Healthyatanyage.info

Excerpt - Chapter Four - "Turning Back Time"
by Maggie Webber and Dr. Jacqueline Zaleski
Mackenzie (unpublished)
Energy Management vs Time Management
Older, we must move, and stay, and move again, to keep our life-giving ties alive, for this movement is our foundation of age. And there’s a freedom in realizing this, a new freedom to move or stay, new necessities and possibilities of Develop Excess Energy
Every day, each of us has our own storage of energy based not only our genes (often only an excuse), but on predominately how we have fortified ourselves previous to this new day. Successful people have not only defined what they want in life, but they have also fueled their passion to get it by well-organized energy management. Energy is physical, emotional, mental, and Physical Energy
The first aspect of the management of energy is to examine your physical energy. If for the last few years your input into rebuilding your body has been by eating highly processed fast foods donuts for breakfast, deli meat for lunch, and frozen pizza for dinner while watching soap operas all day; your youthful energy savings has been overdrawn. However, if you start the day with a green smoothie (banana, kale, soy milk, veggie protein powder, spinach, and an apple), have an enormous salad for lunch with only fresh lime as a dressing, and steamed veggies with grilled tofu for dinner you have a wealth of energy stored Now, analyze your hygiene preparations. Did you take a quick shower and rush out the door or soak in a hot tub for 10-15 minutes as you listened to birds welcoming the day? Did you use a harsh soap that damaged your body and the environment or did you energize your skin with retinol, a form of vitamin A, or tretinoin topical creams as they exfoliate the skin and help in the production of collagen for a more youthful appearance?7 Emotional Energy
The second aspect of energy management is to feel your emotional energy. How about your morning routine? Do you groan when the alarm goes off and hit the snooze button a dozen times or do you wake up naturally and get up and get moving? Is your first activity of the day trying to locate the coffee maker or a yoga mat? Is your personal “wake-up call” caffeine or fresh squeezed juice? How do you define success? How will you know success when you achieve it if you do not have it clearly defined? Not everyone defines success by the size of a bank account or Facebook “friends” or “likes.” There are multitudes of ways to define success, including, but not limited to social status, power, material rewards, control, autonomy, experience, fame, creativity, affiliation, philosophical answers (insight or enlightenment), security, or expertise. Do you have the discipline to achieve success? If you are wasting your energy due to poor energy management, where will you get the resources to be successful? What plans have you put into place to increase your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy? How are those plans progressing or are they regressing? What role models are you following to achieve more energy? Why that person? Have you analyzed what he or she is doing that you are not? Mental Energy
Third, consider your mental energy. Do you start the day by moaning as you open 318 new emails since 11pm the night before or do you do some creative writing or enjoyable reading for 60-90 minutes before taking a break to exercise? Do you push your dog out into the back yard or do you dress appropriate to the weather and walk around a block or two with your dog as you Have you planned well for a workspace that allows creativity to run free? Did you line out clear goals and time lines to help clearly define how to move forward and not loose sight of your intention or mission. Are you clear about where you started? Are you able to appropriately evaluate what you have done? Do you have a clear picture of how the “successful end” will look? What will you gain? How high a price (pain, conflict, struggle, loss, hard work, discomfort, set backs, time or money) will you pay for “success” as you envision it? What is your actual level of commitment? Have you considered alternatives? Spiritual Energy
Fourth, contemplate your spiritual energy. Do you hand over a cup of java while puffing on a cigarette and says “Oh, God….” as you imagine another day at your job or do you step into a meditation space and bring the anticipated day’s activities into your life with a sense of wonder and joy? Is connecting with nature as you head into work a two-hour commute by car on a six-lane highway or will you ride a bike for a couple of miles through tranquil woods or farmlands? Self-Evaluation of Energy
Fifth is the time to simply reply “Yes” or “No.” Did you start you did with a deposit of more youthfulness into your energy savings account or simply another poorly planned (and aging) withdrawal? If the answer is “No,” then you are behind the curve and need to build up your energy savings first before making
Make an Energy Deposit
Every day that begins with exercise is a deposit into your physical energy account. Pick the same time every day to try a wide variety of options if you like, just get moving. Naturally, the first week or so of regular exercise after many years of not moving will cause some sleepiness (including falling asleep easier at night). However, in a very short time your daytime energy levels will sour to new heights! You will feel younger, happier, and find moving around far easier when your joints are well lubricated and more flexible. Look carefully at every item you call food. Ask yourself if you are making a withdrawal by simply slowing or stopping hunger pains with no regard for the quality of the product entering your mouth. If you are reaching for an unadulterated fresh or frozen piece of fruit or vegetable, you are making a deposit. If your liquid option is 100% juice, almond milk, soy milk, or other drink that is a natural product suitable for human beings instead of baby cows, baby goats or sugar water and caffeine (coffee or soda drinks), you are making an Reducing Stress Increases Energy
Meditation is a fantastic option for reducing stress. Those who have long-term practice of meditating have been shown to have a biological age, related to the age of the brain stem, of up to a decade shorter.8 They also tend to feel happier, have increased concentration, and decreased anxiety. You can do (1) Setting aside a specific time each day (like right before or after your exercise – mornings are the best time) (3) Set aside specific pillows used just for your practice (4) Make sure others know to leave you alone (5) Breathing slowly, and deliberately will help concentration (6) Locate an expert to mentor you (online is always an option)9 (7) Read books or online information to guide you (8) Work with another person if they too are truly committed (9) Stretch gently before you begin, just like an exercise warm-up State a purpose before you begin (peace, insight, patience, Do not complain – slowly reach for “no mind” as each thought enters just gently return to a state of not thinking Try several positions – physical agility is not required Note new “awareness” that you notice at other times of the Move into a stress-free place while meditating Use an appropriate CD to help transform your mental Give thanks as the session ends for self-honoring Be eager for the next session to keep your interest up for the Doc Lew Childre states that “the ‘cares’ of the world – worries, anxieties, judgments, anger, crime, violence, homelessness, depression, and even hatred” fill our heads. Therefore, “Heart disease has become the number one killer in both men and women in industrialized nations….more than one in four Americans over the age of eighteen have hypertension (high blood pressure).” More than likely because, “Companies now routinely ask one employee to do the work of 1.3 people, for the same pay, and with less time off.” Sidestepping this type of lifestyle using Cut-Thru®, Doc Childre assures his readers, will slow aging. Keep in mind that “Recuperation is a process – often long and slow – of cooperation between mind and heart until there is an alignment.”10 Reaching the point of self-alignment is when energy management will be at its peak! Expressing Creativity Enhances Energy
Anyone who has offered art supplies to a young child, someone in elementary school, know that his or her eyes light up and they grab the items to use without a minute’s hesitation! We are “hard-wired” to be creative. We want to express ourselves. We give birth not only to children who we love and care for, but also animals, plants, and ourselves. We crave being creative and get frustrated when we are bored in our work, home or due to expectations within Our electronic (digital) society has stifled our creativity with the message that everything worthwhile must be perfect. If you are like my friends, then you understand the drive to always be “perfect.” Taking up a pencil, crayon or paintbrush immediately makes you vulnerable. The young child, who has yet to hear how his or her creative expression is not worthy, will not hesitate, but in a short while society will stifle that sense of freedom and total joy. Had we not faced such criticism, where might we be as a society? I am not alone in this outlook. According to Sir Ken Robinson, the same messages, those aimed at stifling creativity, are being delivered in our schools. Sir Robinson’s latest book is Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative stresses the value of creativity. His other book on the subject of creativity, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, stresses how being creative often translates to happiness and wealth.11 It seems odd that something so natural as creativity has to now be “taught” to us, but like Doc Childre, Sir Robinson is making a statement related to our modern society. Society tells us that we are “not good enough” in every imaginable way. Malcolm Gladwell gave us some hope in Outliers: The story of Success.12 Gladwell assured us of other factors, but I think it is Brene’ Brown’s writing and audios that has helped my friends and me the most. The title says it all: The Gifts of Imperfection – Let Go of Who You Think You Are Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.13 If we embrace who we are then we can be brave enough to be creative. In the process, we will lighten our hearts, give ourselves more energy, and turn back Planning For Success Develops Energy
Do not leave your day to chance: plan for success instead. Before going to bed decide what ONE important thing has to be done the next day. Lay out all the references you need to dive right into that one important thing the first 60 to 90 minutes of your workday. Do not open your email, check the answering
machine or do anything else that might distract you from getting that one thing done first. Our 24/7 world of beeps, peeps, and rings has put us into a world were there is no time off. Every day the average person living in an industrialized nation sees more written words than most people in the 1800’s saw in a year or lifetime. We are unable to relax, concentrate, and complete tasks unless we plan to do just that with a bull-headed determination. The good news is that each time a goal is completed, your energy is super-charged! You will feel younger, happier, and more at peace. Your mind will be energized because energy management has taken the lead over time management. You focused your energy on getting the most important thing done Mental Attitude Makes or Breaks Energy
You are what you think you are – think of yourself as full of energy and you will be. Dale Carnegie gave us that insight many years ago when he said, “Act enthusiastic and you’ll be enthusiastic!”14 A dear friend always makes a very simple statement: “Believe it to be it!” And then there is the quote that no one seems to agree who (Mark Twain?15 William W. Purkey?16) should be credited You can change your thoughts. Sometimes it takes many different pathways. Keep in mind that your (“no mind”) meditation practice, and daily exercise will all help your mental attitude. There is not a single road to follow to a positive outlook. However, each one will help to turn back the clock. The Joy of Giving Supercharges Energy
Many people like to volunteer because it seems that regardless of how much is offered to those in need, it is typically the volunteer who is the most energized. There is a sense of hope when someone is able to feel like what they did that day was worthwhile. That is the gift of life that the volunteer receives – giving hope to the hopeless. We all need hope. Many of us are recharged by being needed, and by giving hope to those who have felt forgotten and hopeless. Patrons often get a lot more back than they ever give out. Energy-Birds Flock Together
The old saying that “Birds of a feather flock together” is a good mind-trigger for you. When you see a bubbly friend walking toward you, engage! Give that friend a big smile and enjoy the moment to the fullest. That enthusiasm The opposite is true of “Sally Sad Face.” If you happen to notice in time that “Sally Sad Face” is about to descend on you, run! “Sally” has a new litany of stories about how she is the victim of every hardship know to man; you must escape! Yes, run away or find some diplomatic way to escape ASAP (as soon as possible). She will bring you down. She has perfected every “hot button” that others have to get her to the same level of grief that she has enshrouded around herself. Her mission, all the time, is to seek sympathy within her negative state of mind. Resist! She is aging before your eyes. Your job is to stay upbeat, energized, and instead, turn back the clock.
Knowing Thyself Creates Energy
Be clear about what you want. Recall the goal setting in chapter one to make sure you have a clear idea of what you need. What you focus on is what you will receive. If you focus on a job you hate and ignore your passion, you will Doing what you love enhances energy; routine, boring assignments put most people to sleep. The greatest danger on assembly lines is related to safety because intense boredom suppresses creative thought and lulls people into Take your self-knowledge to new heights! Engage in your passion. Feed it your mind, body, and spirit. You will be rewarded with energy and youth. Sears, Dr. Al, 2010. 8 Steps to Change Your DNA – and Your Destiny – Now. Wellness Research and Consulting. Campbell, Dr. T. Colin & Thomas Campbell, 2006.
Benbella, Dallas, Texas. The most complete book on nutritional health to date. Esselstyn, Dr. Caldwell B., 2007. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Penguin Group, NY. Nutritional methods for better health. McDougall, Dr. John, 1994. The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss. Dutton, USA. The weight loss diet and many recipes. Ornish, Dr. Dean, 1996. Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease. Random House, USA. Nutritional methods for better health. , 2009. Long-term meditation is associated with increased gray matter density in the brain stem. Neuroreport. 2009 Jan 28;20(2):170-4. 10. 10. Doc Lew Childre, 1996. Cut-Thru – Achieve Total Security and Maximum Energy. Planetary Publications, Boulder Creek, California. 11. 11. 12. 12. 13. 13. Brown, Brene’, 2010. The Gifts of Imperfection – Let Go of Who You Think You Are Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Hazelden Publishers, Canter City Minnesota.

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