Happy, just not hap, hap, happy...

There is not anything in this world, perhaps, that is more talked of, 

and less understood, than the business of a happy life. It is every 

man’s wish and design; and yet not one of a thousand that 

knows wherein that happiness consists.

-  Lucius Anneaeus Seneca

Sitting in her office when it's chilly or outside around her fire pit when it is not, Gail and I search the cosmos for meaning. It's the kind of thing friends do when exploring one another's universe.

 

Gail is a retired hospital CFO and a Buddhist. I, on the other hand, consider myself a Christian Stoic. Over many a cup of coffee and in the presence of Butler, the cat, we have come to a reasonably decent understanding and appreciation of the worlds in which each of us lives. This would be a relative statement because, while we have a similar time in service on this third planet from the sun, we appreciate that we really don’t even fully understand ourselves.

 

I have often noticed, in my own mind, how easy it is to think I know other people but not be so clear about myself. I suppose it's about the fifty-thousand-foot view of others, where things seem discernibly soft around the edges. It seems easier. Whereas trying to sort the trees in the forest of my own mind is a granular, often poorly understood, ditch-digging process. 

 

In Socrates' voice, Plato suggested that "…the unexamined mind is not worth living…" but what the heck! Where does one start? I suppose, like anything else…at the beginning.

 

There are resources…

 

This is where, like a good sourdough bread 'starter,' moral teachings prime the pump! At least, that's what they should do. There are many of them around, most of which provide early guidance on the road to personal enlightenment, whatever that means. Gail and I both have ways of thinking about this process…and it is a process.

 

There are Five Precepts in Buddhist thought: 

Refrain from:

• taking life.                             • wrong speech. 

• taking what is not given.       • intoxicants that cloud the mind

• misuse of the senses.

 

Gail has helped me understand by putting some practical 'meat on the bone' of these concepts. They are meant to be more than bright, shining stop-and-go signs. Still, ideas are to be meditated on and incorporated into one's behavior – spiritual as well as physical…to minimize the pain of life from the suffering of life (Buddhist concept).

 

In Judeo-Christian teachings, the Ten Commandments are a core foundation. Of the ten, the initial four recommend how we interact with God, the universal intellect from whom we emerged. 

 

The last six suggest the way we should interact with our human brethren. 

• Honor your father and mother. 

• Thou shalt not steal. 

• Thou shalt not commit adultery. 

• Thou shalt not steal. 

• Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. 

• Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s hours, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

 

These teachings are essential in guiding our lives but suggest, as with Buddhist thought, things we should NOT do. They infer behavior corrections lead to enlightenment, salvation, and otherwise happy lives. 

 

Important thoughts indeed, but what are the operational things we should do? Being totally reactive isn’t necessarily helpful if we don’t have a blueprint.

 

Providing a path is valuable, but it is asking questions that help us get on our way.

            • Why are we here?                                  • What are our dreams?

            • What do we expect?                              • Do we have a purpose?

            • What do we want to gain?                    • What would that be?

 

These are not easy subjects and require effort to sort out. I mean, where do we start?

 

My doctoral advisor believed in negative reinforcement as an educational philosophy. There was nothing…no paper, exam, or class presentation that was good enough. It's challenging to learn when most of the feedback one gets is not constructive...a metaphor for some of the ways we are taught in our religious experiences.

 

In my view, criticism is not a particularly good way for people to learn unless help is provided to correct mistakes. This should be the role of teachers, mentors, ministers, and parents.

 

Depending on our teachings, we are told to meditate, maybe with a mantra, or encouraged to "…go into our closet and pray…."

 

The questions become – pray about what? And for what?

 

Is it good enough to simply ask to feel better about ourselves, solve a family or work issue, be a better person, or find our calling? Is it our expectation that we will be struck with a lightning bolt of enlightenment?

 

To be continued…

- ted

Aging gracefully…

“On the subject of exercise requirements, senior citizens need 

to let go of the idea that somehow, they’re different from 

the rest of the population because of their age.” 

 Doug McGuff, MD – Body By Science

I was rolling over in bed one night during the COVID and was struck by the fact it was taking some effort. Effort I had not remembered needing. I’m a good-sized animal with long limbs, all of which take coordination to move around. Moving them has been a matter of unconscious habit as long as I have lived in this space suit. It wasn't that I couldn't roll over...it was that I had to put previously unrecognized effort into the simple task. Now that I was aware, I noticed it on subsequent nights.

I was experiencing the insidious creep of musculoskeletal weakening, what we call in professional terms, sarcopenia – not a disease, but the normal loss of muscle mass that accompanies aging. 

Aging?!! What the heck!

Okay, I don’t think ‘I’ am getting older, but it seems my raiment is wearing out.

I also noticed the nights seemed a little nippier in the desert winters. That had not caught my attention because I enjoy a cooler environment – I usually put on another layer and am as comfy as can be. And yes, the temperature at night during the winter months in the desert southwest does require sweaters and jackets!

Some history…

Over the years, in addition to my professional clinical work, I gave untold numbers of presentations to senior citizens in a variety of venues, regarding the importance of exercise. In that day, the presentations covered stretching, strengthening, endurance, and balance. These people were usually north of 70 years. Generally, most folks shuffled slowly into the rooms with a small number using canes or walkers. But then there were always one or two that came with a bounce in their step. 

I always asked those ‘bounce steppers’ what accounted for their gait, balance, and apparent energy. Without exception over the years, the answer was that they strength trained.

Skeletal muscle, broadly considered an organ system, consists of more than six hundred fifty individual muscles in the body. They are the metabolic energy-producing engines that stabilize (think posture) and are responsible for all voluntary movement. Better muscle integrity – greater functional ability.

A little data…

The National Center for Health Services estimates only 26% of older Americans (65 yrs+) do regular exercise, despite recommendations by healthcare professionals for quality of life benefits. Of that group, most do aerobic (cardio) activity (e.g., walk, jog, swim, bike, etc.,). This isn’t much different than the general adult population (18 yrs+), where 25% percent of all adults over 18 actively exercise. Of that group (including seniors) 7% participate in resistance training, and yet, muscle mass is the only voluntarily active system in the body that permits movement freedom and increases overall bodily function! (Elgaddal N, Kramarow EA, Ruben C, Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 18 and Over: United States, 2020, NCHS Data Brief, no. 443, Aug 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db443.htm). For context, the numbers in the CDC link have not changed in the forty years I have worked in health care. 

While strength training does not get the exposure aerobic (cardio) exercise does, many studies indicate older people not only can increase their strength/muscle mass and functional abilities but also lower resting blood pressure, increase bone density, manage body fat, increase aerobic (cardio) capacity, have better balance and regulation of body temperature. In some cases, resistance training also helps normalize blood lipid profiles and increases G.I. transit time. 

 Cardio exercise does not increase muscle mass and burns very few calories (100 calories per walking mile and a little more from jogging). Think of that donut (190-300 calories). There are 3,500 calories in a pound, so it doesn’t take much math to see endurance exercise by itself is not a successful weight management strategy. And, cardio exercise on its own does not increase muscle. An elderly man who has been a runner, has the leg muscle size of non-exercising peers (photo on right).  Strength training, on the other hand, increases muscle mass to help burn those calories more efficiently. A seventy-year-old man who has done regular strength training will have thigh muscle the size of a 40-year-old (graphic below left)…diet, of course is the key. 

The Pitch…

It is never too late to begin a resistance training program, regardless of age. If you are a senior reading this, you might be astounded at the functional improvements accompanying resistance training. Research has shown that even ninety-year-olds have displayed remarkable increases in function through supervised strength training.

It is true; in the end, our batteries run out. But resistance training can extend personal health and function much longer. If done properly, it is the best preventative medicine in which human beings can engage. Older people do not need to be treated with kid gloves. As long as strengthening is done carefully, their bodies will respond in positive ways.

Aging and reduction in function is inevitable, but the rate at which it happens is partly in our hands. For me? Independence as much as possible…as long as possible. 

-ted

* Note: Be sure to talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise program