Joan’s Boomer Blog

The following healthy living article is a guest post by Jim Rollince, a member of the creative writing department at Gym Source, a distributor of home gyms and exercise equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, arc trainers, bikes and more.

Exercising to avoid the seasonal flu is amongst some of the top preventative measures to take during the cold season.

Research demonstrates that a certain amount of exercise each week will help strengthen the immune system against viruses that attack during cold season. The general consensus is that 30 minutes a day/3 or 4 times a week is a perfect amount of exercise for most people. This includes things like:

• Aerobics
• Weight-lifting
• Running
• Cycling
• Treadmills
• Ellipticals

For some people, they take on more challenging activities like intramural sports (i.e. – soccer). Athletes find enjoyment in athletic competition, and through this enjoyment they’re typically able to double the normal workout of the average gym visitor. Keep in mind, entertaining intramural sports can sometimes be the equivalent to two workouts combined; people should keep this in mind when frequenting the gym 3 or 4 times a week. Letting the body rest with a maximum of 2 or 3 days can eventually offset this. This brings me to my next point.

There’s also a great deal of research that shows how too much fitness can be detrimental to one’s immune system. Grueling endurance training has been known to affect the immune system negatively – This would involve running more than 40/50 miles a week. For athletes required to perform at such high levels, it’s recommended that they get immediate rest and warmth following their long sessions. Typically, this would encompass marathon and long-distance runners.

Technically speaking, during a vigorous cardio routine, the body will react with a temporary decrease in immune system function, producing certain hormones that definitively lower immunity. Otherwise known as Cortisol and Adrenaline, these stress hormones can raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels, further suppressing the immune system. This can ultimately lead to overtraining syndrome, which can include any of the following symptoms:

• Drop in performance
• Insomnia
• Depression
• Headaches
• Muscle Pain
• Joint Pain
• Decreased appetite
• Increase Injury

But moderation is the key to achieving a successful workout while avoiding sickness. Again, working your body for a solid 30 minutes a day, 3-4 times a week will effectively help safe-guard your body from disease. Conjunctively, rest and recovery days are essential to allow your immune system to “catch up.” If you’re already ill, it’s highly recommended to avoid the gym altogether, until you’ve had a chance to get well.

Getting older many times means that health problems become part of our lives. Every trip to the doctor can add a new health concern. The doctor offers a pill and many patients will just take it, hoping for a magical cure. As the health problems pile up, the amount of medications each person is taking also begins to pile up. Each drug brings its own side effects and when you are taking half dozen or more different pills, the drug side effects can begin to cause problems of their own. Soon your poor body is in one heck of a mess.

When I go to any doctor and list the medications I take, nobody can believe the answer is zero. For someone nearly 60 years old, the list of pills for different health problems is usually long and complicated. I have to say, I’ve been offered medications, one for better bladder control, one for bone density and one for neuropathy. It I were taking all of them, I’m personally convinced I’d feel worse, not better.

So, what should you do when a health problem comes up? Research, research, research!

One of my first steps in researching health issues is always finding out about natural remedies. I can tell you, though, that most advice on natural remedies for health problems boils down to diet and exercise. Sorry, there is no real way around that and a magic pill won’t change it either. I do check out reputable sources for this advice, such as Dr. Andrew Weil, who is an expert on natural and alternative remedies but always offers well researched advice.

You can also check sites like WebMd and the Mayo Clinic website for information about any condition.

If you have a specific condition, you can check specific sites relating to that health issue. Many have forums also. Reading some of the forums and the problems many people face, you might even find out you aren’t as bad off as lots of people out there!

I also check amazon.com to find out what books are out on different health issues and I read all the customer reviews to see if it would be worthwhile to order any.

My husband and I are starting to see health problems crop up. My husband was told he has Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease which attacks the thyroid. The doctor’s answer was to start thyroid hormone replacement. We’ve spent quite a bit of time researching this disease now and found that many with Hashimoto’s are also have gluten sensitivity - something the doctor never mentioned. Cutting the gluten can really help those with an autoimmune disorder. We also ordered a book on Hashimoto’s which convinced my husband that he needs to be seeing an endocrinologist who can take a look at the whole picture of his autoimmune condition, instead of just throwing pills at his thyroid.

As far as my own health issues - I decided I could live with my bladder issues (lol) and after researching bone density medications and natural ways to build bone density, I found decided against taking bone density medication but I did find exercises like yoga and tai chi are recommended, as well as a bone health diet and different supplements.

My other health issue has proven very mysterious. About 4 years ago, I started having a tingling sensation in my entire body. It has progressed slowly but it’s pretty much a 24/7 feeling of tingling, some numbness and sometimes a burning sensation. I went to a neurologist who, after doing some muscle testing, told me he had no idea what was causing it and all he could offer was a medication to dull the sensation. These medications are anti-depressants, anti-convulsives and other anti- this and that, which have some potentially bad side effects.

I went back to him about once a year for four years now. I also got a second opinion which was no more enlightening than the first one. Last year, the neurologist told me I “might” have small fiber neuropathy, which affects the nerve fibers of the skin. When I researched this, I found that it did pretty much fit my symptoms.

Over the course of the past four years, I’ve taken up yoga and tai chi, had energy massages, acupuncture and went through hypnotherapy. All these are helping my state of mind but not the tingling. I’ve tried various supplements for neuropathy, with no results either.

I finally decided recently that maybe I should try the medication. In the course of researching possible medications, however, I found that in 70% of cases, there is a treatable cause. A doctor in Massachusetts provided a form online with all the tests he did for neuropathy. I’ve had a couple of these, such as for diabetes, in my regular physicals but I hadn’t had any of the others.

So, on my visit to the neurologist, I took my list with me. He said, “These tests are on our routine neuropathy panel as well.” I think even he was a little perplexed as to why these had never been done on me up to this point. He said, “Let’s hold off on the medication so we can see that we give you the right one.” Thanks for that!

So the end of the story has not been told yet. I did go get about 10 vials of blood drawn and will find out the results at the end of the month. I may still find out I’m in the 30% of neuropathy patients with no known cause but at least I’m looking out for myself.

If you discover you have a health problem, no matter what it is, don’t just blindly accept a medication and hope for the best.

• Research your condition
• Make a list of questions to ask your doctor.
• Make sure you fully understand what he tells you.
• Find out from your doctor and you research if there is something natural you can do to help yourself. Most things, like diet and exercise won’t have any adverse effects on any medical advice you get.
• Keep a positive attitude!

I can’t begin to tell you how important this last one is. I’ve certainly gone through a hundred different emotional states over the past four years. I wondered if I’d eventually end up incapacitated or if I had something like MS, I grew tired and frustrated from not finding any answers. Sometimes I got depressed.

Over time, however, I’ve chosen to focus on the positive aspects of this situation. I focus on what I can do, which is eat an excellent diet, exercise and do my yoga and tai chi for my health and spirit, and meditate on my body’s ability to heal itself.

If it weren’t for the neuropathy, I wouldn’t be so adamant about sticking to the path I am on right now and maybe that’s what it’s all about in the end, no matter what the doctor tells me.

I just read an article in Natural Health magazine which said stepping out of our comfort zone is good for our

I took up knitting and yoga and made myself this yoga blanket

physical and mental health As we get older, though, many of us find a routine and stick to it because it is comfortable. Why change things that are working for us? Why take a chance?

I see this in my own parents. They are in their 80’s and their routine never varies. They eat breakfast, lunch and dinner on a tight schedule. They “go to town” to get groceries on a certain day of the week and eat breakfast at the restaurant where the waitress knows them by name. This structure gives them security, I think. As long as the routine continues the same, life is good.

Many of us fall into this sort of comfortable routine living as we get older but, as this article said, you don’t have to take up bungee jumping to gain benefits from shaking things up. Even small changes can create new neurological connections in our brains, boost our mood and improve our health.

It can be scary to try something new. I remember the first time I walked into a yoga class at the Y. I’d done yoga on my own with DVD’s off and on for years but never taken a class. Despite the instructor’s speech about not judging for how well we did, I was afraid all the people in the class would be 20 year old down dog experts and I’d look stupid.

What I found in that class though were people in various stages of expertise. There were a couple who really stood out but most of the class was just like me. There were even a couple people who had a good 20 years on me and they were in there stretching and doing their best.The real challenge became more about improving by my own standards than about how I looked to others.

Taking a class can be a great way to get our of our routine. Many community colleges have special deals for seniors. The one near our home allows seniors to pay just $20 and then take any number of classes from the list, which covers historical topics, hobbies and crafts, travel, and many others.

It’s easy to get stuck eating at the same restaurant all the time too. You enjoy the food so why not? Next time you find yourself heading for the same old watering hole, try something new. Maybe you’ve never had Vietnamese food or Thai food. Maybe you’d love them if you tried them. If you aren’t sure what to eat, as we weren’t on our first trip to a Vietnamese restaurant, ask the waiter or waitress what the specialty is.

If you like cooking, try new recipes or take an ethnic cooking class in a cuisine that is new to you. If you like walking, try a new park to walk in. Try a new hobby. A couple years ago, I took a knitting class and was hooked. Knitting now gives me a chance to challenge myself with trying new patterns and stitches. Anything that keeps you studying and seeking new information and techniques is good for your brain.

Doing something that challenges you is always a good way to break routine. To me, taking up yoga at 58 years of age was a challenge. It’s challenged my mind as well as my body and it made it easier for me to walk into my first tai chi class, where, once again, I feared looking like an idiot among the experts.

Many of the new things I’ve tried in recent years have ended up becoming new passions of mine. Other things, I tried once and then moved on but I got something out of every experience.

Retirement is a time when we should be trying new things that we haven’t had time for in the past and falling into a rut, doing the same things because they are a comfortable habit mean we are missing a chance for new adventures which help keep us young at heart.

Do you have certain things you do because they are comfortable? What new things have you tried in the past year and what did you get from the experience?

Qigong for Health and Healing

It seems unfair that as we near our retirement years, when we should finally have the chance to enjoy life and do as we please, we find health issues are consuming our time and energy. As we age, it becomes even more important to find a form of exercise that can help us stay healthy and even help overcome the health issues we may already have.

For the past few months, my husband and I have been hooked on qigong exercises,. We started by taking a six week class but at $12 a class for each of us, we decided to look around for some qigong DVD’s to do at home. I found several that provide great workouts and we alternate them so we don’t get bored with any one.

Qigong for Health and Healing

What is qigong?

Qigong is a gentle, flowing form of exercise from China, used for healing and energy medicine. The slow, meditative movements incorporate breathing techniques to cleanse, strengthen, and circulate the life energy (qi) throughout the body. Spending even 15 minutes a day doing qigong exercises can lead to better health, increased immunity and energy and reduced stress. Other qigong benefits include better balance and increased mental focus.

More Benefits of Qigong

Anyone can do qigong. Even for those who can’t stand, the exercises can be done sitting in a chair. Beyond purchasing a DVD or taking a class, there is no equipment to buy, no warm ups to do. Once you memorize some of the exercises, you can do them anyplace, anytime.

Watching a gigong practice, you would never guess that pretty much every muscle in your body is being worked and internal organs massaged so lung health, digestion and circulation are also improved. My husband has had shoulder and neck pain for years due to sitting at a desk all day, working at the computer.  He said for the first time in all those years, he can turn his neck without pain and his shoulder pain is gone.

The other day, my digestion was off. I had severe heartburn and thought perhaps I’d caught some sort of bug. I didn’t feel like doing anything but I decided to do about 15 minutes of cleansing exercises with a qigong DVD and about half way through I felt totally normal. All my indigestion was gone and it didn’t return.

After I spend about 30 minutes doing my daily qigong practice I feel refreshed, energized and more focused. This is the sort of exercise you look forward to doing and you miss it if you don’t do it. In the past, I’ve done treadmills, lifting weights, aerobics, etc and qigong is so much easier and more relaxing, yet it does all the things these other forms of exercise do too.

If you have any health issues, a daily qigong practice for health and healing will benefit you. Almost all the DVD’s we have are by instructors who have overcome severe health issues using qigong.

How do you get started in a Qigong Practice?

As I mentioned, we took a class to begin with but now that I’ve purchased and used several qigong DVD’s I can tell you, a class isn’t really necessary. All the DVD’s we have also give lots of information on how to do the exercises and why you are doing them. Here are some of our favorites:

Qi Gong for Health and Healing: A Complete Training Course to Unleash the Power of Your Life-Force EnergyLee Holden’s course covers everything you need to know about qigong. There are five DVD’s with 10 hours of instruction and exercise routines. There are qigong exercises for morning to energize and and evening to calm. Six audio cd’s and a workbook complement the video with information, breathing exercises and guided meditations. If you can’t take a class, this course is the closest thing you’ll find.

I’ve ordered a a few qigong DVD’s that I tried and sent back for various reasons. These are the ones we use a couple of times each week at least:

Qigong Beginning Practice Garri Garripoli and his wife, Daisy Lee Garripoli, have several qigong DVD’s out for different issues such as cleansing, better digestion and stress reduction. We have several of these but we always seem to come back to the Beginning Practice. The entire routine takes over an hour but it covers all the basic qigong exercises.

This DVD set also has an extra DVD done by Garri Garripoli for a PBS special which tells the story of qigong and his personal journey back to good health using these exercises.

If you’re also interested in Tai Chi, DVD’s by David Dorian Ross are a good bet. I like this one, T’ai Chi Beginning Practice because there is a tai chi practice section and about 30 minutes of qigong energy exercises in a different segment.

If you are interested in qigong for health and healing or learning basic tai chi forms, these three instructors have many DVD’s out (I have several by each of them) and they are all very good.

Qigong is a form of exercise, true, but somewhere along the way, you begin to realize that you’re getting much more out of it than improving health and physical fitness. A daily qigong practice offers benefits beyond physical fitness. Doing the slow, focused excercise routines clears your mind, and you feel relaxed and free of stress. This is something you can carry into your day and you feel better all the time.

More information on Qigong and Tai Chi

QiGong Institute
Qigong Institute on YouTube
National QiGong Association

I hadn’t heard about unretirement until recently but I think it’s soon going to be a new word in our retirement vocabulary. A casualty of the recent economic downturn, the traditional view of retirement, working at a job for 20 to 30 years and then stepping into the world of leisure and relaxation is ceasing to exist and unretirement is taking its place.

Our recent ideas about retirement are indeed, a recent invention. This humorous article The History of Retirement from Early Man to AARP takes retirement up to 1999 but it needs a new chapter to cover the past four years or so when economic hardships caused many people close to retirement age to lose jobs, pensions and
savings. Many baby boomers find they can no longer afford the
leisurely retirement they’d planned. They know they will need
supplemental retirement income and that means working at least 20 hours a
week, if not more.

And that, basically is unretirement. Those approaching retirement age will make a choice of either working at least 20 hours a week and/or downsizing their lifestyle, which, by the way, is another trend left over from the recession among people of all ages.

For some, working longer is a preference. After all, people are living longer, healthier lives nowadays and how many years can you spend in your rocking chair or fishing boat without getting bored? Many people of traditional retirement age still feel productive and have a lot of offer, even if employers don’t want to hire hire those over 50.

If you find you do have to work at least 20 hours a week, get creative and find something that fulfills a passion. I’ve written several articles about turning hobbies into income and creative ways to supplement retirement income. Continuing to work at something you love can add years to your life and life to your years.

The other trend from the recession which seems to be sticking around is to be more cautious with money. Pay down debt, save more and purchase only what you need. Do it yourself classes are overflowing these days as more and more people find pleasure in gardening, preserving food, sewing, doing simple repairs and more. These things do save money, true, but having a productive hobby may help retire and still live well on less money.

I personally plan to work til I can’t type anymore, but I may slow down over time. I’ve found my passion in writing my blogs and working on my health and wellness website. My husband and I found a nice little piece of land where we can have a garden and a few chickens and we’re planning to build a small, energy efficient home to live in there. All of these things will help us save money and I think the amount of work involved will probably equate to unretirement since maintaining gardens and 10 acres will pretty much a full time job.

Has the recent economic conditions caused you to rethink your retirement plans? Will you keep working for pleasure or profit? I’d love to hear readers thoughts on this new trend.