Halloween – It’s Proactive Anti-Aging

I love Halloween; even though it’s a ridiculous ritual of commercial costumes and candy. We dress up in costumes and go door to door begging for candy and treats. Seems quiet immature and that is exactly why I love it! On Halloween you can be any one or anything you want to be. It’s festive and everyone gets in on the fun.

In all my classes I’m playing Halloween songs. We’re all dancing and singing to the Monster Mash and many more spooky songs. It makes everyone laugh and laughter and fun is what keeps us all young.

The true meaning of Halloween is a somewhat religious ritual where soul cakes are given to help the departed souls so they can reach heaven. It’s a hallow eve dedicated to bringing peace to the soulful world. It reminds us to live a healthy life and to be truthful. Otherwise we risk are soul being doomed to residing somewhere between heaven and hell.

The jack- o- lantern is everywhere on Halloween. It’s the pumpkin carefully carved and lit with a candle that symbolizes this hallow night. Here is a story about how the jack- o- lantern came into existence. Believe it or not, the truth be told, living a healthy life, telling the truth and having a good laugh will save you from hell and may even open the gates to heaven.

On route home after a night's drinking, Jack encounters the Devil and tricks him into climbing a tree. A quick-thinking Jack etches the sign of the cross into the bark, thus trapping the Devil. Jack strikes a bargain that Satan can never claim his soul. After a life of sin, drink, and mendacity, Jack is refused entry to heaven when he dies. Keeping his promise, the Devil refuses to let Jack into hell and throws a live coal straight from the fires of hell at him. It was a cold night, so Jack places the coal in a hollowed out turnip to stop it from going out, since which time Jack and his lantern have been roaming looking for a place to rest.^[105]

What does Halloween and anti-aging have in common? Dress up in a great costume and spend the day playing trick or treat. Make everyone smile and laugh and  you will feel the joy of being young and playful ,and young and playful is just what we need to keep the aging devil away and open our soul to the heaven of feeling young!

Doctor Lynn

Proactive Anti-Aging – Technology is a Bitch!

 

 

 

Last week my computer crashed! I sank into a vast hole of desperation. I like many people in my generation am somewhat perplexed and technically challenged by the overwhelming structure called the computer and the internet.

Three days into the catastrophe and I was asking myself if I should have a meltdown, take up drinking shots of whiskey, watch TV incessantly and sleep for hours, or should I teach my yoga classes, take a week off from the computer, work manually on editing my manuscript and trust that in all good time everything would sort itself out. This to me seems the more reasonable way to go. What good would it do me to have a meltdown at this time in my life? I know what it does to your health; mental and physical. I never really liked whiskey, too much TV is boring and well I sleep pretty well anyway.

So I remind myself to be patient because it is a virtue. At this age I know that things always somehow get done, and we somehow get through each crisis, big and small.  I heard a story about the Zaidi people in Iraq and it reminded me that my problems were oh so very small. My problems are fixable. For many people in the world their problems cannot be fixed within a week. This story humbled me. The rest of the week I was grateful to have the time to teach extra classes, work on my manuscript and appreciate my life even if it is so very technically challenged. That’s not likely to change at my age. But at my age I do know that stuff happens and somehow it always works out. You just have to age and mellow a little to remind you that it’s all just stuff.  It’s all about the lessons and not about the damn computer and all that other stuff! So I’ll patiently rebuild my computer life bit by bit and bite by bite. That’s life- one bite at a time!

Enjoy each day – because each one is an adventure!

Doctor Lynn

Proactive Anti-Aging- Nothing is a Good Place To Be

It’s been one of those weeks where I have been working like a beaver and taught a couple extra cycle classes. Now normally a couple of classes don’t seem like much, but suddenly it’s Friday and I’m feeling, well, exhausted and I have two days and three more classes to go until I get a break. Am I over working or is this age thing catching up with me?

Seems in the last year if I add extra work during the week I am exhausted by the end of the week. Sure I was tired when I was younger and running after two kids while working all week, but this is different. Its more like I really don’t want to run this fast any more. OMG am I getting old or am I getting wise and realizing that running fast really doesn’t get you anywhere?

I want to slow down and enjoy the moments and not rush by the hours. But I’m a person who can’t sit idle for long. I like to be busy as a beaver and keep moving. Boredom is, well, so very boring and leaves me feeling a little guilty. There must be something I should be doing rather than sitting and doing nothing? Sometimes, however nothing is a good place to be. Nothing left to do because the damn is built, the house is clean, my work is done and the bills are paid is a good nothing place to be; so I think I’ll give nothing a try this weekend because, well, I’ve got nothing better to do than slow done a bit and take care of myself. Aging accelerates when time accelerates so if I slow it down I’m bound to regain my energy and proactively anti-age!

Then I’ll be up and at it again because nothing beats aging like something to do that is healthy and fun. Give yoga or cycle a try this week. See you at the gym!

Doctor Lynn

Proactive Anti-Aging –Hand in Hand

 

 

When things just seem to fit we call it hand in hand.  When our hands are stiff and sore we call it aging or arthritis and unfortunately they go hand in hand! Most of us don’t even think about our hands and all the things they do until the stiffness sets in and our movements are limited.

I heard a question asked about our hand that gives room for thought; if you could have four hands or four feet which would you choose? Most likely it would be your hands. That’s because hands do so very much for us. We can even walk on our hands, but our feet are hard pressed to do the fine movements that happen with our fingers.

As we age the hands begin to drape and develop what are called age spots. These age spots are actually as the result of sun damage. However, it is the accumulation of sun damage which makes it appear that the spots are a byproduct of aging. The hands and finger s hold very little fat so as the collagen begins to break down in our body the hands begin to take on the signs of aging.

Further carpel tunnel and arthritis can make it very difficult to maintain our normal activities. When I look at my hands I think of the diapers I’ve changed, the faces I’ve wiped, the shoe laces I have tied and the life-force experience of touch. What would life be like without touch?

Yoga uses the hands to make mudras or gestures that signify certain states of being. Namaste, the prayer mudra, is a sign of respect. It simply means my soul bows to your soul. It is formed by placing the palms of the hands together, the fingers extended and the thumbs resting against each other.

If you have carpel tunnel or arthritis you can use this pose to stretch the muscles in the hand and straighten the fingers. And if your hands are fine this simple hand exercise can keep them flexible and strong.

Gently press the palm together into the Namaste mudra. Bring the hands in close to your center near your chest. Now take a deep breath and then exhale. Begin to take some deep breathes and as you breathe encourage the fingers to move towards the thumbs while keeping the fingers together. Hold for a few breathes and release. Do this three times. This simple mudra will work to stretch the muscles of your hands and increase circulation while at the same time you’ll be practicing respect and humility. If there is one thing aging teaches you it is to be respectful and humble. Appreciate the movement of your body. Respect it and be humble enough to know that it will change with age.  So adjust, keep moving and remember all the things these hands have done for you.

My hands, just like yours are feeling the wear and tear of the years. I see the age spots and the draping. But I remind myself of all the good work these hands have done as I move them into Namaste and bow my soul to meet your soul. Because with aging – we’re all in this together!

Doctor Lynn

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I’m Overwhelmed- How About You?

 

 

 

 

This week my blog is short and hopefully sweet. Sometimes it’s good to pull back a little and not push yourself too much. We all get overwhelmed from time to time with commitments; either self-imposed or otherwise. Mine are mostly self-imposed. Aging allows me to identify those self-imposed commitment and then gracefully decline to do them; because I can.  I’m proactive anti-aging by reducing the stress, find the balance and harmony and taking a chill. I’ve earned it.

Doctor Lynn

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Proactive Anti-Aging – It’s Good to be a Slowpoke

 

 

 

 

This morning I taught two cycle classes back to back. I don’t normally do this, but the gym needed a sub and my students asked me to teach so I said “o-k!”

Now to put this in perspective I’m not a spring chicken. Teaching any kind of exercise class is challenging. With a few years on my side and the intensity of a cycle class teaching two classes back to back is no small feat. But I love teaching and I love the challenge.

After the second class I asked myself if I thought I could teach back to back cycle classes twenty years from now. I’ll be into my eighties, so I doubt I will be teaching cycle unless I develop a senior cycle class focused more on getting on and off the bikes and just moving without intensity. I could play music from the sixties; wear hippie beads and burn patchouli incense. Not such a bad idea!?

Then I had a flashback to twenty years ago. In my forties I doubt I would have been able to teach back to back cycle classes without a few groans and moans. I wouldn’t have known how to pace myself and instead would have burnt myself out trying to prove something. What, I’m not sure, but I do remember in your forties you are trying to prove something; like how many of life’s metals can you pin to your chest?

I’ve got a few metals on my chest, but I’ve also lost and left many good ones behind. That’s o-k.  I made choices and those choices led me to the here and now.

There’s a Crosby Still and Nash song called Slowpoke that has a great line. “When I was faster I was always behind.”   And yes when I was younger I ran so fast that I was always behind. I was always trying to get somewhere not realizing that somewhere was in the moment. Once it’s gone-it’s gone. Now that I’m older, like the song says, I just want to be a slowpoke. I want to embrace the moments. Especially the ones where I feel good and I have lots of energy.

Two cycle classes back to back and I’m now exhausted. I did it to help out and to keep in the good graces of my students and employer. I also made extra money which never goes unappreciated. I think it’s time to relax and may-be call it a day.

“Slowpoke I want to run with you. Wear all your clothes and do what you do. We got some things to find. When I was faster, I way always behind.” Crosby Still and Nash

 

Doctor Lynn

http://www.doctorlynn.com

OMG – My Memory is Slipping! Well May-be Not!

 

 

 

 

 

 

O-kay who hasn’t had one of those OMG moments? Like, I can’t remember the name of that movie I just saw or that song I want to hear. The recall is not as quick as it once was, but the pistons seem to still be firing. We call it getting older. I prefer to think of it as my brain is so full of useful and useless information that it just takes a little longer to shuffle through the files.

Research tells us that contrary to what we think, in some ways our brain improves with age. They call this crystalized intelligence. This is the ability to use your ever growing storage of knowledge, skills and experience for situations as they rise. And guess what? It doesn’t start to peak until your mid-sixties to early seventies!

Crystalized intelligence is not memory, but it is our ability to quickly access our memory, evaluate a situation and apply our knowledge to solve problems and make decisions.

So while younger brains may have speed, older brains are more efficient; meaning they can take shortcuts to solve a problem. We’ve been there and done that before. So we simply reach into our stockpile of information for solutions and take the path of least resistance. This means as we age we’ve been through a lot in life and this allows us to go from one point to the next in a quick and logical manner. We can discern between what is important and what is basically useless in a relatively short amount of time.

There’s a simple term for this; wisdom! So let the young brains run fast. Someday they’ll catch up to us! In the mean time we can just watch them run with the full knowledge that they may be able to create an app a day, but we’ve got crystalize intelligence on our side!

Here’s to the wise!

Doctor Lynn

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