Satiety

Uh, excuse me?  Satiety is the state of being satisfied.  Pretty simple, pretty straight forward.  Now, apply it to your life... not so simple.

Is this an art?  A science?  Satiety has frequently been associated with diet and nutrition.  We have a brain mechanism that tells us when we are full...or does it?  This is a very easy concept to extrapolate into our problems of obesity.  Our modern, American (processed) diets have clouded our satiety mechanism and the message of full isn't getting to our brain.  So, we over eat.

Can this concept be applied to general happiness?  I believe it can.  Re-run the example above.  Our modern, American (indulgent) way of life has clouded our satiety mechanism and the message of "satisfied" isn't getting to our brain.  So, we over spend... or we over indulge in what ever other pleasure gives us "satisfaction".  (Whether it really does or not is another thought for another blog!)

We have heard the success stories of people who follow the "everything in moderation" philosophy.  Maybe these simple thinkers are really on to something!  I mean, really, even an over consumption of apples could be a problem.  Learning to be satisfied with just enough is probably one of the most basic parts of healthy aging that I have found.  It seems so simple!  This week, I'm going to give it a go.  I think I live pretty moderately.  But, I'm going to see what it is that I need for satiety.  Food, time, sleep, exercise, purchases, social contacts.  I'm going to get back to the basics of what I need in a cultural environment that pushes me away from life's simple, satisfying elements.

I'll let you know... and if you try it, let me know what you find!

Sincerity of Effort

The mantras of healthy aging resound: eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day, exercises at least 30 minutes most days, sleep 6-10 hours, release stress, connect with friends... and so on.  We've heard them, maybe we've even tried them.  Likely we've discounted them at some point, maybe we've even decided "that doesn't work for me."  And, truth is, maybe it didn't.  But... how sincere was your effort?  Did you really give that a fair shot?

In the world of Physical Therapy (where many of my realizations bloom after listening to hundreds of people's perspectives), sincerity of effort is the conscious motivation to perform to the best of one's ability.  oooh.  Hmmm.  Chew on that a little.

Take the example of exercise as an approach to healthy aging.  If you are one of the many who say "it didn't work for me, I didn't lose weight, I didn't feel more energized, I didn't sleep better..." consider how sincere your effort was.  Could there have been a little shred of motivation that prompted you to cut out early?  Was that little devil on your shoulder chirping about how this won't work for you and so you should just abandon your plan now?  What was your conscious motivation?  It's interesting to me.

Sometimes I want to shake people.  I want to bring you all into the world of the aging process.  Fast forward.  I want to show you (among other things) what your posture is doing to your bony structure and to your risk for pain later on.  But that's just a scare tactic.  That doesn't change your sincerity of effort for more than the short term.  What does?  The very concept is elusive.  My perspective?  Start to come to grips with what your true motivation for health is.  It may be buried under layers of excuses, heaps of partial attempts, tons of fear or something else.  Become sincere with yourself.  Then, back that up with a real effort to get closer to "the best of your ability".  I found it to be incredibly, personally, rewarding.

Balance

You mean like losing your balance?  Well, actually, yes.  We often think of balance in that framework.  And to that end, when you lose your balance, you fall.  So, consider these other examples of balance: The balance between work and play.  Too much of one or the other and, yep, you're falling!  The balance of muscle pull on either side of a joint - too much quads, not enough hamstring - bam!  ACL tear.  Too many calories in, not enough burned off... weight gain!  


Now how do we keep this balance?  And is there a cumulative effect - that is, can balance in one area set us up for life balance?  That's my theory right now....


Life balance is bringing your body as close to homeostasis as you can.  "Homeostasis" for you non-biology loving folks is the state of balance that all things in nature gravitate toward.  It is your body's attempt to maintain a stable, constant condition.  


"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance." - Brian Tracy


OK, good theory, now what?  In thinking about where this post was headed, I realized that I am the most balanced when I am "in training".  I've been a runner a long time.  Wow, looking back, 28 years of running seems crazy.  But, what I realize now is that running has been my grounding wire.  When I'm running regularly, I'm balanced.  Prioritizing a long run (fitting it into my schedule) gives me the "me" time I need to balance the stress of raising 3 kids, working full time, and running a growing business.  Longer runs provide a time of quiet to balance the noise that life throws at me.  Longer runs bring me into nature and away from the technology that beeps, streams and otherwise bombards my brain with input.  And running pushes my physical capacity to balance out what seems like a never ending need to push my mental capacity.  


So, for me, "running balance" takes on new meaning.  The term likely conjures up an image of how much money you can spend before you go into debt.  And yes!  That's it - with a twist.  It's the amount of "spend" you can do before you need to "deposit" (Deposit fun, deposit quiet, deposit stretch...) in order to stay balanced.  


I hope you'll think about whether or not you are in balance, and what it takes to get or keep you there.  I hope you'll consider depositing where you find a need so that you can get 1 step closer to homeostasis.  And, if you want more info on getting and staying balanced, I hope you'll read with me again.
Until then....

Do we really make our own happiness?

I spend a lot of time around older people.  In fact, I probably spend most of my day listening to folks more than twice my age.  Don't feel bad - I enjoy it.  Truly.  My grandparents generation is a group of people rich in wisdom that I may never have the opportunity to gain without their insight.  Not much of a history student, I've learned about the hardships of this generation through their emotional stories.  The soldier whose job it was to execute the line of civilians, or the heroic American pilot who was shot down three times.  The holocaust survivor who hid under a latrine after watching her entire family be executed or the woman whose baby brother came home from war in a body bag.  The very large families (imagine being one of 16 kids!) who muddled through the Great Depression and learned to "make do".  And yet, in the face of hardship beyond what my generation has ever seen, these people are still generally happy.  Many have pain daily, have buried their children and have out lived their spouse.  How can happiness be even remotely possible?

I've asked many questions.  I'm curious as much as I need to make conversation.  Mostly, I hear "you really have no other choice but to go on."  Imagine?  Most describe in their own way that happiness for them is a decision.  Wow.

I wonder, for this generation of Americans who have always had so much, why is the abundance mentality so difficult?  We aren't living in conditions like they were!  Yes, we are at war.  But not like during WWII.  Yes we have a recession... but not a depression!  We have the abundance.  Why don't we see it?
It's that we don't appreciate it.  It's that we haven't been forced to look for it.  We take it for granted.
So wise up, kids!  Find a way to be thankful every day for the crazy abundance of friends, family, food, income potential and peaceful living you have access to.  And don't waste an ounce of any of it.

The Abundance Mentality

Steven Covey books have been some of my favorite reads for over a decade.  The "Abundance Mentality" is a Covey- concept where a person believes there are enough resources and success to share with others. Consider the opposite - the scarcity mindset which is founded on the idea that, if someone else wins or is successful in a situation, that means you lose.  This idea revealed itself to me recently in applications that I hadn't thought of before.  

Individuals with an abundance mentality are able to celebrate the success of others rather than be threatened by it. (future posts on relationships and a healthy perspective) Individuals with an abundance mentality are willing to donate to those less fortunate - even if they don't feel like they're wealthy by some standard. (check out the health benefits of altruism) Individuals with an abundance mentality receive intangibles that hold more value than they realize at the time they receive (future posts on contentment enhancing well-being).  

I believe healthy aging stems from an abundance mentality.  Once our perspective changes - in that we are not stressed about what we don't have and instead focus on what we do - we can focus on the amazing fact that the vast majority of our cells are strong and have the capacity to get stronger.  I also believe, as a result of 16 years of  clinical practice, that the mind-body connection is one of our most powerful tools.  Given the right mentality, I am confident that healthy aging can be a normal part of life in America - but that's just my perspective!