's cycle….[or whatever it has] 

    I just finished up an e-book about the 10 Commandments [a political snarky take on same] and I thought “wow! I’m on a roll with writing – let me finish up another of the ones I’ve started.”  [There are more than a few.]

    Bad idea. I could not put words to computer at all or even work at videos, etc. – instead I sniped at anyone who talked to me.

    I was in a very foul mood and still I tried to write.  It was not working at all and I was getting grouchier.

    Then I basically said, “screw this” and decided to give up on writing about anything.  It felt like a big defeat.  

    I took a staycation. I played computer games, read a whole lot of books, spent time on web browsers – mostly feeling like my own words had left my head forever.  

    But aha!

    After 2 weeks, the muse came back. I am writing this, getting back to videos, and I working on material for a class I teach.

    But that muse won’t touch e-books right now!  

    Lesson learned? My muse did not desert me.

    • She needed a break. 
    • She too has a cycle – just like me.

    Why did I not know this?

    • Because when I was in my foul mood I was not thinking.  

    I'm not sure if it's part of an aging experience and emotional changes, if it's just me or just situational

    2nd lesson learned?   When in a foul mood – do not make major decisions about anything – and do not try to write!   

  • Jogging and Longevity

    jogging_and_longevityNot only does exercise help our brains as we age, it also adds years to that brain's [and body's] functioning!!

    I wrote about moving as a way to stave off Alzheimer's Disease – and here is another bit of research that shows how we can increase our lifespan.

    Regular running increases the average life expectancy of men and women by about six years….

    Jogging delivered multiple health benefits, including raised oxygen uptake, increased insulin sensitivity, higher levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, lowered blood pressure and reduced blood clotting.

    Between an hour and two-and-a-half hours of moderately paced jogging a week – undertaken over two to three sessions – was ideal…

    We CAN get older better!!

    Go out and jog a bit today – your body will love for this – and so will your brain!

     

    Thoughts? comments? Thank you!!

  • Lower Your Alzheimer’s Risk by Moving!!

    New news about Alzheimer's: lowering your risk!!

    cleaning

     

    A new study indicates that normal everyday activity helps reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.

     

    Yes, exercise is good – but so are more of the everyday activities we engage in…

     

    Cleaning house and doing yardwork are taking on new importance. A higher level of physical activity — not just exercising — is linked to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease even in people over 80, suggests research published Wednesday in the journal Neurology.

    gardening

    I'm sure this is why having a pet keeps people healthy – not only do they have something to care for, they have to feed and walk the dog and feed the cat and change the litter…all require some moving!

     

     

    So get out there and garden, walk, and clean to keep your brain keeping on!!

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thanks!

  • Challenges, April Fool, My Brain, And A Key

    april fool

    • It’s April Fool’s day

    • It’s a new blog challenge

    • It’s the start of a new quarter [of the year]


    So –

    • It’s time to try tricking my brain!!

    I know I have a non-linear brain and I know that although I love many challenges, the ones that come with a feeling of “you have to” seem to not work with me…especially if it is a challenge that lasts for more than a week or two.

    Clearly “you have to” is part of MY brain’s messaging center, not the rules of any challenge I have entered. But – I have come to recognize that my brain sees a challenge as a MUST DO and reacts by saying “nope – you won’t.”

    key_to_my_brainHaving finally figured out this possible "key_to_my_brain", I am trying a new mind game with my brain starting today.

     

    • I will not “officially” enter any challenges that last longer than 2 weeks.
    • I will just “do” challenges as if they were optional fun events.
    • I will not keep track of what I do regarding the challenge.

    A one-person research project is now underway. Results to be posted at a future time. [see? no set date]

    You are never too old to figure out how your own brain works…

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thanks….