Fit in 15 at 60+! - Short Overview

I rarely review books. I am writing about this book though. I have no relationship with the Author, and am receiving no compensation for this article. It is a valuable book if you are a Senior.

This book is a wise investment. On the surface, it is simplistic. The basis is the Author was over sixty and was having issues while trying to get in shape. Exercise was painful and was not producing results. How many people over 60 are not starting to have real issues with common tasks and simple exercise?

If you are over sixty, you and I both know exactly what the Author faced, and this is where his book shines! Are the books basic exercises simple? Yes they are. They start in a chair, it is difficult to get much simpler with exercise than sitting in a chair. 

I read complaints these exercises are too simplistic. I do them, and they are simple, yet effective. If you want to know how limber you are not, do some of the exercises. I found out I was not as limber as I thought I was. Now, I'm getting better and more limber. I now think, what else do I have to do, and what do I have to lose? Everything?

The fascinating thing about people over sixty is we are limber enough, most of the time to do those things we do every day. Completing new or rarely used movements more than a few times, and we know about it the next day, the day after, and the day after. I grew sick and tired of the muscle aches and the frustrations of exercising. There was pain and no gain.

This book is helping me to learn how to manage 'exercise' without waking up sore the next day, and bring satisfaction back to basic exercise. I hope the pep talks and the basic exercises in the book stick with me. They take little time and feel good, so I think they will. I am fairly limber, but if I do out of the usual type of yard work or my even preferred exercise routine, I wake up to spend a few days being very sore.

After modifying my exercise routine as Mr. Jenner suggests, most of my pain  and exercising frustration are now mostly in my past. I wake up knowing I used my muscles, but it is not painful as it used to be. I now look forward to exercising. I am happy to do the simple stretches as they help me feel even better.

The second fact I learned is what happens in our muscles when we get sore, and how to make it better. I scoffed at the suggestion that eating differently would make most of the pain of exercise go away. With nothing to lose I followed the authors suggestions. It is a miracle! I wonder how many years I thought I had Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness (DOMS), only to realize some exercise pain is diet related.

After reading the book cover to cover, which is recommended before starting the exercises, I found these two insights about exercise and eating alone make the book worth it's asking price. I am sure Mr. Jenner, the author, experienced the exact same issues I have experienced. He dug around and researched until he found the answers. Exercise hurts more when you are over 60! But he found a fix!

His program is simple, it is intended for older adults, not twenty somethings. It is comprehensive. Give the simplest exercises a chance, what do you have to lose? I find the book is more than worth the asking price.

What's Wrong With Michael Today?

 

All too often lately, I find if I disagree with another person's viewpoint I spend the next minutes listening to, "What's wrong with Michael", rather than why my opinion is wrong, the other person is right, or we simply have a difference of opinion.

Today, I experienced what I think is an extreme example of, "What's wrong with Michael" or perhaps I was in conversation with someone from the "Abraham" Cult? We are out and about and stop at a coffee shop. A person next the sugar/cream/stir sticks, has an Esther and Jerry Hicks book.

I ask if they like the book. They nod yes.

I say, "I really liked their first book. Lots of good stuff. When I bought and listened to the four CD set, it did not sound believable."

"What do you mean?"

me: "It sounded like when Esther Hicks was channeling "Abraham", she sounded as if she was talking through a script, where occasionally she would pause, like she forgot the next line. Then she would continue".

"That's because of the difficulty of communication with Abraham, they had to pause to get the meaning exactly right."

me: "Okay. I guess we share a difference of opinion".

For the next minute, I listen to and mostly agree with comments about there being different planes of existence, different beings on these different planes, communication with these beings, etc. I do not agree about Esther Hicks channeling 'Abraham'.

I may as well have standing there making funny faces and laughing. This person is now visibly angry after their diatribe. I end the  'conversation' with, "You are correct".

I'm think, we have a difference of opinion, to each his own. I wonder, where in the Hick's books and channeling dialogue (?) is behavior like this person's behavior promoted? Nowhere of course.

I walk to my table, sit, chat and finish my tea, giving little thought to the conversation. We all have differing opinions. This exchange had been a little out of the ordinary, but stuff happens.

Leaving the coffee shop, I hold the door open for other Patrons who are coming in and leaving behind me. The fourth person coming out surprisingly, is the person with the Hick's book.

Standing in front of the door, blocking my exit and others entry, they launch into another tirade. The first ten seconds or so is on my poor thinking about the Hick's in general. The next seconds follow about how bad it is I do not believe the Hicks channeling is real. Followed up with - what is wrong with me, my thinking, my approach, my comments, etc, etc.

I spend my part listening and agreeing at times. I want an end to this inane ranting. It is an uncalled for over-reaction, and pointless. Customers are waiting at the blocked door, wanting to go inside and out.

The person becomes even more angry. This has become very, very personal for them. I can see the anger in their eyes. I listen again to why I am not only wrong about Esther Hicks, but how practically everything about me is flawed.

They finally run out of steam, turn and storm away. I am left with the impression they did not hear more than the first seconds of I did not believe Esther and Jerry Hicks were the real deal. They obviously are so angry, nothing I said was heard or matters.

I am not sure why my opinion of Jerry & Esther Hicks channeling Abraham - turned into this very personal and bitter rant. It is in the end, opinion. Maybe they are a member of the infamous Abraham Cult? 

About a year ago, I would write it off to the idea we were isolated for so long we forgot how to be civil in public. Now I wonder, I am attracting crazy for some reason? If this idea seems silly, listen to (read) this. This happened about six weeks ago. 

There is a man with his parked bicycle next to a store front door. As I walk by him to enter the store, I greet him (white man about 50) saying, "What's up Boss?"

He explodes into an immediate and very loud tirade with extreme gesturing and angry overtones. His abrupt verbal direction changes lose me as what he is so angry about. His ranting ends with the statement, the Government is controlling everything and every person in the Country. 

As he stops for a breath, I say, "You are probably right, have a good day". This leads to another immediate angry verbal tirade with gesturing about how can he possibly have a good day when he is being controlled? How can I have a good day as I am controlled too? I say once again, "Have a good day", and walk on.

Some days I wonder, am I attracting this behavior?

Forgotten Stress and Pain Release

I was watching a Documentary the other evening. I think it was called, "Heal". It was interesting, but nothing new, until they started talking about releasing hidden, forgotten and ignored pain and stress that went all the way back to childhood.

The idea is forgotten stressors act upon our body chemistry, causing autoimmune issues and certain types of disease because our body's healthy chemical balance has been suppressed for many years and less than stellar chemicals are roaming around in their place wreaking havoc on our well being.

This sounded like it was coming from Carney Row at the County Fair. I understand being stressed, but wasn't too sure I bought into the chemical imbalance that unrelieved stress brings about. Except they had a number of people including at least one person with stage four cancer who swore it is true, because they all reversed their illnesses through releasing hidden pain and stress.

The thought of buried, hidden stress release was a new idea to me. One of the experts in the Documentary said in his opinion there, 'is no one size fits all cure or fix'. Yoga and meditation in the morning may work for you, seeing a therapist for emotional issues may work better for me, as I understood his opinion.

The Documentary moved on to a Woman who was working with a practitioner who used EFT. EFT is interesting because it involves physical action to distract our brain. We repeat an EFT Practitioner's verbal suggestions while being physically distracted with tapping or rubbing or both.

At least that is my limited understanding from the documentary and one small EFT book I read some years ago. EFT is effective because it is a kind of distraction meditation. Spoken suggestions are put on a direct path to the brain because the subject is distracted with the physical distractions being induced by the EFT Practitioner.

In the Documentary, the EFT Practitioner was doing her thing, tapping away, and telling the patient to recall a painful moment, and at each memory recall, repeat the phrase, "I love you then", or something similar. Later in the show, the Woman claims her hidden pain and stress was eventually all gone (released), and her very serious health ailments had disappeared.

I like everyone else have long term and buried or forgotten pain and stressors hidden away in my brain. I decided because I meditate often, I would skip the EFT part and go with the, "I love you then" for the known stressors I could remember. I wasn't expecting a lot, because it seemed too simple. I am skeptical. I want proof.

I started with my biggest stress, 'White Coat Syndrome', and all the memories that keep it fresh and make me want to run, not walk out of Doctor and Dentist offices. The earliest memory I could recall was being six or seven years old sitting in a Dentist chair.

I was going to receive a shot of Novocaine for a drill and fill for a bad tooth. The Dentist who I suspected in later years was a drunk, put the glass Novocaine vial in the needle and moved it towards my mouth. It slipped and fell to the floor and broke.

He picked up the broken glass vial pieces and the now useless needle. He said, "This is your fault, you little shit", and stabbed the knuckles of my right hand with a piece of the broken Novocaine vial glass leaving me with a lifelong scar. Upon recalling this memory I said, "I love you then".

(The Dentist came up with a believable story he told my Mother afterward that was not questioned, of course as he was the Dentist - authority figure)

Now I am remembering other bad dental and medical memories that made their long forgotten presence known, followed with my repeated, "I love you then" comments. Time disappeared replaced with, "I love you then" comments flowing through my mind at each remembered memory.

I realized something changed after a (unknown period of) time. The voice saying, "I love you then", was not my voice. It was coming from somewhere else, and the memories of painful and stressful times of my life arrived without any prompting. I was now a watching, hearing observer of those times in my life that stressed me out or caused pain, of which I had long ago forgotten about.

When I 'awoke' some time later, I knew I still wasn't through with the memory recall and the, "I love you then", comments. Amazingly, I felt like one-hundred pounds of just below skin level stress had left me! I felt so relaxed, I thought if I were to take my blood pressure, I would probably be concerned because it would be so low.

If you are used to meditating, you may be able to duplicate the results I did without any EFT stimulus. If you do not meditate, you may want to read up on EFT, and pick a few EFT movements that feel right for you as you try out the process. Better yet, find an EFT trained person to work with you.

I do not know what exactly happened during my experience, or if my body's chemical structure has started to change, but something good definitely took place. I felt so at peace and relaxed, it felt abnormal in the moment.

Twenty-four or so hours later, it feels a little hokey writing this. I still feel very calm and at peace with the world. Something definitely changed from the time I decided to try this process to the time I stopped. I will be doing this again, perhaps many times, until I feel there is no more hidden stress and pain to release. I highly recommend you try this process. I am still skeptical about the process. I am looking forward to some months in the future to see what lasting changes have taken place.

Time Change Improved

 It's day something of the Day Light Savings time change. Does the time change make you feel good? Will you feel good by the end of the day or does it feel like you are working late? Do you feel off already, and you know it is only going to get worse until the time changes back again?

Twice a year we have dead horse discussions about daylight savings time. We talk around the idea of should we have daylight savings time or not. Some people are all for changing to the spring time setting. Others for the fall back time. A smaller third group is happy with the way things are.

It is obvious the way we manage the time swings right now is not working well for most people. When we fall back in the fall, I for one spend weeks adjusting. Then waking up at four in the morning in the Spring when we spring back.

As I was listened to yet another podcast about time change issues, I had a flash of insight! Why do we need to pick either one hour this way or one hour that way? What is wrong with making a change we will most benefit from? We simply fall back one-half hour in the fall, and spring forward one-half hour in the spring.

Changing one-half hour every six months, or changing the time one-half hour and leaving time change alone for the foreseeable future is reasonable. This time flipping is too hard on too many people.

There is of course the problem with the rest of the world, trying to figure out the time in the United States is on, but in the digital age, when business runs twenty-four hours a day, it really does not matter if our time is 30 or 60 minutes different because of the time zone differences. The world already adjusts to our twice a year time flops.

Of course, it is possible that the seventy countries who do observe daylight savings time, could follow our lead, and change their time by thirty minutes also. The countries who do not follow any time change pattern may also decide changing their national time by thirty minutes is a good idea for them too.

Time change is archaic and doesn't make sense in the 2000's. It was signed into law in 1966, when it felt right. In the 56 years hence, it doesn't feel all that good to most of America, and probably a large portion of the world. Let us make a time compromise by applying the Nash equilibrium to cure a nation wide time problem.