Sure, I am aging - but I am NOT old!

Hello! I hope all is well with you!

Do you ever hear something and have a random thought or question? 

Our brains send us little messages or hints about life and your "life's purpose" all the strangest time.

This blog was initiated by one of those little messages.

I have a question...

Who are you?

Hmmm... Wife/Husband? Daughter/Son? Friend? Engineer? Teacher? Manager? Many people answer this question with one (or more) of these answers.

At one time during my life, I also would have answered this question using one of those titles. I identified myself by the roles in my life. It is what we do while maturing and developing our sense of self - tryinig to belong in society and the world. Somewhere along the way (perhaps between 30 and 40) I started answering this question with words that described me - a loving, generous, dedicated, adventurous, hard working woman. 

Why do we wait until we are older to find out who we really are? Why do we identify ourselves by our roles in life? Especially when understanding our values and who we are, helps us live our best life.

While watching a movie a few weeks ago, I heard the line "Find out who you are and do it on purpose" Dolly Parton

What a great quote! Thank you Dolly! 

"FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE"

Find out who you are means finding out what you believe in. What is most important to you? What are your values? This is great advice to ensure that you live your best life. Advice to be given to every young person on the verge of becoming an adult. Advice to be given to everyone who is ready to hear it.

The other half of the quote is also important  "DO IT ON PURPOSE"

Living with intention not only reduces stress and increases our joy, it also ensures that you are being true to you and your values. Behavioral scientists now believe that there are many benefits to living a purposeful life, even going as far as to say that we are all meant to live with a purpose. However, this topic deserves it's OWN blog.

So, take a moment now and answer the question again  - Who are you?  Take a moment and reflect before you answer - go beyond your "roles" in life.

Yours in health, 

Susan

PS If you hesitated when answering this question, or are not clear what to answer - drop  me a message. We can chat!

PSS I would also like to add that if we are not happy with who we are at this moment, we can make small changes so we become the person we want to be. 

It all starts with a little thought – I can’t or I shouldn’t.

It doesn’t matter if you believe the thought - or not. The thought is there now, in your subconscious.

It will reappear whenever you doubt yourself.

Whenever a part of you wants to do something and part of you doesn’t or is afraid to.

It could be a physical task – walking to the store, hanging up a picture, or climbing a ladder.

It could be a mental task- completing a crossword, doing math in your head, or meeting someone new.

Or it could be making a decision - something as simple as buying a piece of clothing or going on a trip.

 

Do you remember the day you started to feel old? Probably not, it most likely happened gradually.

For most it isn’t a ‘fixed time’ in their memory. After all, does one ever ‘choose’ to be old?

I am sure it was after a few ‘oh shit I can’t do this’ moments and eventually, well you believe you ARE old.

 

Ok.. so now you think you are old. What does that MEAN to you. Does it mean you shouldn’t hike anymore? Or walk down to the store by yourself? Does it mean you shouldn’t drive? Or wear bright coloured clothes? We all have different concepts of what is appropriate for our age. Concepts formed by societal norms and accepted without question. Many people do stop to ask an important question “Hey! Who made these rules?”

 

For me, it is interesting that once you DECIDE you are old, you BECOME old. I have watched a few people change completely within a few months. From being an avid outdoor person, to sitting on a chair with a blanket. It was fascinating that it happened so quickly, but now that I understand more about how our brain works, it makes sense to me.

 

Once with start to believe something, our brain will continue to give evidence to back up our new belief. It isn’t surprising though, if we consider that we can only process a certain amount of info per second AND our brain helps us by filtering the information it receives.  

We think we are old, and we get evidence that we are old. Eventually… we are what we believe.

 

So… let’s consider changing the story.  Instead of allowing that thought to take over your concept of your age, look at the evidence that you are not old. Find moments that validate that you are still young enough to do many things.

 

Maybe your body is showing signs of wear & tear, and climbing a mountain is a questionable activity, but you can still walk around the block.  Maybe you feel uncertain when going downstairs, but if you strengthen your core, and work on having better balance, you can have more stability.  

 

Rather than have an excuse as to why you can’t do a task – ask yourself what do I need to do to be able to do that task? Take an inventory of ALL the things you can STILL do!

 

Remember…just because you have a thought, it doesn’t mean that it is a fact. 

A thought is just a thought...you don’t have to let your thoughts change your reality

Yours in Health,

Susan

Well, it’s that time again. 

Time for a reality check where I look at where I am heading with my physical health. 

Time to decide which road I want to take.

 Do I keep heading in the same direction, WISHING things were different, OR do I make the changes necessary to live a happier and productive life. 

Part of me says “It is HARD to change” and part of me says “Don’t you want to be healthy to enjoy your life as you age?”  

Call me weird (and many people have), but I have never made New Year Resolutions. I always figured that many people just made them “because it is the thing to do”. Hard to believe that resolutions made in the middle of winter and after a sentimental holiday would be very sustainable. 

Personally, I feel it is better to change or start something new whenever one decides that change is necessary to change the direction one is heading, which can be on ANY day of ANY month  But..the problem is  – what happens when you are so caught up in your bad habits that you don’t even realize how bad the situation is? For some this could be years and by then, the problem is out of control and has become so big that It may seem too much of an effort to change.

Like everyone else, I am not perfect and I am learning how to be healthy. For me, it has only been 2 months of not really paying attention, but almost 4 months of “a little bite of this” and a “little bite of that’. It is time to BE REAL with myself, which means taking inventory.

I have excess weight. 

I have a lot of inflammation. 

I have eczema.

I have brain fog. 

I experience waves of apathy. 

I cannot focus. 

Any of the above list sound familiar?

If yes perhaps you too are STUCK in a loop. Thoughts (lead to) Food Choices (lead to) Body, Mood & Mind issues (lead to) Thoughts (lead to) Food choices (lead to) Body, Mood & Mind issues (lead to) Thoughts.

Thoughts can be dangerous to your health – if you let them. I wish I could say it all started with something horribly fattening but delicious, but I can’t even say that. I WISH I could say that this spiral started because I WASN’T thinking (Absent of thought can be dangerous to your health as well).

For me, I believe that it started with thinking that my back was never going to get better. I still hadn’t been given a correct diagnosis and everything the doctors tried didn’t help. Walking used to be my way to exercise, and it caused more pain than ever. To be honest, I felt sorry for myself, so when someone made food for me that I technically couldn’t eat – I made a bad choice. For most it would have been healthy enough – crackers, cheese, veggies & dip. For many people it would have been healthy enough, but for someone with a wheat & dairy allergy it fueled the fire. I didn’t notice a reaction, so…well I am sure you guessed what happened next, and often during the last few months. I started eating the wrong foods a little too often – totally ignoring the signs that my body wasn’t happy.

My thoughts led me to making choices to eat foods that DO NOT serve me well, which led to having brain fog, apathy, eczema, which led to more thoughts feeling sorry for myself that I can’t eat what others eat, which led to more poor food choices, etc. etc. I didn’t feel like walking anymore, so exercise wasn’t even in the equation.

I couldn’t see the way out of it until I got tired of being tired (and my pants got tighter). I took inventory and was shocked that I had let my thoughts run amuck. Logic started to creep in. 

First, HOW could I choose NOT to make changes when the reality is the other option is to be sick or tired (or sick & tired) for the next 20 plus years?  

Second, no one had TOLD me that my back would not ever get better. The doctors still had hope, so I should have hope too. 

Third, I realized that I should not be envious that other people can eat potato chips, or French fries, or processed or fast foods and I cannot. These foods are not the BEST foods for MOST people – why would I feel deprived that I cannot eat them? 

My body just has a great way of telling me that it doesn’t want certain foods - sore hands and feet (similar to arthritis), headaches, bloating, excess weight and brain fog.

So here I am – I have two choices, I can either do nothing and let the situation get worse, or I can work on making my heath a priority and make my life better. 

I know that habits are hard to change, but I have the tools to change habits. 

Like ALL things, this is will be a process. Baby steps. One day at a time.

If you are ready to choose wellness over sickness, feel free to join me join me in the journey. 

After all, there are some things best done alone, but many things are better done with friends.

Yours in health,

Susan

Habits!
We all have habits – “an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary”.

I am sure people know that they have “GOOD” habits, but it seems that many people tend to FOCUS on “BAD” habits.

I recently heard two different songs on the radio where the title was “Bad Habit” – one by Delaney Jane and one by Ed Sheeran. I was curious as to how many songs there are about habits. (Side note – I am always curious. hmm... Is it a habit or am I distracted easily?)

When I searched the internet, I found quite a few songs – Hard Habit to Break, Habits (Stay High), Breaking the Habit, five more with the title Bad Habit (The Dresden Dolls, Usher and Voodoo Johnson ), Filthy Habits & Nasty Habits (afraid to look at the lyrics).

Whatever the title, the message is clear. People mainly dwell on BAD Habits that they feel they cannot control, and that they feel are next to impossible to get rid of. People KNOW what they need to do, but don’t do it. I have heard many people justify their habits “Oh, It’s just a habit” or “I can’t help it, it is a habit” or maybe even “It’s my habit – I am not hurting anyone”. Why is this?

Where do we learn habits? Once again, I searched the internet for “Habits” and found songs about creating “Good Habits”. Yes – they are aimed at children – brushing your teeth, picking up your toys, using your manners, etc. So what happened between teaching children to have good habits and being adults who know and accept that they have “Bad Habits”?

It appears that most parents teach their children basic habits so they can navigate the world and meet the expectations of society. Perhaps parents are focusing on the wrong type of habits? Perhaps parents need to be more aware of the habits being formed unconsciously! 

Are habits hard to GET RID OF - or is it possible to CHANGE a habit? Some research states it can take 28 days to form a new habit, but I haven’t found any stats on getting rid of a habit.

More research is required! I am curious - and yes, in this case being curious is a good habit!

What habit would you like to change? 

Take care & I will keep you updated!

Susan

PS - 

In all fairness, I did find ONE song by Cole Swindell called Some Habits – where he discusses Good & Bad Habits.

As with most people, I can't imagine a life without sugar. It seems to be in all my favorite things! 

A little sugar here, and a little sugar there…how bad CAN it be? 

I totally expect sugar to be in desserts, or added when the food is sour (lemons and rhubarb) but WHY is there sugar in so many other products? Sugar is in SO many foods. Crackers, pasta sauce, pasta, bread, vitamins – IN FACT 68% of packaged foods have added sugar – on top of the natural sugars. When I have sugar, I would RATHER it be in pastry or cookies - not pasta.

To be real, sugar itself is not bad – well, I haven’t heard of anyone dying the minute they ate it. For most people, the major issue is the amount of sugar that they consume. And then the tiny fact that sugar has changed over the centuries – it isn’t only made from sugarcane or beets. Many of the products that are consumed daily contain sugar derived from corn (high fructose corn syrup or dextrose) or marketed under another name so if you scan the label, you may not notice the product has added sugar. 

So… How much sugar IS enough? I have read a few reports that say we should NOT consume ANY Sugar! Sugar is held accountable for major health issues – diabetes, heart conditions and obesity to name a few. 

I decided to use the guidelines from the Heart Associations as they have made it easier to understand the quantity of daily recommended sugar intake (they have done the math). The American Heart Association states that men should have no more than 9 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is 36 grams or 150 calories. Women should have no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is 25 grams or 100 calories. In Canada, the Heart & Stroke Foundation states that our daily intake of sugar should be no more than 10% of your calories, but preferably 5%. Based on a 2000 Calorie diet, 10% would be 12 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is 48 grams. This seems quite generous to me – yet MANY people consume more than that EVERY day. Some reports reflect that many people consume 3 to 4 times the daily recommended maximum. 

Being that many people are not even aware of how much sugar they consume, it shouldn’t be a surprise that so many people don’t think sugar is “really” bad for you in moderation. I once worked with someone who drank 8 cans of Pepsi per day, with each can of Pepsi being 150 calories and containing 41g of sugar/glucose-fructose. When you do the math, he was drinking 1200 calories and consuming 328g of sugar! He had no idea that his Pepsi addiction would contribute to getting gout at an early age.

I think the best way to figure it out is to LISTEN to your body! Are you sick all the time?

Is sugar affecting your body? Do you crave sugar? Do you feed into your cravings and then crash?

Do you often feel like you are on a never ending sugar roller coaster?  

I personally am super curious about how food affects my body! Every year I do a Sugar Free Challenge for a minimum of two weeks. Let me know if you are curious and want to join in for the next one.