It is possible that you do not consider yourself an old fat man.

It is possible that you do not consider yourself an old fat man. Certainly if you're at the fairer sex such a label would be awful. If you are younger some of the things I write about me do not directly pertain to you. But I would think that in your mind anyway you would like to reach a ripe old age.
To improve your opportunity to live to be older here are some things that you may find helpful:
1. Start where you are - The younger you are the more preventative medicine makes more sense.
2. Develop your own medical team. A good GP is a good place to start. Other medical personnel can be added to your own needs. Having a doctor that can overview your medicines, and help you manage your care can really be helpful. Because I've had people in my close family have heart trouble and my grandmother died of cancer all in her 60s I was mindful of my health risk when I was even younger. If you have risk factors don't wait start your medical team.
3. If you are in your 20s or 30s you may still be in competitive sports. And your fitness training may be geared for that. As you move into your 40s look at your fitness from a health perspective. You have been fit and active you have already have done some good choices to add years to your life. Thinking of fitness as it relates to health will create new challenges for you but you like the changes.
4. If you're somewhat sedimentary then there's nothing like today to start. Take time to research a good fitness plan that involves aerobic, strength training, and flexibility.
5. Change your mindset about food, "eat to live, not live to eat."
6 My blog has a tendency to develop from my experience. My experience may be helpful to you, but health is really a personalized program. Some of my ideas may be very helpful, others may need to be modified, and others may be disregarded for something better. I am coming at this thing as one who is trying to improve my health. My awareness is from that perspective. I am not a medical expert. But I do investigate and do my best to research what I write about so I hope I am not wasting your time. Always check with your medical team for the things you need.
7. When you look for information that can be the most helpful don't leave your mind behind. You are in charge of the information at your disposal. This includes decisions that you make at the doctor’s office, articles, books, or digital information that you read. You are in charge of your health nobody can do it for you. If something smells like snake oil, it is likely a scam, be aware of it. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably isn't true. Sometimes when we are really hurting we could fall prey to scams.
Remember the earlier you start to care for your health, the more years you add to your life. The quality of your life for however long it may last will be better. Keep walking

God is there in the dark moments

Sea crash where Spaffords lose their children

When you read Job 1 you will see Job lost everything dear to him. The result of the loss sent Job into a depression, chapter 2. To make matters worse Job's counsel is weeks of listening to negative voices. This is easy to do when you are depressed. Depression has its own outlook that is very dangerous. The circumstances of depression have to be considered and healing has to take place as we cope the realities of loss. We shouldn’t under play these circumstances, they are real and horrible. Each one of us would be deeply affected. 
You may be aware of the hymn "It is well with my Soul," written by Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) After losing home and investment to the Chicago fire in 1871, he sought recover for him and his family by taking a mission trip to England with D. L. Moody. He sent his family ahead as he cared for unfinished business and received a telegram from his wife "Saved alone". His four daughters drowned at sea.  Sailing to reunite with his wife he penned the hymn, "It is Well with My Soul."

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain It is well, with my soul, It is well, with my soul, It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That

Spafford's life in Chicago 1870, before the trials

Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord! Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.

One might think that as the story goes I know everything works out. But sometimes the pain continues and the problems present themselves.

Words put together and published by 1873. P. P. Bliss wrote the music in 1876.  Spafford's life continues. He and his wife would have three more children. One more child would die in childhood. He did move to Jerusalem to set up a children’s home with the hope to become a overcomer. He dies of malaria which leaves his mind in a delusional state. His hymn has been a great encouragement to many. He struggled later with faith yet moved forward with the Lord. His work in Jerusalem, The American Colony is well known for their care of those in need. This work is still going on today. His wife and daughter worked in to the Old city until 1968. Horatio taught Jewish boys from 1882 to 1888.

Acknowledge the loss, and give time to heal
by faith trust as you move forward

It seems obvious that we can underplay circumstances that are significant. We do have losses and sorrows. They can add up to really affect how we live and behave. But the real the real story behind "It is Well with My Soul" Horatio Spafford wrote was that despite his struggles he did move forward. He found hope in the Lord. He did in the last years of his life seek to help others. He used his talents, directed the business he was in.  He went from a lawyer to an educator and an administrator that cared for children. His struggle along with his wife's was significant. The stresses add up and add malaria, and possible brain illness as he aged and he experiences mental confusion and early death at 60. Healing and wholeness happens in glory. The truth of the song he wrote is not just when things go right but God is there when things go horribly wrong. Keep walking

Making progress strength training is possible

Let’s keep it real, for a couple weeks now that I've been using a suspension strengthening device. It is a device that can easily be modified level to include in 100 different exercise moves. It also can give an opportunity to do strength training when you go on a walk in trail. When on vacation or travel it can easily be packed and used. Along with other exercises that we use our own bodies for you can have confidence that indeed you're helping strengthening your body. The device can be used and can be rather inexpensive.
YouTube several videos that people have produced about suspension training. Look at them first and see what they're doing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yep5YcPdG18

Then keep in mind that you don't have to do it the same way they do it. A couple of videos help me see how to take breaks between exercises. You are in control and you don't have to have the same type of Navy seal work out that some of the videos are showing. There are workouts that can challenge the most condition athlete. There are also ways to modify the movement to your fitness level and age. The closer your feet are to an upright position the easier it is. For example you can do a push-up standing upright from the wall or harder as you move your feet back.

Many of us are rethinking how we move throughout the day. If we take a 30 minute walk and then sit

down all day it is not that good for us. But if we stand a little more, add a couple shores, do  gardening, go shopping, get out a few times that 30 minute walk is wonderful. If you're like me and you do things that are sedimentary reading, research, and writing. So I hang my suspension rope from my door and I do a set of moves and later another set of moves. Right now I am experimenting what I can do and what I can’t. I already have my old man workouts using the counter, bed, chair and stairs for sit-ups, push-ups, squats, jumps, heel raises, dips, and lunges. There are also band workouts or weights. Variety is no problem. Doing 3 or 4 at a time is quick and easy.
Finding ways to exercise when you're older isn't difficult at all. We don't have to do the kind routines that an athlete would do at 20 or 30. And just about every kind of exercise we can modify so that we are getting the benefit of the resistance and the moving of it.

When researching workouts when you see pictures of young and fit people they look good. The older we get it seems we are a little out of place. But here are some facts. We can slow down the loss of muscle and bone density. At the Cooper Aerobic Center in Dallas there is research from all over the world that we can actually add muscle into our 90’s.

In clothes, muscle looks better than fat. Increasing our flexibility and strength as we age helps us enjoy life and I think improve how we look. If we see life from the inside out, how we feel about ourselves is what counts. On the outside we are older, so what! On the inside we are alive! So take a look at suspension training, it could be one more tool in your arsenal of health. Resistance bands I know can be as well as light weights. We need it more as we get older. Search the web, check with your doctor and keep walking.

Sex in Assisted living an "OOOH" moment

Your in trouble now buddy!

I imagine everybody will at least laugh a little bit in my article today. But Paula Span for the New York Times wrote an article Sex in Assisted Living: Intimacy Without Privacy.
Older bodies having sex is something that has what I call “oooh” response! It does remind me of Billy Crystal recounting the story when he discovered his parents having an intimate moment on the kitchen table. From a child's point of view that's an "oooh" moment! Another person might think “icky pooh”.
But apparently this is a problem in assisted living. Older couples are often interrupted by people coming in at any time of the day. Lack of privacy and even lack of respect can become part of an issue. Health and dementia cause various problems to be sure.
But living and the experience of life you know continues for a long time and with some couples they can remain in relationship sexually into their 90s. In our youth orientated society we are uncomfortable with older people and thinking you know of them in sexual situations. Seniors raised in the 30’s, 40,s and 50’s have different values from the baby boomers starting to moving into these communities.
Often married couples and romantic couples are moved away from each other into different rooms, or even at different tables in the dining room. While I think this is probably good with situations that are abusive or unwanted; I think it's a violation rights for those that are consensual. Married couples I believe have to be handled with dignity and respect. Health for one or both may be a problem.

If you have read the Bible Abraham (100) and Sarah (90) were intimate and Abraham, David and others were old when they were intimate with others. Sex has always had its complications.
A sexual life is a reality for those who have health for long time. And we should expect it and encourage healthy sexual life whenever possible. I value marriage. Romance is not only good for the soul but its also good for the heart. And it's good for our immune systems which fight cancer and also it helps with diabetes.
Aging and health may also put a decline to sexual activity with people and we need to be understanding.
There are problems with a growing number of sexually-transmitted diseases. Dementia often causes a breakdown of inhibitions. And while there is sexual activity that is consensual there's also sexual activity that is not. Anyway it's a part of living and that living continues. Read Paula Span’s article and think through both the living well and problems that may occur. Get over “oooh”! Keep walking

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/10/sex-in-assisted-living-intimacy-without-privacy/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Another article about life style change – can do it but it is hard

http://todayiwill.com/

Cost are high for autism care

Disabilities, the final frontier. These are the voyages we take. Our ongoing mission: to explore the different worlds of people with disabilities, to seek out better ways and new strategies, to boldly go where disability people have never gone before.

When it comes to the world of disabilities I like going to the optimism that's found in the Star Trek stories. We can never really forget that it's an ongoing struggle and there are disappointments and failures that can and do occur. Yet I believe that all of the money that's put into the exploration and searching for answers for the people with disabilities, I believe that helps us all. The science and technology that goes into the devices to give the handicap greater access to their world are the kind of thing that is used for all of us when we encounter injury or older age. This same knowledge eventually will be used by everybody. I read a study that puts a big tag on the cost of autism by CBS news and also reported by WebMD. I have included links for you to read the articles. For each child with autism the cost can be $1.4 million to 2.4 million dollars. I don't have the numbers but I think it cost a lot of money just to live in America or Great Britain where these studies were done.

Do we pay back care given to us? As a kid I had an operation done by a specialist. I was in a week in the hospital and cared for at home for 7 weeks. The lady who cared for me was from Briton. In 8th grade I was in the hospital for dehydration for a week. At 55 I was in again for 9 days and 57 and 58 I was treated for depression. I was a preemie and was in care for six weeks at birth. Over 40 years I have cared for others but I think I cost more than my worth. I am talking rubbish but I think that is what we will hear as health care moves from a benefit to a society cost. Go over what it has cost to care for you. When mom came to help with your new born, spouse took time off to care for you? We can get pretty expensive. In our life have we not seen care improve and benefit everybody. We pay a lot for our sports heroes but because we want them back in the game, healthcare has benefited all of us. Compare the surgery of Gayle Sayers with the micro procedures done today. Medicine is a big factor in the quality of life and longevity of life we have today. Don't think it is all lifestyle changes which I think is important.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-puts-a-price-tag-on-the-lifetime-cost-of-autism/

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20140609/autisms-costs-can-run-into-millions-for-one-person?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Some basic things I did to return to mental health

This is the second part of how I dealt with mental illness. It took time and effort and it was well worth it. Experiencing depression and anxiety is awful and to find relief and health is pretty impressive. In walking with the fat man, one of the things I try to do is share some of the things that I've done to improve my health. And when it comes to mental illness I think it's important for me to be strong on the subject. Mental illness in my opinion has taking on the added burden of moral quality which I think can interfere with the progress of it. 
It is true that the way we think, and behave, and socially interact with each other comes down to our spiritual and our mental health. Even now we get along with others plays into this subject. But I think there are things like our personality, and a behavior, and even our thinking which is not affected by some form of disability or dysfunction of the brain. A healthy person can choose to be a jerk. A healthy person can choose to miss behave.
But like many things in our body it is quite possible that things go wrong. Sometimes things like depression can come on because of aging, I read a recent article where it' reported that 25% of people who are 63 suffer from chronic depression. In my opinion it's unreasonable to think that in the same way our body breaks down whether it's our bones, muscles, nervous system, organs, and certainly our brain has issues as we move along in life. One of our reactions to this kind of problem is hiding our condition and keeps things secret. People may do this when they come across various heart complaints for example. Rather than deal with that by going to a doctor; they fearfully will ignore it and sometimes suffer tragic consequences.  So rather than hide from it or ignore it, I chose to get help and deal with it as best I can.
First, it wasn’t just my evaluation that I needed help, but my family also took note of my problem and

let me know their input. Secondly, it was agreed that I would seek the best help possible. I knew from my looking around that I wanted to go to a hospital outside my area which had a good reputation for helping people. I knew that they would aggressively apply their knowledge to my situation and I wouldn’t just be sitting around resting. I wanted to do something about my insomnia, and long-term depressive state that I was in, and I also wanted to relook at anger issues and things like that.

Third, while I was in the hospital I kept the big picture in mind and I didn't bother myself with all the little quirky things that people do in the hospital. My roommate was an older gentleman who was struggling with dementia. He had this thing to steal everything and put it in his closet, particularly he focused on diet Pepsi cups that they use in the drinks. He would steal things of mine but I had the inside track. When he left the room and on his treasure hunt I would just go in the closet and got my stuff and put it back into my area. I dressed simply and just had a few things so it was easy to keep track of. In return this kind old gentleman did me a favor by going to bed every night at 9 o'clock at night and he would sleep until nine in the morning. This allowed me a quiet room at night where I could read and begin to deal with the sleep medicine that I needed to do. They asked if I would like to move to another room, but I said “No, I got this I'm okay.” Along with flexibility my devotions were simple and God was with me through it all. I knew I was dealing with a illness and not sin.
Fourth, I focused on what I had to do and I learn from others. After a couple days the doctors felt that I would benefit from a day program. The day program was perfect. I was being monitored as to my medicines, and I was learning and dealing with things, and I could practice them at home where I had the support of my family to help me. In particular not believing the lies of depression and learning ways to distract from anxiety to disarm anxieties grip on me.
Since medicine was a part of my treatment one thing that really helped was to drink plenty of water. I was able to continually process the medicine and at no time did I feel strange or tired with it. But I was able to sleep for the first time in several years and I continued to make progress dealing with depression and anxiety.
Two years later I went back into the day program where my medicine was readjusted and I was able to look at particularly post-traumatic stress. Overall I have dealt with depression pretty good, and I really overcome anxiety. I continue to learn about chemical imbalances, post-traumatic stress, and anxiety.  I practice many things I have learned in therapy and in my research. It takes a combination of working on your therapy and medicine to be successful with something that's really is a mental illness problem.
Three things I know I do not want to define my life as I move on is one, I do not want to live in depression and two, I want to be able to sleep on normally and third thing, I want to make sure post-traumatic stress doesn't define my behavior. I see a psychiatrist every three months, and that may change down the road one way or another.
Are my problems in remission? Or have I been healed? I would say a little of both. But I do feel that I have become healthier. One I think medication is helped. I also think that group therapy was very insightful. I learned a lot from other people going through similar struggles and how they were dealing with it or not dealing with it. Having therapy and reading new material I found very helpful. I was trained years ago in psychology and it was kind of fun to update myself on stuff going on today.
Don't you find that kind of fascinating yourself as you deal with your health problems? A friend of mine recently had cataract surgery; think about how cataract surgery was done 50 years ago. We are really come along way. In mental health I think there's been a lot of progress. If there is one thing I could take away from the process it would be for anyone not to be ashamed, or guilty over having a problem. The true numbers of health are out there and there are a lot of people in the same boat.
It took seven weeks of some type of outpatient care. It took professional help from several doctors who treated me. There were many hours of therapy that I was involved with. But if you think about any possible disease that can take your life there are similar investments of time and energy in overcoming those problems.
And so the fat man walks in finding something worthwhile to keep going and maybe encouraging other people. Keep walking

One thing that gives us hope is hanging around positive people.

Ann Menshel walking in The Big Horn Mts.

You know hope is a powerful motivation. And having hope that tomorrow will be a better day is a good thing.

One thing that gives us hope is hanging around positive people. The other day I went with my mother-in-law to a senior luncheon. The food was tasty and simple and the people there were talking with their friends in their subgroups. The room was loud with laughter and talk. There were more women there then men. We talked to people around us. And during the dinner they had a guitar player singing a lot of the old songs from the 50s through the 70s. The songs of reminded me of the songs that we used to play at the TMH dinners down at JT Central. Mentally handicapped children know the old songs of their parents. There was a lot of line dancing because typically the women dance and the guys just sit as wallflowers. Not much different than high school. It may be one of the reasons why women live longer. As the seniors dance I couldn't help but notice that they shed off the old small steps and became a lot younger again.
Seeing first hand a social event where there was a little walking and lots of talking and laughter. All this was in my mind when I read “Older Adults Benefit from Positive Social Networks”

By RICK NAUERT PHD Senior News Editor: http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/05/29/older-adults-benefit-from-positive-social-networks/70510.html
Overall having regular interactions with family and friends and being involved in several different social networks appear to help older adults be healthier.
But not all social interactions are healthy. Hanging around negative people it is discovered can bring on hypertension or high blood pressure, or even depression and a general unhappiness. Interesting I have sort of discovered that on my own. There are negative people who have excessive demands, criticism, and are basically a kind of a disappointment. With such people we have to learn to set up boundaries or in some cases it's just better to not even make a contact at all.

Seeking out positive people and avoiding negative people is the five dollar tip of the day. A good read on the subject is Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No, Take control of your life, By Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend.
There is other kinds of behavior that might involve smoking or drinking alcohol and these behaviors have a negative impact on the on the quality of our life and even our mortality. So here we have the positive social behavior but there are complications. We can overeat, over drink and be around second hand smoke or smoke ourselves. We may enjoy the situation but behaviors are not good for us. How can we reduce our risk? We could stay clear of such outings. Or we could take steps to improve the outing. With eating and drinking be moderate. One ¾ plate no more and no more than two drinks a day. Decide to quit smoking yourself and find ways to deal with second hand smoke. Meet in places where inside smoking is prohibited and the smoker has to go outside. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation.

Food for church groups can be toxic for their health. We have traded cigarettes and drinking for food. Getting together is good but food can and does make it harmful. Reduce protein to the size of your palm. Reduce your carbs. Surround your plate with fruits and veggies. Stick to one helping. As you stick to your plan, in time watch those encouraged by your example. Bring tasting healthy food to potlucks. Think of ways you can eat healthier at events so that you can max the blessing of the fellowship. Keep walking