With Mark Kelly about to command the last mission of the space shuttle Endeavor, I wanted to write a bit about their journey, as a follow-up to my January post on their situations and the stress related to it.
As we all know, on January 8th, 2011 in Tucson, Arizona astronaut Mark Kelly's and his wife Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' lives were turned topsy turvy. This dynamic and loving couple were at the peak of their careers. Instead, they were then faced by both a life-threatening violent injury and a seemingly impossible choice about his commitments and dreams. For Kelly, this was about whether to stay consistently by his wife's side, or to continue towards a lifetime opportunity as commander of the Shuttle Endeavor's last flight. Not an enviable situation.
Fast forward to late April. It is now Tuesday and Endeavor is on the launch pad. The precious cosmic ray detector payload, which is to be fixed on the exterior of the International Space Station, has been loaded and the payload bay doors closed. Lift-off is less than three days away. Commander Mark Kelly and his crew of five are in the usual pre-launch quarantine and the count-down has begun. The excitement grows with a mixture of nervousness and pride. This launch would have been noteworthy without the added attention of the Kelly-Giffords storyline. Dignitaries including the Obamas are beginning to arrive.
In the space community, it was always understood that Mark Kelly would make the decision to go ahead with his mission. As Kelly put it,
"You've got to make a determination whether ...is this something you think is worthwhile? And the way I do that is I've got to look at what's the personal risk to me and what's the reward to our nation in doing this? I think the space shuttle program and human space flight in general provides a great deal for our country."
This is the result of his analysis and conclusion of the overall dilemma he and his wife were facing. Not least in his decision was his wife's health status. We have heard about Representative Giffords' determination, and results in her recovery, no doubt influenced by her wish to see her husband's dream fulfilled. Her improvement made Commander Kelly's decision significantly easier.
On her side, knowing how much this mission meant to her husband, Gabrielle Giffords was going to do everything in her power to make it possible. She made his launch her motivation to recover faster. This meant that not only did she have to overcome great odds to survive, but to go a leap further by declaring early on that she wanted to be present for the launch. Setting such a seemingly insurmountable, but relatively short term goal, gave her the determination during an otherwise long and slow journey to recovery. It was a tangible target. Imagine how much slower her recovery would have been if there was no pressing target for which to reach? From a rehabilitation point of view her desire to support her husband and to be at the launch may have been the best thing that could have happened to her.
Representative Giffords and Mark Kelly show us how, when you assess your situation (even when it is utterly traumatic) and decide on a position you intend to aim for, much is possible.
As Endeavor is making her final launch before retiring, may she and her crew travel safely, and may the story of Commander Kelly and Representative Giffords serve to inspire.
Mix Up Your Exercise for Better Results
If you are already exercising regularly, here are some suggestions to help you get the most from your effort, and develop some enduring, beneficial habits. Allow Spring's arrival to be a helpful nudge.
If you are like many of us and feeling like you need to increase your activity but cannot quite get motivated or find the time in your busy schedule, here are some tips that may help you make exercise more enjoyable and effective.
When you read about exercise today what you commonly see are standard recommendations for types of exercise and how long you should exercise based on averages from studies in groups of people. While this information is valuable it's unlikely that you are that 'average' individual. Each one of us is in our unique place and have things we like to do, resources at our disposal, and more. It's important to note that 'more and harder' are not always better. We are best served by adapting these global standards to real life. Our life.
The following recommendations are based on proven methods, as well as the latest research and observations that to be healthy, fit and sustain activity over time, it is not only which exercise we do that matters but how to develop activity habits that fit into our individual lives.
1) Go for Variety. The body gets accustomed to the same thing every day and over time stops responding in the same manner. Ever reach a plateau?
2) Confuse the Body by alternating the speed or intensity or frequency of what you do if even by small amounts and with moderate intensity. This is why interval training is better than maintaining a steady pace at anything you do. Walk faster and slower. Take a few steps backwards every so often.
3) Change Posture. Stand up as often as you can throughout the day. Believe it or not, as well as improving balance and functional strength, this stimulates an enzyme that targets abdominal fat and has more physiological benefit than taking slow walks.
4) Take a Class. Classes provide structure, accountability and also variety since no two classes are alike, and you will do things that you otherwise wouldn't. There are lots of classes out there at health clubs or public recreation programs. My favorite is Yoga, where you learn to use breathing to energize or calm yourself, while increasing flexibility and balance.
5) Try Pilates. Pilates is amazing at strengthening your body's core muscles that support your back. It reminds me to suck my stomach in when I sit at my computer or driving. Start with an introductory class if you have never done it.
6) Make it Social. Grab a friend or group and play tennis, golf or take a long walk once a week.
7) Swim. Outdoors if you can, but anywhere is good. Swimming is a wonderful, low-impact activity and just plain feels good.
8) Get Dirty, Have Fun: Gardening is not usually thought of as exercise but the next day your pleasantly aching muscles may tell you otherwise. Stretch before and after and don't try to do your spring clean-up and planting all at once. And the next time you walk by the playground, swing on that swing, even slowly. You may even make a new, younger friend or two.
9) Relax. And I'm not talking about watching TV. Most of us think we know how to relax but really aren't accomplishing it. I'm talking about an activity that releases your tension and brings you back to a state of equilibrium. Relaxation is just as important to our muscles and joints as contracting them. Not sure how to do it? Take a restorative or Yin yoga class and learn that feeling.
10) Do it now, then do it later. Do you fail to start exercising due to not having enough time? Instead, do 3 or 4 minutes here and 3 or 4 minutes there. Which do you think will have results - lamenting your busyness and not doing anything, or doing a little bit at different times during the day?
I consider myself a fairly active person but if you are like me, you may spend a little too much time sitting in front of a computer or a TV, especially during the colder months. It's also easy to go with what's comfortable and not test our bodies in smart and reasonable ways. I hope that with Spring's arrival, you will allow some of these suggestions to spark a renewed enthusiasm about your exercise program.
If you are like many of us and feeling like you need to increase your activity but cannot quite get motivated or find the time in your busy schedule, here are some tips that may help you make exercise more enjoyable and effective.
When you read about exercise today what you commonly see are standard recommendations for types of exercise and how long you should exercise based on averages from studies in groups of people. While this information is valuable it's unlikely that you are that 'average' individual. Each one of us is in our unique place and have things we like to do, resources at our disposal, and more. It's important to note that 'more and harder' are not always better. We are best served by adapting these global standards to real life. Our life.
The following recommendations are based on proven methods, as well as the latest research and observations that to be healthy, fit and sustain activity over time, it is not only which exercise we do that matters but how to develop activity habits that fit into our individual lives.
1) Go for Variety. The body gets accustomed to the same thing every day and over time stops responding in the same manner. Ever reach a plateau?
2) Confuse the Body by alternating the speed or intensity or frequency of what you do if even by small amounts and with moderate intensity. This is why interval training is better than maintaining a steady pace at anything you do. Walk faster and slower. Take a few steps backwards every so often.
3) Change Posture. Stand up as often as you can throughout the day. Believe it or not, as well as improving balance and functional strength, this stimulates an enzyme that targets abdominal fat and has more physiological benefit than taking slow walks.
4) Take a Class. Classes provide structure, accountability and also variety since no two classes are alike, and you will do things that you otherwise wouldn't. There are lots of classes out there at health clubs or public recreation programs. My favorite is Yoga, where you learn to use breathing to energize or calm yourself, while increasing flexibility and balance.
5) Try Pilates. Pilates is amazing at strengthening your body's core muscles that support your back. It reminds me to suck my stomach in when I sit at my computer or driving. Start with an introductory class if you have never done it.
6) Make it Social. Grab a friend or group and play tennis, golf or take a long walk once a week.
7) Swim. Outdoors if you can, but anywhere is good. Swimming is a wonderful, low-impact activity and just plain feels good.
8) Get Dirty, Have Fun: Gardening is not usually thought of as exercise but the next day your pleasantly aching muscles may tell you otherwise. Stretch before and after and don't try to do your spring clean-up and planting all at once. And the next time you walk by the playground, swing on that swing, even slowly. You may even make a new, younger friend or two.
9) Relax. And I'm not talking about watching TV. Most of us think we know how to relax but really aren't accomplishing it. I'm talking about an activity that releases your tension and brings you back to a state of equilibrium. Relaxation is just as important to our muscles and joints as contracting them. Not sure how to do it? Take a restorative or Yin yoga class and learn that feeling.
10) Do it now, then do it later. Do you fail to start exercising due to not having enough time? Instead, do 3 or 4 minutes here and 3 or 4 minutes there. Which do you think will have results - lamenting your busyness and not doing anything, or doing a little bit at different times during the day?
I consider myself a fairly active person but if you are like me, you may spend a little too much time sitting in front of a computer or a TV, especially during the colder months. It's also easy to go with what's comfortable and not test our bodies in smart and reasonable ways. I hope that with Spring's arrival, you will allow some of these suggestions to spark a renewed enthusiasm about your exercise program.
Aging Well With a Generous Daily Dose of Gravity
The human body is a gift. We owe it to ourselves to take good care of it and in fact we have more influence over this body than we might believe. Not feeling your best is no fun and often very costly. In contrast, a healthy body and mind help you feel good and look young. At times, you may for instance get down on yourself about what you’ve eaten or having been relatively inactive. It’s important that you be aware of this and make choices that better support your wellbeing. Although medications have their place, practical, non-medicinal solutions are readily available as well. There is much to be learned from previous generations.
Modern Times and Technologies
Many modern technologies have contributed to robbing us of good health. They crept up on us before we quite realized what was happening. Although the TV remote control, your car, your computer and the washing machine make your life and work easier, they also reduce your need to move.
Designed for Gravity
Your body was designed to live and move in gravity which, in turn, makes movement effective. We’ve learned from astronauts living in space how important using gravity is to wellness. In spite of hours of strenuous exercise while in the microgravity of space, astronauts lose stamina, balance, coordination, and muscle and bone strength 10 times faster than on earth. These are all changes you experience on earth as you age, only much more slowly than our astronaut friends. Yet if you asked a doctor about the effects of gravity on human health they would probably look at you blankly. There is nothing in the medical textbooks about gravity.
At NASA we learned that you can produce similar changes on earth by lying in bed continuously. With the greater inactivity prevalent today from extended periods of sitting and lying down these accelerated age-like changes can be hazardous to your health. The simple answer for us living on earth is to move more in ways that use gravity. Children do this spontaneously. Before the advent of Jane Fonda's videos or Gyms and Wellness Centers, our grandparents did it naturally in the course of the day.
Mother Nature's medicine to aging well in technology-rich modern times is a generous daily dose of gravity. For your body to be well and strong it is crucial to use and challenge gravity by moving about throughout the day, every day.
Aging is Not Dependent on Age
We think of gravity as the force that makes apples fall off trees and allows skiers enjoy the thrill of sliding downhill. When it come to ourselves though, we tend to view gravity as the enemy that drags us down and ages us. It makes our body sag, muscles and bones atrophy, we lose our balance and coordination and cannot get a good night's sleep. Did you know that astronauts in space, where they experience almost no gravity-- we call it microgravity -- show the same changes? Do astronauts grow old faster in space without gravity? And if these changes are due to aging, why do they recover once back in Earth's gravity? After all, we presume that you and I grounded here on Earth do not recover from these same changes.These were the perplexing questions I faced in my research at NASA.
Given the small numbers of humans going into space, experiments on the ground had to be devised where we could study in depth many more people in conditions that mimic the effects of living in space. Healthy men and women, similar in age to astronauts, volunteered to lie in bed continuously for weeks. Lying down decreases the length of the axis in the body through which gravity can act. An even better model was lying at an incline with the feet up and head slightly down. The first 20 minutes are a bit uncomfortable because the blood rushes to the head but after that it feels normal and astronauts tell us it feels much more like being in space.
After a few days of this bed rest, healthy young volunteers show the same accelerated age-like loss in muscle and bone and the other spaceflight changes we saw in astronauts, except they were less intense. Were these healthy men and women also aging faster merely by lying in bed? Like astronauts, they also recovered once they were up and about and the axis of gravity acted on their body in the head to toe direction.
Answers Came from the Ground
The simplistic answer was that these changes may seem similar but are due to different causes and mechanisms. After all it has been assumed that as we age we do not recover from these similar changes.
While visiting a friend's mother at a nursing home it dawned on me that the question I was asking should be turned around. It was not, " Do astronauts and people on earth grow old under conditions of reduced gravity?" Outrageous as it seemed, what if the question to ask was "Could the physical deterioration associated with the passage of time be reversible as well?" " My research team wondered if it could have something to do with somehow being exposed to less gravity as we age. This consideration raised a highly exciting prospect.
The Theory and the Action
Years after first expressing this theory acceptance is gradually growing that the changes associated with increasing years -- age -- are distinct from aging. They are ageless. They are due to a life of reduced influence of gravity on the body. This means that they are not inevitable, that you can actually do something to prevent, delay and even reverse the changes normally associated with aging. Even though gravity is all around us, from age 20 on when development peaks, we progressively decrease challenging gravity in everyday life. It is not merely about inactivity. Not only do you sit more but the secret from space research is that you need to move more with respect to the axis of gravity.Think about gravity until using it becomes a habit.
Mark Kelly's Decision: Coping with Stress
Does worry keep you up at night? Do you fuss over fears, "what if" worries, stuff that needs to be done? It's easy to become all wired up with stress.
But have you stopped to think about how real this stress is? It seems real enough at the time. Yet you can quickly erase it from your mind once you realize that it falls in the category of something that is not under your control. You are unnecessarily wasting energy if you do not realize that all this anticipated stress is generated by you.
Then there is stress that comes unannounced, that you cannot disregard because it happens unexpectedly and you must deal with it. The incredible live TV drama of the shootings on January 8th, a beautiful sunny day in Tucson, Arizona came, like 9/11, to shake us out of putting off making sure we tell people we love them.
Think of that day's awful events. On the one hand, families lost loved ones and many were needlessly injured and experienced trauma. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords not only came near to losing her life but suddenly is facing the steep climb to carve out a somewhat different kind of future. Things never quite return to the way they were.
Consider what her astronaut husband Mark Kelly has been dealing with. He is Commander of a Shuttle mission only weeks away, and must have hit emotional bottom that fateful Saturday. Grueling naval and astronaut training, that equipped him in dealing with great risks as well as with news media, must have come in unexpectedly useful. Yet in his wildest dreams this was not the scenario he had prepared for. Additionally, his major support and twin brother Scott Kelly was unavailable, 200 miles up in space as Commander of the International Space Station. Should one tell astronauts in space this sort of tremendously bad news? Today's technology makes it impossible to keep anything a secret. These are professionals and they are trained to deal with bad news and challenges of all sorts.
How could astronaut-specific training have helped Mark Kelly? In the case of loss or near loss, astronauts will react like any other human being and use the tools they have developed. The list includes prayer, action, continuing with life's demands, taking care of one's own health, letting go of negative emotions and having people to lean on through the process of recovery.
In the case of prolonged uncertainty, as in the case of Mark Kelly, the rigorous training to analyze, anticipate, think through and act must click in automatically. Yet no one can be trained for this kind of event. When others rely on you, helplessness is not an option. Staying emotionally in control and calm remains a fundamental requirement from which he can draw strength. His training would say:
- Get the facts
- Analyze
- Remain informed
- Question gently and constantly and establish control. Doctors and caregivers are in virgin territory with this case. Nothing can be taken for granted.
- Organize assistance
- Act on whatever is under your control
- Faith
"As you can imagine the last month has been the hardest time of my life," he said. Of his wife, he added "She's made progress every day; I have every intention that she'll be there for the launch."
Godspeed Mark Kelly!
Four Tips to Adapting to Modern Times
Consider this common scenario:
Bob is a strong man of 60-something. He wakes up in the morning and gets out of bed. He usually aches a bit, pops a pill, rubs the complaining joint, but bears it. After that first cup of coffee he feels better and heads off to take on another day. Bob and his wife are financially comfortable and like to travel. They were about to take a flight to their favorite spot for the holidays when a very high heart rate and a trip to the ER changed all that. He was lucky, modern medicine saved his life.
This gave Bob a rude awakening. Many of us take for granted that our body and mind will see us through to a reasonable old age with minor breakdowns -- just as long as we can remain independent. But can you, without appropriate investment and maintenance? Why wait to be sick before deciding to pay attention to your health. I think we sometimes take better care of our car.
Here are some tips to get you started:
Technological progress is unavoidable. It brings wonderful opportunities for improvement in the quality of life. On the other hand, are technologies taking over your life? Indiscriminate use of these technologies can be a negative.To enjoy well-being depends on your taking control of how you use technology to advantage.
Assess your state of wellness today, so you can make the appropriate choices for your tomorrow.
Are you in charge of how you use technology or has it taken over your life? Your comments will help others.
Bob is a strong man of 60-something. He wakes up in the morning and gets out of bed. He usually aches a bit, pops a pill, rubs the complaining joint, but bears it. After that first cup of coffee he feels better and heads off to take on another day. Bob and his wife are financially comfortable and like to travel. They were about to take a flight to their favorite spot for the holidays when a very high heart rate and a trip to the ER changed all that. He was lucky, modern medicine saved his life.
This gave Bob a rude awakening. Many of us take for granted that our body and mind will see us through to a reasonable old age with minor breakdowns -- just as long as we can remain independent. But can you, without appropriate investment and maintenance? Why wait to be sick before deciding to pay attention to your health. I think we sometimes take better care of our car.
Here are some tips to get you started:
- Become aware of the constantly changing conditions in the world around you. Keeping well requires that you adjust to these changes. Sway with the punches. Learn how to manage stress.
- Commit to take responsibility for your physical and emotional well-being. Take out a warranty on your BMW (Body Made to Work). If not literally, make a conscious contract with yourself that you will at all times take care of this one of a kind body and mind asset. Decide to treat it kindly.
- Begin by assessing your state of wellness today, not merely of your health but also of your daily habits as they affect your health. Get started with our Health Assets Self-Assessment questionnaire which comes free when you sign up for our Newsletter. Think of it as the starting block for launching your Long-term Health Investment Plan.
- Structure your relationship with technology. In this modern age, the abundance and the rapid appearance of ever–new technologies can throw you out of balance: your body is under-used, under-stimulated, almost immobilized. At the same time your mental capacities are over-stimulated.
Technological progress is unavoidable. It brings wonderful opportunities for improvement in the quality of life. On the other hand, are technologies taking over your life? Indiscriminate use of these technologies can be a negative.To enjoy well-being depends on your taking control of how you use technology to advantage.
Assess your state of wellness today, so you can make the appropriate choices for your tomorrow.
Are you in charge of how you use technology or has it taken over your life? Your comments will help others.
Measure Your Health Assets
In recent years I have published two books, and have been busy with public speaking and training workshops. Now with a new book in 2011, Sitting Kills, Moving Heals, my publisher advised me to increase my 'web presence'. So, here I am. My mission is to help you age well by sharing with you readily available solutions, knowledge and experience from a research career with NASA.
As a result I got better organized and more productive. However, I fell into the trap of sitting in front of a computer for hours on end. I have always been active, with short daily routines at home, as well as swimming in the summer, tennis and yoga classes year-round and more. When my yoga teacher moved out of the area six months ago an unfriendly stiffness crept into my life. One small change in my daily routine and my energy took a nosedive while the mirror showed flab around the waist and arms.
Had aging caught up with me? Not a bit of it! It was time to practice what I preach.
We have a wonderful new Wellness Center at the end of the road so I had no excuses for not taking charge of my condition. I joined and am slowly getting back to my old routine. It is, as you may have heard me say, mostly a question of making time for oneself.
How do you see yourself in 20 years? Follow these blogposts for more information on developing your personal Third Age Health Investment Plan.
Leave your comments, enter the conversation.We are all in this together.
As a result I got better organized and more productive. However, I fell into the trap of sitting in front of a computer for hours on end. I have always been active, with short daily routines at home, as well as swimming in the summer, tennis and yoga classes year-round and more. When my yoga teacher moved out of the area six months ago an unfriendly stiffness crept into my life. One small change in my daily routine and my energy took a nosedive while the mirror showed flab around the waist and arms.
Had aging caught up with me? Not a bit of it! It was time to practice what I preach.
We have a wonderful new Wellness Center at the end of the road so I had no excuses for not taking charge of my condition. I joined and am slowly getting back to my old routine. It is, as you may have heard me say, mostly a question of making time for oneself.
In my journey of web-literacy I found lots of helpful advice in how to use understandable language on Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income blog. If you blog or have thought about starting, check it out. Though geared for young entrepreneurs and therefore often over my head, I find his advice candid and forthright. The excerpt below was in one of his earlier posts with a touch of the kind of philosophy that I subscribe to.
The Main Point
Step back from where you are and what you’re doing – and look at yourself. Are you doing what you want to do? Are you living how you want to live? Do you have the ability to do the things you want to do, and if so, why aren’t you doing those things? If you don’t have the ability to do the things you want, are you doing the things now to eventually get to that point?
I know that’s a lot to figure out, and you may not have an answer for yourself just yet. I’ll leave you with a quote, from me:
“You can do whatever it is you want to do. You just have to first, know what you want, and secondly, know how to get it. If you don’t know how to get it, find out how by doing research, reading, asking questions, taking initiative, asking more questions, and learning as much as you can.”
On your journey toward your desired lifestyle, many things will try and hold you back. Don’t let yourself be one of them."
I could not have said it better myself. So I thought if this advice is good enough for the financial side of your house it applies just as well for your health assets. After all it does no good to be financially independent in your old age if you are not physically and mentally independent enough to enjoy it.
Whatever your age, here's how I suggest you take charge of building your health assets:
Whatever your age, here's how I suggest you take charge of building your health assets:
- Step 1: Get Started. Whatever your age, get started today by completing our free Health Assets self-assessment. You can get it by signing up for our Newsletter. When you have completed it, go back and re-read the questionnaire as well as your answers.
- Step 2: Assess. Where are your strengths and what needs work?
- Step 3: Set a Goal. Focus your attention on one item and work on it for one month
- Step 4:Check your progress by completing the self-assessment questionnaire again.
Leave your comments, enter the conversation.We are all in this together.
Here's to your successful Third Age! And as always thank you for your support.
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