Miscellaneous Health Tidbits, Preserving Mental Function

Well it has been a long time since I have posted on this site and for good reason. The month of June is consumed with our largest event of the year, the Buffalo Springs Lake Ironman 70.3 triathlon. This was the 20th year anniversary of the event and it really went off with a bang. Our numbers were the largest in the history of the event and the competition was world class. We appreciate the 42 states and 13 countries that send us these great athletes. These folks are fit and ready and even read this site every once in a while.

Tidbits: It's time to double up on your whole grains, a recent study shows that fiber-rich foods can give you a longer lease on life, so says USA Weekend. A recent study that followed 14,000 adults ages 45 to 64 over a 13 year period found that those who consumed just one extra serving of whole grains- such as cereal, oatmeal or whole-wheat bread- each day reduced their chance of heart failure by 7%. How they determine this is really kind of a mystery to me unless they just compare the intake of fiber rich foods in each of the 14,000 adults in the test. So, that is 980 and I would want to be in that group. Just cut out that white bread, substitute some whole wheat bread and a piece of fresh fruit to your daily diet and you could end up in the lucky 980.

Exercise study: Researchers evaluated 2,205 men who started exercising at age 50. They surveyed them again at ages 60, 70, 77 and 82. Guess what? No surprise that the ones who exercised the most lived the longest. It didn't mention what the form of exercise was but I would bet it had to do with exercising the ole heart muscle. You know, 3-4 times per week at 75% of your maximum heart rate, and no matter how you get it there it is a good thing.

Just recently a good friend of mine, who is only 43, suffered a stroke. Not only is he young but he is also a supreme triathlete, so heart muscle exercise is his middle name. Regardless of that it did happen to him and due to his fitness level he will recover completely. But, the one thing his doctor told him was to take 2 children's aspirin per day for the rest of his life, and that would provide some good insurance to never having a stroke again. So, take note of this and consult your family doctor before swallowing those little white pills.

In all the cases I know of personally that have Alzheimer's or dementia they have one thing in common, they quit working early and quit thinking at the same time. I am a firm believer in keeping the thinking cap moving and shaking. While I am not a believer in early retirement, sometimes shifting gears to another profession altogether is a good thing. When you do that you need new training, meet new people and really have to think more than just staying in the ole status quo situation. I have started a new profession in Life Coaching and I have met new people, have taken certification courses, and now have my business plan put together to start the practice. This has required a whole new mind set and has really been great to keep me on my toes and be thinking outside the box on a daily basis. Recently I found some interesting dietary and lifestyle changes that might also help against these dreaded diseases. Dr. Weil of "Healthy Aging" fame has put together seven supplements that might help against these two afflictions:
1. Daily multivitamin-we take a good one from E-Caps, but most health food stores can recommend one.
2. Ginkgo-extracts of ginkgo tree leaves increase blood flow to the brain and have shown to slow the progression of dementia.
3. Phosphatidyl serine, or PS-This naturally occurring lipid is considered a brain cell nutrient and may help concentration and memory.
4. A daily low-dose aspirin-here we go again with this recommendation, must be a good thing or it wouldn't keep coming up.
5. DHA-This Omega-3 fatty acid, is essential for normal brain development and has been linked to healthy cognitive function.
6. Turmeric-A natural anti-inflammatory, this spice may have a specific protective effect again Alzheimer's disease.
7. Acetyl L-carnitine and alpha-lipoic acid-When combined, these micro nutrients promote improved mental alertness as well as increased energy.

There you have Dr. Weil's recommendation for fighting the Big A and the little d. I am off to the health food store tomorrow, since some of my supplements do not have all of these items.

mike greer

Pampering Ourselves, Super Foods, Manage Food Cravings

On my 70th birthday back on December 16, 2008 I was treated to some special pampering as a gift from my very special massage therapist, Winnie. She said Greer come prepared to be pampered for 3 hours and turn that cell phone off before you come in. Since she gives me a weekly massage I knew what to expect from her, but the rest of the pampering was of a different variety. She lined up the pedicurist, and the facial person to make my feet feel good and then take away all of my many life lines, etc. As usual the massage was wonderful and took care of a lot of stiffness and muscles pains from a long training day the day before. Then I went into the facial treatment not knowing what to expect, but I am happy to report that it felt refreshing and healthy, so it must have been good for me. But, lo and behold the lines were still there and I am glad since I have worked hard to have them so don't take them away. The pedicure came as a grand finale and it certainly made my feet and calf muscles feel very good. So, I recommend that you take the time for this pampering thing as often as you can. Here are some other little activities that will help you maintain a healthy body: frequent chiropractic adjustment, ionic cleansing(in just 20 minutes you can rid your body of toxin's that you didn't know you had, and watch it do this right before your eyes). Your feet or hands are lowered in warm water with the device that removes the toxin's and you actually see them in the water. The color of the water determines where the toxin's come from, i.e. yellow-green is from the kidneys, bladder, urinary track, etc., while orange comes from he joints, and black is from the liver. I have been doing this with my massage each week. An annual physical exam is essential, with eyes, ears, and nose being looked at very closely. On a daily basis we should be consuming plenty of super foods and they are easy to get, i.e. oily fish--2-3 times per week eat either of the three fish--salmon, herring, mackerel, to prevent prostate cancer. Sunflower seeds with stave off gray hair since it is high in copper. Apples are great natural anti-inflammatory foods, while olive oil prevents premature skin aging. To thicken your hair eat tofu or take the supplement silicia(I take this and it works real well). The memory loss thing bothers just about everyone so grab up a handful of blueberries and they will enhance your memory capabilities. To rev up your metabolism eat those chili peppers and to maintain muscle mass eat lean protein, eggs, chicken, or lean cuts of beef. Eat carrots for the eyes and always drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. I drink 20 oz. in the morning and then 20 oz. in the afternoon, unless the work outs are in very hot weather, then the sky is the limit on the amount of water I will consume.

Here are some tidbits that will help you to control your food cravings and in turn help you stop the out of control eating. Keep control by doing the following--Identify and minimize the factors that trigger overeating, such as specific foods, social settings, routines or intense hunger. I have found that I can over come the urge to eat chicken fried steak by just thinking about eating it to the point of going into a fantasy trance and I can smell it, taste it, etc., but I don't actually eat it. Just the short time that I do this fantasy takes my mind off of the actual eating of the chicken friend steak. Another little trick I play with my taste buds and hunger alarm is to tell myself that I can have a foot long hot dog once a quarter, but no more, nor can I accumulate my quota. If I don't eat it say the first quarter then I can't carry it forward and eat two in the second quarter. Last year I didn't eat one foot long so I guess it worked fairly well. Social settings are very dangerous zones for over eating, especially if you are with people who live to eat. I find myself more in that setting now that I bowl and ride a motorcycle, since that is what they do more than any group I know. So, I have to be careful in this setting. In your home set up the same place to eat your meals, especially if you don't eat at the dining table. That way your hunger brain associates with that one area for eating. Serve yourself small portions and then when you finish a portion wait for 15 minutes. This way your brain gets the message that you have eaten. Do your best to eat at the same time each day, and wait until you feel the hunger pains in your stomach. Never eat a meal if you do not feel hunger pains. Also, make substitutions such as fruit for say a candy bar for your sweet tooth, or if you crave salty foods eat microwave popcorn or baked tortilla chips. Excellent healthy snacks are whole-grain-and-protein snacks, like peanut butter on whole-grain bread, because it will fill you up and rid your body of the hunger pains and you will eat much less.

Don't forget the exercise routines I have discussed in previous posts, to accompany the above tricks of the trade to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Have a great week,

Mike Greer

Water Exercises, New Electrolyle Product

Many times when I go to the pool for a swim workout I see people doing non-swimming aerobic exercises. It looks real boring and non-eventful, but I am told by the people in the know that these are very good, easy to your joints exercises. Water exercises are excellent for people with arthritic hips and knees--and also for people without arthritis, including athletes who are recovering from injury. The water buoyancy removes stresses on the knees and hips. Generally you get the most joint protection from water that is chest-high. Water aerobics would be a good way to start the water exercising program. Most pools have these classes you can enroll in, I know I see them exercising in the pool I swim in, and have an instructor guide you through the numerous exercises, then you can do them on your own if you like. Remember my previous harping on aerobic exercise and the benefits the heart and blood pressure get from this form of exercise. In water exercise the large muscles, like leg muscles, are kept in constant motion to raise the heartbeat and keep it elevated for 20-30 minutes(remember, this the same time recommended for running, biking, etc.) or more. You must build up to this if you haven't exercised in a while, just like any form of exercise. You'll do the same kinds of motions you would do on land but, in most classes, the exercisers stay in place. You can also do resistance exercise in water. Resistance exercise is muscle-building, just like on land, and strengthening exercise. Just contact your nearest YWCA/YMCA/Local Health Club with a pool/University swimming facility, etc. They all have classes with reasonable price tags. EXERCISING THE HEART MUSCLE IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR HEALTH!!

There is a new product out that I will be checking out tomorrow night. This product is a strip you place in your mouth to replace electrolytes much faster than any other delivery(other than an injection). It is placed on your tongue and dissolves very fast and enters your body more efficiently. They also have antioxidant, and energy strips that do the same. I will report back to this site after I learn more.

Have a great day,

Mike Greer

New stuff, exercise, diet, etc.

Well after posting the fasttwitchmind to this site I decided to let it rest a few days, then get back on some fitness/healthy lifestyle stuff. One of the periodical fitness/healthy newsletters that I subscribe to is Alternatives(For the Health-Conscious Individual) and on a monthly basis it really gives me some new, interesting information. The March issue came in while I was sending fasttwitchmind stuff your way, so now I can really fill you up with some current information from Alternatives. While I get all kinds of weird stuff in the mail this newsletter happens to be one that I have a lot of confidence in and I feel good about providing my readers with some of the information I get from them. I have felt for a number of years that alternatives to the synthetic drug use is a great idea for our body and health I have also felt that there was not enough real professional information out there to tell us what to take or how much. Since just about anything can be toxic if you take too much or take the wrong thing for the wrong reasons, I felt that more professionalism should have been applied to herbs or so-called natural healing medicines. So, what has happened is a lot of medical doctors are venturing into the natural medicine applications and or actually telling bad things about the possible toxic affects of pharmaceutical products. It is a known fact that over 100,000 deaths occur each year, in our hospitals, due to poorly prescribed drugs. So, I am a believer in investigating the alternatives to see if they may apply.

Since aging happens on a daily basis everything we do affects it, good and bad. Also, I have found that on a daily basis I am ask what is the easiest and single most important thing a person can do to stay healthy. Funny thing is there are a couple of key things people can do to stay as healthy as possible, but the two things that are a must are the two things that most unhealthy people are really guilty of: 1. Unhealthy diets, 2. Lack of exercise. Since cardiovascular disease is the number-one cause of death in the US, and accounts for 30 percent of all deaths worldwide there is certainly awareness of the dangers associated with abusing this part of your body. Along with this major killer is the associated partners called, high blood pressure, heart attack, angina, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, kidney disease, fatigue and shortness of breath. Man this makes me ill just writing about it. Today I will touch on the exercises that will help combat these dreaded killers and you have heard it before, but I am going to keep harping on it till it sinks in. The two forms of exercise that will help us live healthy is aerobic and musculoskeletal exercises. While I have been talking about the values of aerobic exercise since the beginning of time you will find it very repetitious, but not boring. The most current study resulted from a group that exercised 15 minutes per work out, 3 times per day, 3 days per week at 65% of their maximum heart rate. Remember, to get your maximum heart rate take your age say 70(mine) from 220 equals 150 then multiply by .65 for 98 beats per minute. While most fitness coaches now use the blood test method of determining your maximum heart rate this less sophisticated
method will work. Also, the three times a day is not realistic for people still active in the world but was used for this test period. I suggest the 3 times per week, at a time you will most likely feel like exercising, going 30 minutes each time. As you feel stronger you can increase the amount of time you are out there, but do not add anymore than 10% any given time. Now that we have the cardiovascular motion going let's do some musculoskeletal exercises to give us a little strength but not Arnold looks. Resistance or weight bearing exercise is good for the body if done is smaller doses. Possibly some light weights, maybe 5-15 pound dumbbells for the arms, and small small weight resistance for the legs. If you don't have actual dumbbell weights just go to the pantry and get out some large cans of beans, or similar products. They work just as well and don't clutter up the room. A couple of strength exercises were also mentioned for home exercises: LUNGES--This exercise strengthens the muscles in your upper and lower legs, knees, and lower back. Stand with your feet together, then take a long step forward with one foot. Be sure that your toes are pointing straight forward on both feet. Lower your body slowly by bending your knees, until the knee on the front leg is just over the ankle on that leg. Don't go any further down that that. Slowly return to an upright position by pushing with the heel of your front foot. Do five of these, resting for a couple seconds between each repetition, then return to a standing position with your feet together. Repeat the same with the other foot, see that is not so bad and can be done anywhere in your home. SQUATS--The squat is undoubtedly the best exercise for the muscles of the lower body. It will strengthen the muscles in your legs, knees, and buttocks. Here goes, stand in front of a chair with your feet spread should-width apart. Keep your back straight, and your arms extended in front of you. Slowly and steadily lower yourself until your are almost sitting in the chair, hold that position for a couple of seconds(longer as you progress), and then slowly come to the upright position. Do this exercise for 10 repetitions, with a couple seconds between each repetition. Work your way up to three sets of repetitions, with a minute or two of rest between sets. You can also lean flat against a wall and accomplish the same thing while giving your back some support. As in any new exercise always take it easy to start with since these muscle groups have not been worked in a while and will have a tendency to feel weaker and get sore. If soreness sets in then give it a day of rest, but try to do these exercises at least 3 times per week.

Last but certainly not least Alternatives had some food tips for some healthy grub. This little number is called "one of the most delicious heart-healthy foods you can eat comes from the pure, clean water of Portugal."--Dr. David Williams. Now get ready for this since we all have our misconceptions of this little fish. It is the sardine of all things. All I can think of it those little flat cans of little fish coated together withs some kind of slimy wet substance and the real fishy taste. BUT, wait a minute the sardines that Dr. Williams is talking about come from Portugal and are really healthy. He says that these little powerhouses are filled with bone-building nutrients, and are a great source for Vitamin D, which is necessary for bone growth and immune function. This little dude also is rich in calcium and enhances cellular metabolism and energy production. Now you ask, "well how do I get these little bundles of health and energy since what I see on the market shelves just doesn't seem to fit these descriptions?" The answer is simple, Alternatives has a way that you can order the "from Portugal sardine," so I will order some and report back to you on how they look, smell, and taste. Sounds like a little saltine crackers, some Tabasco and I am off to healthy eating.

My closing comment would be another simple suggestion, if we all just adopt eating and exercise habits that become our lifestyle, instead of doing these things as an after note to our lifestyle, it would so much easier to live a healthy fun life.

Mike Greer

Sorry about that!

The current post concerning nothings, movie reviews was posted to this site by mistake. It should have been on the fasttwitchmind site, but some how was sent through cyber space and landed on maturefitness. For those of you who were eager to see the latest maturefitness posting, which will be some time today, will have to either ignore this post or wait until I figure out how to get it transferred to the other site, or if you have nothing else to do you can read it.

greer

Nothings, Movie Reviews

Most of the time when I write on this site I have something really hot and world changing to say, i.e. JD's bar, the latest on Big O, or maybe the latest concerning the w. man, or how riding a motorcycle compares to sex, etc. But, today I am going to wing it with nothings. Nothings consist of really nothing that makes sense or even has anything to do for the improvement of mankind. It also illustrates that I resigned myself, for today anyway, to not try and change the world through my site. Every time I write something I want to present the point of the writing and then try to draw a conclusion from it, maybe something that will change the world of professional football, i.e. quit paying these jokers so much, or why does JJ continue to ruin the Dallas Cowboys and their worth continues to go up, or why they continue to call them the Dallas Cowboys when they have been in Irving for over 30 years and now are moving to Arlington? I read the Cowboys daily up date and it is full of a bunch of nothings, so I am not the only one that is guilty of writing nothings. One time a few years ago I was ticked off at USA Triathlon so I spent over 6 hours substantiating my points of frustration only to find that no one was listening or even cared about my frustrations. So, it is a pleasure today to share my nothings with my reading patrons and try to prove that rather than label these nothings we will certainly not call it rambling(we did that subject some time ago) even though I am in the age group that is eligible and has the life time license to ramble if I want to. However, I believe that rambling is truly saved for the senior living centers and those folks who really don't want to make sense so they just ramble with good cause and sometimes enthusiasm. Last night we went to a piano bar in the heart of the Depot District of Lubbock and enjoyed another phase of our population that I had a little trouble figuring out who they were or where they came from. The Depot District usually has a large portion of the Texas Tech student body on hand to drink of the adult beverage(I have been told that if they are not 21 they just have a fake id made so they can buy these precious beverages, and enjoy the entertainment. But, this crowd was definitely a diversified bunch ranging in ages from 21 to 70(do we know anyone 70 that would be handing out amongst all this fun?). The piano bar guys were great and really presented a different piano bar presentation that I had ever seen. They were excellent musicians and had a sense of humor to boot, while bringing in the crowd during every song. As an amateur psychologist I always have fun studying the new crowds that I may be exposed to, so I was having a great time looking this crowd over. Of course it also made it easy to look when the young women all had on low cut, breast exposing, tantalizing dresses( I had to make note of this for the writing). To add to the diversity there was a platoon of gays(gals and guys) right next to us and they were having a great time. Needless to say we got a little frustrated since it was a non-dancing place and when you hear music you just want to dance. So, we moved on to the only C & W dance hall we could find and wrestled with the real cowboys for a spot on the floor. When you get there late you really run the risk of being rolled over by the drunk cowboys on the floor or not being able to dance because of the drunk cowboys on the floor. Yep folks, there are still cowboys in West Texas and no there are not any Indians to speak of in West Texas. Seems as though they were captured and run out of the canyons many years ago, never to return. Ooops, I forgot to mention that before we got to the C & W joint we stopped in a bar that was predominately Chicano, Mexican American, Latino, or whatever the political correct definition is today to test out the band and the dance floor. We found a very good band, small dance floor, but no one danced. Also, it was one of those places that if you went ahead and danced anyway you would probably be tarred and feathered by dawn, and left to be plucked by the coyotes. Since we are Scotch Irish Americans we decided to move on and knew that the music and dance floor would welcome us at the Chances R(really a meat market, you know meat as in girls and boys looking for that next opportunity of true love, he he!!). Turns out we had hit the jackpot with a larger dance floor, great C & W music, so our dancing toes took over and we wore out the sawdust for about 2 hours. Now before I conclude these nothings I will say that the rest of the day will be spent in some kind of exercise mode, while trying to get out all of the smoke, adult beverage and anything else that creeped into my body while my twinkle toes of the midway had their fun. Enjoy the day since it is the beginning of the rest of your life.

Movie Reviews: "The Wrestler", *****, Wow what a movie, in the beginning of it you just have to be a little patient and realize that the back shots of Mickey Rourke, playing Randy "The Ram" Robinson is just the style of this cinematographer. The story revolves around "The Ram" in the seedy world of grade B professional wrestling. But you will learn very fast that this movie is not just about wresting. It also is about barriers put up by lonely people, and the painful risks that go with taking them down. An Oscar nominated performance by Rourke and very well done movie. On the tail end of his career, Ram survives a heart attract and emergency bypass, and the he struggles to pursue desired relationships with his estranged daughter and possible girl friend. But in the end the power of being the athletic performer as a professional wrestler just gets the best of him. Go see, dynamic conclusion that possibly only an athlete of any sport will understand. Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity(a rear entry sex scene for starters), language and some drug use.

"Pink Panther 2", *, Terrible movie, boring and misuse of one of my favorite actors, Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau. I give it one star because Martin was in it, but it is really a waste of money. Rated PG for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action. BORING!

"He's Just Not That Into You", **, First of all the title is too long, but I feel the movie is worth a bargain basement price or wait till it comes out on cable. It is definitely a girlie movie, I only saw 3 other men in the fully packed house. It concerned four on going love, like, or lust stories concerning four women. A great cast with Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, and Scarlett Johnsson. Rated PG-13 for sexual content and brief strong language.

greerman

12 New Developments to help you feel fit

Now here I go again with the some new steps to feeling fit and good. But, these come from Mr. Stephen R. Covey, a noted author of "The Seven Habits of Successful People". Since he is a guy I have followed for years and admire his work I thought I would list these with some of my comments, if need be. Mr. Covey is probably close to 80 years old, and raised 8 children. He is still very active and healthy, the last I heard. Here goes:

1. Eat right, breathe easy. This advice can vary with each person; however, the most important guideline here is to eliminate trigger food that cause indigestion or heart burn. Eat smaller meals, and be real careful as to the prescription drugs you take. We do not need as much food as we actually eat, in most cases. There are too many eat all you want venues in the food industry. Eat to live, not live to eat(my stuff, not Mr. Covey's).

2. Boost your fitness with food. HDL the good cholesterol, reduces the risk of heart disease and limits the damage of LDL(the bad stuff). Foods high in monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, nuts, avocados and olives are recommended. Berries are very good for you and now the power berry is the "acaia" berry, and the "bilberry".

3. For energy, move it with simple and easy exercise program(okay go back to my previous posts, remember, 20-30 minutes per day, at recommended heart rate. That is all you need.

4. Sweat it out--I love this one since I love to sweat. I believe this is one of the most effective things you can do for good health. You sweat it out with aerobic exercise. If you don't like to sweat then get over it and learn to like it, it is a healthy thing to do(from me not Covey).

5. Ditch depression--positive attitude is a must to be healthy. Help this along with Vitamin D or the sunshine vitamin. Omega 3 fatty acids are also strong allies to help fight depression.

6. Get soles--It has been said that when your feet hurt you hurt all over(I changed this a little when I had some tooth problems and it seemed that when my tooth hurt I felt it all over my body), but at any rate make sure you have a good fit with comfortable shoes.

7. Go from good to grape--again juice sippers can enjoy the health benefits of grapes the same as their wine drinking buddies. This is a very healthy fruit, even with all the new power fruits coming on the market the grape is holding its' own. Seedless, or not, green or red, it matters not. Along with the energy boost there is also plenty of fiber. Juice + is the best supplement you can buy to get all your fruits, including grapes. I take one each of the three Juice + capsules, daily.

8. Sleep on a soft bed for more restful sleep. I know hat hard beds have been prescribed by some, but now they are finding that softer is better. Good sleep is essential to a healthy, fit life.

9. Make like a fish and swim--take up swimming if you have the facilities for good low impact aerobic exercise. Now my 20-45 minute swims are the high light of my exercise during the week. After a long bike ride or run the swim feels great. You can also reduce joint pain with a 500-1500 yard swim work out.

10. Network your way to happiness--this means staying away from negative people and environments. When someone starts talking negative, just say, "sorry I have to go." Makes it hard some times when it is one of your loved ones, but do it, it works.

11. Pop some pine bark--short for looking into herbal supplements. These are sold over the counter and would very seldom be recommended by medical doctors. After all they don't get a kick back from them and they consider this stuff magic pills or poison. The biggest challenge I have found with with herbals or alternatives is finding someone who really knows something about these supplements, but I have and I use them frequently.

12. Look(out) for the salt--my practice is not to add salt to anything I eat. With the salt already present in most foods that you eat you really do not need anymore than that. No more than one teaspoon of salt should be added to you food per day. Leave this stuff alone, it does increase you chances for high blood pressure.

These are all excellent tid bits to make your life more fit and healthy. Well the proof will be in the pudding since my annual physical with be this coming Tuesday. I will report back on the results.

Off to do a bicycle work out! Happy Super Bowl weekend, we are for the Cardinals since they are the Cinderella story.

Mike Greer