Exercise can help

you sleep at night

Julian Georgiou, Healingtalks Contributing Writer

(Healingtalks)  Dramatic statistics tell us that more than one-third of U.S. adults have trouble falling asleep at night or staying alert during the day.

Inadequate sleep has been linked to many ills, including depression, cardiovascular disease and other health problems. Getting a good night’s sleep regulates moods, aids memory functions, plus concentration, learning, and focus. It is a critical factor in health, weight and energy levels (Davila, 2009).

So what to do?

Let’s explore combining a healthy diet and a regular exercise program.

Real links between exercise and sleep

Scientists at Northwestern University conducted a study which showed that those who exercised reported their sleep quality improved immensely. They also reported fewer depression symptoms, more vitality, and less sleepiness during the daytime. ‘By improving sleep, they were able to improve physical and mental health as well as the ability to fight diseases

Exercise timing

The type and timing of your exercise makes a difference.

A light morning exercise, like running or walking outside,  can relieve stress, improve mood and impact sleep at the end of the day. Exposure to natural light in the morning reinforces your body’s sleep-wake cycle. Waking up earlier and walking or bicycling to work could help your overall vitality and quality of sleep (Virdil, 2011).

To affect your sleeping habits even more, vigorous late afternoon or early evening exercise is recommended. Exercise too close to bedtime and you can have a negative impact because your body’s temperature needs time to cool down. The exact time it takes can vary from person to person so a trial and error approach could be taken. The decrease in body temperature appears to be a trigger that helps ease you into sleep (Virdil, 2011).

Exercise types

The type of exercise is also important. Virdil recommends a 20 minute cardiovascular workout to get the heart pumping. It will make a difference to the depth of sleep. Also it’s best to choose an activity you love to do for your routine. It shouldn’t be  burden.  Having fun greatly betters the chance that the exercise is maintained.

Exercise for life

Healthy eating and regular exercise are essential for a good life. To recap, the benefits of exercising includes; better sleep, greater weight control, improved immunity, less mood swings, higher levels of energy, and even a better sex life. Lastly it can be fun. So let get with it! Exercise regularly for better sleeping and which then leads to better living.

Related Articles

Secrets To Sleeping Soundly

Tips for a good night’s sleep

Few Simple Tips to Help Fall Asleep Faster

Video

References

Virdil, D, 2011, How to Fall Asleep,

Hendrick, B,  09/17/10, Exercise Helps You Sleep, Regular Aerobic Exercise May Help Insomniacs

Davila, D, December, 2009, Diet, Exercise and Sleep

Dotinga, R, 12/1/11, Study: More exercise could make for better sleep

Keywords

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Dangerous caffeine

overload

in athletic sports

or “energy” drinks

Julian Georgiou, Healingtalks Contributing Writer

(Healingtalks) When life couldn’t get any faster perhaps all that’s missing is a triple dose of caffeine?

Today’s best source of caffeine is a growing selection of energy drinks. The sale of these drinks has grown to become an 8 billion dollar industry, according to USA Today reports,  because so many young athletes are using these as fluid replacement drinks (such as Gatorade) – and with potentially lethal doses of caffeine.

What does caffeine actually do?

Caffeine initiates uncontrolled neuron firing in your brain.

This excess neuron activity triggers your pituitary gland to secrete a hormone that tells your adrenal glands to produce adrenalin. Adrenalin is what gives athletes that winning burst of energy, though historically adrenalin is the source of our “fight-or-flight” or danger avoiding response (Cherniske, 2008). Professional alike are taking to these drinks to enhance both their mental and physical states.

Caffeine as an addictive drug

Abstinence from any physical addiction causes withdrawal symptoms.

In the case of caffeine symptoms experienced from 12-51 hours include as headache, fatigue, decreased energy, decreased alertness, drowsiness, depressed mood, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and fuzzy headed (Kovacs, Caffeine). This the feeling Cherniske refers to as the ‘Caffeine Blues’. Traditionally the source of caffeine came from a cup of coffee at around 100mg per 8oz and where energy drinks such as NOS, Spike Shooter and Wired X 344 contain between 260mg to 244mg of caffeine per 16oz – not to mention the high sugar content and other questionable ingredients.

Dangers of caffeine exposed

An overdose of caffeine causes anxiety, nervousness, sleep problems, elevated blood pressure, and heart palpitations (Fryhofer, 2011). Cherniske calls your body’s constant state of alert “caffeinism,” which is characterized by fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbance, irritability and depression. The list goes on of dangerous consequences of caffeine intoxication – such as seizures, mania, stroke, liver damage, kidney and respiratory problems, seizures, and agitation, as well as heart rhythm disturbances, heart failure, high blood pressure, and rhabdomyolysis (Fryhofer, 2011).

This is essentially why these drinks “should not be consumed before, during or after physical activity as they can raise the risk of dehydration and increase the chance of potentially fatal heat illnesses’ (Norwood, 2011).

Mixing caffeine and alcohol

Another dangerous practice is the mixing of caffeine and alcohol. Alcohol is a sedative. Caffeine, on the other end of the spectrum of psychoactive drugs, is a stimulant. As caffeine can reduce the sedative effects of alcohol, this may allow someone to drink for longer periods of time (Greenemier, 2010). This common practice among young adults is a recipe for alcohol poisoning and severe dehydration.

Four Loko, an drink with up to 6-12% alcohol along with a high amount of caffeine and has been known to make people pass out. It can be lethal.

Final thoughts

The FDA limit for caffeine in cola drinks is set at two hundredths of a per cent (0.02%), a max of 71 mg per 12 ounce serving. Scientists and many parents wonder why this doesn’t apply to energy drinks (Fryhofer, 2011). Red Bull was the first sports energy drink that hit the U.S. market in 1997 (Norwood, 2011) – creating the potential for increased health risks.

References

Sandra A. Fryhofer, MD, 03/24/11, Caffeinated Energy: Drinks With Dangers

Larry Greenemeier  11/09/10 Why Are Caffeinated Alcoholic Energy Drinks Dangerous?

Robyn Norwood, 12/02/11, Young athletes and energy drinks: A bad mix?

Dani Veracity, 10/11/05, The hidden dangers of caffeine: How coffee causes exhaustion, fatigue and addiction

Betty Kovacs, Caffeine

About Four – Wikepedia article

Stephen Cherniske, 12/01/08, Caffeine Blues: Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America’s #1 Drug

Related Articles

Coffee whats the verdict is it good or bad for us

Coffee illusions What the magic brew does to your brain

What’s in a cup of coffee

Keywords

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7 Highly Effective

Fitness Habits

By Nathan Batalion, Global Health Activist, Editor Healingtalks

(Healingtalks) In the popular book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey points out seven effective habits that will change your life. It’s a popular book in the business world but why stop there? Let’s apply his habits to health and fitness.

Habit 1:

Be Proactive

Everything that you do, from sleep, to food, dealing with stress, and exercise, affects the health of your body and involves choices.Choose to go back for a second helping of Thanksgiving dinner, and there is a consequence. Take a month off of exercise – consequence. Being proactive means simply that you understanding ALL your choices impact your goals.

Habit 2:

Begin with the End Goal in Mind

Setting goals is the only way to get to where you’re going. Have you ever just gotten in your car, and started driving without a goal or destination? Did you end up where you wanted to go? Try this exercise. Get a piece of paper and a pen. Turn the paper long ways, and put a dot on either end of the paper. Now, put the point of the pen on one of the dots. While looking only at the point of the pen, draw a line to the other dot. Now, draw two new dots, and do the exercise again, only this time only look at the dot on the other side of the paper. When done, look at which line is straighter, and has fewer squiggles.

Habit 3:

Put First Things First or Prioritize

In all aspects of life, we must prioritize. You should take a weekly and even daily inventory of what those things are.
After completing Habit #2, your health and fitness should be included somewhere on this list. Depending on just how important your health and fitness is to you will determine its place on said list. Good idea to number your priorities on a short scale say 1-4. Then rearrange the list with all 1’s together, etc. Each day, those 1’s have to get done. When those are done, go to the 2′s, etc. If you get to any of the 4’s that’s, awesome. If not, they will wait.

Habit 4:

Think Win-Win

Including others into your goals in a win-win way. Get together with friends, workers, and family to run, take hikes, have healthy meals, go to the gym, etc.

Habit 5:

Seek to Understand, Rather Than to Be Understood

Don’t preach or try to look superior.  When exercising with other people; everybody has different skills and abilities. Some may not be able to keep up with you, or you with them.  Understand what you know,  while being thoughtful and respectful to others – and later this may lead to others wanting to know what you know.

Habit 6:

Synergize

Find strengths in others and put them to use for the benefit of the team. If you did habit 4 and 5, you probably already have some people in mind that can help you out. Look for unique skills in others that can be brought together. Now you run with the neighbor on Tuesday, lift weights with the receptionist’s husband on Thursday, and play b-ball with your cousin on Saturday.

Habit 7:

Sharpen

If you use a saw it will go dull over time. If you sharpen it, it will again cut wood. Constantly change things around, the way you exercise, detox, meditate, and eat. keep things alive. Don’t fall into a dead, mechanical routine.  Change training partners and settings.
Keep things fresh. If you do this your body, mind and spirit will be challenged to adapt and to reach new heights.

Also here is the author’s audio on the 8th Habit!

Keywords: seven habits of successful people, 7 habits of effective people,  7 successful habits, habits of highly successful people, 7 habits of highly effective people.

Based on an article by Todd Boyer at PhitZone.com

Keywords: Effective fitness habits, fitness habits, life style fitness, live for fitness, habits for health, fitness routines, ways to exercise, ways to build muscles, simple fitness

Forget the Treadmill

Get a Dog

Since we here at Healingtalks.com very passionately and creatively advocate a “life-centered vision of nature” (in the spiritual tradition of so many tribal cultures that preceded our Industrial Age and preserved the Earth), there now is a great charm to our having a nimble, four-legged, heart-bonding, running, walking dog companions….rather than dead-weight metallic treadmills and to keep us otherwise so spiritlessly moving.

For emotional health, running/walking with your dog can potentially get those heart-strings moving as well…. along with legs and arms.

Nathan Batalion CTN

Exercise Mistake

That’s Proven to

Damage Your Heart

From the NYT with comments by Dr. Mercola

Disturbing Heart Health Finding Among Older Athletes

Not long ago, researchers studied the heart health of a group of very fit older athletes — men who had been part of a national or Olympic team in distance running or rowing, and runners who had completed at least a hundred marathons. The results were unsettling — half of these lifelong athletes showed evidence of heart muscle scarring.

The affected men were invariably the ones who had gone through the longest, hardest training. And now a new study, this time in laboratory rats, provides solid evidence of a direct link between certain kinds of prolonged exercise and heart damage — scarring and structural changes, similar to those seen in the human endurance athletes.

Summary Conclusion of Heart Health Study

The research effectively shows that years of strenuous cardiovascular exercise can damage your heart.

According to the New York Times:

“Unfortunately, it remains impossible, at the moment, to predict just what that threshold is for any given person, and which athletes might be most vulnerable to heart problems as a result of excessive exercise”.
Sources:

New York Times March 9, 2011

The Journal of Applied Physiology February 17, 2011 [Epub Ahead of Print]
Circulation 2011;123:13-22

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
COMMENTS: by Dr. Mercola

Before I discuss this study I believe it is important to review my personal history with exercise so you can understand where I am coming from.

I started running in 1968 and ran for over 40 years before I stopped. During medical school I was a member of the University of Chicago Track Club and ran a 2:50 marathon. I was competitive on a local level and won a few races, so I have some experience with intense aerobic training.

I am excited about these studies as they really are groundbreaking for their scientific documentation of what many of us have been warning you about for some time now on exercise. The vast majority of those who exercise are choosing to do some form or aerobic or cardio activity. This research now supports the notion that this choice [in some circumstances involving a large amount]is  not your best one over the long run.

By focusing on extreme examples we can tease out some of the truth when it comes to exercise. These studies help explain why well-trained professional athletes can suddenly die from heart failure.

Example of Albrto Salazr

One of the best American marathon runners ever, Alberto Salazer, nearly died from a heart attack at the age of 49.

I remember when Alberto won the New York City Marathon in 1981 and apparently broke the world record at the time with a 2:08:13.  Unfortunately the course was later found to be short by 147 yards and the record was taken away. However he was still one of the fastest distance runners in the world and you simply don’t get much more aerobically fit than he was.

This is a powerful lesson to anyone who engages in large amounts of cardio exercise, because as it turns out, conventional cardio may actually be counterproductive… So, although most people who read this are not exercising nearly enough, it’s still important to understand that it is indeed possible to over-exercise—especially if your primary focus is on traditional cardio.

Research emerging over the past several years has now given us a whole new understanding of what your body requires in terms of exercise, and many of our past notions have been turned upside-down.

Extreme Life-long Cardio Exercise May Damage Your Heart

In the first study mentioned above, published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in February, researchers recruited a group of extremely fit older men. All of them were members of the 100 Marathon club, meaning athletes who had completed a minimum of 100 marathons. Their ages ranged from 26 to 67, and all of them had trained vigorously throughout adulthood.

The control group consisted of 20 healthy men over 50, but none of them were endurance athletes.

The New York Times reported that:

“The different groups underwent a new type of magnetic resonance imaging of their hearts that identifies very early signs of fibrosis or scarring, within the heart muscle. Fibrosis, if it becomes severe, can lead to stiffening or thickening of portions of the heart, which can contribute to irregular heart function and, eventually, heart failure.

The results, published online… in The Journal of Applied Physiology, were rather disquieting.

None of the younger athletes or the older non-athletes had fibrosis in their hearts. But half of the older lifelong athletes showed some heart muscle scarring. The affected men were, in each case, those who’d trained the longest and hardest. Spending more years exercising strenuously or completing more marathon or ultramarathon races was, in this study, associated with a greater likelihood of heart damage.”

Link Between Elite Cardio Training and Heart Scarring

Still, there were questions about whether the extreme training itself had caused the heart damage. Additional answers were found in another study, this one done on rats, which, according to the New York Times “provides the first solid evidence of a direct link between certain kinds of prolonged exercise and subtle heart damage.”

Recently published in the journal Circulation, the study was designed to mimic the strenuous daily exercise load of serious marathoners over the course of 10 years. All the rats had normal, healthy hearts at the outset of the study.

At the end, most of them had developed “diffuse scarring and some structural changes, similar to the changes seen in the human endurance athletes.”

The point is, too much of something that is normally good for you can have the reverse effect. This is a profound concept; so much so that one researcher even wrote a book about it, called The Reverse Effect. It is a fascinating book that is absolutely counterintuitive, yet makes more sense today in light of more recent discoveries within the field.

So, what does all of this mean for you?

Again, unless you’re engaged in high-level or elite endurance training, this information may be of little value—you certainly shouldn’t use it to further avoid exercising at all! Exercise is absolutely necessary for high-level wellness, but reducing your risk of heart disease is usually not the main reason you exercise.

Reasons To Exercise

• Exercise makes you feel better, gives you a high
  
• Exerise helps keep your weight at an optimal level
• Exercise is one of the best treatments for insomnia
• Exercise reduces insulin resistance
• Exercise is a  wonderful aid in the treatment of depressionSo the reasons to exercise are many. If you start slow, and most importantly, listen to your body, you shouldn’t run into the problem of exerting yourself excessively. If you’re a serious athlete, however, you may want to revisit and reconsider how you train.

4 Steps to

Your Perfect Pace

By Jeff Galloway
Originally published in Runner’s World

When you run within your limits, every workout can be a pleasure. But start even a few seconds per mile too fast, and misery awaits: excess fatigue, loss of motivation, or even injury. That’s why it’s so important to know what pace is right for you. Happily, by doing a simple “magic mile” time trial, you can find the best speed for your runs, then set realistic goals and keep running—enjoyably—forever.

Run One Mile Hard

Go to a track and jog an easy lap or two for a warmup. Walk for three to four minutes. Then time yourself running four laps, which is about one mile. Don’t run all out; just push a little faster than you usually do. Record your time. By running on a track—which is flat and provides the most accurate measurement of distance—you’ll get a solid indication of your top speed. You can use it as a benchmark to determine what pace is appropriate for your current fitness level on daily runs. Do the time trial every two weeks or so; try to beat your previous time, and track your progress.

Slow Down Every Day

On your daily runs, aim to run two to three minutes slower per mile than your magic mile time. So if you do your magic mile in 10 minutes, aim to keep your pace around 12 to 13 minutes per mile on daily runs. At the perfect pace, you should feel comfortable and relaxed—like you can finish a sentence without having to catch your breath. If you’re huffing and puffing, ease off. Don’t worry about going too slow.

Set Race Goals

Signed up for a race? Use the magic mile to set realistic goals for different distances. Add 33 seconds to your mile time to determine a pace for a 5K. Multiply your mile time by 1.15 for a 10K, 1.2 for a half-marathon, and 1.3 to predict your marathon potential.

Get Used To It

At a race, you’ll get the best results if you try to maintain a steady pace from start to finish. Here’s how to practice: Once a week, try to run your goal race pace for a half to three-quarters of a mile. Each quarter mile, check your pace and adjust if you need to. Each week, run a little farther at your goal pace until you’re running one-third to one-half of the race distance.

Time Trial

If you can run one mile in 10 minutes, here’s your pace for other distances.

Distance: 5K
Pace per mile: 10:33

Distance: 10K
Pace per mile: 11:30

Distance: Half-Marathon
Pace per mile: 12:00

Distance: Marathon
Pace per mile: 13:00 

Comment

Great advice on how to set a race pace, a goal to work for in your training.

Cardiovascular exercise is important because it improves circulation and thus works to help all other aspects of natural healing – assisting nutrition, speeding detoxification, and giving you some feel good moments for inner support.

Nathan Batalion CTN

Guidelines For

Optimal Aerobic

Exercise

By Dr. Mercola

Research has shown that replacing long cardio sessions with shorter, high-intensity burst-type exercises, such as Peak 8, actually produces GREATER results and in far less time!

Four years ago, the American College of Sports Medicine issued new guidelines on exercise, stating it must be “tough” in order for you to reap physiological benefits. This may seem confusing to some of you, so let’s reiterate a couple of key points you should always keep in mind, namely moderation, and individualization.

That said, their updated guidelines falls in line with other research showing the superior health benefits of high-intensity exercise.

In essence, it’s the intensity, not the duration, that is critical for producing optimal results. But again, the optimal intensity will vary from person to person.

As described in my Peak 8 program, after a three minute warm up, you want to raise your heart rate up to your anaerobic threshold for 20 to 30 seconds, followed by a 90 second recovery period. Then repeat that cycle for a total of eight repetitions.

To perform the sprint portion properly, you will want to get very close to, if not exceed, your maximum heart rate by the last interval. Your maximum heart rate is calculated as 220 minus your age. (Keep in mind you’ll need a heart rate monitor to measure this as it is nearly impossible to accurately measure your heart rate manually when it is above 150.)

These cycles are preceded by a three minute warm up and one and a half minute cool down so the total time investment is about 40 minutes, but the actual sprinting totals only four minutes!

But how is it possible to get better results with less exercise?

The “Magic” Factor of High-Intensity Exercise

The reason for this is because high-intensity exercises engage a certain group of muscle fibers that you cannot engage through aerobic cardio, and these engaging these muscle fibers cause a cascade of positive health benefits.

First, you need to understand that you have three different types of heart muscle fibers:

1. Slow
2. Fast
3. Super-fast

We now know that in order to naturally increase your body’s production of human growth hormone (HGH), you must engage your super-fast heart muscle fibers.

HGH is a vital hormone that is KEY for physical strength, health and longevity.

Neither traditionally performed aerobic cardio nor conventional strength training will work anything but your slow muscle fibers, and hence has no impact on production of HGH. On the contrary, it can unfortunately cause the super fast fibers to decrease or atrophy, further impeding natural HGH production.

Power training or plyometrics burst types of exercises will engage your fast muscle fibers, but only high-intensity burst cardio, such as Peak 8 exercises, will engage your super fast fibers and promote HGH, and that is the “magic” factor that explains why it’s so much more beneficial for you than traditional aerobic cardio.

Benefits of Peak Fitness Exercises

Once you regularly participate in these 20 minute exercises about twice a week, most people notice that it allows you to:

• Lower your body fat
• improve muscle tone
• Firm your skin and reduce wrinkles
• Boost energy and sexual desire
• Improve athletic speed and performance
• Achieve your fitness goals faster

“Bullet-Proof” Your Heart with the Right Type of Exercise

The take-home message here is that one of the best forms of exercise to protect your heart is short bursts of exertion, followed by periods of rest.

By exercising in short bursts, followed by periods of recovery, you recreate exactly what your body needs for optimum health. Heart attacks don’t happen because your heart lacks endurance. Heat attacks happen during times of stress, when your heart needs more energy and pumping capacity, but doesn’t have it.

If you have a history of heart disease or any concern, please get clearance from your health care professional before you start doing Peak 8 exercises. However, most people of average fitness will be able to do them—it is only a matter of how much time it will take you to build up to the full 8 reps.

The beautiful thing about this approach is that if you are out of shape you simply will be unable to train very hard as the lactic acid will quickly build up in your muscles and prevent you from over stressing your heart.

 Related Articles

Groundbreaking News: Forced vs. Voluntary Exercise

Exercise Mistake That’s Proven to Damage Your Heart

Symptoms You Can’t Ignore – Exercise for improving superficial circulation and other remedies

If you want to follow alternative healing ways (avoiding at the same time drugs, surgery and radiation), here are some very simple preventive habits to follow. Basically you want the best of positive life forces to come into your body, the negative forces to leave, and both those process require keeping things moving, circulating, or alive. In between we need rest for both mind and body.

I – Start With A Good Night’s Sleep

It is really best to get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Research shows you will function better the next day and your health testing parameters, like blood sugar levels, will be relatively superior.

II – Have A “Light” Cleansing & Nourishing Breakfast

During sleep, your digestive and detox systems rest to revitalize. Don’t burden them immediately with a morning heavy meal. Leave that for a little later, especially at noon time when your digestive juices are strongest. I recommend first a glass of water and then some fresh, raw citric drink to help clear the digestive tract further as you start the day. Alternatively you can eat a high-water content fruit salad, or make a raw veggie juice or blend in the morning. Thinking a “light” breakfast doesn’t necessarily mean it lacks nutrient density. Thus veer more toward what is liquid, liquified, and has a high water-content. If you’re an athlete spike the breakfast with more carbs. Experiment and gauge the results.

III – Consider Quality Supplements

I prefer the powdery kind of supplements that are more easily absorbed when dissolved in water or juice. Thus I like to put my favorite protein, vitamin, mineral & green powders into some kind of a drink, blend or soup.

IV -Avoid Sugars

Don’t buy or add refined sugars to your meals. Try stevia for a substitute. A brute fact is that over a 100 million Americans are overweight and have elevated blood sugar levels.  They are generally hooked on sugar-filled soft-drinks, candies and snacks. Elevated blood sugar levels are the number one precursor and predictor of serious ailments like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

V -Hydrate

Bath, shower or otherwise cleanse at least twice a day. Also drink approximately half as many ounces of purified water as you weigh in pounds each day. So if you weigh 200 lbs, drink about 6 full 16 ounces glasses of water per day. Drink more if you are sweating a great deal due to exercise or being out in the hot sun.

VI – More Whole Organic , Fresh Veggies at Lunch and Dinner – Less Animal and Processed Foods

Add a fresh salad, other veggies or the equivalent in the form of juices/blends to your main meal. The China Study showed that if your caloric intake from animal proteins is more than 5% of your meals, you risk what are called the “diseases of affluence” such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Also reduce the quantity of all highly processed (junk) foods which includes refined oils. Dr. Esselstyne routinely monitors the reversal of heart disease and advises clients to avoid all processed oils.  This is because liquid fats are artificially extracted from a whole food they tend to oxidize quickly and then harm sensitive blood vessel linings. Fats, in minimal quantities, are best prepared from fresh and mostly vegan sources, such as in making nut and seed butters. Also consider flax, hemp and chia powders made fresh in a coffee grinder. Or consider getting your fats  from fresh avocados and olives. Lastly add “living” foods – soaked or sprouted (again nuts, seeds, beans and grains).

VII – Reduce Emotional, Physical, and Psychological Stress

Evaluate where your greatest external sources of stress are. Try to eliminate or reduce them. Stress will impact one’s overall physical immune system .  That system is what pulls together our innards to maintain health and wholeness. Living in a  more stress-less way brings us to this goal.

VIII – Exercise/Circulate

Exercise offers a controlled way of alternatively stressing and resting the body to ultimately harvest strength and endurance. Try to include 20 minutes to an hour of exercise every day. Research shows this greatly helps reduce the risk of most major illnesses. Sometimes when there are aches and pains in the body, the blood needs to circulate to those areas. Alternative hot and cold packs – and exercise.

IX – Detox

Our modern world is full of chemical toxins. Over a 100,000 are in general circulation. We get them through the air we breath, the foods we eat and whatever touches our skin. There are many ways to reduce this toxic burden. My favorite and the easiest is to use daily saunas. We can also resort to using enemas, colonics, water fasts, juice feasts and so on. I try to organize at least a week-long cleansing program each season.

X – Meditat/Think Deeply

Meditation is a kind of preventative for stress!  What I mean by that is when I mediate and gather  inner peace, I also tend not to knee-jerk react to various stresses of the day or in a mechanical way. I thus feed and strengthen my inner life force.  The focus of the meditation is either a) to be still within and at one or b) to gather together my goals and aspirations for the day. I like the do the former alone and the latter in a group setting. Each has immense value. Each helps to engender better health and quality of life. Secondly, reset your mind to think deeply, beyond superficial cultural influences.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

All of the above 10 simple daily health habits work synergistically together. Leave out one or the other, and all the rest may not work as well. For example, if the body has too toxic a load, no amount of nutrition will heal that. Emotional stress may throw everything else out of whack. So too lack of sleep.

These are the four most powerful keys to natural healing.

I love to run, whether indoors on a treadmill or outdoors in the woods or around a track.

Some of my friends, however, love to run just outdoors. They can’t think of doing it otherwise. Yet for me on a humid or rainy day (and in the winter when it snows or hails fiercely) I very much prefer using a treadmill, at home or in the gym. Using a treadmill is a great way to very consistently burn calories, lose weight, firm up your leg muscles, tighten the abs and keep your heart optimally healthy. Combine the use of cardiovascular workouts with good nutrition, periodic detoxes, and adequate rest and sleep – and you will be on your way to priceless healthy living. In this regard, a treadmill offers more control over the whole process as you can exactly set such parameters on the machine as speed, incline and even heart rate (when a heart monitor is built in or at hand).

Here are some tips for using your treadmill to best burn calories and improve overall circulation:

FOR THE BUSY PERSON – While on the treadmill, turn on an inspiring, entertaining or instructional audio/video or play your favorite upbeat music. Then you are exercising not only your body but also your mind and imagination. This is a great way to start off a day with a bang. You’ll also end up burning more calories because you’ll be looking forward to exercising more and more, as part of a rich multimedia experience.

THE HILLS, BRING ‘EM ON- Using a treadmill with an incline helps prevent shin splints in strengthening your knees. It also allows you to have a more intense workout to burn extra calories! For example, a 30-minute treadmill workout at a 10 minute pace will burn 270 calories. However, at a 15% incline it will burn 482 calories or about 80% more!

RUN WITH A BUDDY – If you plan to workout in pairs with a  friend, partner or spouse you’ll likely find you will both feed off each other’s energy. You’ll run more intensely and longer, plus you can have more fun at it as you cheer each other on. The end result is that those extra calories are burned and the waste lines are slimmed so that you feel great about yourself.

CHANGE PACE – Vary your runs on the treadmill. Run at a moderate pace and then speed up. Go back to a moderate pace and speed up again. When you do this several times, its called interval training. This is known to burn more fat and build more endurance, strength, and speed. It also helps firm up your stomach muscles.

RUN TOWARD GOALS – Consider mapping out a month-long schedule for the days and times on the treadmill and the speeds and inclines you want to tackle. Next think bigger. Map out long-range goals. Now think even bigger. You can place, in front of the treadmill, any written affirmations or visual aides you like (such as a picture of you at your best or ideal weight). You can then reinforce in your subconscious the image of quickly running toward your life’s goal, which you will then better achieve.

WITH SAFETY – While applying any of these tips, keep in mind to use the treadmill with safety precautions. I once injured myself because I simply failed to tie my shoe laces with a triple knot. Since then, I have never forgotten to do so. Take care of these details. Also don’t run so fast that it makes you feel like you must hold onto the treadmill for dear life (the handrails). If you’re running at an average pace of 10 minute then don’t suddenly run at a 6 minute pace for the workout. Build your running pace up gradually or you risk harm.  If you follow these simple precautions, all you calorie burning adventures will succeed!

RUNNING RACES
Last Saturday I came in first in a local 5K race and for the second time in two weeks. This win was in my senior age bracket of 60-69.  But what surprised me was that I had been training for just two weeks. My protocol was not very different than when I was a runner in my 40′s. I built up my mileage from 3-6 miles over a two week period of time. My running time was  also comparable. But that’s not the way its meant to happen!

“NORMAL” AGING
By normal criteria, you are supposed to be slowing down and going down hill. Anticipating this, we spend considerable money on long-term care insurance. I don’t spend that money because I’m not betting on such an outcome.

CHRONIC ILLNESSES ON THE RISE
Over the last three decades, the number of children with chronic ailments has quadrupled in the US. There has been a doubling of asthma rates among children and a four-fold increase in childhood obesity as well. An estimated 60% of these obese 5-10 year old children already have one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Also according to a 2008 study, for the very first time the majority or 51% of insured Americans were on regular meds for one or another chronic health problem. The most widely used drugs were for high blood pressure and cholesterol (linked to diabetes, obesity and heart disease). The percentage of those in my senior age bracket, was much higher. We have become a nation of drug addicts to deal with rising obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease – plus dementia, arthritis, kidney disease, asthma, and cancerous conditions.

ORDINARY HEALTH BECOMES EXTRAORDINARY
Am I just “lucky” to have NONE of these conditions? Is this because of my fortunate genetics? Then why was I a quite sickly teenager until I made lifestyle changes? Does being simply healthy, as I turned 60, make me extraordinary? This is a bit dumbfounding and it doesn’t really have to be that way. We might rather learn to tap into the power of nature to keep us healthy. Showing how, including by example, is what healingtalks is all about.

Running a marathon

LONG DISTANCE RUNNERS NEARING AGE 100
Ernest Van Leeuwen ran the Los Angeles Marathon at 93 (2006).
Pierre Jean Martin ran the London Marathon  at 94 (2008).
Fauja Singh is planning to finish the NYC marathon this year to break the Guinness World Record as the oldest male marathon runner ever He is 98 and going on 99.  If he continues his streak to age 100, he will win  a $100,000 prize at the NYC event.

A SMALL BUNCH
Usually a dozen or so marathoners are in their 70′s and less are older.

MARATHON RECORDS
Oldest Man:  Dimitrion Yordanidis, age 98, in Athens (1976)  7 hours 33.
Oldest Woman:  Jenny Wood-Allen, age of 90, in London (2002) 11 hours  34.
Fastest Octogenarian:  Robert Horman of Australia, age 80 in Brisban (1998) 3 hours 39:18.
A DREAM
It’s always been my dream to run the NYC marathon at a ripe age  of 100. I ran this stretch four times when I was a little younger, and this year I turned 60 (though I often feel like 40). Maybe such a feat could help illustrate to others some of the healing ideas I claim to know. The fact is that my wild theories do work to both suppress normal aging and reverse illnesses. While I personally would like to inspire others, it looks like I won’t be the first to do so by the year 2050. Let me vicariously experience it. GO FAUJA! I am rooting for you.

To resources in using the raw-food vegan diet to promote senior athletic performance see http://www.raw-wisdom.com/links

How To Become Super Healthy

BEING AND BECOMING SUPER-HEALTHY
Today was a fun day. I ran a 5K as part of a local American Heart Association fundraiser in about 10 degree weather – it was exhilarating – and we met lots of inspiring people. After the race, I got my blood and circulation checked and the results were exceptional. At age 60, my blood pressure was 98/68, my blood cholesterol was 150 and the body fat was 19%. I never worry or am in fear of getting cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis. Alzheimer’s or asthma. Why?  Because I know the root and deeper principles that both cause and help us avoid those diseases. It is not really guess work. I also don’t feel I am getting older at 60. I am actually getting younger. This past year I have seen some old conditions reversed. This is the result of what I’ve learned of the healing arts as a naturopath and of how to see and understand nature as a whole, as an environmental philosopher. The healing arts are always part of, and reflect a larger posture.

WHERE TO TURN
If you don’t know whom to trust,  it’s generally best to follow personal examples. I remember meeting Dr. Atkins a few years ago at a health convention. He looked terrible and aged. A few years later he died of a heart attack.  If the doctor you are most closely following looks a mess, would you trust his or her advise?

HOW TO REALLY BECOME INCREASINGLY HEALTHY
It is important to keep things simple.  I advocate no more than four simple approaches to healing. They involve 1) what we take in (nutrition, hydration, air and sunshine),  2) detoxification or getting out all we should,  3) supporting circulation without which both nutrition or detoxification fail to work  and finally 4) uplifting our minds, hearts, and consciousness. Of the four, the far most important is to start with a healing of our minds’ understanding (especially larger or broader concepts via a philosophy of healing) and then a healing of our hearts’ feeling.  Without any inner transformation, the rest cannot be attained.

MISSION OF THIS BLOG
This is why I started working on this blog, to share the best of powerful healing talks, both of my own and in the future of others. I have plans to take this blog to a higher level - and it will happen as surely as the winter passes.

A CHALLENGING TIME
This winter has been indeed a challenging time for me. I love to spend lengthy hours posting new materials here on healing talks. My primary income, however, is derived otherwise – from oddly giving tax advise during the short tax season. I do like the fact that this second career choice gives me ample income to pursue other interests throughout the rest of the year. So I may post less during the winter, but I am dedicated to making those few pithy and full of what really stirs and excites me.

ANOTHER CHALLENGE
Please note that last month, the server of this blog crashed and the backup didn’t work. We rescued the posts nevertheless. We lost just minor formatting and categorizing and we plan to fix this as soon as we can.