Do you have “bad feet”? Have you often wondered if it’s genetic?

It can be.

I read a recent report that supports this claim, particularly if you have bunions or high arches. Some researchers believe that foot function and mechanics may have more to do with mimicking parents’ movement rather than heredity.

In either case, given that your foot has 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments, some regular foot care seems appropriate so you don’t get to feeling deFEETed!

1. Take care of your foot tissue health by using a small ball. I use a tennis ball and when I’m standing I’ll put it under my arch and roll out my feet. By this I mean roll your foot back and forth over the ball.

2. Walking barefoot on grass or sand or around the house gives your feet plenty of proprioceptive information. Without getting too technical here, this is a good thing! When your feet are hidden all day in shoes, they forget how to be feet. So go barefoot and let your bones, muscles, and joints come alive.

3. Many of the tendons that attach to your feet come from muscles that originate from above your ankles. So while focusing on your feet, remember to pay attention to any tension or aches you may feel in your calfs or upper legs.

4. Yoga Toes. I’ve mentioned Yoga Toes many times and I’ve been using mine for years as part of my foot care program. At the end of the day they are great.

So don’t TipToe around these helpful hints; give them a try!

shelli

More and more good news keeps coming out about boosting brain health for seniors.

I think it also applies to the rest of us, which is why I pass this information along to you.

Our brains are capable of superior performance even into the 10th decade and beyond!

If the brain remains healthy and free from disease, it can continue to function normally for as long as we live.

What can you do for your mental and physical health to promote a healthy brain?

The answers will, I hope, not be much of a surprise!

1. Exercise.

Neuroscientists recommend swimming, dancing, gardening, knitting and more frequent use of the nondominant hand and leg, and walking 10,000 steps on a daily basis.

In one study it’s suggested that aerobic exercise is the key to lowering the odds of getting Alzheimer’s by 60%. A daily 20 minute walk can cut the risk of having a stroke by 57%.

Think of exercise as fertilizer for your brain!

2. Mental activity.

Use your brain to keep it healthy. How? Play board games, do crossword puzzles, learn a second language, read, take a class and acquire new skills.

3. Healthy diet.

Balanced nutrition is essential for brain health. Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts and decrease added sugar. Water is also essential for nervous system electrical transmissions that will keep your brain functional.

There you have it. Maybe nothing new, but a good gentle reminder.

If you’re lacking in these three areas, get with the program now. It’s never too late to give your brain cells a boost!

shelli

Do your daily activities cause you pain?

Let’s take a look.

Time spent standing, sitting and even sleeping can be causing you pain. It’s the cumulative hours you spend in these positions that can lead to prolonged damage to both your muscles and fascia.

If you go to a professional who works in the field of corrective exercise, you’ll get help alleviating some of the problems caused by improper seated, standing, and sleeping postures. But there are also some simple adjustments you can make yourself.

Sitting:

Your body is designed to be upright and weight bearing on two feet, with your hips, torso, and head in good alignment. We spend way too much time sitting!

Get out of your chair several times a day. This helps keep your hips, legs, and spine extended. If you can, convert your work space into a standing desk or walk instead of always driving places.

Change chairs and positions often or alternate between sitting and standing when you work.

I’ve mentioned before that I work mostly standing up and use a counter as a workspace. I also have two different chairs I sit on when I read or write but mostly I sit on the floor. As I write this I am sitting on the floor!

Standing:

Sitting too much can weaken your arches. When this happens, your feet are less able to accept your body weight and your arches collapse. Notice if you often shift from side to side when you stand. You are trying to redistribute your body weight and get more comfortable.

Besides examining your shoe choices (which is a big topic that we’ll cover in another newsletter) eliminate, or at least reduce, the time your spend in high heels.

Pay attention to your upper-body position when standing. Do you cross your arms, talk on a cell phone a lot, carry a bag on one shoulder or constantly have your hands in your pockets? All of these will over time create tight muscles and fascia. Paying attention to how you stand is the first step.

Sleeping:

If you have chronic tightness or muscular imbalances from sitting too much or standing with poor posture, sleeping is often uncomfortable too. Adopting better sleeping positions will help reduce pain.

Sleep on your back. Make sure your bed is firm enough so that neither your lower back or thoracic spine sinks into the mattress. Sometimes putting a wedge or pillow under your knees makes you more comfortable. Start off in this position for just a few minutes each night and gradually increase the amount of time you spend like this. As your spine adjusts, the use of the pillow can be reduced.

Choose a pillow that supports your head so that your eyes are in a position perpendicular to the ceiling. And make sure your pillow thickness doesn’t push your head too far forward.

If you sleep on your side, place a pillow between your knees. This keeps your knees in line with your hip socket.

Avoid sleeping on your stomach. That over arches your lower back and puts too much twist on your neck.

We all have to sit, stand, and sleep so it’s important to do them in ways that don’t cause PAIN!

shelli

More and more studies are confirming that mindfulness practices increase gray matter. These studies measure neurological changes in the brain.

Participating in a mindfulness based practice for 8 weeks for stress reduction will increase gray-matter density in areas of your brain involved in learning and memory, and emotion regulation.

People in these studies report improved psychological well-being, as well as symptom reduction in a number of disorders including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, and chronic pain.

But what can I do with this information?

Glad you asked.

Consider Yoga. Yoga helps calm your mind and relaxes your nervous system.

Tai Chi can not only be a mindfulness practice but studies also show it provides arthritis pain relief. Studies show that practicing Tai Chi two times a week improves fatigue, stiffness and increases a feeling of well-being.

Walking boosts your brain health and increases gray matter.

How much walking? 6-9 miles a week.

So there you have it. Three choices with plenty of evidence to back them up as good options for you if you want to retain your brain tissue and retain your memory well into your later years.

Once again an active and engaged lifestyle is the way to go!

Are you ever tempted to curl up in the middle of your daily chaos, wherever you are, and take a nap?

Is that a silly question or what?

Well, rest easy! For a while now science has been giving the nod to nodding off.

I recently read that 100 million Americans self identify as sleep deprived. That’s a lot of folks.

Regular naps can enhance alertness, memory, creativity, concentration, mood and energy. Also, naps decrease the risk of stress-induced hypertension and heart attacks.

Roughly 8 hours after waking everyone has a drop in alertness. For most people who wake between 6 and 8 AM that would be between 2 and 4 PM. Sometimes, rather than ignoring it or turning to a cup of coffee, try to get between 15-20 minutes of sleep. No more than that! You will sink into a deeper sleep which can interfere with your nighttime sleeping.

The reason short naps are rejuvenating is that they ensure you get just the beginning of the slow-wave sleep, which is the most restorative kind. Any more than that and you’ll likely feel groggy.

Trying to nap only on weekends isn’t as effective. It’s hard to play catch up when you’re sleep deprived all week long. A regular nap schedule works better.

If you work outside your home and it’s possible, close your office door so no one will disturb you. I recently spoke with someone who works for Microsoft and he told me that they have lounges with recliners for napping! Remember to set an alarm.

At first, learning to fall asleep at your scheduled nap time may be difficult, even if you’re exhausted. But like many things, napping takes practice. Often deep breathing helps relax you so you can nap. You can use eyeshades, white-noise machines, or whatever turns on that OFF switch.

Napping is still very much a practice for me.

Just the other day I decided to take a nap and the alarm went off after ONLY five minutes. Then I started questioning whether or not my alarm was even working properly. I was so nervous about oversleeping that my mind would not let me relax. I got up, had a good laugh and went back to work.

OH well, at least I’m still trying to nap! How about you?

shelli

Here are 5 tools for 8 hours of energy-boosting sleep.

If you want the kind of sleep that will boost your energy and slow the aging process down (and who doesn’t right?), you need to build your sleep from the BED up.

1. How’s your mattress?

Have you ever noticed that when you travel and stay at a hotel or stay at a friend’s house, you sleep better on their mattress.

I’m sorry to report that has happened to me quite a bit. Most recently while staying at a friend’s house, I thought his mattress was heavenly. He got it from Costco of all places. Heck, I’ve even slept on air mattresses that were more comfortable than my own mattress. Not a good sign!

If this happens to you, GET a new mattress! There are no right and wrong answers to what will work for you, but if you’re not sleeping well do start by assessing your mattress.

After all, you spend 56 hours a week on it and it should produce the results you need, which is the kind of sleep you rave about!

2. What about your sheets?

Again, I have a confession to make.

I get overly attached to sheets and keep them for way way too long.

I recently got two brand new sets from Macy’s and am really enjoying them. Color is important as well as fabric. I pay more attention to how a sheet feels rather than the thread count because the thread count is a marketing ploy. From what I’ve read you can’t get more than 500 threads into a square inch!

Go with natural fibers because they are more absorbent. Over the course of an evening you can release close to a half gallon of sweat and oils.

3. How old is your blanket and what kind of shape is it in?

I use this blanket called my million dollar blanket. I named it so because  years ago after I had surgery I laid for weeks on a couch wrapped in this blanket and I’ve somehow given it magical healing powers!

If you think of the best sleep of your life you probably don’t recall that it was when you were only hours old. One of the reasons infants are born to sleep is because they’re swaddled in blankets, which gives them the secure sensation of being in utero.

How do you get that as an over tired adult? Crawl under a variety of fabrics filled with a range of insulations and you’ll discover your million dollar blanket! If you’re sweating, you’re not going to sleep well, so keep this is in mind as you test out blankets.

4. Let’s talk pillows!

For sound, comfortable sleep, you need a pillow that will keep your neck aligned with your spine.

I have a pillow that I bought thinking I’d like it. I used it one night and couldn’t adjust, so I put it in the closet to be used for guests. Turned out that every guest I gave it to LOVED it.

Strange, huh?

After hearing raves from multiple guests I decided to give the pillow another try. That was almost three years ago and I still love my pillow.

I travel with my pillow (I know, I’m weird) and quite a few friends, after laying down on my pillow, have gone out and bought their own. Let’s just say I’m VERY picky about pillows. Maybe in my next life I’ll be one of the lucky ones who can sleep anywhere, on anything and with any pillow, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Back to the keeping your spine aligned issue, the more neutral your neck’s position, the wider the nerve passageways running through it will open. The result is that you’ll reduce your risk of neck pain and enjoy a more restful sleep.

5. Thinking of trying a sleep supplement?

I don’t use them, but in researching them for this article it seems that only valerian root results in people feeling refreshed. This root contains two chemicals that have powerful sedative properties.

Be careful with over the counter meds for sleeping. They shorten the time you’re in the deep stages of sleep, leaving you exhausted in the morning and often people feel fuzzy even after they wake up.

So there you have it. Maybe not exactly the 5 tools for energy boosting sleep you thought I’d suggest, but heck, they are all very important and you even got a few personal confessions from me, as well!!

shelli

I’ve been noticing that more and more gizmos, online tools and fitness books are coming on the market to help people exercise and get fitness results. However, you’d get a huge bang for the buck (actually forget the bucks), if you used your MIND as an exercise and fitness tool.

Your thoughts control everything from how fully your muscles contract to how difficult an exercise feels. You must use your mind to get the best and quickest results from your efforts.

Here’s how!

1. Are you working on your abs or core strength? Set a difficult goal.

You may just achieve more than you thought possible. In study after study on human performance, people who aim for a specific goal significantly outperform those who just aimed to do the best they could. People generally underestimate their own abilities. Aiming high allows you to push past your own perceptions.

2. Do you ever get bored, particularly when you do cardio exercise?

Many people tend to focus on boredom, fatigue or discomfort while they do their cardio routines. That usually leads to those sensations feeling even worse!

Instead, try focusing on unrelated thoughts.

I read about one study where researchers instructed one group to try and recall the names of every teacher they’d had since kindergarten while cycling for 15 minutes. Another group was told to focus on their exertion level. The name game group found their routine to be at least 10% easier.

3. Do you get tired or discouraged while doing your strength training?

While staying focused on what you’re doing, try filling your mind with affirmations. Make up some of your own or use ones like “I can feel my muscles growing.” Positive thinking lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Also, motivational self-talk boosts performance.

4. What do you use your mind for when you’re waiting on line or generally waiting for something or someone?

You can use your mind and imagine yourself doing a push-up, for instance.

Picturing an action activates the nerves that make muscles move and triggers an actual contraction. Please read that again, because it’s a very crucial point in understanding just how important your mind actually is in what you can accomplish.

Studies have shown that people who practiced exercise visualization for 5 minutes a day were able to increase their muscle strength by 35% in 12 weeks, without ever stepping into a gym.

Of course, don’t forget to use visualization when you ACTUALLY exercise! Always imagine yourself using proper form as you move.

5. As you complete your chores, what do you think about?

Try thinking about the muscles you use to do daily chores.

Carrying things up and down stairs, for instance, works your quadriceps, butt muscles and hamstrings. Again, concentration strengthens the neurological connection between the brain and the muscles, prompting the body to use up to 30% more muscle fibers during a movement. This added muscle action helps speed muscle growth while increasing caloric expenditure. That’s a GOOD thing!

So remember that your mind is not only an incredible tool in your health and fitness journey but it’s free and accessible to you ALL the time!

shelli

I turned on the defroster in my car the other day and I thought to myself,

“Sure would like to have a DEFOGGER for my brain today!”

I just felt like my mental edge had gone to sleep. So here are 4 simple strategies you can use to boost your memory and say FOG be gone!

1. Get your vitamin B’s

Vitamin B is essential to clear thinking, but as you age your body has a harder time extracting if from foods like milk, meat and fish. You can take a daily B-complex supplement containing 1000 micrograms of B12. Make sure it has at least 400 mcg of the B vitamin folate, which can improve mental speed.

2. Get your Z’s

Low quality and low quantity sleep can seriously drain your mental clarity. The brain moves memories into long term storage during deep sleep. Anything that disrupts this process can interfere with the ability to retain this information.

Stick to one bedtime and keep your room quiet, dark and cool. Limit caffeine, night-lights, naps and alcohol, all of which can interfere with sleep.

3. Get your M’s

Get MOVING! Boosting your activity level can increase brain volume and enhance cognitive function. Exercise increases the flow of blood to the brain, and it controls insulin and other chemicals linked to cognitive problems. Even a little exercise is better than nothing. The idea is to do more than you’re doing now.

4. Check your medications.

A variety of medications can cloud your ability to concentrate. Particularly if your difficulties concentrating coincide with a new drug you’re taking, talk to your physician. It’s a smart move to be aware of mind and memory changes and look in some obvious places first, like your medications.

So here’s to kissing those foggy times goodbye!

shelli

Want three ways to hedge against dementia?

Who doesn’t, right?

Three studies presented in July at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference pointed towards exercise, tea consumption, and vitamin D as promising to keep dementia at bay.

1. Those who engage in moderate to heavy levels of physical activity have a lower risk of developing any type of dementia. How much lower? About a 40% lower risk.

2. Studies have been done examining the relationship between tea consumption and change in cognitive function over time. Researchers found that people who consume tea had significantly less cognitive decline, between 17-37%, than those who were not tea drinkers. The greatest benefit accrues when you drink tea 1-4 times per week.

3. Researchers find that the odds of cognitive impairment were about 42% higher in people who are deficient in vitamin D. If you’re severely deficient, the odds jump way up to 394%. That’s a scary finding!

I recently had my vitamin D levels checked, so I’m OK in that respect.

And I don’t know about you, but after I finish writing this article I’m going out for an invigorating walk and after that I’ll make a nice cup of tea!

shelli

What would you answer if I asked you this question?

What is the #1 exercise in the world that you can do in 12 minutes?

Let me give you a hint.

You can practice it most anywhere and anytime: in your work clothes, your gym clothes or even in bed.

It’s simple to do and takes little time. Just 12 minutes would be enough.

If you want to quickly improve your health and happiness, this practice does it. The best part is it takes very little effort. Paradoxically, the less effort you exert, the more benefit accrues.

Any guesses what it is?

It’s meditation.

Over the years, I ask people who don’t do it, why not?

Many people say they still believe meditation has religious connotations. While it is true many devout people invoke this technique when they pray, you do yourself a disservice if you think about meditation only in religious terms.

Yes, the physiologic process of meditation happens during quiet times and times of prayer, however you don’t have to practice any specific religion (or any religion at all) to enjoy the health benefits of this process.

In the 1970’s, a cardiologist named Herbert Benson studied meditation and wrote a book called The Relaxation Response. The ‘60s and ‘70s began a new era in health. It was a time when medicine and its scientific method wrestled with the world of alternative and complementary healing. Back then, meditation was something done by strange, bearded men.

At that time, the concept of personality led researchers like Benson to uncover statistical correlations between so-called “type A” people and heart disease. But as medicine and science advanced in the 1980s, few leaders in health care investigated a natural, simple, cheap solution to help these folks. The focus of medicine was on finding silver-bullet pills to cure disease, and pharmaceuticals were thought to be the answer to most every question.

To my way of thinking, this is a lazy way of looking at science and potential cures. As one of history’s greatest inventors, Thomas Edison wrote years ago;

The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human body, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.

A century later, his message is still true.

Swallowing pills and medicines are not the answer to everything. Many simple, common-sense activities promote good health and prevent disease.

That’s where meditation comes in.

The power of meditation comes from the “relaxation response” it elicits. Meditation actually changes our physiology.

During meditation, our brain waves convert to a pattern that is as deep, and in some ways deeper than sleep. It is also more restful and recharging than a nap.

Meditation releases chemicals that are the direct opposite of the so-called “stress hormones.” These chemicals and hormones trigger pathways of healing and regeneration.

A regular meditation practice lowers your heart rate and increases both your blood’s oxygen saturation and the delivery of oxygen to tissues. This is the exact same benefit of exercise.

A Scientific American article from 1963 showed yogis can actually lower their heart rates to one or two beats a minute by invoking this “relaxation response.” Now that’s what I call relaxed!

Perhaps the best part is that meditation has benefits identical to exercise but without the wear, tear, and stress on your body that comes with training too hard. Meditation can also:

• Increase your powers of concentration
• Help you live longer
• Improve your fertility
• Boost your immune system
• Increase your serotonin (the chemical that counters depression)
• Lower blood pressure more than any known drug

Of course, as with any lifestyle change, it is only effective if you do it!

There are many forms of meditation.

Twenty years ago many people first learned to practice meditation by studying Transcendental Meditation (TM). Since then many variations of TM have emerged and you can find out about them by reading about meditation, relaxation, and awareness.

You can look at the works of writer Jon Kabat-Zinn, who is famous for popularizing the phrase “Mindfulness Meditation”.

Again, to reemphasize some of the benefits, just like exercise, regular meditation improves your body’s ability to use oxygen and actually lowers your resting heart rate, too.

Meditation even increases the serotonin in your brain. This is the chemical that antidepressant drugs try to increase.

I encourage you to start today and do it every day for 10-15 minutes. After a week, I guarantee you’ll feel better.

Here’s what I do:

I sit upright in bed, or on the floor. Prop yourself up with pillows if you need to, but don’t put one behind your head. I try to keep my head nearly perfectly balanced on my neck, so that if I’m absolutely relaxed, my head won’t tip over.

Next, I begin saying a mantra. Choose any two-syllable word and repeat it silently to yourself throughout the process. I try to time my breath with each syllable. Inhale with one and exhale with the other.

Stay focused on relaxing and letting your breath slow down, but also stay lightly focused on the mantra sound.

I find that suddenly my mind will wander to all the things I need to do, or things I’ve forgotten to do. When those thoughts flood in, I slowly turn my focus back to my breath and the mantra.

Soon after a few attempts, I find my breath and thoughts slowing. Occasionally, I find myself taking a super-deep, slow breath.

Yet again, I’ll turn back to my breath and my mantra.

After 15 minutes or so, I quietly and slowly take a few minutes to start to move my toes and fingers and then arms and legs as I come out of the “relaxation state.”

That’s it… It’s that simple.

You can take a class if that better suits you. A teacher will show you how to meditate and give you a specific, personalized mantra to get you into your state of meditation.

So enjoy adding meditation to your healthy lifestyle routines, and let me know how it goes!

shelli