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Listen to Your Body: Is it Screaming?

by Taru Fisher on December 4, 2010

I recently had an “ah ha” moment. For the past six months I’ve had one upper respiratory infection after another as well as some other troubling symptoms. I didn’t understand it; I’d never been ill like this. I had Rheumatoid Arthritis, but somehow that overactive immune system of mine had always taken care of other invaders. What had changed?

I realized that for years I’ve been treating my body like it could handle anything I threw at it. Rushing from here to nowhere, pushing myself to succeed, ignoring my inner voice, and most importantly, my body’s voice.

First it was just a whisper, than somewhat conversational, then a shout, and finally, a scream. Don’t let your body’s voice turn into a scream…that takes a huge effort, pain, and lots of regret to fix. Listen to the whisper, and honor your body’s wisdom immediately.

If you are coming down with something (and we all know when that’s happening), rest and take care of yourself. If you already have a cold, flu or any other health challenge, STOP doing, find out what your body needs to help it heal, and take care of yourself. Be present, aware, alert, and tuned in to your body. It will reward you with a quick recovery and a longer, healthier life.

How do you honor your body’s voice? If you’re not, what will it take for that to happen?

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Longevity: What’s Your Mind Got to Do with It?

by Taru Fisher on November 16, 2010

There was a study in 1968 of exceptional elderly people in Holland who had successfully mastered the aging process. These wise elders had these characteristics:

  • handled stress incredibly well
  • were essentially optimistic and looked on the positive side
  • had a sense of self-sufficiency
  • were funny and had a good sense of humor
  • enjoyed life and saw it as a great adventure
  • were PRESENT and interested in something outside of themselves
  • exercised daily
  • meditated and prayed
  • moved toward future positive outcomes
  • able to reframe seemingly negative situations
  • had valuable relationships and learned from different people
  • had regular medical tests and took care of themselves
  • were mentally flexible
  • focused on what was possible rather than what wasn’t

Aging is not a disease; it’s a normal stage of a human life. It’s how we THINK about aging that makes it a problem. If we believe the thought viruses prevalent in our society, we will look for those so-called problems of aging. Our very powerful mind will, in fact, create the very problems we fear.

We have in our brain, something called a reticular activating system. Its’ job is to filter our experiences in support of what we THINK. For example, if on your way driving somewhere you start to think, I don’t want to hit any red lights, you’ll notice you hit almost (if not every) red light.

If you buy a black car, all of a sudden you’ll notice every black car on the road when previously you didn’t even notice them.
This means you need to have a positive mental attitude; see problems as challenges to be met and overcome rather than some insurmountable issue.

I love what Tom Hoobyar says, “Youth is a gift, designed primarily to encourage reproduction. But the advantages of aging are not a gift. The benefits are there, but we must work for them. We must be constantly asking ourselves, “What’s the meaning of this? How can this be useful and uplifting?”
…We can provoke and inspire others who follow us in life’s path, sharing our insights and reassuring them that life CAN get better as we age.

It’s the only way that getting older is any more rewarding than just beating the grim reaper for another day. And I personally think that life is designed to get better and better until our time is over.”

Throughout life, the brain has the ability to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences.

At the molecular level, social and intellectual experiences have an impact on the function of your brain. So, you CAN transition from old habits to new, healthier ones.

Focus on asking for what you want rather than what you don’t want. It will make a world of difference in how you live your life. You can choose joy, or you can choose pain – your choice.

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Healthy Bones, an Overview

by Taru Fisher on October 1, 2009

This guest post is by Damon P. Miller II, MD, ND

Our bones are alive, constantly renewing and rebuilding themselves, and to have strong and healthy bones, there are some simple steps you can take.

The most important drug for your bones is exercise. Gardening and housework are some of the best exercises. Running, walking and cycling gives a good workout to the legs, but do not do much to strengthen the bones of the spine and upper extremities. If your lifestyle does not include cutting wood and carrying water, you need to include weight training in your exercise routine. I prefer slow-motion weight training for its safety record and effectiveness (this is what they do at Alive! Fitness Studio). Yoga and Pilates classes that focus on core strength are widely available, affordable and useful.

Lessening the risk of hip fracture is important, but by my reading, the value of the pharmaceuticals such as Fosamax is over-rated. These drugs have some risks (ask your dentist about Fosamax-induced osteonecrosis), and the decrease in risk of hip fracture is so small as to be almost zero. Research has shown that there is far better data for the value of taking adequate amounts of Vitamin D3 each day. Women who have hip fractures are almost always deficient in Vitamin D, and women who take adequate amounts of Vitamin D3 have a markedly reduced risk of hip fracture. I recommend at least 1000 to 3000mg per day of Vitamin D3. To put this dosage in perspective, know that a caucasian person in a sunny climate can produce almost 10,000mg per day of Vitamin D, with no known adverse effects.

The current recommendations for calcium intake are probably too high. Also, most women take far too little magnesium. I recommend that you take equal amounts of a soluble, well-absorbed calcium and magnesium supplement, and for many women, recommend more magnesium than calcium. Use magnesium malate, which is less likely to cause diarrhea, 1-4grams per day, and calcium citrate-malate, 250-450mg per day.

The best food sources of calcium are organic dark-green leafy vegetables such as collards and kale. Milk from cows is not a good source of calcium for most people. The reasons for this are complex and include the fact that the proteins found in milk (whey, casein and albumin) cause an exaggerated loss of calcium in the urine. People who consume milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream daily lose more calcium than they take in from the milk, and end up in a negative calcium balance. We in the United States have the highest per capita consumption of milk and dairy products of any country in the world, and we also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis-induced fractures. You figure it out. (Visit www.notmilk.com for some wild fringe information on the dairy industry)

Bone density studies do not measure the strength of your bone, just the density. Density does not necessarily equate with strength. Read The Myth of Osteoporosis by Gillian Sanson for a good discussion of this.

Use this affirmation: “My bones are alive, and I have strong and healthy bones.”

Dr. Miller has recorded a two-CD set of one of his best talks on bone health. You can get a copy by calling his office at 888-838-3937.

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I can not do it all myself and be successful

by Taru Fisher on September 18, 2009

A few days ago I was driving back from picking up some flyers I had printed for my BNI meeting when I realized I had more important things to do. I had an “ah ha” moment about how I try to do everything and how it is physically and emotionally impossible. I had thought that before, on an intellectual level, but today I felt it in my entire being.

There is no way I can be successful in our fitness business, with my coaching/training business or in my relationship. Doing everything leaves no room for “being”, no room for creativity, no room for spending time with family and friends.

Last January, to cut expenses and stay in business, I took back the bookkeeping, let my VA go, and put my nose to the grindstone–OK, you youngsters out there may not know that metaphor, but just visualize it and see how much fun (NOT) that is. I stopped going to events that cost too much money, and began to shrink instead of grow.

In mid-August, I became ill with some unknown virus and was knocked flat on my back for a couple of weeks. Today, a month later, I am still exhausted and have no stamina, and often feel like I am “coming down with something”. This illness has also been a wake up call to STOP doing and return to being with what is; to find those places, people, events that bring joy and growth and go for it.

I feel a certain sense of freedom now, and much less stress as I let go of things that don’t serve my purpose, and add back activities that bring me joy.

I’m making FUN my middle name.

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What a day!

August 10, 2009

There must be something in the air in the Fall because my husband, James, has had a bout of atrial fibrillation each Fall for the past three years. Not fun; not fun at all for him, or for me, or even our dog. Bodhi senses that something is not right with his “Dad” and he’s […]

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Powerful Aging Tip #2

April 18, 2009

Cardiovascular Exercise – Why?To improve our ability to circulate the blood around in our bodies. To find out your target maximum heart rate, start with 220, deduct your age and multiply by 80%. For example: 220 – 66 (age) = 154 x .80 = 123 my target maximum heart rate. To start, get it up […]

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