The Come Alive Project

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  • Energy bite 406 – How You Breathe is Important

    There has been a lot of online buzz about “Energy” recently. While I have been writing and speaking about Personal Energy for well over a decade, this recent buzz is interesting.

    That buzz is focused on Breathing. Exercise and nutrition are already givens as far as Personal Energy is concerned. Breathing has always been there as necessary, but as a supplementary Energy Booster.

    But there has been a lot of recent scientific activity around the study of the effects of breathing that appears to be turning a lot of previous “science” in a new direction.

    For example, old school thinking about deep breathing (which I have promoted) has always been that deep breathing gets more oxygen into the blood and therefor it is the best way to breathe.

    Recent thinking, backed by studies, seems to demonstrate that Carbon Dioxide is not a waste product after all, but is necessary not only to stimulate breathing, but also to help transfer oxygen from the blood vessels into your cells, your mitochondria for the production of ATP for energy for your body to function.

    Over the last several years there is a lot of talk about Wim Hof breathing, Pranayama, Box breathing, Holotropic breathing to name just a few. It seems that each of these have a different purpose and a different way of improving your brain function and your physical energy.

    Two of the top “thought leaders” in the area of breathing are James Nestor, author of Breath, and Patrick McKeown, author of The Oxygen Advantage. There is an engaging interview between the two which you will find at this link.

    Though they have minor differences in their thinking about breathing, they agree on most things. Most particularly they look at these as the most important aspects of breathing for energy, for the brain, for focus and for relaxation:

    • Slow your breathing. Exhale significantly longer than you inhale. This promotes relaxation and gets more oxygen to your cells, body and brain for sustained energy.
    • Be aware of your breathing most of the time. Pay attention to your body.
    • Breathe through your nose, not your mouth. Nose breathing warms your breath, filters your breath and promotes breathing with your diaphram/abdomen vs. the unfiltered air and Chest breathing you get with mouth breathing.
    • Hum when you exhale. It infuses your system with Nitric Oxide. That’s good for you. By the way, doesn’t Viagra involve Nitric Oxide?
    • They also agree that all forms of breathing have their benefits (except mouth breathing).

    I have studied exercise for seniors for nearly 20 years, and nutrition, aging and longevity over the last 12 years. I am always learning. I am learning new information about breathing and it’s true importance to your personal energy. I have always considered deep breathing as one of the keys to good health. I was mostly wrong. But I am learning the importance of slow, nasal breathing and how it can add to your quality of life and your own personal energy.

    Please go to the interview that I linked to above. I think you will get some valuable benefits from it.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 405 – Seniors In the Flow of Life

    NOTE: Read the notice at the end of this article about some upcoming changes.

    “I do not think seventy years is the time of
     man or woman, nor that years will ever stop
     the existence of me or anyone else.” — Walt Whitman

    Do you believe that? Or do you believe that by the time you are seventy years old, you are “out to pasture”, are on the decline and life as you once knew it is over.

    Many people think that way.  They look at people who are seventy as OLD. They have their perceptions and prejudices about aging. That’s what gives the term “agism” it’s power

    It is true that for the most part that our physical and mental capabilities decline as we age. But it doesn’t have to be the rapid decline that many of us picture in our minds about aging. We can be re-born in the Flow of Life and be active and engaged until the end.

    Things like physical movement, the food we eat, our interaction with nature and with others can all affect the way we age. More physical activity, good eating habits and getting outside in nature and the great outdoors can all help us live longer and better. Our social community and the people we hang out with can have a positive or a negative effect on our energy levels. Both Biologists and Psychologists tell us that that our level of Curiosity about new things can have a major effect on our mental longevity. They say that  discovering things new to us will release “feel good” chemicals into our systems that can keep us living longer — as long as we get enough of them on a consistent basis.

    Our job is to make sure we are doing all the things that keep us living a long, independent and happy life.

    Walt Whitman suggested in the quote at the beginning, our chronological age is not important. As long as we keep refraining from “acting our age” and take the attitude that our chronological age is less important than our attitude about ourselves, we can hang onto our youthful enthusiasm for life. Eric Butterworth, former Unity Minister wrote in his book Celebrate Life, “When you stop using your mind and body fully, conserving your strength and ‘acting your age’ you begin to grow old.”  He went on to say:

    “My age is none of my business.
    My business is to keep in the flow of a
    dynamic and creative life, and
    to celebrate myself.”

    That’s what I mean by “Seniors in the Flow of Life. I call it SeniorFlow(tm)!

    NOTE: Changes coming in the next two weeks. New name for Blog Posts – “SeniorFlow Moment”. New website and email. SAME TOPIC and FORMAT with some video. No need to change anything from your end.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 404 – What Next?

    As we move through life, retire, or just move on to new things, we become affected by lack of action or activity, lack of mental stimulation and lack of engagement with people, places and things. Some reading this aren’t there yet, most are. For those that aren’t, prepare yourself.

    Energy dissipates and disillusionment, boredom and often isolation move in and become normal. We are not used to the isolation, boredom and even depression that too often comes to older adults as they retire and move into a new phase of life.

    This happens to ALL seniors at one point or another. Some move through it as a temporary phase. For many, or even most others, it becomes a long term problem and we want and need to move through it.

    We have been active. Working. Projects. Doing things. But now, most of that is beginning to be behind us. Yet, we still crave the activity and action.

    Like the soldier who has been in combat, when the battles are over. He or she thinks . . . WHAT NEXT? WHERE’S THE ACTION? After all, what can be as exciting as being in combat, in action, with my friends. You have come from a place of excitement to a place of dullness, boredom, lack of fulfillment and purpose. What’s next

    Or how about athletes who have come to the end of their active participation? What can they do? They deteriorate. They stop working out. They stop eating for performance. They become inactive, sedentary and dull. Their bodies expand and the alertness from being on the field disappears. They often look for “experiences” that match the excitement on the field but can’t seem to find them. What next?

    Or you. You have had a stimulating job or project and now it is going or gone. You pretty much enjoyed it but it’s time to move on. You want something new and different. What Next?

    But there are things that can make you come alive again. One doesn’t have to go to war to feel active and useful. One doesn’t have to be an ex-Olympian, or ex-NFL player to recover that feeling of aliveness. What next?

    Here are some thoughts:

    There are activities that Seniors can engage in. There are Community activities one can engage in. There are volunteer opportunities. My wife has been a volunteer at the local hospital for many, many years and gets a huge sense of accomplishment as a result. She also continued as a substitute teacher in the local school system for over 15 years after active duty in the classroom for 34 years.

    You can engage in a legacy project. What do you really enjoy doing? What are you good at? The Come Alive Project is my own legacy project. I’m helping inspire seniors to keep their Personal Energy at a high level and live a healthy, fit, energetic, enthusiastic and engaged Senior life. I do it through writing, speaking and soon . . . some video. I have done a number of mini-workshops for Senior Groups and participated in a local Health Fair. It keeps me active.

    There are also sports and athletic activities available for Seniors. Many are ardent golfers and make golf a part of their lifestyle. The sport of “Pickleball” is growing exponentially in the senior community. Many community tennis facilities are converting at least one court for Pickleball. There are others.

    I have friends my age who serve on community boards, who ski, who consult doing what they did in their jobs, who have online businesses, who have started new solopreneur ventures. There is a lot for Seniors to do in the real world to eliminate boredom, and provide those missing qualities of Action/Activity, Mental Stimulation and Engagement that we tend to lose when we move into that new stage of “Seniorhood”. But we have to either look for them or create them. For the most part, they won’t come to us.

    As I wrote in the opening paragraph, many reading this message aren’t quite at that point yet, but many are. If you are not there yet, start preparing now.

    Thank you for reading.