Aging Archives - Blowing It

February 7, 2021February 7, 2021

Not Celebrating Our Birthdays.

We should Always Celebrate Our Birthdays No Matter How Small The Celebration May Be.

It just so happens to be my birthday today. And for the past several years I haven’t put too much emphasis on the day. I always told myself when you get to a certain age birthdays are no longer important. Something for children but not full-grown adults. Recently I realized how wrong that thinking was. We should celebrate our birthdays to the fullest each and every year. Shout it from the rooftops or have a quiet meditation about it. Just don’t let it slip past without being thankful for it.

We need to be thankful for this gift of another year on this earth. It helps to be thankful for each and every day. But on your birthday it’s special, another milestone hit in the miracle that is you. Think of how astronomically impossible it is for you to even have this gift of life, gift of existence. The confluence of so many chance encounters. It’s like hitting the lottery jackpot hundreds of times. First your parents needed to be born at just the perfect times for them to be able to meet. And same with your parent’s parent’s and so on down the line.

Winning The Many Lottery’s Of Creation.

On top of that, they needed to actually meet. And with billions of people living on this planet that is mind-boggling in and of itself. Perfect place, perfect time. Then they must take the actual actions for creation on the exact day of the exact month where you were conceived. That’s when the true luck of your life happened. It had to be the exact month of all history. One month before you don’t exist, one month after, the same thing, you never come to be. Then out of the millions of sperm cells, just one special one makes it to your mother’s ovum and gives life to you. If the wrong one gets there sooner you may not have the life you have. Then months of growth within your mother. Ideally in good health.

Then with each passing year, hundreds, if not thousands help to ensure your survival. From the parents to the teachers and babysitters. From the food supply systems and water distribution networks that give you easy access to nutrition and water. To the builders and family that puts a roof over your head. We are given so many gifts along the way that when we reach a milestone like that of our birthdays we must jump for joy. For we have been blessed with yet another year on this planet. So I say Happy Birthday to all, enjoy your special day.

September 1, 2019September 4, 2019

Waiting Until End Of Life For Retirement #218.

We Never Know What The Future Holds. That’s Why We Should Enjoy Retirement Consistently Throughout Life.

In speaking with a hospice therapist the other day. He spoke of a couple that was just weeks away from 65 years of age and full retirement. They had planned a luxury cruise that they had always dreamed of. And just before they were to depart, the wife had a massive stroke. And needed in home hospice care. No retirement, no dream vacation. Just a rapidly fleeting life.

And that’s the problem. Life can change in a flash. This hospice therapist told me of a 29 year old with a wife and kids and 19 year old both of which had brain tumors, he spoke of children with cancer.

It’s truly devastating that anyone could be taken at such young ages. It’s not fair at all but it is an aspect of life. The therapist spoke of the work as being rewarding. To help ease the burden at the end of life. And that’s just it, we have to respect the fact that our time here is limited.

With just a blink of the eye you could be healthy and in your prime. Dreaming of a future that may never come. Than out of nowhere, blindsided by a catastrophic event.

We Can’t Wait, We Have To Take Advantage Of Our Time Here And Now.

After the therapist saw all these patients taken too soon. He realized he had to live his own life before it was too late. He began to take short retirements yearly. A few months off to recuperate and rejuvenate.

Something that we should mandate for ourselves, as well as from all employers. Its no wonder why this F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early) idea is taking off. No one wants to wait till it’s too late to enjoy retirement. To truly take full advantage of that part of life.

I spoke with a retired engineer as well. He and his wife were thoroughly enjoying their retirement. But in order to get there, he spent 30 plus years working in the same office. He said his son once commented to him, “Dad isn’t that just a prison sentence with a life release program?”

Is Your Work A Prison Sentence With A Life Release Program?

It is how most work is treated. Give us two thirds of your life. And just maybe at the end of it you can finally relax and enjoy what you are doing. This is if you had a decent paying career that helped contribute to the income needed for after the work is finished. Or you yourself properly planned for retirement. Most give the two thirds of life and have nothing to show for it in the end.

What Can We Do?

We could subscribe to financial independence, retire early. And get out of the prison sentence while we’re still young. We could find work we truly love so we enjoy every aspect of our life even work. Maybe start a successful business and take command of your time.

We could demand employers to allow us up to 5 months off a year. If we do that, we could institute a new program. That while working, income is placed into a mini retirement account to be used annually. It could be separated out so that living expenses are covered throughout the year and you can take months off with ease and have still your job when you come back. If you still want it. All so we don’t have to wait till end of life, to truly enjoy our life.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

August 30, 2019September 4, 2019

Ageism #217.

Ageism Is The Discrimination We All Seem To Be Okay With.

It almost seems like somewhat of a joke, ageism. We think we don’t discriminate against different age groups. Yet every single age group does it. Young discriminate against the old. Older generations blame millennials for destroying some of the old ways and businesses that once thrived. Opportunities are abundant at some ages, and completely closed off at others. In dating your age can be a complete handicap or the reason you succeed.

As we age we grow sharper we have more tools to utilize when it comes to problem solving. Yet we treat the older individual often with scorn. Like they don’t deserve a place at the table anymore. In our youth we have vitality, quick recovery as well as immaturity. With that immaturity comes boldness and confidence. Not many are jaded young.

Why is it we look at others differently due to their age? You might miss the love of your life a perfect companion all because they fell out of a certain age group. You may pass up the ideal job candidate because of age.

Why do some cultures celebrate age, care and look after their older citizens? While others seem to condemn and ostracize them? Why is it at some ages we get the respect we deserve? And at others people will try to walk all over you?

Maybe We’re Just Trying To Stay With Our Tribe.

Age Factors into that. Ageism might also have to do with the long held assumptions we have about aging. Yes as the body ages it sometimes begins to lose that youthful vitality. It begins to breakdown. But it doesn’t always have to in the times we assume it does. We could exercise and eat right and hold on to it longer than most.

Yet that will not change the reaction of some when they hear the number of years that body has supported life on earth. We either need to let go of our hangups on age. And if we can’t do that, we should never have to disclose what our age truly is.

May 23, 2019July 17, 2019

States That Don’t Allow Alternatives To Burial Or Cremation #194.

Washington state became the first state to legally allow human composting as a burial option. All states should follow suit.

From the earth we begin, back to the soil we shall end. It’s nature’s way yet we infringe upon that right. We over stepped our bounds and bastardized the natural process. Who thought the best option would be to embalm a body with formaldehyde in order to be a show piece as your last visual representation on earth? Your life less body is pumped full of toxic fluid, than you’re stuffed into a wooden or metal box and put into a hole six feet underground to serve no purpose beyond a burial site that acts as a memorial for friends and family to mourn over.

Ideally you are at least an organ donor and there was a purpose for parts of you, to help save the lives of others so they may survive. But what about the bulk of you? Wouldn’t you rather fertilize the earth with soil of your flesh? Now filled with beneficial microorganisms after the composting that can continue to help vegetation grow. To “live” on within a tree or a flower, within the fruits and vegetables that feed other organisms. Wouldn’t that be a gift to leave behind.

Just Give Us More Burial Options

Even if you don’t want that option you should have the right to choose. Yet only one state give you that right, Washington state. Other states may have other options. You can dawn a fungus body suit where your body becomes the medium for which mushroom can grow on and fed off of as your body decomposes. Heck you should have the option to have a viking burial if you so choose. Who got to decide on our limited choices of what they do with our bodies when we die? That is the bodies owner’s choice and what they decide should be honored, as long as it does not infringe on others.

November 19, 2018August 10, 2019

The Keto Diet #158.

I Do In Fact Believe Keto Is One Of The Best Ways To Lose Weight, But We Should Always Counter That With A Question. Is This Even A Healthy Way To Lose? Skinny Does Not Necessarily Mean Optimal Health?

How many different ways can we label this diet of high fats, high protein and low in carbohydrates? Atkins, Keto, Bulletproof, Paleo. Sure I’m over generalizing these diets, they all have there own slight variations and gimmicks but in essence that is the protocol.

They are all similar renditions of the same process. The fact that the last one is literally a reference to the paleolithic man, cavemen, is beside me. Someone had the notion to take the dietary struggles of a caveman. Figured history showed they would not gain fat and only have lean muscle due to there general diet and physical activity. And then deduced this to be the optimal method for weight loss. A diet is so easy even a, well you know the rest of that slogan. Have we ever stopped to think cavemen had an incredibly short life expectancy and didn’t live much past their early to mid thirties. Could that possibly have something to do with diet?

Short Life Expectancy

I’m no dietitian but I think it’s safe to assume. What we put into our bodies can be both the thing that hurts us and causes short life expectancy. Or the thing that helps and heals us and gives us health and vitality late into life. Let food be thy medicine is such a true statement. It could be countered by let food be thy illness creator. The choice is completely up to you.

Optimal Human pH Level.

Science and research show a diet high in animal protein like keto, greatly increases the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes you name it. The optimal pH of the human body is slightly alkaline 7.35 to be exact. When we eat animal proteins, beef, poultry, dairy, cheese, you name it, these proteins greatly increase the acidity in our blood lowering our pH which than becomes an optimal breeding ground for disease.

Add to those animal products massive doses of antibiotics (which kills parts of your gut biome when ingested) that these animals need because how they live is another provider of disease. Then contaminate that meat with toxic levels of adrenaline. That’s what is released into there blood stream when they reach the slaughter house. And you have a recipe for disaster.

The Biggest Loser.

Yet we judge everything by outside beauty not realizing till it’s too late, that we rot from the inside out. The exterior is the last to show signs. Bob Harper of NBC’s biggest loser was the model of health and fitness. And he went into cardiac arrest at 50 and had to be shocked back to life. Upon further inspection they found heredity gave him too much lipoproteins in his blood stream. Did you hear that? Too much proteins.

I don’t know his specific diet at the time. I’m willing to bet it was very high in animal proteins. Similar to keto protocol. Which probably only exacerbated his levels of proteins, lowering his blood pH and causing heart palpitations till it one day it misfired. I’m no doctor but you can see these patterns throughout the healthcare system. Bob is a great example but many who strive for the perfect physique don’t always get so lucky. They are struck down by hidden illnesses they couldn’t see coming.

The China Study.

There was a 30 year study done by the senior health official in China (read The China Study). One of the most extensive in history. Where they documented every Chinese citizens health and diet every year. It was on a massive scale. And what they found was as those communities introduced more animal proteins into there diet. The instances of heart disease and cancer grew exponentially. Upon further study. They found those proteins actively turn on cancer cursors. When meat was removed from the diet those precursors subsided.

Standard American Diet.

As our Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) grows in popularity around the world so does the health care juggernaut. Sadly we partake in this diet more than any other because of cost and convenience and flavor enhancements that entice our brains to want more of it. It is by far the most detrimental to health. Keto is far superior than this diet but still misses the mark on optimal health.

Ideal Nutrition.

In an ideal situation we would get most, if not all, of our nutrients from living foods. Raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Do not fear the carbohydrates of fruits they are good for you. However in our current environment this is by far the hardest to stick to but we could all benefit by taking baby steps towards introducing it into our diet more and more. Your body will thank you and will reward you with pain free, disease free longevity.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

September 19, 2018September 20, 2019

Believing Tap Water To Be Safe #147.

Is Tap Water Undermining Our Health?

This may seem like one of those water conspiracy theories. I assure you it is not. This is all information anyone can look up for themselves.

How could something so unassuming and generic as water ever compromise our health? Is it more than pure H2O that we’re ingesting? It’s only that basic building block of life that is coming out our faucets, not much else to it right?

Here’s where we are misguided. So much different particulates of matter and micro organism can easily be diffused into water that there is no real telling exactly what you are getting out of your taps every day.

Chlorine.

First off in order to kill off any deadly germs or micro organism in our water supply, our water must be treated with a dose of chlorine. Chlorine does have the benefit of killing off all those infectious diseases that hide out in our water but it comes at a price to our health. While it’s killing off all those infectious germs it also kills off the good beneficial bacteria that our body relies on to keep us healthy and our immune system strong.

Fluoride.

Next add to water a heaping helping of fluoride. All in the name of dentistry. How wonderful is this? Your teeth may be whiter, as your body decays. Type fluoride into any search engine and it will give you a whole slew of health ailments this heavy metal causes. Bone disease, thyroid conditions, neurological problems, birth defects. The list is pretty extensive.

Old Pipes.

On top of those problems we have leaching from old pipes. Old pipes that may contain lead as in the case with Flint Michigan. These two items alone are enough to begin to question, how is it we’re so trusting that the water coming from our faucet is safe to drink? But it’s the unknowns that are the true danger.

Drugs And Hormones

Modern municipal water treatment facilities, although successful at supplying us with potable water through our taps. Are unable to filter out hormones along with other trace amounts of all types of drugs. When individuals take any form of drug or when women takes birth control their body processes these medications through the liver and then expels the excess through excretion. Both in urine and feces.

These byproducts are then shipped through our trusty old pipes to water treatment centers. Treated and filtered and than sent right back to us in the form of tap water.

Now filled with all forms drugs and hormones, like estrogen, antibiotics, epilepsy drugs, antidepressants, diabetes drugs, heart medications. The list goes on and on. These are only trace amounts in each glass of water we indulge in. But trace amounts of any of these things should raise red flags. Over time these drugs can bio-accumulate within our bodies and cause serious damage while undermining our overall health.

How Do We Combat Such Issues?

Well I found the cheapest solution to be a in home water distiller. It distills a gallon of water over a few hours time and you know you are only drinking pure H2O nothing else. You can see inside the distiller after it has evaporated the water. All the impurities left behind, and it’s a lot.

If you feel distilled is lacking minerals and electrolytes you can add a half teaspoon of pink Himalayan sea salt to a gallon of distilled water. This should add those essential minerals and electrolytes back to your water and you’ll know the exact portion.

You can also invest in a reverse osmosis system. This system is simply a much more extensive filtration process which nearly returns water to it’s natural state. All in all just be cognizant of that fact that tap water can cause harm to you and your family. We need water to survive but we also don’t want it to be the cause of illness or our own mortality.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from you. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here. This website is not intended to be a blog. We want it to be a place to help others grow and learn from mistakes and the Forum is where that begins. Please tell us your stories.

February 24, 2018May 21, 2018

Blowing It Scenario #37-Drinking Alcohol To Live Past 90.

A Study Came Out Claiming That If You Want To Live To 90 Moderate Drinking May Help You Get There.

This is just crazy to me. I really don’t know how this study came across this hypothesis or how they determined such an end result since the study began in 2003. It just perpetuates the idea that I have long since suspected, they we are pushed to drink. In every social setting we’re supposed to drink, in every movie or show, drinking is often glorified. Every sporting event alcohol is the main sponsor. I imagine without it our economy might just collapse. It’s the social lubricant that gets you free of inhibition to make those impulse actions and purchases. Moderation is so difficult because as your self control wanes, so does your ability to say no. You more often then not agree to have more and more. Even full well knowing you be paying for it the next day. Sometimes for two to three days after. The loss in productivity alone could be the economic balance act. You spend a lot on drinking and going out then you turn around and lose it on lost productivity.

In contrast to this miracle health benefit alcohol somehow provides. I have also read many more studies on the adverse effects of alcohol. They have linked it to dementia, heart disease, cancer, liver disease. The list goes on and on. You can also factor in all the arrest made due to over drinking, the loss of life due to drunk driving, the sexual assaults, STD’s, alcohol poisoning. Often in these inhibited states one tends to explore other drugs, leading to a whole other slew of problems. Knowing that the benefits hardly outweigh the cost. We willingly and might I say happily submit to or urges at least every weekend. Or if your on the health plan, every day. Because let’s be honest drinking is pretty darn fun. Who cares about the consequences.

However, if you’re one of the few who choose not to submit to this constant bombardment, don’t worry their will be a fair amount of harassment coming your way along with studies to support why you should be drinking more. Don’t give in to it. But if you do, who knows what can happen. You may just some how find that sweet spot of dosing and if you stick to it maybe you just might be one of the lucky few to make it to 90. That is if you don’t develop the plethora of alcohol related diseases along the way. Good luck.

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January 28, 2018April 24, 2018

Blowing It Scenario #10-Aging, Trying Not To Blow It While We Age.

We All Do It, Others Do It Better Than Some.

It was recently announced that the founder of Ikea, Ingvar Kompard passed away at the ripe old age of 91. This was a very successful man right up until his passing. Few see that kind of success in life, yet it’s some thing we should all strive for. To leave our mark on the world or leave those closest to us better off for just knowing us. All to often we slog our way through life doing just enough to get us to the end of the day or the weekend, where we can relax or play for a few hours. Then go back to grind it out again. And we do this day in and day out for most of our lives.

When you’re young aging is so much of an afterthought you never really notice that anyone around you is doing it. Especially yourself, you never take into account your own mortality. In fact you think quite the opposite. That you just might be immortal. However the end comes for us all. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich and famous or poor and destitute. The average life expectancy in America right now is 78 years old. That means most of us will hit our half way point in our 30’s. How crazy is that? 30’s being midlife? That is if you live to the average. On top of that there are so many ways we tend to speed up this process. With poor diets, sedentary lifestyles, drinking and drug use, living without purpose or meaning, etc. All these things can contribute to a shorter less fulfilling life.

What can we do to stem the tide? Well we can start by taking daily action towards a better tomorrow. First within ourselves. We can exercise, start eating right, love ourselves, take care of the one mortal body we were given. As we take care of ourselves, we can than start to look outward for ways to make the lives of those around us better, and to take action to make it happen. And when we do that, deliberately, consciously, and consistently enough. We build a positive and lasting legacy around us. One that created a better world in it’s wake. And here my friend is the secret to immortality, legacies never die.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read our post. If you like what you read, or even if you don’t, we would love to hear from. Please join our email list here. Or if you want to comment on this article, or write your own in our Forum. Please sign in here and if you are new to the site you can register here.