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Remember Susan Powter? She was the blond, spiked hair, ball of energy, enthusiastically jumping around on the TV stage, promoting her fitness program on late night TV, and yelling: “Stop the Insanity!”   You could get her program for only four easy payments of $19.95.

Her message was simple. EAT, BREATHE, MOVE. She said her message was “nothing new, just repeating what others have said”. She promoted a very low fat eating program which she said took her from 260 pounds to the slim, trim, athletic person you saw on the TV screen, in less than a year, using her program of low fat eating, focused breathing and vigorous exercise.

She was right, of course. There was nothing new there. The Stoics promoted it in ancient times. Fitness gurus like Bernarr MacFadden, Paul Bragg, Jack LaLanne, and a host of modern gurus, promoted it from the beginning of the 20th century until the present day.

Most of the same health and fitness promoters include ATTITUDE or MINDSET as part of any overall Health and Wellness program. Mind and body do go together. Some add a Spiritual component.

We have all grown up with the TV infomercials and “As Seen on TV gimmicks”. There have been the “bust developer”, the “Ab Roller” (Note: the best of the TV products), the very successful “P90X” fitness program, all sold successfully on TV. Some of them really worked, some didn’t. Most were fads.

But here’s the thing — it’s true: EAT, BREATHE and MOVE! If we do, we’ll stay lean, trim and probably healthy, or we’ll lose weight, become lean and trim, and FEEL a whole lot better. It’s not the fad diet or exercise program that works. It’s YOU! Only you can make it happen. You are the one who has to EAT, BREATHE and MOVE.  You don’t need the fad diets and exercise gimmicks.

There will always be controversy about what form of exercise is best, what breathing patterns are best, and most common, what is the best eating program. Susan Powter promoted a very low fat diet. So do Pritikin and Dean Ornish, two of the more long lasting styles. Today’s most recent fad diet trend is the KETOGENIC diet (“KETO”) which says to eat a high protein, high fat and low carbohydrate diet, and burn fat instead of carbs (glucose) for energy — very similar to the old (and controversial) Atkins Diet Program. What’s best? Who knows? Try them and see what works long term for you.

But Susan Powter, Paul Bragg, Bernarr Macfadden and Jack LaLanne were all correct when they said it all boils down to EAT, BREATHE, MOVE. Once you accept that premise, you are on your way to discovering which method of Eating, breathing and moving works best for you. Remember, it’s not the program that gives you Health, Fitness and Personal Energy, It’s YOU taking action to do it.

Thank you for reading.

Going on the road this Fourth of July Holiday? Traveling by car or going to the airport? Here are couple of thoughts to keep you physically energized, to help strengthen your body, and to provide you with some respite from boredom while you are “on the road”.

• If you are driving your car, hold the steering wheel with your hands at the 3 and 9 o’clock position, squeezing together from the outside of the steering wheel toward the center. Put some effort into it and hold it for about 10 to 12 seconds. Do the same trying to pull the steering wheel apart from the center. Don’t try to push the wheel away from you or pull it toward you. It’s best to do this while you are going straight. Yes, you can turn the wheel from this position. Do it a couple times per hour.
• If you are a passenger, sit up straight with your knees bent normally and grab your knees. Pull back hard on your knees without moving your arms or your legs. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds. Then, from the same position but with your hands on top of your knees, push down with your arms and try to lift up with your legs and hold for 10 to 12 seconds. You should feel strong pressure on your abdominal muscles. Do this a couple of times an hour.
• For both driver and passenger. Tighten all the muscles in your body for 5 seconds and then totally relax them. Do this several times in a row, every couple of hours.
• Move, stretch and squirm in the car as much as you can before you stop at a rest stop or reach the end of your trip. It will loosen you up a bit before you get out.
• Take a few deep breaths. Inhale quickly from your abdomen and exhale hard with a “whoosh”. That’s a great energizer.
• When you pull into a rest stop, look at all the people who move like they are 120 years old as they struggle out of their cars and move to the inside, and then be grateful that you did all of the above.

You can do them while you’re in an airplane or waiting at the airport, too.

If you’re staying at a hotel, get down on the floor and do a “plank” as soon as you finish lifting and carrying your bags in. The only parts of you touching the floor are your shoes, your elbows, forearms and hands. I understand that most modern hotels have bathrooms with a sink and some soap if you think the carpet is gross. You might also do some stretching before you take your nap.

If you’re visiting your kids or grandkids, make them carry in your bags.

Enjoy your Fourth of July. Thank you for reading.

I haven’t written a lot about sleep and how to get the most from it, mostly because I don’t sleep particularly well and haven’t felt comfortable writing about it. So, I started looking into it and thought I’d pass some of what I garnered, to you, through a blog post.

Most articles I have read regarding sleep are about the circadian rhythm and sleep cycles. Other articles relate to sleep disorders. Those are technical or medical aspects of sleep and I’m writing today about how to get the best sleep. So, I’ll save the technical aspects for another day. It’s also not about why we Seniors, mostly men, have to pop up once or twice during the night, mostly because that’s what we older folks do.

Instead, this article is more about your physical sleep environment and your own adaptation to sleep.

As with eating, the professional and lay opinions are mixed. There is no consensus, so we are left on our own to digest what advice is best.

I’m writing this because I am having trouble with sleep. I don’t sleep beyond 0400. I often wake up even earlier and I wake up during the night (as we older folks tend to do). And all too often, getting up several times at night breaks into that circadian rhythm to change the nature of the quality of sleep. My own problem is not insomnia for the most part, although that beast raises its head from time to time.

So what should we do about getting a good night sleep?

How much is the right amount? Good question. Sleep experts are all over the place on this. Some say eight hours, period. Others say six and a half to nine hours of sleep. Some say that Seniors need less sleep, as little as five hours in some cases. Others say Seniors need eight hours plus a midday nap.

Does the mattress make a difference? I sleep with a moderately firm mattress. I like it. I sometimes have a stiff back when I wake up. There are plenty of mattresses with adjustable firmness, so you can set it however you are most comfortable.

Most sleep experts I have read suggest a medium to firm mattress for the best sleep.

But, Tim Ferriss, the author of such notable books as The Four Hour Workweek and The Four Hour Body, interviewed Kelly Starrett, Crossfit Trainer, Physical Therapist, and an expert in biomechanics, for his recently published book, Tools of Titans. In it Starrett said that because of our emphasis on sitting, running and squatting (deep knee bends), the softer the mattress, the better. He says we should also avoid a mattress with “memory foam”. According to the book, Starrett suggests that you “lie on a bed at a mattress store for 5 minutes. If you have to cross your feet, your bed is too hard.” Interesting.

Tea Before Bedtime? I’ve heard Chamomile tea before bedtime will put you out like a light.  Some say it’s great. I’ve never tried it but I’ve bought some and intend to give it a try. Those who drink it, swear by it.

Computer Screens OFF before lights out. Experts seem to agree that the “blue light” from computer screens can keep you awake. There are programs that will dim your screens allowing you to escape the “blue light” before bedtime.

Room environment. Sleep experts say that the darker the room, the better the sleep. My mother and father used to wear “blackout masks” at night because one or the other would read in bed at night. Pitch black is ideal. And quiet too. No TV noise thank you. Air conditioner noise is OK I guess if it’s a choice between that or 90 degrees in the Summer.

And temperature? Experts seem to agree that room temperature between sixty and seventy degrees is best.

Will they work? I don’t know. What does work? I don’t know that either. But then, in reality, neither does anyone else. As I suggested earlier, experts differ across the board. There are lots of “medically proven” opinions though.

Notice I didn’t mention sleeping pills.

How do you wake up? I normally wake up before my alarm. But occasionally my phone alarm will wake me. I don’t push the “snooze” button. I just get up. Once I’m out of bed I’m fine. Sometimes I’ll do a couple of stretches to loosen up my back, but I’m out of that bed right as soon as I wake up. Mel Robbins, Life coach, motivational speaker and author of the book, The Five Second Rule, says to begin a countdown from the instant the alarm goes off from 5 to 1 and jump out of bed at the count of 1. That’ll work.

From that point, it’s into a set of morning rituals which will be the subject of another article. Morning rituals seems to be a favorite topic among bloggers.

This has been difficult to write because there are no truly definitive or consistent answers from anyone. Most of what I wrote is based on the best advice I could find. Following that advice is no guarantee of a good night’s sleep, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Ahhhh. I think I’ll go take a nap. Thank you for reading.