Midlife Walking the Walk

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Walking the Walk

Walking sideways caught everybody’s eye.
They always said, “Now, there’s a careful guy!”
But, inching along at such a slow rate,
The downside was, I was usually late.

I remember what happened before:
Ups and downs by the score;
But my fears of the unknown creep in,
And oops! I’m walking backward again.

– John Dean Williamsen-speaker, author

Do you find yourself frequently focusing on the past and allowing those thoughts and beliefs to shape your today and your tomorrow?  It’s been estimated that some 70%-80% of our daily thoughts are negative which means that you may be spending a considerable amount of time reliving past negative events. Doing so causes them to become more deeply imprinted in your mind. Isn’t it time to let them go?  Why not imprint positive thoughts.  It’s just as easy; they’re both just thoughts!

Action Step

Become aware of whether your thoughts about past events are positive or negative.

Enjoy the positive ones - they will uplift your energy.

Take your focus off the negative ones by finding something positive in the moment. Be grateful for whatever it is.  The more often you do so, the less you will find yourself pulled back to events that keep you locked in a cycle of negative patterns.

Midlife Health - Sweep out the Extra Calories

One Easy Way to Get Rid of Extra Calories

Fiber is one of the best things you can eat if you are watching your weight. It acts like a broom in your digestive tract sweeping out sugars and carbs together with their calories.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fiber expands as it combines with fluids and makes you feel full.  It slows digestion and the absorption of simple carbohydrates (like sugar), to prevent blood sugar spikes. Good sources: Beans, apples, psyllium husks, flax seeds and oats.

Insoluble fiber provides food for the colon’s good bacteria and helps to keep bowel movements regular. Good sources - Brown rice, nuts, seeds, celery, most fruits and vegetables

The recommended amount  is about 25-30 grams of fiber a day, which is more than double what the average American gets.

A study conducted by David J. Baer of the US Dept. of Agriculture’s Human Nutrition Research Center found that women who doubled their fiber intake from 12 to 24 grams a day, cut their daily calorie absorption by 90 calories. That’s a 9.4lb weight loss in a year. Add in exercise and watch the pounds drop off.

Tip: Because fiber binds to water, you will need to increase your water intake if you increase your daily fiber. Be aware of not increasing your intake too rapidly as gas or diarrhea may result.

Here’s my favorite high-fiber recipe.  It’s quick, easy and great for breakfast-on-the-go!

Orange Bran Flax Muffins

Ingredients

11/2 c oat bran

1 c all-purpose flour

1 c flaxseed, ground

1 c wheat bran

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 oranges, quartered and seeded

1 c brown sugar

1 c buttermilk

1/2 c canola oil (or butter)

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

11/2 c golden raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners or coat the pans with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, combine the oat bran, flour, flaxseed, bran, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine the oranges, brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and baking soda. Blend well.

3. Pour the orange mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until well blended. Stir in the raisins.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

Makes 24

Per muffin: 186 cal, 4 g pro, 30 g carb, 8 g fat, 1 g sat. fat, 18 mg chol, 3 g fiber, 140 mg sodium

Recipe courtesy of Flax Council of Canada and Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission

Flax Facts: Use ground flaxseed; it provides far more nutritional benefits than does the whole seed.

Midlife Inspiration: Are You Standing on the Inside?

Bounce Back or Stay Down!

The Balloon Man
A father took his boy into a toy shop. The boy got away from his dad and found a statue of a man made of balloons. The boy looked at it for a minute, and then he drew back his fist and 
hit the balloon man just as hard as he could. The man fell over, and then popped right back up. 

The confused boy backed off and looked at him again and then hit him again as hard as he could. Again the man fell over, and again he popped right back up. 

The boy’s father walked around the corner and saw his son hit that balloon man. The father asked his son, “Why do you think he comes back up when you hit him and knock him down?” 

The boy thought for a minute and said, “I don’t know, I guess it’s because he’s standing up on the inside. – Unknown

We have a choice as to how we think.  We may feel out of control when life throws us one blow after another, but we can always choose our thoughts.  We may not physically be able to bounce back up every time but when our thoughts have us standing up on the inside, we reflect that on the outside.

Are you standing up on the inside? When another challenge surfaces, and by midlife we’ve had plenty, do you bounce back up or do you stay down, feeling defeated and wallowing in self-pity? It’s your choice!

Are You the Wise Woman or the Traveler?

The Stone

She did so without hesitation.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said.  “I know how valuable this stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone.”

–Author unknown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I read this story it brought to mind a movie I saw this past weekend - The King’s Speech. The story revolves around England’s Prince Albert, soon to become King George VI,  and his unfortunate and debilitating stutter.  His wife hires an Australian speech therapist to help Albert overcome his impediment. The two become lifelong friends as the therapist, who has no conventional credentials, uses unconventional means to teach Albert how to speak without stuttering.

It was what the speech therapist had within that changed Prince Albert’s life. His experience, desire to make a difference and genuine concern enabled him to give Albert something more precious than any amount of money - self respect, self-worth and confidence in being more than he ever thought he could be.

What do you have within you that can change someone’s life?

How to Cook a Wife

(Advice to young men by an old man)

Start Cooking Early and Regularly

I was recently looking up a recipe for my annual baking of the “great” Australian Christmas cake when I came across this amusing “recipe” in a 30-year-old edition of the Qantas Flight Hostess Club cookbook.  Yes, once upon a time I was a Flight Hostess, back in the dark ages when it was still a glamorous and much sought-after career.  The recipe gave me a chuckle so I thought I’d share it with you.  All my male readers, please make a note of the excellent advice given!

How to Cook a Wife

• Having caught a wife, light the fire of love and see that a steady heat is kept in the domestic oven.
• Dress her generously and handle her tenderly, for a woman’s feelings are easily bruised.
• Butter her freely with compliments and stuff her with flattery, to which add a handful of chestnuts about her being the most wonderful woman in the world and that you never loved before and you could never love again — and so on.
• Be sure to season with a little time and do not on any account omit a bouquet of sweet herbs.
• Garnish with theater tickets and an occasional restaurant after the play, and serve with a rich sauce of affection.

This dish can be highly recommended as the pièce de résistance of the family menu.

The reason so many men fail in cooking this dish is that they do not regulate the heat sufficiently.  They start with too much fire which they soon neglect and let go out after a short time.

Midlife Health: The Emotional Side of Back Pain

Many years ago I read the ground-breaking book Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection by Dr. John Sarno, which proved to be quite an eye-opener. Dr. Sarno’s work has been taken to the next level in the book Back Sense: A Revolutionary Approach to Halting the Cycle of Chronic Back Pain by a team of Boston area medical professionals. The premise here is that a large percentage of back pain is related to painfully tense back muscles rather than damaged or defective tissues. While there may be physical causes (ranging from accidents and injuries to tumors or infections), the pain cycle is often triggered by emotions such as stress over pain, worries about the future, financial worries, living with a difficult spouse, etc.

Mind-Body Practices for a Healthy Back

• Put it in Writing

— acknowledging your negative emotions can help you dispel them, reducing stress and enhancing immune function.

• Take Note of Your Beliefs

— the mind is extremely literal in creating exactly what words you think about. You experience what you think! An excellent example of this comes from a colleague who spent many years constantly reinforcing the thought that she wanted to marry someone RICH.  She did - his name was RICH!!!! I’ll leave you to guess whether or not he had any money!

So …… constantly repeating phrases like the following can actually contribute to the creation of back problems or pain:

My back is killing me

I can’t stand this

I don’t get any support

I feel backed into a corner

I won’t back down

He/she’s always on my back

I can’t stand it!

• Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

— stewing over things you can’t control or that don’t make a difference only add to muscle tension.

• Get Plenty of Rest

— when you skimp on sleep, your ability to handle stressful emotions decreases.  Small problems can send you “over the edge” more quickly, increasing muscle tension.

• Eat Healthy

— comfort foods high in sugars and fats may briefly reduce stress hormones but in the long run, a well-balanced, healthy diet contributes to better brain chemistry, emotional stability and less stress on the body.

When you do need to ease the pain of that aching back, try one of the natural remedies listed in the last newsletter. My two favorites are Arnica cream, a healing and soothing homeopathic remedy for the relief of bruises and sore muscles, and Zyflamend a unique herbal formula by New Chapter, which promotes healthy inflammation response and normal joint function.

© 2010 Evelin Saxinger, N.D., ACH

All material is provided for informational or educational purposes only. Please consult a physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or condition.

Midlife Passion or Fantasy?

A question I was recently asked by a participant in my workshop about finding and living your passions (those things that are truly important to you) was “how do I know if this (what I want) is really my passion or just pie-in-the-sky?”  In other words, is this goal inspired by higher-level values or is it simply a fantasy?

Values are the motivators of your behavior.  Your values are those deeply-held beliefs about what is good or bad, appropriate or not, right or wrong.  They come from childhood (the first seven years when your critical-thinking skills were not developed) and are based on your observations of those people around you - parents, grandparents, teachers, religious leaders etc.

Your motivation to live your passions and achieve your goals is based on your perception of the feeling that passion will give you once it is achieved. Is that feeling internally- or externally-driven?  The answer will give you insight into whether or not your goal is a worthy one.  Whether it is truly your passion or a fantasy.

Step 1 - What is the Underlying Value?

Look at your passion/goal and ask yourself the following question until you get to an answer that repeats if you continue to ask the question - When I am living this passion (goal that is truly important), what will that get me? That repeating answer will be a value (freedom, security, peace, etc).

Example: Your passion is to be the top Country and Western singer in Nashville

Question: What will that get me?

— I’ll be in front of large audiences

What will that get me?

— Fame and fortune

What will that get me?

— Lots of money

What will that get me?

— A big house, fast cars, worldwide travel

What will that get me?

— Happiness  and fun

So the values are happiness and fun

Step 2: Is the Value Internally- or Externally-Driven?

Once you have determined what the value is, can you get it if you do not achieve your goal?  So the next question is - If I never achieve this passion, will I still be able to get/be (Value)?

From the example above: If I never get to be a famous C&W singer, can I still get happiness and fun?

If the answer is no, then you are depending on something external to yourself to bring you happiness and fun.  If achieving your goal is the ONLY way you can get happiness and fun, then you are being ego-driven.

If on the other hand, you say, “yes I can still have happiness and fun even if I never live my passion because I enjoy singing just for myself even when there is nobody around.  Singing makes me happy on the inside and it’s a tremendous amount of fun” then you are being internally motivated.

Your goal is a worthy one! You will likely have the drive and energy to pursue it until you are successful even if you are faced with challenges along the way.

Midife Health: The Incredible, Edible Egg

Despite all the bad press over the years, “eggsperts” are finally admitting that perhaps the egg isn’t such an “evil” food, something I’ve never believed.  Unless of course you happen to order a quiche in a restaurant (as I did last night) and forget to ask if it’s made with real eggs or yellow liquid out of a carton. It took me 5 minutes to realize my error, at which time I promptly asked the question, got my response and changed my order.  As a Naturopath, I’m very conscious about what foods I put in my body - fake eggs are not real food!

Eggs are one of my favorite foods as long as they come straight from the farm and are laid by chickens that are allowed to roam in the grass where they can eat bugs, worms etc.  These nutrition-rich natural eggs with golden-yellow yolks and fresh flavor are remarkably different from the supermarket variety.

Although eggs do contain cholesterol, they are also high in phosphatides (an oily organic compound that makes up cell membranes) and lecithins (essential for metabolizing fats), so they don’t add to the risk of hardening of the arteries. They are also a rich source of essential nutrients (many of which we become deficient in as we age) along with high quality protein and riboflavin. Not to mention they are easy and quick to use in all manner of recipes.  They beat a McDonald’s hamburger any day!

You may, however, be surprised to learn that not all eggs are equal, even when they’re marked “organic.” The best eggs come from family farms where chickens are raised on well-managed, rotating pastures.  Next best are those where chickens have ample space and are encouraged to go outdoors to well-managed runs or pastures. Eggs that I stay away from are ones that come from the industrial-scale egg operations where chickens are confined in cramped quarters with no access to the outdoors.

If you are an egg lover and are interested in the rankings of various organic eggs, go to http://www.cornucopia.org/organic-egg-scorecard.  You might be surprised.  I know I was!

Midlife Health: Forgetfulness

Periwinkle

Two elderly couples were enjoying friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, “Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?”

“Outstanding,” Fred replied. “They taught us all the latest psychological techniques - visualization, association - it’s made a big difference for me.”

“That’s great! What was the name of that clinic?”

Fred went blank. He thought and thought but couldn’t remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, “What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?”

“You mean a rose?”

“Yes, that’s it!” He turned to his wife. “Rose, what was the name of that clinic?”

By the time we get to midlife, or even before, we can all probably relate to the joke.  First you forget your car keys, then you don’t remember whether you paid the phone bill and next you can’t remember your ATM password.  Forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging.

Scientists now tell us that most of us can stay both alert and able as we age, although it may take us longer to remember things. I like to think of it as already having so much information and knowledge in my brain that some of it gets misplaced for a time underneath another pile of good information.  It’s not lost, just buried.

In addition to some of the popular brain training games and memory techniques, there’s a supplement that might be helpful - Vinpocetine.

Vinpocetine is an extract from the leaf of the periwinkle plant.  Studies have shown that it can help circulation in the brain, improve oxygen use and make red blood cells more flexible and less clumped together.  It was developed in the 1960s and is available as a prescription drug in Japan and Europe but as a dietary supplement in the US and Canada.

Interestingly, this brain booster has also been shown to improve eyesight in many cases. That way, you can see more clearly what you’ve forgotten!

As always, check with your practitioner first regarding any possible side effects and interactions with other substances.

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All material is provided for informational or educational purposes only. Consult a physician regarding the applicability of any opinions or recommendations with respect to your symptoms or condition.

Make a Difference!

My husband and I recently spent a week on Longboat Key, Florida. Our two-bedroom condo, albeit rather rustic in appearance, was located right on the beach, which meant that all we had to do was go down a flight of stairs and we were directly on the sand.  The sunsets were spectacular, the beach uncrowded and the water a tepid lukewarm temperature.

Each time we walked along the beach we spent considerable time delving through pile upon pile of shells. Many were a delight to behold but the highlight was a live starfish floating gently to and fro in about ¼” of water.  I had never seen one before, nor had friends who had lived at the beach for years. That starfish reminded me of the following story…

The Starfish Story

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, “But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”

(adapted from “The Star Thrower” by Loren Eiseley (1907-1977)

So ask yourself, have you made a difference for someone or something today?  Perhaps it was an action so small you don’t even remember… a kind word … a smile … a helping hand. It may not have seemed like much but it could have made a difference!