Tag: spiritual practice

Healthy Ageing, Uncategorized

A Reason, A Season, A Lifetime

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I have been waiting for a day like this. It is the start of summer, but just about everywhere on the planet is too warm. This day is a little cool but I have finished a 2.5-mile walk in the countryside of my daughters’ Colorado home, I’m ready to share some adventures and information.

This is on my regular walk in Pierce, CO.

If you know why the country roads are labeled like some mystical place in a “Harry Potter” adventure, let me know. This road sign is on my regular route in Pierce, Colorado.

The week before school went out for summer break, I stepped into a hole on the field and tore my gastrocnemius (calf muscle). I called it an occupational hazard for a 76-year-old High School P.E. teacher. The problem was this was not a fast-healing injury. I did my research for healing and set a plan for the quickest I could get it ready for summer. I did the work needed and headed to Bonaire in the Caribbean for a snorkel trip with my son, Trever. My calf wasn’t healed fully but it got me through a fabulous adventure. We snorkeled twice a day every day. Bonaire is a waterman’s paradise.

These photos were taken by Trever with a waterproof case on my iPhone.

The week was a great adventure. We had a great time. I can not help but be grateful for the recent summers I’ve had. Four years ago was Lake Tahoe for granddaughter #1’s High school graduation, and Colorado the next year for granddaughter #2’s High school graduation. Then last year’s London trip to see daughter #2 and her town, this year’s Bonaire trip with #4, my son to cap off a cycle. Each trip was followed by time in Colorado with daughter #3’s hospitality. I have been able to do these things as a benefit to life and a healthy lifestyle.

Granddaughter #1 with Daughter #1

Grandaughter #2 with Daughter #3

Daughter #2 in London last summer.

#4 A selfie in Bonaire this summer.

Healthy Ageing: Rebuild and Repair

Now, I have time to repair my worn body parts. I am doing this physical repair with regular workouts which include distance walking and interval walking. Also included are stretching and strength training on alternate days. My diet continues to be Plant-based or Plant-forward (there is a lot of terminology new around this style of eating) with only the occasional supplement of meat. If you would like to know more about truly healthy eating. It seems to have morphed out of The Mediterranean Diet and that is a good place to begin to find healthy food habits. Here is a link to explain The Mediterranean diet: https://lavandamichelle.com/2024/06/30/what-is-the-mediterranean-diet/. This lady has done her research.

As for my spiritual practice, it seems to focus a longevity, that is to say, I must remember that this life is impermanent and finite but the spirit is infinite. Focusing my attention there is the key.

There is a lot of high-country activity in my daily plan to be completed before my return to my Las Vegas friends and another year of teaching. Those friends in my life are a key to longevity. Remember the Blue Zones Power 9: Lifestyle Habits of the World’s Healthiest, Longest-Lived People. Here is a link to review my past blog on this topic of looking into The Blue Zone research: https://healthyat120.com/2022/09/26/exercise-nutrition-and-spirit-opening-door-number-3/.

So where is Road 88 3/4? It is where I travel.

in the spirit, be healthy,

Coach Brown

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HOLIDAY CHEER

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I’m enjoying the holidays. My warmest wishes for you.

I am with the family, in a place of gratitude, Colorado.

View from the house

According to Forks over Knives, the average American gains 5 to 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Please remember to get your walk daily and eat vegetables first.

Goose on a moose

Live well, I am in the middle of 3 health topic books, and I will share science-based information with you In January.

In the spirit, be healthy,

Coach Brown

Healthy Ageing, Uncategorized

WHAT IS HEALTHY EATING?

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I asked ChatGPT the question, “What is healthy eating?”

The “AI” Answers: 8 tips for healthy eating

“Healthy eating refers to consuming a variety of foods that provide the nutrients your body needs to maintain overall health, feel good, and have energy. It involves making informed choices about what and how much you eat, with an emphasis on:

  1. Balanced Diet: a healthy diet includes a balance of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It also includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and moderate amounts of lean proteins and healthy fats.
  2. Portion Control: Being mindful of portion sizes helps prevent overeating and allows you to enjoy a variety of foods without consuming excess calories.
  3. Nutrient-Rich Foods: Choose foods that are rich in nutrients but lower in calories. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. There foods provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber without contributing to excessive caloric intake.
  4. Limiting Processed Foods: Processed foods, especially those high in sugars, salts and unhealthy fats, should be limited. These often contain calories and additives that are not beneficial for your health.
  5. Moderation in Sugars and Salt: Too much sugar and salt in the diet can lead to various health issues, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. Try to limit the intake of sugary drinks, sweets, and high-sodium foods.
  6. Hydration: Drinking plenty of water is crucial for overall health. It helps in digestion, regulating body temperature, and transporting nutrients in the body.
  7. Variety: Eating a wide variety of foods ensures that you get different nutrients from different sources. This reduces the risk of deficiencies and promotes overall health.
  8. Mindful Eating: Pay attention to what you eat and savor each bite. Mindful eating helps you recognize when you’re hungry and when you’re full, preventing overeating.”

This sounds great but it does not tell you what to eat. “AI”, while correct, seems very generic with its answer. I’m not sharing a plan either because each person needs to go through the process of building an eating plan for themselves at each stage of life. In another blog I read, the author tells us that he eats 80 to 90 percent vegetables. Then he goes on to list his no-nos and his go-to’s. What are you eating and when are you eating it? What are your no-nos and go-tos? We know our nutrition needs change as we age, so our eating habits need to change with us.

October Fun Hiking

I didn’t get in any golf this month. I hiked 4 trails: Le Madre Springs Trail, Kraft Trail, Kyle Road Path, and White Owl Canyon. I saw the springs of Le Madre, it is beautiful this time of year. I saw the beautiful dry gulch of the Calico Basin area. On the Kyle Road Path, among the desert terrain, I saw wild burros. Traveling to White Owl Canyon with a friend, I saw a Big-horn sheep. This is outdoor time. Golf will be later, my friends are hard at it. Here are some pictures from the hikes:

There are 3 burros in the photo above. Enlarge to find them.

Kraft area

At the Springs

Enjoying White Owl Canyon

From “Aging as a Spiritual Practice”:

As each of us grows older, may we be kind to ourselves;

As each of us grows older, may we accept joy and sorrow;

As each of us grows older, may we be happy and at peace.

In the spirit, be healthy,

Coach Brown

Healthy Ageing, Uncategorized

EMBRACING WELLNESS

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  1. The Big Three and Embracing Wellness
  2. Colorado and Camping
  3. Benefits of Walking after Meals

1. The Big Three

As I chronicle my activities month by month, July is always busy. My goal is not to brag but to give the reader an example of what an aging adult is doing to stay fit and have a health span that matches his life span. Many people today grapple with chronic pain, inflammation, and post-operative recovery. As an older adult, I must deal with all this too. Hhow I deal with these not only effects my physical well-being but also my emotional health and therefore my quality of my life. You and I must Embrace Wellness.

Peter Attia M.D. details 3 things to work on. 1. exercise 2. nutrition 3. sleep. It is possible to get out of order, if I don’t get enough sleep, I make poor food choices. This is the plan if you are in order. Dr. Attia wants you to picture what you want to be able to do in your last decade of life; then set up a program to be able to do that. None of us have control over the future, but why not lay the foundation to get there.

18 minute interveiw with Dr. Attia:

This is Lewis Howes’ interview in-depth with Dr.Attia 1hr 29 min.

2. Colorado and Camping

The weather was bipolar this year. At my daughter’s house in Colorado and anywhere we went, the weather held on to its insanity. We had two camping trips. The first trip was to Taylor Lake. This reservoir is in a valley at 9300 feet. It was a 4-hour drive to southern Colorado to meet friends. The camping is on an alluvial plain with snow-covered mountains all around. The days were long and fun-filled in the 70-degree range; at night the temperature dipped into the low 20s. I felt the chill. One morning, as I was warming in the first light, a black cloud came in with rocket speed and dumped a brief snow flurry on me. I was not ready and I had to sit in the car to get warm. However, the beauty of the “high country” area provides a “free pass” for any discomfort. I was invited by friends to go with them in their off-road vehicle “RZR” to Mirror Lake. This is a classically beautiful place. They fished, and I hiked. It is over 10,400 feet and is the gateway to the Continental Divide.

More bipolar weather waited for us on our second trip. This was Family camping for a week at Lake Mccaugnhy. My son and a friend joined us. This was a three-hour trip to Ogallala, Nebraska in the heart of cowboy history. This reservoir is on the North Platte River. The camping is like at the beach with sand and some trees. Day-time temperatures to the 80 and 90s with a night dip in the 60’s. Perfect for camping, right? This place is some kind of weather funnel. The first night, after we set up, the wind came with high-powered gusts and made its’ own arrangement of everything and even buried some stuff in the sand. The next day was sunny and we had a boat to play with, great time. Then rain, then sun, then wind. We went to bed to not deal with the weather. In the morning, we again played. Then the text came, tornado warning. We anchored almost everything. I sat in my tent through the 60-mile-an-hour wind. When it was over sand was in everything, everywhere, all the time. In the Biplor spirit, it was followed by a double rainbow.

The wind and rain started to howl that night after our rainbow event. Early in the morning, I stuck my head out of the tent, like a turtle looking for a meal. The rest of the family was about packed and waiting for me. We enjoyed this place, but it was an adventure.

3. Benefits of Walking after Meals

This is from Healthline:Nutrition 6/22/23

MAIN COURSE
Is it worthwhile to walk after eating?
Walking after meals, especially after dinner, is a time-honored tradition that may offer many health benefits, including aiding digestion, building muscle, and enhancing circulation. It may even improve your mental well-being.
Now, a new review of research provides further support for this tradition.
The researchers found that exercising shortly after eating can lower postmeal blood sugar levels. Elevated blood sugar is linked to metabolic syndrome, which is thought to affect more than one-third of Americans. Here are some more key takeaways from this review:
 •Exercising within 30 minutes after a meal was found to be the most beneficial (and more effective than exercising before eating).
 •Multiple short bouts of exercise after eating may be more effective than one long session.
 •In addition to burning calories, postmeal movement can shift your body’s energy source toward using up glucose supplied by a meal.
✅ More benefits of postmeal exercise:
 •The study found a beneficial effect in people with type 2 diabetes, though it was not as strong as in people without the condition. However, another study found that a 2-minute walk after meals can help lower type 2 diabetes risk.
 •Regular postmeal activity may potentially reduce the risk of inflammation and cardiovascular disease in the long term.
Next step: After your next meal, consider lacing up your boots (or sneakers) and going for a stroll that’s at least 20 minutes long. It’s a simple, inexpensive, and effective way to energize your digestion and boost your overall health. As the authors of this review conclude, “After dinner walk a while, after supper walk again.”
Tell us: Do you like to go for a walk after eating? Is it something you do all the time, now and then, or never? Let us know at nutritionedition@healthline.com. (Please note that we may use your name and response in an upcoming newsletter!)

Thanks to everyone who hosted me this summer. I return to Las Vegas renewed for the start of school in August. The old understand the young, better than the other way around.

In the spirit, be healthy,

Coach Brown

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Survival and Food Emersion

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At Least, three longtime friends passed this month. One in his 70’s, one in his 80’s, and one in his 90’s. Richard W., Dave P., and Coach O. were all Elders in my life. (while writing this, I got news of 2 more friends passing).

In the ancient tradition, each showed me their Elderhood wisdom, born of experience and battling through life’s challenges. They were guides to all who searched out their wisdom. Such guides are always needed. We, as legacy creations, must be the Elders for those to come. It is an ancient tradition and must be followed if we are to survive. As we have grown from their guidance, the task falls to us. We are all connected, like the mycelium of the forest. We know our ancestors are fully present in every cell of our body. Let us invite them to our life experiences.

Food Emersion and Survival

Previously, I said that the only reason for not eating meat is a moral or ethical conviction, a reverence for life. It is a strong reason if you believe that these are sentient beings. More science now supports no meat. In my current eating program, the why may be as important as the what. It started as a 10 days Vegan Emersion Program from Food Revolution. My inspiration was a friend who wanted to be vegan for the health benefits. She has a heart valve replacement pending and wants to be in best health she can be for that procedure. It has been over a month with no meat or dairy. She claims more energy and I had my first-morning run (jog) in more than 20 years on Saturday. We have morphed a little from the strict definition of a vegan menu to a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) plan. The difference is minimal.

Whether science is chasing trends or trend is following science; every day there is more information coming out about the benefits of the WFPB diet. Google it and see. If you give this diet a try for a meal or a day, you will be better for not partaking in the Standard American Diet (SAD). I hoped to instantly lose weight on the 10-day emersion plan. I did not lose weight because I made some mistakes. I did not monitor my consumption which for me always means overconsumption. If one is good; ten is better. Also, I did not run nutrient information. As we tried new recipes, lack of planning, led to a protein shortage in my diet. This produced some intense sugar cravings which I accommodated. There is a science to back these actions and feelings of mine. The situation is correctable. Processes are happening in the body that produces these effects. EVERYDAY HEALTH AND GOOGLE describe protein traveling through the small intestine encouraging the production of the hormone CCK and others that are responsible for decreases in appetite for carbohydrates and sugar. The lack of protein will lower the production of these hormones and produce the cravings. My solution is to add a Plant-based protein powder to my diet, at least until I get my consumption act together.

The Rich Roll Podcast interview with Dr. Zach Bush (#5) is really good. The title is The Future Human and Planetary Health; go here 👉🏾http://bit.ly/richroll751 then go to site. These well-educated and brilliant men talk about everything we see, feel, and hope for.

As another school comes to an end, I want to be pointed in the right direction. The website https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/ helps me with this. In late May, I am making my first flight to the UK. My middle daughter has lived there my years and I am going to see what is the attraction. Until next time, Good day.

In the spirit, be healthy,

Coach Brown