Like smoking and sedimentry living - mental illness can rob years from our life

Focusing on the things that really take our life
can give us the edge in our health plan.

Health day reporter Robert Preidt reports that serious mental illness can take between 9 and 24 years off person’s life, which is worse than the impact of heavy smoking, researchers report. What is important are the diagnoses and when it occurs. Other factors are drug and alcohol abuse does that come along with the mental illness.
The more problems one faces the more likely it's the compound the impact. The research is based on 20 different studies which involve a million and half people. The researchers looked at schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and recurrent depression, along with people with drug and alcohol abuse. The ranges of years lost due to having these disorders are anywhere from 9 to 24 years. I wonder if the studies also take into account smoking and how it relates to the people with mental illnesses. Dangerous lifestyle behavior such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, sedimentary living, obesity can account for loss of years in a mental ill person. One factor the studies did look at was suicide.
Do people with mental illness have less access to health care and treatment when it comes to heart disease, diabetes, or cancer? Do obesity and other lifestyle activities affect people who are mentally ill? For example if one is prone to be depressed does that make somebody more susceptible to be sedimentary, or stay in their room which would mean less physical activity. Having mental illness may trigger all kinds of behavior and attitudes which contribute to our health.
I have repeated looked at research that explores the three main things that kill us; heart and stroke disease, cancer, and diabetes. These things may affect the mentally ill by the diseases chemical imbalances, negative behaviors and thoughts and the effects on the body, and most important the ability to work through the right kind of care for health problems.

Smoking is known to take off years of life. The same is true for sedimentary living. Other lifestyle behaviors can as well. Avoiding fruits and vegetables, alcohol abuse, obesity is few of many. Having a mental illness can be added to that list. Having an illness is one thing but walking with the fat man what we want to do is improve our odds. I might also what to improve the quality of life issue that comes with mental illness. Today we see how big a problem it is. Read the article for yourself. http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20140523/mental-illness-linked-to-shortened-life-spans?src=RSS_PUBLIC

http://consumer.healthday.com/senior-citizen-information-31/misc-death-and-dying-news-172/mental-illness-may-shorten-life-expectancy-688081.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-27518408

I will follow up with what I have done to improve my situation and I will share helpful sites and ideas in another blog to give you needed resources. This stuff is not easy but one thing we do is keep walking.

Healing of nerves in arm improving - pays to rehab

Couple months ago I fell on the shoveling snow and I hurt the nerves in my left arm and what followed has been a slow recovery. One of the things that have helped me along has been physical rehab and teaches the little movements that I can do to open up the areas where my nerves are pinched and allow inflammation to go down.
Time + not falling + rehabbing as brought my arm back to less pain and greater mobility.
One thing that helps was to keep moving my arm in ways that didn’t hurt. I couldn’t do bicep curls but I could do push-ups.  If you've been following my blog for any time, you have probably a picked up an old theme. But when we injure ourselves it's a good idea to find out what care we can do to help relieve the pain and what we have to do to continue healing. Healing it seems does take longer. And that is both frustrating and discouraging, but when healing begins to be felt, “O happy days”!
But every day that my arms started to feel better, it's certainly help my mental well-being and gave me hope. What things are you rehabbing, helping to heal, and learning to put ice or even a bag of frozen peas on the hurt area and reduce inflammation and therefore also reduce pain. The left arm still hurts but I am 80% there. My doctor diagnosed my arm with tennis elbow. The rehab moves I am doing are similar to exercises I found at WebMD. And the shaking that my arm was doing has subsided. Sometimes I wish I didn't have all these wonderful experiences but I pass them on because it's all part of keep walking.

Functional Circuit Training Benefits for Older Adults don't wait until your 90

Larry Menshall in the Bighorn Mountians

Here is another article I came across  today on the Internet that I think is good to be aware of. Definately a little more hopeful and upbeat.  Functional Circuit Training Benefits for Older Adults by Karen Hughes, Director of Education, Cooper Institute. http://todayiwill.com/2014/05/functional-circuit-training-benefits-for-older-adults/#.U35IdvldWSo

In this article here's another resource of good ideas related to functional fitness as we get older and in particular exercises that may help prevent falling. There are some really good movements here that you could add into your fitness training that help you with balance, as well as strength.
Like all exercise programs you have to check with your doctor, you know yourself now, know what you can do much can and keep it always safe. 

My old man exercises are growing all the time. More and more of it is related to a growing number of incidents where I need rehab. But modified push-ups, squats, lunges, jumps, crunches and sit-ups and countering with back exercises, band workouts, shadow boxing, weights, stairs, all help we live better.
I was thinking when did we consider ourselves at a time on we should be doing these kind of exercises. And I would suggest not waiting too long, you know if you wait till 90 it's not going to do you much good. But if you're 55 and older it's good to start thinking about these types of modifications.

Younger people can get involved in other ideas of fitness and strength training that challenges them. Seniors if we get started with modified programs we can move into more challenging goals. Doing modified exercise can be real encouraging. Keep walking

Do Not Resuscitate: What Young Doctors Would Choose sounds scary

I came across an article today on the Internet that I think is good to be aware of. The first one comes from the New York Times by Paula Span. Titled Do Not Resuscitate: What Young Doctors Would Choose http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/do-not-resuscitate-what-young-doctors-would-choose/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

I am a little suspicious of anybody young making a decision about somebody being old. I think this is a concern about how we are cared for changes in health law. When you're young everything is rosy and you have this feeling that as you age you're going to be feeling like you do now. There's nothing like aging yourself to tell yourself that whatever you thought when you're young you really didn't know what you were getting into when you got old. It is different!
But the article shows the doctors based on their experience of caring for older people whether young or old seemed to be in agreement about 88% of what they would do with people who were in the last stages of life. Is this do in part to some similar training and indoctrination? Or is it due to clinical and observational data? The latter makes sense, but if it's indoctrination of a dogma in favor of euthanasia then it's good to be suspect of the opinion.
Because people are fragile in an aged state (last three months of life) to take heroic efforts to save the life that would soon die anyway there could be a lot of damage, broken bones and continued conditions of suffering. Knowing this is what most doctors’ feel about them as they become (aged), taking heroic measures and questioning is it really worth it.
For me in the article the operative word is, "If they had an illness that would soon kill them.” We are not talking about getting older and getting cared for knowing that the care will give you one year or two years or three years or more of life. What we're talking about is we have entered into an age situation where that says within weeks, or days, or even hours death is imminent.  There is a difference between something that may save your life and give you life for a while and actions that are done that will only prolong death. Working through this ahead of time is important.
Not doing something that may give a person added years of your life but just because they're older care would be refused, that would be euthanasia. But giving care to the dying and allowing them to die as comfortable as possible is not euthanasia. Anyway that’s my take on on the subject, read the article for yourself and see what the doctors are saying.

What is that one thing? "I don't know?

I went to retirement dinner last night and had a good time. It was really nice to be supported by friends. The workplace is often an encouragement place for us as we go through life; it's given us years of means as well as opportunity to have a purposeful life. I have always thought that work often holds back the effects of the fall, sort of like working on a house and keeping it going. Work should improve the quality of our lives. Work often helps people as well as provide for their family. But there comes a time when we leave work and we call it retirement and move on. Early retirees think of it as moving into some fun years, but eventually it moves on the issues of aging and completing our life on this planet. Nobody talked about that at the retirement dinner nor have I heard the 2^nd part from the many who retired before me.

My reading an article today by Shelley Emling about sense of purpose as years to life and how appropriate thinks about that in light of retirement. In the first City Slickers movie, Jack Palance playing Curly tells his young city slicker Billy Crystal that he has to find one thing as he holds up his pointer finger to make sense of it all. Crystal asked him what is that one thing and Curly replies "I don't know." The one thing is different for everybody and Crystal would have to found out for himself what that one thing is.
It seems having purpose particularly after we leave work is very important for how long we live. And so I have a link to the article that you can read and maybe that will spark some thought you might find helpful. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/13/key-to-long-life_n_5315974.html

You know there is a sense in retirement that we have our own hours now that we can manage for ourselves that are not defined by work. One thing that happens in retirement is life goes on. And living takes work. One of the things I write about is now we have fewer excuses to take time for walking, swimming, biking, golf (walking not cart). Taking care of our health is part of retirement. Now that we are retired we can definitely use time to work on our health, exercise more, to enjoy food that’s healthy, and make sure we modify the Rocking-chair. All these good things that we can do in retirement I think still not the principal part of purposeful living.
There are things that are common that people think about it as to purpose but I think they're only part or not they're not the principal thing. One thing we might find value in our relationships with our children on grandchildren. Some view this as the principle or that one thing that holds things together. We've lived long enough to know that our family relationships can always be tested and we find our kids have moved on to their lives, we are a part of it but they have other concerns and interests. There will be too many times where we find ourselves alone and there is a need for us to continue living as well. So families play an important part of our senior years but they can’t be the principle part.

Not usually said first but should be is our relationship to our spouse. In retirement without work this relationship changes to a 24/7. There is no separation caused by work. Many couples aren’t ready for it. Similarly people are used to the free time they now have. Again this is another topic to explore. For now let’s see these things are a big part of retirement, but not the principle thing.   

Our friends may also be a part of a fuller experience of living. Our friends may move or be lost. I have great friends where I get together, call but because of distance not every day. Even local friends it is not every day. In retirement friends move on or pass and we actually need to make new bonds. This is very challenging but necessary. Making friends in retirement is a fascinating topic. Friendship is a part of retirement but not the principle one.

Living in a location where we might be stimulated and encouraged can also play apart. You know we might think of Florida, or Arizona, or the mountains. But it might be just as simple as repainting or remodeling our house. There are things that we have to be involved with and even if we move away otherwise we become isolated. To create a better living space, to enjoy the life for living should be in focus where ever we live.

Remember that index finger pointing up that Curly shared that one thing that's unique to each one of us. How do we discover what that one thing is?

I think it is good if a relationship with God is considered, but that journey I will talk about another time. Here I would like you to think of what are the things you find important. What is the one thing that gives you purpose.
Take time to explore this time to time because I think it's such a great subject. One thing we can do is just do

10 minutes of free association, Maybe what you call brainstorming. Get a paper, dictate, type for 10 minutes. Write down anything you want to do in the next five maybe 10 years. Don't edit just write, don't think just put down the things that come to your mind. They may be out there, crazy, wishful, write them down. I think this is where bucket list came into play, but don't even think about that just let the ideas come and write them down and nobody has to see them.
Look them over. Let them sit there for a while. Maybe in an hour or day come back to them, but do come back to them.  Now look at the things that you wrote, think about the important ideas 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. Don't scratch any of them out. Some of those things that seem to be wishful may indeed turn out to be the best things you wrote.

What are the things you want to do? What is it that is most important? Remember all the parts they have their place but what is it that drives you and will get you up each day. What are some of the things you still want to do? Hey now you got something that puts retirement together. Keep walking

A quiet Enemy

As we get older, there is an enemy that we can hardly see. That enemy is a sedimentary lifestyle. Reading one article from the New York daily news it's the most important contributor factor to heart disease in women between 30 to 90.

Writer David Matelot says "but is never too late to change your way of life and get more physically active. " http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/physical-activity-shown-important-life-article-1.1790363
 Get up and walk around every 30 minutes. Discover how household shores are good for you. Go for 10 minute walks or 5 minute walks. Use your counter to do push-up, dips which your legs are doing squats at the same time. Do lunges with a hand on a counter. It is amazing that these simple moves can help you get off the floor. Follow Doctor’s counsel but if your activity adds up to an hour a day you are on your way. I look at everything from dishes to mowing the grass as therapy.  Keep walking

Trust, Pray, Throw God our worries

Does the Bible condemn Worry?
I was reading an author talking about worry. He considered the question, does God condemn worry and anxiety? I believe God doesn't want us to worry or be consumed by it. But his concern for worry doesn't even come close to condemn. Read for yourself the following verses and I think you see God very much like the eternal counselor working with us through the concerns of our worries. see if you can follow my logic as I present the following Bible verses.
Note His support that works through the worry. See his logic as we trust in the Lord with our cares. Note every day has its own worries in Jesus realizes that himself. He faced fears and anxiety we little understand.
1. See the encouragement not to worry.
2. See the care that God himself insurers to give us as we face our problems. Far from condemning, God invites us to talk to him about it. Remember He Who never slumbers is there we need Him.
John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." 14:2-4 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will

drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
1 Corinthians 2:3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7, 10 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you... But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
If there is condemnation it comes from human sources not God. Worry is negative enough with out listening to some loon ranting and raving. Giving God your cares and trusting Him and getting a good night sleep helps with many of our fears. Fear can be real and based on things we need to fight or flee. Dealing with the worries of the day is enough. Counselors refer to being in the moment. They may have stumbled upon something.
Trust, praying and throwing God our worries are all acts of faith we need to apply. We may not be very good at these skills but they are things only we can do about our worries. Trust God because He is there and loves you; pray because He hears and answers; throw Him the worry, thought, or negative emotion because He is big enough to handle it. As you read the Psalms notice God always hears our complaints and arguments. Keep walking  

Growing into a care taker, it takes a man to do it, women are already capable.

There was a study from the University of Michigan that points out in sickness and health when we get sick and age divorce can rise to 50%. If the husband is sick the wife tends to be the caregiver, but if the wife is sick the husband tends to divorce. 
“We found that women are doubly vulnerable to marital dissolution in the face of illness,” Karraker said. “They are more likely to be widowed, and if they are the ones who become ill, they are more likely to get divorced.” : http://www.stonehearthnewsletters.com/how-illness-affects-divorce-risk-amelia-karraker/relationships/#sthash.DJLuIe9M.dpuf
"When the wives became ill, about 50 percent of the marriages ended in divorce," said study author Amelia Karraker, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. http://www.webmd.com/news/20140501/in-sickness-and-in-health-isnt-in-the-cards-for-many-women?src=RSS_PUBLIC

 In my blog I mainly track strategies that fight the three major things that will kill us, cardiovascular issues including heart and strokes, cancer, and diabetes. If we do things to prevent these things we are probably helping the things that kill us.
Why do guys cop out when wives get sick? Why are women better caregivers? Are our roles understood with the guy outside the home with relationships at work and the gal outside the relationships at work and into the care of the home and it's relationships? 
On TV relationships are hard because work is chosen over the relationship, but that may not ring true true to real life. 
Work plays a role in the care of the home, but it seems as we age guys in particular need to learn to refocus into the personal care of the family. Like the Grinch, Scrooge, his care muscles and skills may be too small. 
I think it is entirely possible that women are the stronger, smarter, emotionally able than men. 
Have you noticed in the commercials and media younger women matched with old goats. The Clipper Owner betrayed by one of his bimbos. The grandfather in the beer commercial dating someone who could be his granddaughter. All of the erectile dysfunction commercials have an older man with women many years younger. Why haven't we men learned to "rejoice with the wife of your youth"? Trade ins can't help us grow in love and care?
But also if we are weaker when it comes to care are there better solutions than as we age pick up a newer model to remind us we are still strong? 
Here are a few thoughts:
Take one day at a time
Reach out for others to help
Put the job in perspective, they will move on without you
Your care may be key in recovery
A life lived without regrets has great value
Focus on our battle with the big things such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and fast forward the four hour erection. Keep walking