Health Wisdom - Issue 2

HealthWisdom magazine

How to make 2019 your healthiest year yet How to stop stress taking over your life

HealthWisdom Meet

Marie Kondo the Q ueen of

Tidying

Meet Whole30’s

Melissa Hartwig

Founder of Strala, Tara Stiles shares why we How all needto toOutsmart move

your Inflammation

Why is sleep so Important?

MEET GRETCHIN RUBIN OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

USD $7.14

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Contents 8 11 14

Marie Kondo: Changing The World, One Possession At A Time

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Dealing With Hair Loss

Stress: More Dangerous Than You Think

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Moving Into Older Age With Tara Stiles

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John Tarnoff: Expert Tips On Career Reinvention

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17 21

24 27

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Editor’s Top Tips For Living Your Best Life In 2019

CONTENTS

Things Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Your Health

How to organise your inbox like a BOSS

Live and Love: Embracing

2. Age Jay - Z the Prolific And Living Your Best 3.

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4.

5.

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Businessman Life With Joan Price

The lowdown on Business Systems

Top 10 Health Bloggers For Anyone 40 Years And Over

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2

Know Thy Customer

7 Reasons you should own your own business

6. No Excuses - Why

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Entrepreneurs should take holidays

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7. 7 Amazing office gadgets you will wonder how you lived without

HealthWisdom magazine

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e h t m Fro

or EdInitChief

“You don’t own me...”

These powerful words, first sung by Lesley Gore in 1963, was our inspiration for this issue. Her words are as relevant today as they were almost 60 years ago.

Positive changes are in the air, not just for gender equality & female empowerment, but also for the aging population of the world.

career reinvention coach for you! His aim of helping late-career professionals transition to meaningful and sustainable careers beyond traditional retirement age, has the world sitting up and taking notice. Read his story on page 21.

In Issue 1 of Health Wisdom Magazine, the article that got the most interest from readers was Pleasure And The Older Woman. We received so many letters, calls and emails, thanking us for this article. It is obviously a topic close to many reader’s hearts. In this issue, on page 31, we delve deeper into this topic with Joan Price, author, speaker and advocate for ageless sexuality.

Our contributors for this issue all share a belief that conforming to social norms is not necessarily in their best interests.

They disrupt common beliefs, and in the process have gained a massive following, proving that the ‘world out there’ doesn’t If you are sick and tired of the world always know best. telling you what to do, what to believe and, how to live your life, then this is the Tara Stiles, the founder of Strala Yoga, issue for you. Show the world out there shares some of her secrets with us on that “you don’t own me!” moving through all kinds of challenges.

Her approach includes being, moving, Enjoy reading, and keep those letters and healing, which helps people release coming in – we love hearing from our stress. Take a look at her approach on readers! page 17.

If your career doesn’t fulfil you as much as it used to, John Tarnoff is just the

Cheerio!

Elanya

s r o t u b i r t Con JO HN TARNOFF

johntarnoff.com boomerreinvention

John Tarnoff is a reinvention career coach, speaker and author who helps late-career professionals transition to meaningful and sustainable careers beyond traditional retirement. He reinvented himself at age 50, launching a career focused on professional development, education and training. A strategic, futurefocused communicator and connector of people and ideas, John has held eighteen positions over his career, as talent agent, studio executive, film and video game producer, project manager, and program developer. His reinvention curriculum is a natural outgrowth of his own journey of self-discovery.

JOAN PRICE

joanprice.com JoanPriceAuthor

Author and speaker Joan Price calls herself an “advocate for ageless sexuality.” She has been called other things by the media: “senior sexpert,” “the beautiful face of senior sex,” and—her favorite— “wrinkly sex kitten.” Visit Joan’s zesty, award-winning blog about sex and aging at www.NakedAtOurAge.com.

How did Joan start writing and speaking about senior sex? For fifteen years, Joan was a widely published health and fitness writer. Then at 57, after decades of single life, she fell deeply in love with artist Robert Rice, who was then 64. Their love affair was profound, joyful, and extremely spicy. Their passion, in contrast to society’s view of older people as sexless, led Joan at age 61 to write Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty (Seal Press, 2006) to celebrate the delights of older-life sexuality.

TARA STILES

tarastiles.com stralayoga tarastiles

Tara Stiles is the founder of Strala, the revolutionary approach to being, moving and healing. Strala teaches yoga, tai chi, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, to help people release stress, let go of bad habits, and move easily through all kinds of challenge.

Strala is practiced in more than 100 countries, and thousands of Guides are leading Strala classes daily around the globe. Even more Strala training graduates bring what they learn into their office work, healing practices, and all of life. The mission we share is to help people accomplish far more, through softening and connecting with our creativity and purpose.

Marie Kondo C h a n g i n g Th e Wo r l d , One Possession At A Time

By Kellie Byrnes

If improving your health and wellbeing is one of your main focuses for 2019, you’re likely careful to eat well, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. But to feel like your best self, you must also be committed to working on your mindset.

One lady who has had a huge impact in this area in recent years is Marie Kondo.

She was named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2015, and currently has a popular show on Netflix. A tidying up expert, the Japanese influencer isn’t just helping people to get their homes in order, but also, to be more productive and full of clarity - because they have less clutter weighing them down.

Kondo’s bestselling book “The LifeChanging Magic of Tidying Up” came out in 2014 and catapulted her into 8

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the limelight. Her belief that the best way to keep a tidy, uncluttered home is to only keep those things which “spark joy”, resonated with people across the globe.

Kondo has always been interested in wrangling mess. She started developing her techniques as a child. “I used to clean my brother and sister’s room,” she explained to the Japan Times. “And I would go to friends’ houses and clean their rooms, too.”

As she got older, her interest in tidying often brought more pain than joy though, as she felt the relentlessness of the task. In her book she wrote, “When I found something not in use I would pounce on it vengefully and throw it in the rubbish. Not surprisingly, I became increasingly irritable and tense and found it impossible to relax in my own home.”

However, when she cottoned on to the idea of thinking about what to keep, rather than what to throw away, things changed.

She discovered that when she really asked herself what items brought joy to her life, it was much easier to pare back possessions.

Indeed, Kondo knows cleaning isn’t simply about making aesthetic improvements; it also reflects psychological issues and can be a real mind booster. Her book, therefore,

has broad appeal because it offers more than simple cleaning advice.

She told the Japan Times, “My book is about more than the technical and mechanical aspects of cleaning: It’s about the emotional and psychological impact cleaning has on our lives.”

When following Kondo’s methods for tidying up, which include tips such as tackling categories of belongings rather than going room by room, people can start to understand more about how they’re leading their lives. In her Japan

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Times interview Kondo said, “A lot of people agree that tidying is connected to how we live.”

If you’re sick of the stress that comes with clutter, it might be time to ask yourself what you really need, and how you really want to live your life. Rather than working huge hours to pay for lots of “stuff”, perhaps pare back, then concentrate on what sparks joy in your life – not just when it comes to possessions, but also what you do and who you do it with.

On the Goodreads website, Kondo confirms the additional benefits stemming from tidying up. “When you learn to identify what items in your home spark joy in you, you develop skills which can also help you to better assess and determine what else in your life brings you joy.

“Of course, this assessment can also be done in your workspace. You… learn to understand what it feels like inside your body when you recognise joy.

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And these skills—we might also call them “senses”—can help you, for example, to identify elements of your job you enjoy, and so you can then emphasise these elements.”

By clearing clutter and focusing on joy, it’s also likely your relationships will change. Kondo stated on Goodreads that, “You can learn enough about identifying joy that you can finally decide that your spouse or partner is not right for you, or you can identify elements of your existing relationship which bring you MORE joy than you had previously realised, and embrace these elements and find a happier life together.”

Hair Loss DEALING WITH

H

air loss is something both men and women tend to feel ashamed and uncomfortable about, even though it’s a very common occurrence and can be caused by a wide variety of factors. Some of the most common reasons why people experience hair loss include aging, hormonal changes and autoimmune diseases.

The psychological effects of losing hair can be very negative. Most people experience a significant loss in confidence when their hair thins, particularly if it is substantial hair loss.

If you’re in this boat, it’s helpful to be proactive and look for ways to deal effectively with the problem. Read on for some top tips you can follow today.

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INVESTIGATE UNDERLYING CAUSES Firstly, if you’ve noticed your hair has thinned considerably in recent months, try to find out what has caused this change. Speak with your doctor about what you’ve noticed plus any other symptoms, even if they don’t seem related to your hair. Often when we have internal issues of some type, our body alerts us by way of the hair falling out.

Get some comprehensive blood tests done to check for medical conditions such as thyroid disease, a hormonal imbalance, anemia, scalp infection, lupus and various other autoimmune and chronic illnesses.

Once you treat any underlying causes, you may find your hair loss halts and your hair bounces back to its healthy, thicker state.

EAT A HEALTHY DIET If you’re not consuming enough of the necessary vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly – the “building blocks” – your hair can start falling out. To boost hair growth then, make sure you’re eating a balanced diet.

In particular, consume plenty of protein.

Since hair is actually made of protein, it makes sense that if you don’t get enough of this in your diet, your hair (and other bodily functions) can suffer. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, keep in mind that you can get protein from things besides meat. For example eggs and nuts are good sources.

Plus, to help your hair out, boost your consumption of good fats and oils so you

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get enough omega-3s. Foods such as salmon, olive oil and flaxseed are top options. Make sure your diet is rich in vitamins C, A, B and E, as well as biotin too, as these are important for healthy hair.

STAY HYDRATED It’s not something you probably associate with hair loss, but not drinking enough water can be an issue for your locks. This is because growing hair shafts are actually largely made up of water, like many other parts of your body.

When the hair is creating new cells and in its growth phase, it has to get a good amount of water to survive.

Dehydration can be a real issue. Combat this by ensuring you drink plenty of H2O each day.

The amount people need varies depending on numerous factors, but aim for at least two litres per day.

ADDRESS EXTREME STRESS IN YOUR LIFE We all know stress isn’t good for us, but did you know that it can affect your hair, too? If you’re under a lot of stress at the moment, whether this is sudden or a chronic issue due to work commitments, family responsibilities, financial worries or something else, this could be leading to your hair loss.

In addition, losing confidence and feeling self-conscious because of your thinning hair can also cause you to be more stressed. This is obviously a vicious cycle. To help your body repair itself, focus on self-care techniques to reduce stress. For instance, do deep breathing, meditation, yoga and regular walks, get more sleep, and find ways to reduce or cut out, where possible, those things which cause much of your stress.

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Stress MORE DANGEROUS THAN YOU THINK

By Elanya van Heerden

The accumulated stress of everyday life can damage your health in irreversible ways. Besides making you forget where you put your keys, ignoring the warning signs of stress can also dramatically impact your health and make you susceptible to a range of serious health issues. These can include heart disease and stroke, low Immunity and bone density or increased blood pressure and cholesterol.

The multiple challenges we face every day, such as meeting deadlines, paying bills and juggling a busy schedule for our children, can make 14

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our bodies react the same way.

This means that our bodies’ natural alarm system - the “fight or flight” response - may be stuck in the ‘on’ position. This can have serious consequences for our health, making it well - worth keeping an eye out for early signs of disease.

PHYSICAL SIGNS OF STRESS • Diarrhea or constipation • Forgetfulness • Brain fog or decrease in mental clarity • Frequent aches and pains • Headaches • Lack of energy or focus • Sexual problems • Stiff jaw or neck • Tiredness • Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much • Upset stomach • Use of alcohol or drugs to relax • Weight loss or gain

If your brain is in a state of stress for too long, your health can deteriorate rapidly. If you experience one or more of these side effects and feel like it’s directly related to stress in your life, it’s time to nip it in the bud and look into how you remove the cause or improve your resilience.

TIPS FOR REDUCING STRESS IDENTIFY WHAT’S CAUSING STRESS. Monitor your state of mind throughout the day. If you feel stressed, write down the cause, your thoughts and your mood.

Develop a plan for addressing the cause, such as setting more reasonable expectations for yourself, asking for help with household responsibilities or work assignments.

List your commitments, assess your priorities and eliminate all the non-essential tasks.

BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS. Relationships can be a source of stress.

Negative, hostile reactions with your spouse (or family members) causes immediate changes in stress-sensitive hormones, but healthy relationships can serve as stress buffers. Others may be able to offer practical assistance and support, useful ideas or just a fresh perspective.

REST YOUR MIND. Stress keeps us lying awake at night. To help ensure you get the recommended seven or eight hours of shuteye, cut back on caffeine, remove distractions such as television or computers from your bedroom and go to bed at the same time each night. Research shows that activities like yoga, meditation and relaxation exercises not only help reduce stress, but also boost immune functioning.

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SUPPLEMENTS. Taking supplements can be a great way to help reduce stress. L-theanine can be effective to reduce anxiety and foster a calm, but attentive state. Chamomile is loaded with antioxidants that may help reduce your risk of several diseases, including heart disease and cancer. Gingko promotes good blood circulation in the brain, and can thus protect the brain from neural damage. With a wide variety of supplements available on the market today, you are sure to find one that works for you.

EXERCISE. This one may seem simple, but getting your bones moving and blood pumping can dramatically reduce the stress on your body. Exercising actually helps to release endorphins - which are our body’s natural mood boosters.

AROMATHERAPY. Burning calming essential oils can help you to relax. Certain scents, such as Lavender, Bergamot or Ylang-Ylang can help reduce symptoms of stress.

GET A MASSAGE. Massages can reduce stress, promote muscle relaxation and improve both mood and sleep quality. So, not only does a massage feel amazing, but it’s great for your health too.

GET HELP. If you continue to feel overwhelmed, chat to your doctor about how to manage stress effectively. They can help you identify situations or behaviors that contribute to your chronic stress and then develop an action plan for changing them.

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MOVING INTO

older age

with Tara Stiles

There is no doubt that staying strong and supple into older age has many benefits. Being able to move well keeps you safe, reduces stress, lowers inflammation and reduces the risk of inflammation associated illnesses. It also helps us think more clearly as we run our busy lives.

However, as we battle the daily grind of making a living, running a household, parenting and beyond,

often our own physical and mental wellbeing suffers.

Tara Stiles, founder of Strala, a revolutionary method utilising yoga, tai chi, qigong and traditional Chinese medicine, says it is grace and coordination that will most benefit you as you age, rather than pure strength or activities based on force. Her approach makes sense; connect with your body and move mindfully, in harmony and with ease. healthwisdommagazine.com

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“Get good at moving yourself well, with the least amount of effort possible, so you practice coordination and grace - skills you will have when physical strength declines.

Having coordination and grace are the fundamentals to being able to accomplish more.”

“As you age, you have to get smarter about what you do and how you do it. For me, the ‘how’ is the most important.”

Tara recommends focusing on efficiency and ease in any exercise, whether that be yoga or weight training, swimming, or any other sport. How you move through one activity is how you move through others, and this translates to your mental state as well.

“How you do one thing is how you do everything. Even in weight training, you can be as efficient as possible. Moving well is a life practice, not limited to one form of exercise,” says Tara.

“Moving well every day helps us feel better and think more clearly too. It’s a sensible and obvious connection when you start practicing connecting your whole self in your movement practice, instead of thinking of your mind and body as separate. Everything, all together, all at once. Bring your whole self with you.”

This sounds fantastic in theory, but how do we all fit in some mindful movement into our everyday lives?

One step at a time. In Tara’s experience, simply starting with a basic 10-minute yoga practice each day is a great step forward. It doesn’t matter when – if you are a morning 18

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lark, roll out your mat as soon as you wake. If evenings are when you feel most energised, a short routine when you get home from work may be best for you.

Regular exercise and fostering a healthy mindset has much to do with habits too. To help you move forward, take some time to identify habits you would like to change and work out ways to replace them. Strala offers a library of free resources which may help you; https:// stralayoga.teachable.com/courses/category/ Free “When you start one habit, you’ll actually get hooked on feeling good and seek out how to make better choices that make sense for your life,” reassures Tara.

On the topic of moving well and staying strong and healthy, it is also important to mention nutrition. While there is no shortage of information available on what you ‘should do’, Tara’s advice is welcome relief from the overwhelm; “Health doesn’t need to be overly complicated with lots of potions, practices and designer foods. It’s about getting back to what is the most simple and fresh for you and what works for your lifestyle.”

“Eating natural, unprocessed foods is a perfect start. Having a water with lemon before your morning coffee or getting in the habit of making a simple smoothie at home is wonderful for you. My favourite and most simple smoothie is spinach, banana and almond milk. I add a bit of peanut butter when I need a boost.”

By changing one habit at a time and focusing on the simplicity and grace of moving well, your mind and body will stay strong long into the future.

tarastiles.com stralayoga tarastiles

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John Tarnoff EXPERT TIPS ON CAREER REINVENTION Once upon a time, people had only one career for most of their working lives, until they retired in their fifties or sixties. These days, they are not only changing careers regularly throughout their twenties and thirties, but well into middle age and beyond. In fact, at the age when many workers once retired, many are now choosing to pursue a new career path for the excitement, challenge, social interactions and financial security.

One man who’s helping people to obtain their preferred “second-act career” is reinvention career coach

John Tarnoff. Seeing how many older workers were struggling in the wake of the 2008 recession, Tarnoff realised he could help support people to develop more resilience and understand best job-hunting practices.

“My experience as an entertainment professional, coupled with my counselling psychology Master’s degree, meant I was in a good place to be able to share my experience,” says Tarnoff. “I first explored this topic in a TEDx talk in 2012, and then began writing about it in earnest in the

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Huffington Post in 2014, and began coaching soon after that.”

Tarnoff then decided to publish a detailed book on career transitions. His title, “Boomer Reinvention: How to Create Your Dream Career Over 50”, was released in 2017. That year he was also named a Top Influencer in Aging by PBS/ Next Avenue.

Tarnoff’s book provides a framework to help readers hold themselves accountable to the goals they know they want and need to achieve.

“My book is a practical guide, as well as a portfolio of case studies of people who have made this kind of change. It was designed as a menu of tools and practices so that someone could make this transition on their own.”

For those wondering when the right time is for a career reinvention, or if there ever is actually a right time, Tarnoff has some suggestions. “First, reinvention can take many forms. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a 180-degree departure from what you do (pivoting to an entirely new industry, for example). It can be a reinvention in your current job or business.

“Reinvention to me is about mindset. If you’re hitting a wall in your job or career, maybe it’s time to rethink the habitual ways you go about doing or thinking about your work. In the corporate world, getting fired or laid off, no matter what the reason, is the most obvious opportunity to start that rethinking process.

But many people I talk to over 50 are in the category of the “working worried” - not sure if they’re going to be able to hold onto their jobs, or not sure what value they provide anymore, or nervous about how to keep working beyond traditional retirement. These people should also be thinking about making some sort of reinvention happen in their lives.”

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Tarnoff advises that to reinvent your career, it’s best to focus on reflection and introspection.

Look at what you’ve done in the past, and who you are today. He says, “Get clear about what you like doing, what you want to be doing, and create a mental image of your new life that you can begin to follow and manifest.

You also have to reconcile everything from your past that could lead you astray or keep you stuck: the limiting beliefs and attachments to a role or a status, the baggage from years of disappointments, missed opportunities, burned bridges... Only by healing the past can we hope to create the future.”

Tarnoff doesn’t believe in the need for HRoriented tests or skills assessment, either. “At this point in our lives, we have the experience and wisdom to better understand ourselves, and to chart our own course.”

The benefits of reinventing your career can be many. Tarnoff says, “If you successfully create a sustainable path forward in your career, one where you can represent yourself as a niche provider of very specific, valuable solutions (and if there is a proven market for these solutions), then you are in control of your career and people come to you for your expertise.

“If you stay engaged, and continue to build and grow this practice, you’ll be able to work for as long as you want and need to work. Think of yourself as a consultant providing value to a client, never as an employee taking directions from a boss.”

The first step Tarnoff recommends for those wanting to reinvent their careers is to start a daily, handwritten journal. You only need to write two pages or spend 20 minutes on this per day.

“Writing it by hand is very important!” says Tarnoff. “It is a way to channel ideas from your unconscious and uncover or rediscover them. It is a way to work out your unanswered questions about your career, and over time come up with

the certainty and confidence around your next steps.”

Other tips can be found in Tarnoff’s book, where he details 23 separate strategies across five different steps. “These range from ways of resolving old obstacles that are haunting you and preventing you from moving forward, to using reframing and mind-mapping tools to think differently and to iterate your ideas about your next job, business, or career.”

When it comes to obstacles facing people during a career reinvention, Tarnoff sees one thing in particular holding people back. “It’s the attachment we have to the job that we’ve just left. The longer we’ve been at that job, the harder it is to detach from it. Invariably, people compare subsequent job prospects in relation to that lost position.

This creates a dangerous inability for someone to clearly focus on new possible opportunities. It can be particularly problematic when it comes to job interviews, too, if you’re taking your regret for your old job into your meeting.”

More information about John Tarnoff, his book and coaching services can be found on his website, www.JohnTarnoff.com.

John is a reinvention career coach, speaker, and bestselling author who connects mid and latecareer professionals to their inner calling, helping them transform their work lives into meaningful, purposeful, and sustainable second act-careers.

Throughout his 35-year career as a media/ entertainment exec, he learned how to turn his many setbacks into successes and reinvented his own career at 50, earning a master’s degree in psychology to focus on professional development and training. johntarnoff.com boomerreinvention

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EDITOR’S

FOR LIVING YO U R BEST LIFE

TopTips I N 201 9

Now that we’re part way through 2019, you might be at the point where your commitment to your New Year’s resolutions is fading. Most people set goals for themselves in January, but struggle to keep their actions aligned to these preferred outcomes over the long term.

As a result, this could be the time when you really need some inspiration to help you get back on track. Health Wisdom Magazine’s editor Elanya van Heerden has some ideas for how you can live your best life and be happy this year. Read on for Part 1 of her Editor’s Top Tips.

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– PA R T 1

Clear the clutter It’s something you’ve heard time and time again – get rid of clutter in your home if you want a happier life. This isn’t just a platitude thrown around for no good reason, though.

Lots of clutter in our environments makes us more stressed and less able to think clearly, focus, and feel at peace. Clutter costs us time, as we have to search for items we need, and it even contributes to the accumulation of dust and dirt in the home.

To achieve your best life, take time to dispose of all those possessions taking up not just physical space but also mental space for you. Whichever way you choose to declutter, the end- result is guaranteed to make you feel less stressed, more creative and even more energized.

Take small steps to improve your health It’s easy to take good health for granted, but once we get sick we always realise just how important being healthy really is. To live your best life this year, take charge of your wellbeing. To avoid overwhelm, adopt the kaizen mindset. That is, take consistent, small, achievable steps to better health. Doing this allows your brain to tiptoe past the fear centres which often cause flight or fight responses.

Choose one thing to do ASAP to take control of your health. For example, for me it was taking nutritional supplements religiously every day. Once I was able to turn this into a solid habit, I took another small baby step in the right health direction.

Other ideas include:

Committing to a daily 1 minute walk yes, just one minute, no more!

Leaving one, yes, just one bite of food on your plate. Once you get used to leaving one bite behind, leave two bites behind. This is a sneaky way to reduce your portion size without feeling like you’re missing out.

Go to bed one minute earlier than your normal bed time. Do this for as long as it takes to become a habit, before you add another minute to your earlier bedtime goal.

Get rid of clutter if you want a happier life

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Make Time for Yourself With all of us being so busy these days and having lots of commitments to juggle, it can be hard to stop and take time for ourselves. However, in order to live your best life, this is vital.

The airplane oxygen mask analogy is a good one to consider. During the safety instructions at the start of a flight, we’re instructed to place oxygen masks over our own faces first, in the event of an emergency, and then helping children or others around us. The reason for this is if you lose consciousness from a lack of oxygen, you simply won’t be of any use to any one, including yourself!

The same is true in life. To handle all your responsibilities, you must take time to recharge your batteries regularly. You’re worth it, and owe it to yourself and your loved ones.

Once you’ve taken a half-hour bubble bath, had a massage to ease your aching muscles, or gone for a run, for example, you’ll be a calmer, more level-headed person who is fun to be around. Commit to regularly doing something that brings peace and joy to your day, that’s just for you.

Read on in Issue 3 of Health Wisdom Magazine for Part 2!

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Things Your Doctor May Not Tell You

ABOUT YOUR HEALTH

Gone are the days when seeking a doctor’s advice was your only option for health issues. While their knowledge is valuable, the growing interest in alternative practices has opened up the door to alternative, natural or holistic treatment options.

Most people don’t realise that medical doctors and naturopathic doctors complete almost the same amount of educational hours.

Naturopaths spend nearly 30% more time in a classroom setting, so they go more in-depth on anatomy, physiology, orthopedics and most systems of the body, and they spend a huge chunk of time on nutrition. However, medical doctors spend much more time on surgery and radiology (e.g. x-rays and ultrasounds.) healthwisdommagazine.com

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A few things your doctor may not tell you about your health:

A BALANCED DIET ISN’T ENOUGH Many doctors aren’t interested in suggesting that you should incorporate supplements into your diet. Often, they’ll prescribe antibiotics or medicines to fix illnesses and then encourage you to eat a ‘balanced diet,’ which is not always the right type of diet for you.

You don’t have to choose between conventional medicine and alternative treatment. They can often work well alongside each other. However, it is important to tell your doctor and your complementary therapist of all drugs, treatments and remedies you take or use. Herbs can sometimes interact with prescription drugs and cause side effects.

For naturopathic doctors, fixing the root cause is the core component of their education via:

Acupuncture and other Asian medicine.

Various lab tests.

Bodywork.

Counseling.

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Lifestyle changes.

Herbs, supplements and botanical remedies. healthwisdommagazine.com

Of course, a good diet is important for your overall health, however, it doesn’t always provide you quite enough vitamin D (which helps the body absorb calcium) or Vitamin C and E, antioxidants or Omega 3 fatty acids (which have been proven to help heart health.) Taking probiotics with some prescriptions will also protect your valuable gut flora.

H E A LT H Y E AT I N G CAN IMPROVE YOUR E MOT I O N A L H E A LT H GP’s tend to focus on the physical benefits that a healthy and balanced diet can bring. However, when it comes to mental or emotional problems, they generally skim over the benefits of nutrition and recommend other alternatives to fix the problem.

When you think of improving your mental health, you may not think about changing the food you eat. There is a strong link between what we eat and how we feel, with poor nutrition making you feel sluggish, low and increase symptoms of depression and anxiety. But now we are seeing a healthy diet (with a variety of fruit, veggies, nuts and healthy fats) can actually improve mental health.

This is a pretty new and exciting area of research. Headspace.com share two recent studies which investigated whether healthy food could reduce depression symptoms, and the results were clear - people who ate a healthier diet improved their depression symptoms more than people who focused on only social support. It improved sleep quality for the study participants, as well as increased their energy levels and improved their concentration. The study participants also experienced fewer cravings for foods with high sugar, salt or fat.

ACUPUNCTURE CAN C U R E Y O U R PA I N Acupuncture can ease migraines and arthritis as well as other forms of chronic pain. In a recent National Institute of Health study, involving data on nearly 18,000 patients, spanning over a five year period, the success of acupuncture for pain treatment was proven.

PREVENTION IS MORE I M P O R TA N T T H A N A C U R E Alternative medicine recognises the importance of preventing a problem before it appears. Complimentary therapies focus on keeping the body healthy rather than fixing it when things go wrong.

The reason why preventative therapies are so effective in the mental health sector, is that doctors can screen individuals for early warning signs.

The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) maintains that primary care providers should screen all adults for early stages of depression, to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment.

“We think there’s firm evidence supporting acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain,” said Dr. Andrew J. Vickers, attending research methodologist at Memorial SloanKettering Cancer Centre in New York and the lead author of the study.

Dr. Vicker’s goal was to look at all of the known research on acupuncture and pain relief; but rather than gather all of the research results and look for patterns, these researchers asked for raw data from all the studies that met their strict criteria, and reanalyzed the data themselves.

The authors call their result “the most robust evidence to date that acupuncture is a reasonable referral option for patients with chronic pain.” healthwisdommagazine.com

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Live Love and

EMBRACING AGE AND LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE with Joan Price

Joan Price is a woman who knows how to live life to the fullest, regardless of age. If you listen to the ageless sexual advocate you might even discover that your best years may, in fact, be your later years.

Joan Price is the author of ‘The Ultimate

Guide to Sex After 50: How to Maintain or Regain a Spicy, Satisfying Sex Life’, ‘Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud about Senior Sex’ and ‘Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty’.

She is widely regarded as a “senior sexpert” and has her own award winning blog www.

NakedAtOurAge.com, where she offers insights and advice on life, fitness, health and of course sex!

Health Wisdom asked Joan Price about her journey to discover the joys of senior sex and some advice on how we can all learn to embrace age and make the second half of our lives our best years yet.

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So Joan, you are a woman who clearly values health and fitness. Why do you think that it is so important, especially as we get older, to be mindful of our health?

We can’t control our genes, but we can control our lifestyle choices. Choosing to exercise and eat a nutritious diet not only protects our health long term, it also gives us more energy and more capacity for joyful living.

When did you discover your love for health and fitness and realise how important it was for your own overall wellbeing?

At first it wasn’t “love for health and fitness” as much as loving certain activities that happened to be good for health and fitness. I wasn’t a physically active child, but as a preteen and teenager, I loved dancing: jitterbug, record hops, learning moves from American Bandstand.

I didn’t learn to ride a bicycle until I was 26, but once I did, I cycled many hours each week. I also loved walking, exploring new places on foot. In my early 30s, I discovered aerobic dance and loved it so much that it became a daily routine.

At 34, I almost died in an automobile accident, which left me with many severe injuries (some lifelong). Getting back to the aerobics room and my bicycle motivated me and kept me going during many long months of rehabilitation. I went on to become a group exercise instructor, teaching aerobics and step classes and working with personal clients who thought they hated exercise. I’d tell them, “You don’t hate exercise — you just haven’t found the kind of exercise that you love.”

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Going through menopause, I could no longer bear to set the alarm to teach a 7:30am aerobics class, so I switched to teaching line dancing in the evening. At 75, I still teach line dancing three times a week, walk daily, and do intense Pilates twice a week. My body is aging, and I am often surprised by new aches and pains, but I always feel better when I exercise.

What are some of the things that you think we should be doing to prepare our body and our mind for the next half of our lives?

I think it’s important to continue to ask ourselves, “Is the way I’m living bringing me joy? If not, what do I need to change right now?” Don’t wait for a better life to find you — create it yourself.

You are a best selling author of many books, which focus on the idea of ageless sexuality. What led you to become a “senior sexpert”?

I had been earning my living writing books and articles about health and fitness for years.

One evening, a dashingly handsome, whitehaired man walked into my line dance class, and as soon as he moved his hips, I tried to remember to breathe. It was lust at first sight.

He was 64; I was 57.

This man, the artist Robert Rice, changed my life in every way, including deciding to write about older-age sexuality. You can read our love story in my first senior sex book, Better

Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty. Robert and I had only seven years together before I lost him to cancer.

When I started writing about senior sex in 2005, it was a hush-hush topic. Now it’s more out in the open, although I’m still fighting the notion that only young people can be sexy, desirous, and desirable.

My full-time job is writing and speaking about senior sex, and to me, it’s the most interesting topic ever! My books now include the award-winning Naked at Our

Age: Talking Out Loud about Senior Sex; The Ultimate Guide to Sex After 50: How to Maintain – or Regain! – a Spicy, Satisfying Sex Life; and the upcoming Sex after Grief: Navigating Your Sexuality after Loss of Your Beloved, which will be available August 2019.

Why do you think so many people find talking about sex and aging a difficult topic?

People in my generation were brought up not to talk about sex, especially from a woman’s point of view. There was very little information about women’s pleasure. Pair

that with our society’s view of older people as sexless, and we’re often silent about our sexual problems and our sexual pleasures.

What is some advice that you would give to men and women embarking on new relationships later on in life?

It’s never too late to experience new love and great sex.

Do you feel that a person’s relationship with sex can have an overall effect on their general health, wellbeing and happiness?

Of course! Our sexuality affects every other aspect of our life.

To discover some more of Joan Price’s expert advice and tips on how to find joy in life, love and relationships visit www.NakedAtOurAge.com

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Top10 HEALTH BLOGGERS FOR ANYONE 40 YEARS AND OVER

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G

rowing older can be a blessing, but as our bodies age, it becomes more important than ever to stay healthy.

With so many health experts we can access these days, it can become overwhelming trying to find inspiration for a healthier you, so we’ve put together a list of 10 health bloggers that will get you on track.

1

AV O C A D U avocadu.com/health-fitness-blogs Ever wondered what it would be like if a Vegan and meat loving trainer got together? Well, this excellent site is what happened. Alex and Lauren draw from personal experience to share the latest in training, fitness and nutrition with you.

2

THE LEAN GREEN BEAN www.theleangreenbean.com

If you think that healthy living is complicated and expensive, think again! The Lean Green Bean will show you the opposite, and inspire you to start living a healthy life, one step at a time, targeted at anyone 40 years and over.”

3

T H E F I T N E S S I S TA fitnessista.com

Real health and fitness advice, from a real mom and wife. One thing we loved about her site was the prep ahead recipes!

4

C HO COLAT E COV ER ED K ATI E www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com

If you love eating dessert, but love being fit as well, you’ll love this blog. Katie has been called “The queen of healthy desserts” by Glamour Magazine, and her recipes proves why!

5

THE FULL HELPING thefullhelping.com

Thinking about going Vegan? Then check out this blog to make sure you do it the right (and delicious) way!

6

MOTHERS IN MEDICINE mothersinmedicine.com

Mom always knows best, doesn’t she? Mothers in Medicine is a blog filled with mothers stories of their health journeys. Perfect for any mom in search of a healthy lifestyle.

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FIT BOTTOMED GIRLS fitbottomedgirls.com

Want to stay up to date with health myths, tips, tricks and news articles surrounding healthy lifestyles and health trends? Then follow Fit Bottomed Girls to do just that!

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V E RY W E L L H E A LT H verywellhealth.com

Very Well Health is filled with updates, news articles and blogs targeted anyone 40 years and over. Not only is this page helpful to keep track off but it also can help educate anyone who needs answers for their body.

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THE FIT FOODIE the-fit-foodie.com

An amazing blog filled with yummy recipes.

Everything natural and nothing to miss out on.

This page is excellent for anyone who wants to eat healthily but craves flavour.

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THE MINIMALISTS theminimalists.com

The Minimalists is excellent for anyone who needs to simplify. This blog won’t hit home with everyone, but it is still a great blog to broaden your mind, focus on the big picture of changing and improve mental wellbeing. healthwisdommagazine.com

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