10 Unusual Ideas with Inspiration - for Aging and Wellness
by David Lawrence Brown
We all need inspiration for aging and wellness.
Both aging and wellness are areas in which we have so many choices, some more commonly known than others. Here are ten unusual or different ideas that might help our aging and wellness. Anyone who has reached age 50, 60, or 70 has the subject of aging more prevalent in their perspective on life. This is especially relevant for baby boomers in 2002 between the ages of 58 and 76.
“This word ‘anti-aging’ has to be struck. I am pro-aging. I want to age with intelligence and grace and dignity and verve and energy.”- Jamie Lee Curtis
The quote by Jamie Curtis is a great one. However many may not hold this same view. The ten ideas presented here are in the same spirit as Jamie's inspiration of aging "with intelligence and grace and dignity and verve and energy".
Our Mental Attitude Towards Making Changes in Life
For many including baby boomers, making changes in our life, even small ones, can sometimes be a challenge. We get set in our routines and our ways. We may have challenges to whatever extent. Whatever the challenges, can we love and embrace our life with intelligence and grace and dignity and verve"?
The ten unusual ideas are broken down into two categories below, mental-spiritual-emotional, and physical health. Some ideas may seem more "unusual" than others. One in particular - CBD - is listed in both categories as it has both mental and physical benefits.
Mental-Spiritual-Emotional
1) Atomic Habits - Transform Habits = Transform Your Life
How can small changes create big results? We might like the idea of changing our routine to include something new, yet to be committed to it might have challenges. If we had a system or track to run on and actively use to create changes in our life that are unusual in their distinction from other systems and provide the inspiration to stay with it, then it might be worth looking into. Atomic Habits is a best-selling book and a system that now has a track record of working for many people. It may be usual for some, and it may also be unusual for many more. Check out this video and get inspired to buy the book. - YouTube video- James Clear....
2) CBD for Mental and Emotional Health
"Many people use CBD to curb symptoms of many common health issues,
including elderly people. According to a 2020 nationally
representative Consumer Reports survey, 20% of Americans 65 years and
older said they'd tried CBD, up from 14% from the prior year in
2019." -WebMD Research studies show that CBD has strong potential to help with neuropsychiatric symptoms
such as anxiety, panic disorders, stress, coping with illness, depression, improving mood and sleep. Learn more about the benefits of CBD for Baby Boomers >
3) Turn Off, Tune In, and Drop Out -
This might be unusual for many however try this for more peace of mind. Turn off the news unless you can watch without having your buttons pushed and get triggered into the expected response. Tune in to your freedom of thought, choices, and intuition including The Divine Spirit or Higher Power if you are not an atheist. Drop out of the "torrential and turbulent winds of the hurricane", whenever possible, and enjoy a new perspective on life. In an article in Psychology Today, learn about the effects of TV and news."If the TV program generates a negative mood (anxiety, sadness, anger, or disgust), these experiences will affect how you interpret events in your own life, what types of memories you recall, and how much you will worry about events in your own life."
The Psychological Effect of TV News >
4) Include Peaceful Meditation in your Daily Routine.
This may not be unusual for many, yet it probably is for many more. Meditation can provide inspiration and peace of mind in this fast-paced world. Research has described other benefits. At first, you might be bombarded with thoughts and it is not peaceful so you might want to stop there. Stay focused on a mantra or idea such as love, gratitude, or your belief in a God or Divine Spirit. At some point, those thoughts might diminish, and you go deeper into a peaceful state. Stay there and enjoy. No rush to come out. Even twenty minutes a day can do wonders. I have practiced meditation for many years, first thing in the morning. Sometimes I will add one in the afternoon. With our busy lives, that may seem like a lot. Even fifteen minutes in the afternoon can be helpful. Learn more > Why Meditation is Amazing >
5) Fun and Games - Lumosity Brain Training
Play games and puzzles online to improve your memory, cognition, problem-solving, and brain activity. Lumosity is helping people keep their brains challenged. That's why they created a simple online tool to allow anyone to train core cognitive abilities. From neuroscience to visual art, they combine many diverse disciplines in an engaging brain training program — making cognitive research available to everyone. They collaborate with over 100 leading researchers, clinicians, and teachers from institutions around the world. I enjoy a lifetime subscription. Learn more > https://www.lumosity.com
Here's to Your Physical Health
While we rely on doctors to help us, there has been a trend now for many years to seek out things that can also help our health. Fitness, and diet, are well established. Certain foods or herbs are heard of and researched online.
1) In Praise of Walking (with an Audiobook)
We have the common knowledge that walking is a good routine and that we can also enjoy music with our pods at the same time. However, there's an unusual twist on this idea....use atomic habits to be inspired to integrate a walking routine, and listen to an audiobook instead of music. It could be a best-seller, a classic, or a book on walking such as "In Praise of Walking". "A hymn to walking, the mechanical magic at the core of our humanity. In this captivating audiobook, neuroscientist Shane O'Mara invites us to marvel at the benefits walking can confer upon our bodies and brains, and to appreciate the advantages of this uniquely human skill" (Audible) Get inspired by listening to this audiobook while you are walking! free download on Audible with a 30-day trial.
2) CBD Physical Health Benefits
Hemp-based CBD that has no THC has been the
subject of increasing research studies since it was legalized in the
U.S. in 2018. Sales of CBD have doubled in the past three years and are
expected to double again in three years. Research studies show promising potential for a wide variety of physical conditions including cancer, epilepsy, anti-inflammatory, pain relief, blood pressure, sleep.The
potential benefits of CBD seem quite extensive.
Learn more about CBD > The Benefits of CBD for Baby Boomers
3) Yoga and Qi Gong
Yoga has become very popular and yet it still might be considered unusual by many baby boomers who think that it might be only for a younger crowd. Not the case. I was so inspired by my first week of hot yoga that I went from a ten-day to thirty-day to a one hundred-day challenge to take one hot yoga class every day, and I ended up at 114. Qi Gong is not as well known as yoga so it might also be considered "unusual". Practiced by millions of Chinese for centuries it started becoming more popular in the West in recent years. You don't need to seek out a studio. Check out Judy Young's Qi Gong - Eight Pieces of Silk Brocade on YouTube.
4) 5 Cups of Green Tea a Day?
Green tea is not unusual. It is commonly known and can be bought at Costco as well as online and in many stores. What is unusual is drinking 5 cups a day for aging and wellness. Who would have known some years ago? Yet now it is more commonly known that green tea has health benefits. Will our doctor recommend it? Probably not. So we do our own research and learn that green tea has different benefits. Here are two :
>Polyphenols - natural compounds that can help reduce inflammation and fight cancer.
> Harvard Health Studies published a paper "Green Tea May Reduce Heart Disease Risk"- "A number of studies have looked at possible links between green tea and cardiovascular disease. A study of 40,530 Japanese adults found that participants who drank more than five cups of green tea a day had a 26% lower risk of death from a heart attack or stroke and a 16% lower risk of death from all causes than people who drank less than one cup of green tea a day." - Harvard Health Studies
5) Get into Nature Physically and with Amazing Drone Videos
If
you are not able to get into beautiful nature on a frequent basis,
consider the beautiful nature videos with drones where you are soaring
over waterfalls, canyons, mountains, oceans, and anywhere in the world.
Of course, being there is preferable, yet it may not happen that often
except on vacations. As an example, enjoy Nature's Healing Society on
YouTube.While they have soothing music at a frequency such as 432mz to
have an effect, it can also be watched with the sound turned off while
you choose your own favorite soothing music or audiobook.
