SPRINGTIME

 

Each season of the year has its uniqueness but spring is the only one that brings a new beginning of fresh growth. Instead of leaves turning brown and falling from the trees we see new buds forming on the branches.   Birds come back from their winter flight.
   We awaken to feel the warmth of the sun and shed a few winter wraps we wore for the short cold snaps we had.  And yes, here in Florida all we have is nostalgic memories of those stormy cold and icy winters we once weathered when we lived up north. Remember the snow shoveling we used to do and the ice we scraped off the windshield?   And, what about the earmuffs we used to wear?  But, spring here is still a wonderful time to enjoy those refreshing morning walks and our daily exercises.  April here is warm enough to take a dip in the pool.  Even with the allergies spring brings us we find remedies to keep us comfortable.
   Spring really began with the vernal equinox at 7:02 A.M. (EDT) on March 20, 2013 in the northern hemisphere.  The word equinox is derived from the Latin word meaning equal nights.  Actually, days and nights are approximately equal everywhere with the sun rising in the east and setting in the west.   Our days are becoming longer and more comfortable as we head toward summer.
   The spring season is full of transformations and aside from the weather’s changes our lives are transforming, too.  Those of us who have allergies our immune systems will get a wakeup call.   Of course, there are  threatening situations where there is nothing absolute about the weather.  What with hurricanes lurking in the Atlantic and April showers a frequent visit, a rain jacket and an umbrella need to be available and even stored in your car.
What is so nice about spring is that it inspires us to planning for the future.  Vacations are not far away.  Perhaps, it’s an automobile tour out west or a transatlantic cruise.  Maybe it’s a July 4^th party or a welcome visit from distant relatives.   Sometimes at this time of the year our medical issues seem to subside or are held in abeyance.   Most important we are encouraged to increase our self awareness and recognize that our body is our temple we need to preserve.  At the same time that we take care of ourselves we need to protect our earth and environment which need constant surveillance and the utmost care too.
   Spring helps us realize the importance of learning how to embrace and adapt to change over time.  It is the season that contributes ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal and festivity. It is a time when we can connect to one another and even build new friendships.  No one can be an island unto oneself and remain happy.  Yes, there is always a risk to reach out but the rewards far exceed the losses.

 

 

FREE TIME

Many of us have varying lifestyles.  But, there is one that is quite popular among seniors. Living a sedentary lifestyle is quite popular; and particularly, among those of us who are retired.  Oh yes, there are the tennis players and the golfers but what about all those retirees who don’t even resort to any real physical exercise like even taking a walk?  Even with the availability of our fitness center there are some people who are virtually “Couch Potatoes”.

I have heard that word for quite a few years and realize that I had almost adopted it as a label for myself until I researched its origin and meaning.  It refers to one who leads a sedentary life and particularly enjoys activities including sitting, reading, watching television, playing video games and using the computer for most of the day with little or no vigorous physical exercise.  Then, I searched further and found out that the term couch potato had actually had a birthday.   It came into being on July 15, 1976 when it was first uttered by Tom Iacino of Pasadena, California during a telephone conversation.  He was a member of a group in Southern California who amusingly opposed the fads of exercise and healthy diet in favor of vegetating in front of the TV and eating junk food giving themselves the name “boob tubers” substituting the name potato for tube, hence couch potato.  Subsequently, Couch Potato was registered as a trademark.  Robert Armstrong, also a “boob tuber” member drew a cartoon of a potato on a couch and formed a club called the Couch Potatoes.  He began merchandising paraphernalia such as T shirts and dolls. He even published a newsletter and a book, called Dr. Spudd’s Etiquette for the Couch Potato.  So today, the couch potato culture is in vogue. 

As humorous as the couch potato movement may appear, it also signals a serious note to all of us.   A sedentary life may be innocent of itself; but, it is important to understand that excessive sitting and watching TV is linked to negative health consequences.  Think for a moment that in years past, people hospitalized for surgery or other medical issues remained bedridden for weeks at a time.  The medical profession came to recognize that getting the patient up and walking as soon as possible insured quicker recovery and increased longevity.

Walking can be considered the cornerstone for survival and good health.  Most important is that you check with your doctor and if you know your general health condition is okay you can decide how much and how fast you can walk.  Strolling in Walmart, Publix or a mall is fine but walking as an exercise is a bit different from a stroll.Walking involves moving at a pace that feels comfortable for you. The National Institute of Health and Human Services recommends for adults 65 and older to do two and a half hours a week.  However, if that is too much, be as physically active as your abilities and condition allow. 
 

Your free time is more valuable for your health if you avoid being a couch potato. 

 

 

                              GROUNDHOG DAY 

                                                  
 When you read this article Groundhog Day will have already passed us by on February 2, 2013.  Somehow, it has perked my curiosity as to why we have such a day and what it means.   There is an early American reference to it in a diary entry, dated February 4, 1841 by a storekeeper, James Morris, of Berks County, Pennsylvania.  Historically, it has its origins in ancient European weather lore, where a badger or a sacred bear was the forecaster in lieu of a groundhog.   The day also bears similarities to a Pagan festival marking the seasonal turning point of the Celtic Calendar that was recognized on Feb. 1st.

According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from his burrow on February 2, then spring will come early; if it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see his shadow then go back into his burrow/and winter weather will continue for an additional  six weeks.  There are modern customs of the holiday involving early morning celebrations and festivals held to watch the groundhog appear from his burrow.

The celebration began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.  The largest celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as large as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886.  Other parts of the state as well as Canada and Nova Scotia observe this holiday.  The one held in Punxsutawney received widespread notoriety as a result of the 1993 comedy film Groundhog Day, primarily filmed in Woodstock, IL starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell and Chris Elliott,

 Phil Connors (Murray), a self-centered meteorologist, Rita(MacDowell) a news producer, and Larry (Elliott) a cameraman, of Pittsburgh television station, travel to Punxsutawney on February 1.  They are to cover the annual Groundhog Day Festivities on February 2.  Phil resents the assignment but grudgingly does his report on the festivities.  On his team’s return trip to Pittsburgh they are caught in a blizzard and forced to stay overnight back in the town.  Phil awakens the next day and finds he is reliving February 2 caught in a time loop.   

Eventually, Phil becomes despondent and tries to end the time loop.   He gives ridiculous and offensive reports on the festival, abuses residents, kidnaps Punxsutawney Phil, and, after a police chase, drives off a cliff, apparently killing both him and the groundhog.  Miraculously, Phil wakes up and finds that nothing has changed.   Desperate, he explains the trap he is in to Rita and she suggests he try to improve himself and change his ways.  Finally, Phil is able to befriend almost everyone he meets, using his experiences to help as many people as he can during the day.  He writes a report on the Groundhog Day celebration so great that all the other TV stations turn their microphones to him.  He wakes up the next morning and finds the time loop is broken.  It is now February 3 and Rita is still with him.  After going outside, Phil talks about living in Punxsutawney.  The movie offers a charming message of how one’s life can become better.  In reality, on February 2, 2013 the groundhog didn’t see his shadow.  So, we can look forward to an early spring. 

  

DAWN

 

 

 Across the horizon

The light of day

Lets beautiful colors

Find their way

Into our windows

Waking us from sleep

Luring us to open both eyes

And arise to renew

Those things we like to do

Enjoy a good breakfast

Rather than sit and talk

Take a morning walk

Or work out for fitness

Give tennis a challenge

A golf round to manage

Never dismiss such pleasures

They are some of life’s treasures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HANDLING EMOTIONS

Theories about emotions reach back at least to the time of the ancient Greek philosophers; and, still there is no simple explanation of an emotion.  However, it is considered a complex psycho physiological experience of an individual’s state of mind involving the interaction of one’s biochemical (internal) and environmental (external) influences.  Given this explanation, we can readily see what a challenge it is for us to maintain a healthy outlook in life.  After all, we do have happy or unhappy situations that provide us with strong feelings--emotions.

    In 1884, William James, a psychologist, presented the theory that a changed situation leads to a changed bodily state.   He said, “The perception of bodily changes, as they occur, IS the emotion.”  He further stated that “we feel sad because we cry, angry because we strike, and tremble because we fear.”  He even did experiments by manipulating the body state and a desired emotion was induced.
    The field of neuroscience (the study of the nervous system) has emerged in the 21^st century where psychology has made advances in helping to understand the mind body relationship entailing emotions.  Dr. Richard J. Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a pioneer in brain research for more than thirty years.  In his recent book, The Emotional Life of Your Brain, Penguin Books, 2012, he introduces Emotional Styles for helping us learn how to deal with our emotions.
    Richardson claims that each person has unique emotional styles, which consist of six distinct components: Resilience, Outlook, Self-Awareness, Social Intuition, Attention and Sensitivity to Context.  We utilize each of these components depending upon how we react to the experiences we have in our life.   Some people have the ability to recover rapidly from negative emotions while others may linger in a sad or depressed mood.   Some people may experience joyful feelings that are fleeting or hold on to them for longer periods.
    What makes his research interesting is that he has, through brain imaging, been able to show that there is an interrelation between the pre-frontal cortex ( mainly the center of higher order cognitive thinking and the amygdala ( part of the limbic system that plays an important role in negative emotions of distress, feeling anxious or threatened ).  He discovered that the more connections between these two sections of the brain the
better we are able to manage our emotions.   Fewer connections make it more difficult for one to recover rapidly, thus people linger longer in the negative emotion.  Formerly, neuroscientists considered emotions mainly associated with the amygdala.
    His eye blinking experiments with subjects revealed that people with greater activation on the left side of the prefrontal cortex recovered much more quickly from the strongest feelings of disgust, anger and fear elicited from stimulating images.
    Psychologists offer ways for regulating emotions.  For it is now known that the brain has neuroplasticity, the ability to change its structure and function.  A “mere” thought can change the brain’s function.

Some suggestions for controlling emotions

1.    Find out what triggers the emotion.

2.    Be mindful of your inner emotions at the moment.
3.    Describe what you are feeling in a non-judgmental way.
4.    Practice responding to emotions in new and constructive ways.

 We can learn to handle our emotions.

 

 

 

     

 

HAVE A NOSH?

 

    Eating, in addition to being a need for survival, is probably one of the most popular and enjoyable activities in our life.   It also seems that three meals a day is not enough to satisfy us.  So, we resort to a “nosh” now and then.  The word itself has an interesting origin:   from the Yiddish meaning to nibble on, eat sweets or from the Middle High German naschen to eat between meals.  Nevertheless, to nosh is really not a need.  After all, most of us have three meals a day.  But, you see, eating is so much fun that we take advantage of it to try and satisfy ourselves. 

     There is a saying:   “Some people eat to live and some live to eat”.  Most likely, those who eat to live probably don’t face the problem of overweight.  Oh, yes, there are all kinds of dieting programs such as Jenny Craig, The Atkins Diet, Nutrisystems or Weight Watchers.  There is much more to consider when life conditions are examined.
     Once we get past the concept that eating is a necessity for survival why are there so many people having problems with food?   These problems are so prevalent that they are referred to clinically as eating disorders.  They are usually identified as having abnormal eating habits that may involve inadequate or excessive food intake resulting in harm to an individual’s physical and mental health.
     There are classic cases of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa (AN), characterized by individuals who do not maintain a healthy body weight with an obsessive fear of gaining weight.   Some of these people suffer from this condition unconsciously.  Unfortunately, the risk of losing one’s life is greatly increased with this disease.  Bulimia nervosa (BN) is characterized by recurrent eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as purging (self-induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics).   Sometimes fasting and over exercise may be used as a method of purging following a binge.   Binge Eating Disorder (BED) or ‘compulsive overeating’ is a type of eating disorder that is binge eating without any compensatory behavior.  It is more common than bulimia or anorexia.  This disorder can develop in a range of ages.
     We often associate eating disorders with younger people;   but, it is interesting to note that the elderly also experience these problems.   Seniors develop symptoms like younger persons in an attempt to feel in control.  Cultural idealization of thinness and youthfulness has contributed to eating disorders particularly among the young.  However, seniors frequently feeling the effects of their bodies failing, and loss of autonomy to loved ones turn to their diet as one of the things that they can control.   When they are depressed and lonely, they may find themselves denying food or even losing themselves in overeating.  
     Dieting is not always the solution to weight loss or gain.  Obviously, the social aspects of life can play a big part in how one eats.  It is true that one cannot always control the social life one has.  However, fundamentally, self discipline can be significant in how we address food.  As the philosopher once said, “Take everything in moderation”.

A nosh once in a while is okay but regularly eating between meals is not good. 

                                                   Think about  it!  

 

 

 

 

 

EYES

Focus on what’s clear

They see things far and near

Always giving an important view

              Searching for something that’s always new

       Seeking to broaden your visions

               To news that affords you better decisions

        Providing you choices to help you find satisfaction

     And avoiding annoying distractions