There are a lot of things about my life right now that I am grateful and thankful for. I sometimes worry about losing touch with those most precious and important things as I get older, which could occur if one day I become forgetful or dotty or even possibly just too weary of the world to feel genuinely connected to anything anymore. And the thought of that utterly terrifies me to the core. I do not want to lose touch with the best parts of myself and my life because my mind, body or memory start to fail me as the years roll on.
It is pretty easy to feel confident that this will never happen to you when you're young, and sure I use the term 'young' loosely for myself because 47 is not really that young, but it's hardly bloody ancient either and I do presently have an excellent grip on all of my faculties. And I would really like to keep a tight grip on those faculties, so I suppose that the only way to ensure myself of that is to wisely put some anti-aging stoppers in place early on, as a preventative measure.
I have zero interest in preserving the longevity of my youth and beauty, sure I don't want to look like a hairy dog's arse at 60, but looks are not that important to me. My main concerns with aging are around the loss of cognitive ability, physical mobility and an overall lust for life that often seems to spring from the young rather than the elderly. Basically, I want to be totally 'with it', reasonably fit and flexible and able to remember all of the important and significant things have occurred throughout my life.
So what can be done to ensure this outcome, if anything? Well tonnes actually, and even though there is no real 'fountain of youth' just yet, there has been a heap of research conducted on the topic and there are some very clear guidelines that have been specified from experts and medical professionals that you should be adopting into your life if you too want to hang on to the best bits of yourself in the future.
In fact, experts in nutrition, obesity and cardiology all recommend adopting these steps into your life as early as your 20's if you want to ensure the best possible health outcomes for yourself in the future, so you had better listen up my friends because this information is super important and better yet, it comes in five easy steps - just five! Five seems manageable, right?
Step one: Find out what your healthy weight range is for your height and age and then try to stay within that weight range. People that stay within that range tend to live longer lives and require far less medical intervention in the long run, it's a fact. Also take at least 30 minutes of extra activity a day on top of your working day. This could be a brisk walk, a bike ride, some cardio, whatever it is, you must do it everyday, which means no down days on the weekend. Consistency is key here.
Step Two: Learn how to cook from scratch. Experts believe that you can pretty much eat whatever you like as long as you cook it yourself from scratch. When they are talking about scratch, they mean that nothing in that meal can come out of a jar, packet or can, unless you pickled, prepared or preserved it yourself previously of course. The effort and energy required to make a dinner for four every evening from scratch will far outweigh the calories that you will sustain from eating it.
Step Three: Eat more vegetables, portion control and cut back on sugar. This is three pronged approach where you become more mindful of the kinds of fuel that you put into your body. More wholesome plant based foods overall and less processed and sugary foods. Educate yourself on portion size and stick to the guidelines, this will help you to stay within your ideal weight range as well. Portion control does mean that you have to eat small amounts of food, in fact you can eat very large portions of the right foods. You should never feel desperately hungry if you are portion controlling correctly, it's not about starving yourself, so make sure that you are doing it safely and correctly.
Step Four: Practise moderation and respect your system. Your body is not another landfill, so stop pouring crap into it and treating it like shit. Consume alcohol wisely and safely and don't continually smash your system with toxins like medications, drugs, cigarettes, fatty foods and sweets. Understand what the concept of a 'treat' is -it's something that you have every now and then, not daily. Learn to 'treat' yourself occasionally and thoughtfully. Try to treat yourself with more holistic, calming and wellbeing practises like massage, meditation, reiki, Ayurvedic medicines, spirituality, reading, yoga, art therapy and other remedial therapies.
Step Five: Find a job that you love. Your work life affects your mental wellbeing more than you may think. People that are unhappy in their jobs tend to have higher rates of stress, depression, anxiety and sleep problems, so finding a job that satisfies and stimulates you is extremely important. People that are passionate about their jobs tend to spill that over into other parts of their lives, they are often undertaking other passion projects, volunteering and continually exploring other ways to enrich their lives, so if you are unhappy in your current employment then you should do something about it asap!
So there you have it, five easy steps to get more bang for your buck, more longevity and more clarity in your life as the years roll by. And who doesn't want more of that?
It is pretty easy to feel confident that this will never happen to you when you're young, and sure I use the term 'young' loosely for myself because 47 is not really that young, but it's hardly bloody ancient either and I do presently have an excellent grip on all of my faculties. And I would really like to keep a tight grip on those faculties, so I suppose that the only way to ensure myself of that is to wisely put some anti-aging stoppers in place early on, as a preventative measure.
I have zero interest in preserving the longevity of my youth and beauty, sure I don't want to look like a hairy dog's arse at 60, but looks are not that important to me. My main concerns with aging are around the loss of cognitive ability, physical mobility and an overall lust for life that often seems to spring from the young rather than the elderly. Basically, I want to be totally 'with it', reasonably fit and flexible and able to remember all of the important and significant things have occurred throughout my life.
So what can be done to ensure this outcome, if anything? Well tonnes actually, and even though there is no real 'fountain of youth' just yet, there has been a heap of research conducted on the topic and there are some very clear guidelines that have been specified from experts and medical professionals that you should be adopting into your life if you too want to hang on to the best bits of yourself in the future.
In fact, experts in nutrition, obesity and cardiology all recommend adopting these steps into your life as early as your 20's if you want to ensure the best possible health outcomes for yourself in the future, so you had better listen up my friends because this information is super important and better yet, it comes in five easy steps - just five! Five seems manageable, right?
Step one: Find out what your healthy weight range is for your height and age and then try to stay within that weight range. People that stay within that range tend to live longer lives and require far less medical intervention in the long run, it's a fact. Also take at least 30 minutes of extra activity a day on top of your working day. This could be a brisk walk, a bike ride, some cardio, whatever it is, you must do it everyday, which means no down days on the weekend. Consistency is key here.
Step Two: Learn how to cook from scratch. Experts believe that you can pretty much eat whatever you like as long as you cook it yourself from scratch. When they are talking about scratch, they mean that nothing in that meal can come out of a jar, packet or can, unless you pickled, prepared or preserved it yourself previously of course. The effort and energy required to make a dinner for four every evening from scratch will far outweigh the calories that you will sustain from eating it.
Step Three: Eat more vegetables, portion control and cut back on sugar. This is three pronged approach where you become more mindful of the kinds of fuel that you put into your body. More wholesome plant based foods overall and less processed and sugary foods. Educate yourself on portion size and stick to the guidelines, this will help you to stay within your ideal weight range as well. Portion control does mean that you have to eat small amounts of food, in fact you can eat very large portions of the right foods. You should never feel desperately hungry if you are portion controlling correctly, it's not about starving yourself, so make sure that you are doing it safely and correctly.
Step Four: Practise moderation and respect your system. Your body is not another landfill, so stop pouring crap into it and treating it like shit. Consume alcohol wisely and safely and don't continually smash your system with toxins like medications, drugs, cigarettes, fatty foods and sweets. Understand what the concept of a 'treat' is -it's something that you have every now and then, not daily. Learn to 'treat' yourself occasionally and thoughtfully. Try to treat yourself with more holistic, calming and wellbeing practises like massage, meditation, reiki, Ayurvedic medicines, spirituality, reading, yoga, art therapy and other remedial therapies.
Step Five: Find a job that you love. Your work life affects your mental wellbeing more than you may think. People that are unhappy in their jobs tend to have higher rates of stress, depression, anxiety and sleep problems, so finding a job that satisfies and stimulates you is extremely important. People that are passionate about their jobs tend to spill that over into other parts of their lives, they are often undertaking other passion projects, volunteering and continually exploring other ways to enrich their lives, so if you are unhappy in your current employment then you should do something about it asap!
So there you have it, five easy steps to get more bang for your buck, more longevity and more clarity in your life as the years roll by. And who doesn't want more of that?
THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN
Release Date: 2014
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 91 mins
Feel like watching something as creepy as hell? Then you've come to the right place! This found footage supernatural thriller will definitely give lovers of possession themed horror some decent chills. A directorial debut for Adam Robitel, who co-wrote the screenplay and edited the film with Gavin Heffernan, The Taking of Deborah Logan brings something fresh and uniquely disturbing to an otherwise worn out horror trope.
A young aspiring film crew set out to create a documentary about Deborah Logan, an elderly woman who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Deborah herself is not keen to be filmed, but her daughter Sarah convinces her mother to participate, citing their need for money as the reason for allowing strangers into their home. As filming progresses, everyone begins to suspect that there is more to Deborah's condition than they had all previously thought.
I cannot lie, I was completely engaged and quietly disturbed on a number of occasions by the odd behaviours and at times gross goings on in this movie. On the creepy scale, this rates pretty high in my books, it's worth a look for sure.
FINAL SAY: When I am in the middle of something and suddenly my mind just leaves the premises, there are no words to describe how distressing it is.
3 Chilli Peppers
Release Date: 2014
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 91 mins
Feel like watching something as creepy as hell? Then you've come to the right place! This found footage supernatural thriller will definitely give lovers of possession themed horror some decent chills. A directorial debut for Adam Robitel, who co-wrote the screenplay and edited the film with Gavin Heffernan, The Taking of Deborah Logan brings something fresh and uniquely disturbing to an otherwise worn out horror trope.
A young aspiring film crew set out to create a documentary about Deborah Logan, an elderly woman who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Deborah herself is not keen to be filmed, but her daughter Sarah convinces her mother to participate, citing their need for money as the reason for allowing strangers into their home. As filming progresses, everyone begins to suspect that there is more to Deborah's condition than they had all previously thought.
I cannot lie, I was completely engaged and quietly disturbed on a number of occasions by the odd behaviours and at times gross goings on in this movie. On the creepy scale, this rates pretty high in my books, it's worth a look for sure.
FINAL SAY: When I am in the middle of something and suddenly my mind just leaves the premises, there are no words to describe how distressing it is.
3 Chilli Peppers
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