Hey all you athletes - are you still going to be running/cycling/swimming/climbing/skiing after you retire? (enter excuses here... my knees will never make it that far...I plan to be traveling... I can't retire until I'm 70...) Give it a second thought, or give it some thought during your next work out.
Age related changes are sometimes predictable. We know that bone mineral density goes down, GI motility slows, skin loses elasticity. Big deal. There are way too many examples of impressive success in the over 60 athletic performance arena to mandate an age for athletic retirement.
Evidence continues to support the theory that people who are physically active have less chronic disease and live longer - especially runners. Exercise combats some of the neurological and psychological changes previously attributed to aging. It boosts mood and improves sleep to beat anxiety and depression. Endurance exercise improves age-related memory loss and improves reflex time. In fact, scientists are now saying these aren't age-related changes but changes caused by disuse.
Regular, long term exercise has been shown to attenuate many of these effects. Weight bearing exercise reduces bone mineral density loss. Regular exercise improves GI peristalsis (how fast the food moves through the system) and immune function. And, endurance exercise has proven anti-aging effects on the muscles, heart, skin, hair, ovaries, testes, kidneys, spleen and liver! Whew... pretty impressive.
Back in 1966, a few college age men volunteered to spend 3 weeks on bed rest. The physical and cardiac capacity they lost was incredible. The researchers returned them to baseline through an exercise program. But - they were in their 20's. 30 years later, they reconvened. As expected, they were not the strong, spry college type. But, researchers returned them to a gradual endurance exercise program and guess what? After 6 months of training, their cardiac performance (resting heart rate, blood pressure and pumping capacity) was back to their 20 year old baseline level. Even more impressive!
Evidence continues to mount. You continue to age. Me? I continue to run. And you're all invited to join me!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Satiety part II
I did it. I focused on "just enough" for a week. Let me explain how this learning opportunity propelled me forward.
Healthy aging is ultimately what I'm after. And now, I'm convinced that simply enough is a way to appreciate the blessings in my life and to push me to give from where I have extra... and I feel great! I started with a focus on time. It is the element that plagues me most. I have frequently felt like I need a 26 hour day just to get all of what I need to done. And, since I have yet to find the 26th hour, I have felt stressed about the things left on my plate at the end of the day. So, I turned off my multi-task magnet - that forceful pull that compels me to be doing 5 or 6 things at once. And when I was on a task, I was completely there. Seems to have saved me a boat load of time. I was able to juggle family, work, kid activities, exercise, house work...even a "date" with my husband!
My next focus was intellectual. I am an information junkie. I read everything, regularly delve into topics of interest and prefer to read text-type books than anything! I organized my approach and found it extremely satisfying. I read nightly (as I usually do) on wellness topics (currently reading Fasting and Eating for Health by Joel Fuhrman, MD) and spent time daily on clinical topics that I can apply in practice. It was the right combination of sharpening the saw for all you who've read The 7 Habits.
My reading pushed me in the direction of food intake. Dr. Fuhrman's book convinced me that to really know what my body needed in terms of food, I needed a clean slate. I completed a 19 hour fast. Water only for 19 hours. It was the killer caffeine headache that ended it. Then, oatmeal and fruits/veggies only. I have not even looked for junk since then. I don't feel the need to sweeten my tea, put syrup in my oatmeal or grab some processed snack. And, looking in my kitchen cabinets at all of what is available to us, prompted me to join a local effort that will be packing food for Haiti.
It felt so great to have all of these pieces in check. I had found simple happiness in each. And, in feeling this way, I was able to better appreciate perspectives that others were coming from. In not being distracted by my own needs, I felt more in tune with people around me. I was able to give from my "surplus" of resources and really care during my interactions with people. What I realize looking back is that in doing these small things, I was filling my own "feel good" tank. Wow - that's powerful stuff! I think I'm really on to something!
My perspective - oh yeah, highly recommended!
Healthy aging is ultimately what I'm after. And now, I'm convinced that simply enough is a way to appreciate the blessings in my life and to push me to give from where I have extra... and I feel great! I started with a focus on time. It is the element that plagues me most. I have frequently felt like I need a 26 hour day just to get all of what I need to done. And, since I have yet to find the 26th hour, I have felt stressed about the things left on my plate at the end of the day. So, I turned off my multi-task magnet - that forceful pull that compels me to be doing 5 or 6 things at once. And when I was on a task, I was completely there. Seems to have saved me a boat load of time. I was able to juggle family, work, kid activities, exercise, house work...even a "date" with my husband!
My next focus was intellectual. I am an information junkie. I read everything, regularly delve into topics of interest and prefer to read text-type books than anything! I organized my approach and found it extremely satisfying. I read nightly (as I usually do) on wellness topics (currently reading Fasting and Eating for Health by Joel Fuhrman, MD) and spent time daily on clinical topics that I can apply in practice. It was the right combination of sharpening the saw for all you who've read The 7 Habits.
My reading pushed me in the direction of food intake. Dr. Fuhrman's book convinced me that to really know what my body needed in terms of food, I needed a clean slate. I completed a 19 hour fast. Water only for 19 hours. It was the killer caffeine headache that ended it. Then, oatmeal and fruits/veggies only. I have not even looked for junk since then. I don't feel the need to sweeten my tea, put syrup in my oatmeal or grab some processed snack. And, looking in my kitchen cabinets at all of what is available to us, prompted me to join a local effort that will be packing food for Haiti.
It felt so great to have all of these pieces in check. I had found simple happiness in each. And, in feeling this way, I was able to better appreciate perspectives that others were coming from. In not being distracted by my own needs, I felt more in tune with people around me. I was able to give from my "surplus" of resources and really care during my interactions with people. What I realize looking back is that in doing these small things, I was filling my own "feel good" tank. Wow - that's powerful stuff! I think I'm really on to something!
My perspective - oh yeah, highly recommended!
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