DrDeClutterBlog.com

What are your great stories? Evelyn had lots of them. She was spellbinding!

New York-born Evelyn Kozak, 113, known for her love of scrabble and literature, died after suffering a heart attack on Tuesday morning (6/11/13). She was buried in Queens.

Ms. Kozak, a former valedictorian at her grammar school in Brooklyn, attributed her longevity to her healthy lifestyle.

A mother of five, she outlived two of her children and two husbands having survived two strokes and the Spanish ‘flu. She has 10 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

The supercentenarian, an ardent Zionist and practising Jew, was named the seventh-oldest person in the world. The oldest person in the world, Jiroemon Kimura from Japan, died on Wednesday aged 116.

HOW CAN YOU LIVE SO LONG AND MENTALLY WITH IT?

What habits would you have to change and add to your daily routine to live healthier and longer?

Get your walking shoes out and your best habits (not to be confused with being a nun!) Here is her short list of her secrets to long life:

• Be curious
• Read veraciously
• Do what’s best for your health
• Walk 5 miles/day!
• No smoking or drinking
• No chasing the boys!
• Be kind and of good spirits
• And, Help. Help. Help others.

Read more here: Article.

WANT MORE TIPS FOR AGING WELL AND LONG? BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT

Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways to Live to Be 100

How to Live to 100: Be Healthy, Be Happy, and Afford It

How to Live to Be 100, by George Burns

When your TO DO list just doesn’t change, and keeps getting longer, it creates stress, right?

“Procrastination is the foundation of all disasters.”
~ Pandora Poikilos

TO DO LIST

• What’s still on your “love my life, love my house” TO DO list this month?
• How long has it been on your list?
• Do your projects feel overwhelming?

Feeling overwhelmed can make us stall out and stop moving ahead on projects. Does that happen to you? If so, these strategies will get your focused and moving into the doing, getting your checklists checked off for good, sooner than later.

1. TIME

If we focus only on the BIG JOB we can feel exhausted before even starting. It’s just too much! So, see the job instead as a series of small, incremental pieces or “projects”. Then figure out how much TIME it will take to get started and to complete each smaller task or project. TIME BLOCK each one separately making them doable.

2. SCHEDULE

Schedule these TIME BLOCKS into your daily calendar/schedule, making each as important as a doctor’s appointment – no cancelling or missing it. They are that important too! Getting your TO DOs TO DONE can actually help keep you out of the doctor’s office by keeping your stress level down.

How? Because, when you move ahead on projects that make you feel good, your body and brain respond with floods of endorphins and other good chemical reactions that lower your stress, support good health and boost your self-esteem too. When you don’t do the TO DOs – and usually feel guilty, mad at and bad about yourself – your body reacts in a negative flood of stress chemicals that are bad for you, your health and your self-esteem.

“The essence of self-discipline is to do the important thing rather than the urgent thing.”
~ Barry Werner

3. PLAN

Make a long term PLAN to TIME BLOCK and SCHEDULE in your TO DOs and PROJECTS every day for the big picture and to get your checklist checked off for good!

Because, as it’s been said for decades, “We don’t plan to fail, we fail to plan.”

Without a PLAN or vision for the outcomes and results we truly want, we bog down and get stuck, which can swirl into stress, anxiety and depression; a very bad spiral in which to live and waste our precious lives. Wouldn’t you agree?

But, a long term PLAN without short term doable tasks and projects that can be completed and realized quickly just will not hold our attention for long.

PLAN IN FUN, TOO!

Don’t wait until you get all of your TO DOs TO DONE in order to have fun! PLAN your fun into the schedule and enjoy both!

HOW I CAN HELP YOU

Whether I, “Dr. DeClutter”, make a “house call” and help you dig in, or we have a Priority Coaching call to figure out how to get you started and move forward on your plan, I’m here for you.

• Hire me. I travel to help you too, see here.
• Get your 20-minute free tele-consult by emailing kim@drdeclutter.com to schedule.
• Visit my bookstore and find lots of great ebooks with hundreds of great ideas to help you step into action immediately.

Are you getting enough sleep?

Today is Napping Day, an unofficial holiday created in 1999 by now-retired Boston University professor William Anthony and his wife, Camille, to help people adjust to Daylight Savings Time.

How much do you need?

You need plenty of undisturbed sleep to rebuild your body/biology, refresh your mind, quiet your chaotic thoughts and emotional roller coaster from the day, and re-energize.

Newborns: 12 -18 hours

Infants  (3 – 11 months): 14-15 hours

Toddlers  ( 1-3 years): 12-14 hours

Preschoolers (3-5 years): 11-13 hours

School age (5-10 years): 10-11 hours

Tweens and teens (10-17 years): 8.5 – 9.25 hours

Adults: 7-9 hours

NAPPING DAY - Nice article here to remind yourself to get your zzz’s!

WHITE NOISE - Use white noise to help you sleep soundly. I have for over 30 years.

Here’s a great example:  Pure White Noise

This is a repost since I found out about TA-65 Supplement.

Do you want to feel younger and reverse aging in your body? I’m sure the answer is

a yes, yes?

There a plenty of things we can do to feel younger and not grow “old” before our

time. There’s usually nothing new under the sun in books, articles, etc. until I

read about this method – it’s about telomeres.

What’s a telomere?

Telomeres (tell-o-meers) is a portion of the DNA strand that often shortens and

frays with age.  Whatever can “lengthen” them helps our bodies and brains stay

young.

I saw an article in Sunday’s paper, January 27th Parade issue, a Stay Healthy

Quiz and one of the quiz items was about telomeres. It read:

True or false:

To feel younger, just open your window blinds.

Answer: True.

Looking out a window onto natural, outdoorsy scenes may reduce blood pressure

and other markers of stress, several new studies show. More remarkably, in a

2009 experiment reported in the Lancet, older people in Hong Kong who lived near

open, green spaces had longer telomeres, a portion of the DNA strand that often

shortens and frays with age. In effect, they had younger cells.

NATURE AS HEALER ONE MORE TIME

Seems like a pretty easy thing to do, open the drapes and look outdoors at nature!

Hey, why not double your opportunity to be younger, GET OUT THERE IN NATURE!!

. . .  and walk and hike and play and see it while in it!

NEW SUPPLEMENT TO ACTIVATE TELOMERASE ENZYME TO LENGTHEN TELOMERES

Outside of getting and gazing “outside” the only known way so far to lengthen telomeres is through the activation of an enzyme called telomerase. You can take TA-65 supplement.

TA-65, 30 Capsules 

TA-65, 90 capsules – 250 units

Clients who took this dose were shown to have increased short telomere length and significantly improved immune system function. There are also anecdotal reports of increased endurance and other benefits. 500 units (2 capsules daily) has been proven to lengthen short telomeres, restore the immune system, and improve other important bio markers. Anecdotal reports included increased energy, endurance, vision improvements, sexual enhancement, and more.

READ MORE

Here’s a book that might be of interest all about telomeres:

The Immortality Edge: Realize the Secrets of Your Telomeres for a Longer, Healthier Life  

ONLINE RESEARCH

1.  Find more studies in Lancet. 

2.  Click here and find lots of articles and videos from Nobel Prize winners on the subject on GOOGLE.

If you have fun and are part of life each day in the best of ways, you are doing more than just enjoying yourself.

Researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago report that “Lonely people may have a greater risk of developing late-life dementia.”

In their study they found that those who described themselves as lonely were twice as likely to develop the kind of dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Previous studies have suggested that people who are socially isolated or lack intellectual stimulation are at greater risk of Alzheimer’s as well.

So . . .  don’t just sit there all alone!

• Get out!
• Find and make new friends.
• Join a hobby club doing something you enjoy.
• Organize your time and life around loves, creativity and mind active “belonging.”
• At the very least, volunteer
• or get a few pets that keep you talking and loving and laughing!

You might check out this book for more ideas on bringing more happiness and love into your life this month and every month.

The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun 

Stress is a normal part of life and usually comes from everyday occurrences. As a culture, or species, we’re not doing very well “managing” it.

Here are some ways you can deal with everyday sources of stress to keep your balance and calm, no matter what.

1. Eliminate as many sources of stress as you can.

For example,

• if crowds bother you, go to the supermarket when you know the lines won’t be too long.
• Rent movies rather than going to crowded movie theaters.
• Clear up the clutter in your life by giving away or throwing away the things that get in your way.
• Limit your time with people who are stressful and push your buttons.

2. Time Management.

If you are always running late, sit down with a pencil and paper and see how you are actually allotting your time. Say it takes you 40 minutes to get to work. Are you leaving your house on time? You may be able to solve your problem (and de-stress your life a bit) just by being realistic.

If you can’t find the time for all the activities that are important to you, maybe you are trying to do too much. Make a list of what you do during the day and how much each activity takes. Then cut back.

3. If you can’t remove the stress, remove yourself.

When in a crowd, gathering, party or work day, slip away once in a while for some private time. Excuse yourself from conversations when they are going nowhere or escalating for more stress and possible negative outcomes. Quiet moments and a time out may give you a fresh perspective on your problems. Avoid stressful people.

4. Avoid predictably stressful situations.

Don’t go in the first place. If a certain sport or game (whether it’s tennis or bridge), or event makes you tense, decline the invitation. After all, the point of these activities is to have a good time. If you know you won’t, there’s no reason to go.

This means you need to get to know yourself better and better. Plus, start finding new groups, friends, activities that are fun so that you can go and be involved.

5. Don’t compete.

Competing with others, whether in accomplishments, appearance, or possessions, is an avoidable source of stress. It’s just the ego trying to survive. Have a chat with your ego – nothing is that important. Reality TV takes care of more of that than any of us ever need to be around! Let them deal with it. Heck, they’re even getting paid a ton of money to do it? Plus…stop watching them too.

6. Slow down.

Labor saving devices, such as cell phones or computer hookups, often encourage us to cram too many activities into each day.

Before you buy new equipment, be sure that it will really improve your life. Be aware that taking care of equipment – maintenance – and getting it repaired can be stressful.

7. Try doing only one thing at a time.

Multi-tasking really isn’t good for us. So, for example, when you’re riding your exercise bike, you don’t have to listen to the radio, watch television, read a book or learn from an audio program.  Sometimes it’s okay to do nothing.

8. Pay attention to your health – body, mind and spirit.

If you suffer from insomnia, headaches, recurring colds, or stomach upsets, consider whether stress is part of the problem. Being chronically angry, frustrated, or apprehensive can deplete your physical resources.

Don’t ignore your body and health. Pay attention to signs and symptoms and get serious about your life. There is no magic pill or surgery that can fix problems forever.

9. Eat nutritious foods.

Nix fast foods, sugar, fried and processed foods. Change your lifestyle around food and watch stress, weight and craziness dissolve! Eat raw and healthy foods to rebuild your body and brain. Find more information on this at my health blog. (Though my health blog is thyroid focused, it is clean food focused – so great for everyone.)

10. Seek professional help

Early signs of excess stress are loss of a sense of well-being and reluctance to get up in the morning to face another day.  If you feel stress (or anything else) is getting the better of you, seek professional help, a doctor or therapist.

So many of us worry about gaining weight during the holidays, those dreaded holiday pounds can really sneak up on you if you’re not careful.  Here are some tips for cutting down the calories and forgetting about the extra pounds this holiday season:

Tip #1: Get another taste tester. If you are doing the cooking this year, stay out of the pot! If you need a food taster, ask somebody else to do that job for you.

Tip #2: Don’t nibble all day. It’s irresistible to stay away from all the food and sweets when it’s sitting on the counter. This is where even the most faithful dieters throw in the towel.  They nibble here and there all day, then eat a full meal.  Try not to nibble, have a glass of water or a piece of fruit instead.  Cut an assortment of veggie sticks and keep them close at hand.  Often we nibble on food out of habit, not because we’re really hungry.

Tip #3: Stop after the first plate. Don’t go back for seconds. I know it’s hard. Aunt Suzie’s homemade sourdough bread is probably calling your name. But don’t go back for more! Eat your dinner and stop there.  After about 30 minutes or so you’ll brain will have had enough time to register you’re actually full and you will no longer feel like seconds.

Tip #4: Drink more water. It is a fact that if you drink a glass of water at least 30 minutes prior to your meal you won’t be as hungry as you normally would be. Try to drink as much water as you can throughout the entire day and you won’t be as hungry.

Tip #5: Use a smaller plate. You are going to fill up your plate, no doubt about it. So use a smaller plate. Instead of using the big plates, grab a smaller plate to eat off of. You won’t be able to fit as much on it. Less food on your plate means less calories you’re taking in!

Tip #6: Swap sugary food for healthy, raw food. You know this, right? Eat more raw veggies, fruit, protein  etc, not all the cakes, cookies, candy.

Happy Holidays!

For many children, each year, the holidays are interrupted by a trip to the hospital emergency room.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there were more than 235,000 toy-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency rooms in 2008; nearly three quarters of those injured were children under age 15.

90% of these injuries were preventable. Unfortunately, each year some of these easily preventable injuries will result in blindness.

So, choose toys wisely. Prevent Blindness America recommends gift-givers follow these tips for choosing safe toys:

1) Look for toys that have the letters “ASTM.”
This means that the product meets the national safety standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials. (Many toy makers follow safety guidelines, some do not).

2) Inspect toys for sturdy construction.
Children’s toys should be durable and be able to with stand impact. (Shattering pieces are a recipe for disaster).

3) Store toys properly after play to avoid trips and falls onto sharp objects.
Check the lenses and frames of “dress-up” and sunglasses. Many less sturdy models can break resulting in an eye injury. Always avoid toys with sharp areas or rods. (Stay clear of toy weapons).

4) Avoid toys with flying objects or that shoot – especially BB guns and slingshots. (Toy guns are responsible for the largest amount of eye injuries in children).

5) Never give toys with small parts to young children. Young kids tend to put things in their mouths increasing the risk of choking.

6) Read directions carefully and follow suggested age levels to ensure the toy is appropriate for your child’s ability and age.

7) Explain the proper use of a toy to your child. A simple explanation of how not to use a toy and enforcing it prevents dangerous misuse of some toys.

Similar tips for a safe holiday season from the American Academy of Ophthalmology include:

1. Avoid purchasing toys with sharp, protruding or projectile parts.
2. Make sure children have appropriate supervision when playing with potentially hazardous toys or games that could cause injury.
3. If you plan to give sports equipment, provide appropriate protective eyewear with polycarbonate lenses. Check with your local Eye M.D. to learn about protective gear recommended for your child’s sport.
4. Check labels for age recommendations and be sure to select gifts that are appropriate for a child’s age and maturity.
5. Keep toys that are made for older children away from younger children.
6. The branches and needles of Christmas trees can be hazardous to the eyes, so be especially careful when untying your tree. The branches can burst forward, hitting and injuring your eyes. Glass ornaments should be hung out of a child’s reach to avoid potential injury.

IF EYE IS INJURED

If a child does sustain a cut or puncture of the eye or eyelid, knowing what to do could help to prevent vision loss: PBA lists the following instructions to help save valuable time.

1) DO NOT allow the child to rub the eye.
2) DO NOT try to remove an object that is stuck in the eye. (This could further damage delicate eye tissue) Cover the eye with a rigid shield without applying pressure. The bottom half of a paper cup can be used. See a doctor at once”.

Enjoy the holidays and keep these eye safety tips in mind while you finish your holiday shopping.

I suppose that’s a question as much as a statement, ”Young People at Risk for Hand Cancer Holding Cell Phones All the Time?”

There are too many parties diluting and downplaying the real science and research on the safety of cell phones on our brains, bodies and now hands.

Remember how safe, good and smooth cigarettes once were advertised?  Hmmm. Time and a lot of leaning on the government and companies that make more money on them were finally brought to light (no pun intended.) People still smoke, but now they have a choice.

So, now cell phones and cancer – why not be safe now instead of sorry and blaming “them” later?

Read full article here.

CANCER IN HANDS

Children are most susceptible to cancers as their brain barriers and skulls are not fully developed. This is also true for their hands, plus, how much (24/7) they hold onto – and sleep with – their cell phones.

Help them learn prevention now.

P.S. And, like watching parents smoke, drink, etc., children learn by watching adults. What are you teaching them about safe cell phone use?