What a powerful process we had during the Burning Bowl New Year's Eve Service at Unity of Phoenix!

This photo shows one of the three bowls where we placed a page of what we had written that we would like to release from 2011 and before.

After watching our words go up in flame and smoke, we then went back into the sanctuary to continue the process with writing our goals and intentions for 2012.

All of this was accompanied by beautiful music and inspriational messages.

I found the process extremely powerful and feel I walked away from the service without some of the old concerns of the past and feeling fresher and ready to take on the new intentions set for 2012.

Recalibrate…   Don't you LOVE that word?

You know you are ready for something to be different in your life.
Life circumstances are changing for you and there are choices you
need to make.

>>>> http://suzanneholman.com/recalibrate/

Her recent post talking about the recent hurricane and her experiences with her mother during that crisis caught my eye:

The Oy Vey After the Storm: How I survived Hurricane Irene With My 95-Year-Old Mother at My Side

I found this story particularly compelling because of my own mother's death at 95 just a couple of years ago.  

Her mother hadn't left her Long Island neighborhood once during the ten years since her husband passed away.  And now she was expected to evacuate and go to a shelter.  Or to her daughter's home in the City.  She was determined not to do either.

I was impressed that her mother lived independently and managed quite a bit on her own.  

It's fascinating to me how humans age.  How we can adapt to our many physical and mental changes or just succumb to being cared for while we live out our days.

Check out her post.  I think you'll find it interesting reading!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janice-taylor/aging-in-america_b_943055.html

When I think about my usual experience of life, I know that I am constantly making judgments about what I am observing. Do I like what I am seeing, hearing, feeling?  What past memories are coming up?  I know with smells we can bring up memories from the distant past.  

I wanted to learn more about how I could let go of those judgments and be able to just "be" with what I observe.
I found the results of a study on mindfulness meditation very enlightening.

In a recent report on the effect of meditation on the brain, co-authored by Catherine Kerr, PhD, she said, “Mindfulness meditation has been reported to enhance numerous mental abilities, including rapid memory recall.  Our discovery that mindfulness meditators more quickly adjusted the brain wave that screens out distraction could explain their superior ability to rapidly remember and incorporate new facts.”

When the brain uses more alpha rhythm or waves, it lessens the distracting information.  With less judgment going on about what we are observing, it can really help us deal with our world that is SO full of stimulation.

When we are able to eliminate the mental noise, we can recall information faster.  This is what they found with the mindfulness meditators.  Just as radio stations broadcast at specific frequencies, our brain cells use distinct frequencies (or waves) to adjust how the information flows in our minds.  The alpha frequency is most helpful for us to process touch, sight and sound in the brain's cortex where it helps to suppress the sensations that are not relevant.

Catherine Kerr's studies showed that those participants who practiced mindfulness meditation were able to control and bring on the alpha rhythms. While in the alpha state not only were the meditators able to have clearer reception of stimuli, but they also felt less pain.  This would be a great benefit for people with chronic pain, enabling them to use less medication by doing regular meditation.

Learning about these benefits only emphasizes even more to me the importance of being in the present and practicing mindfulness. Our multitasking habits can be so detrimental to our clear thinking and brain health.

She passed away in 1988 and lives on vividly in my many memories of her. This photo was taken at one of her many birthday gatherings. To the right of Nana is her sister Helen and my Aunt Mildred.  Behind her are my mother and sister holding her baby.  In the back row is my cousin Kathy, Suzanne (ME), my cousin Karen, and my brother Bill.

Nana was quite a gardener well into her 80's, and she always had a raspberry patch where I LOVED to pick the berries!  

To this day, I think it is wrong to bake with raspberries.  I just think they need to be eaten fresh…and particularly as you are picking!  I have a feeling that this passion developed when I was encouraged NOT to eat all the berries while picking.  I was supposed to take them to my grandma for her to bake with them or make jam.  

So when I get near raspberry bushes filled with beautiful red berries, I am SO delighted. I picked two different ways this year.  I picked from bushes at the Bed and Breakfast where I was staying.  The berries were fairly scarce and difficult to get to through the barbed branches.  I have to say that I ate those as fast as I picked them!  

When I went to Boxx Farms with my daughters and grandsons, there was a great abundance of berries on the bushes that were easy to reach and fill our boxes or buckets.  Plenty to eat and plenty to take home.   My daughter and a friend of hers decided to make raspberry jam for the first time and used their berries that way. Their jam tasted good and they will continue to enjoy it for months to come. My daughter also enjoyed sharing the jam with family living out of the area.  The berries I picked were definitely reserved for eating, however!  And I froze some so that I'd have some almost fresh ones after the season ended.

Washington state is one of the top producers of raspberries in the world.  I found it interesting to read that Russia is top producer of raspberries in the world.

Red Raspberries originated in Asia Minor in the Caucasus mountains. Around the time of Christ, the fruit was gathered from the wild by the people of Troy and the foothills of Mt. Ida in the Caucasus mountains.

In the 4th century, Palladius-a Roman agriculturist- wrote about the domestication of the red raspberry.  Seeds have been discovered at Roman forts in Britain.  Because of this, it is believed that the Romans probably spread the cultivation of raspberries throughout Europe.  Throughout the middle ages, the British improved and popularized the raspberries.  By 1771, they were exporting the plants to New York.

Here's a chart showing the top 10 countries where raspberries are produced:

Who would have thought that entering a writing contest for a book proposal would bring up my entire life for review???  I certainly didn't expect to have the array of emotions come forward for me.

I was preoccupied with house renovations and preparing for my first solo long distance trip from AZ to WA and thought I'd get into the writing once I got settled.

Once I arrived, it took me quite a while to settle in to my place. Then I needed to move into one daughter's house to pet sit and then after a week moved into my other daughter's house when they went on vacation.  

I did buckle down and worked on the project.  It was much more work than I anticipated it would be. I found myself questioning everything I was doing in my writing and in my business, feeling discouraged and with little drive to write.  

Using some of my strategies for getting centered and allowing the negative feelings to be there, notice them, and then let them float away, I was able to get very focused and devoted many hours to my writing.

I did complete the proposal and gingerly pressed the send key. 

Christine herself was overwhelmed with the depth of the experiences that entrants had during the process.

In about six weeks we'll know who won one of the two book contracts and the many other author-related prizes.

It is amazing how being part of a large group of inspired authors can move us all forward toward completing our writing!

I recently was introduced to Gretchen's work by Ben Dean of Coaching for Happiness.  I loved her latest video post talking about the value of using your hands to create something in order to increase your happiness.  She was trying to think of something that would work for her and had a plethora of responses, suggesting ways she could get creative.

You may enjoy reading her post and the comments:

You can find them at this link:  http://suzanneholman.com/happinessproject

And I love Gretchen's twelve commandments!

Twelve Personal Commandments

What do YOU do to create with your hands?

According to a study done at the University of Pittsburgh,
26 minutes is the exact amount of time optimum for helping your body to burn calories and increase the 
endorphins that make us feel better.

It also is enough to pump the blood with more oxygen to enhance our thinking.  

Another benefit is that you will help to balance hormones that control your appetite.

Somehow 26 minutes sounds like a lot less than 30, doesn't it?

Add that brisk walk to your daily routine and notice what effect it has on you!

I absolutely LOVE being on the water!
And when you are in a kayak, you actually can feel at one with that water.
You're there with the sea creatures, creating very little disturbance to their habitat.

Here's the story of a great kayak adventure afternoon:

It all started with a PERFECT weather day.   Not too hot – not too cold.
It was a just-right day!  Like Goldilocks and the porridge that she chose that was just the right temperature when she visited the cottage of the three bears!

My daughter and I each were in a single kayak and my son-in-law was in a three-person kayak with my two grandsons, 6 and 8.

We decided we were ready for a good adventure heading to an island that was farther than we had actually paddled before.
I was feeling strong although I hadn't kayaked for close to two years.

We headed out into the water and it became clear to me that it would be a constant effort to keep from being pulled by the current.  
I found myself working my left arm too much and felt a bit of cramping starting in my upper arm.  Years ago I had an injury that resulted in my having a monocep instead of a bicep when the long head of the bicep ruptured.  Generally I don't notice a difference in the performance of that arm.  At this moment it was screaming at me!

I experimented with focusing on using different arm muscles and different paddle strokes.  It wasn't helping.  

I asked for some feedback from my daughter and then from my son-in-law.  He could see that I was using more of an up and down motion rather than moving my upper body side to side.  I focused my attention on changing my strokes and was able to get a pretty good rhythm going.  

We stopped at an island, had some snacks and the group did some hiking up on the island.

We talked about going to land that was fairly close to the island and my son-in-law would get a ride to our van and drive back and pick us up.  I wasn't ready to end the day and we all decided that we would go back to our original launch site.  One advantage was that going in the opposite direction would mean having that current stress on the right arm instead of left arm.

I loved the flow that I was feeling as I paddled along using more of the side to side motion.  Soon we were seeing and feeling the waves being created by wind that had kicked up.  I've always loved going over waves, whether on a body board, raft, swimming or in a kayak.  I was loving that feeling and the boys were giggling and screaming with delight with the up and down of the waves.

However, they were starting to pick up intensity and the waves were getting a little more powerful than we preferred.  

The thought of the cold water in the case of a flip-over and the worry of having two little boys in that cold water brought up some concern for us.  It was important to move rapidly to get back to shore before wind got too intense.

I totally focused on my body movements and kept a rhythm going.  I noticed that if I took my focus away from what I was doing, I would lose momentum and would start being moved off course by the water.  I felt the need to be super focused so as to keep our progress going toward shore.

As we got closer to our launchiing spot, the waters started to calm down and my daughter and I were deep into a conversation and paddling smoothly along.  Her husband called to us as we were about to go past the site!  What had felt like a struggle earlier in the paddle was now just in a flow for both of us.  My body felt as though it had worked hard, but was not in any pain.

It felt great to complete this long and challenging kayak paddle.  The intensity of the water made the victory back to land even sweeter!

Amazing when you decide there might be an easier, more efficient way of doing something and get some support so that you can work smarter – not harder!

I'll make a point of thinking back to that experience when I notice I'm living my life "harder – not smarter" and turning it all around.
I'll remember to ask for support when I feel there might be a better way of doing something rather than just working harder in the same way.

Studies at Yale's School of Medicine have shown that the more wrinkles a woman has in early menopause years the more likely she is to have low bone density.  This is particularly true if the wrinkles are between the brows.

Women over 50 have the greatest probability for bone fractures from osteoporosis.  Characteristics of osteoporosis are thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density over time.

"Women need to be aware that our skin is giving us a glimpse of what's happening inside to our skeleton," said Lubna Pal, M.D., a reproductive endocrinologist at Yale's School of Medicine.

"Different areas of the face wrinkle at different rates and after adjusting for all the parameters, the strongest impact was with the forehead wrinkles between the brows," she said.

Both skin and bone are made of proteins called collagens. The changes in collagen as women get older cause both the sagging of skin and also bone quality and quantity.

What gives me more hope is that the study is really only showing an association between the bone density and early wrinkling.  It is not showing an exact cause.  The value of this study is that it gives doctors a low-cost approach to finding out which postmenopausal women would be at most risk for bone fracture.

This Yale study is part of a larger, multicenter investigation into menopausal hormone therapy. The scientists involved in this study are recommending a longer, four-year study to farther investigate the relationship between wrinkles and the risk of bone fracture.

You may have read some of my earlier posts about my Miraval experiences.  I talked about letting go with my "Swing and a Prayer" experience.

I shared my learnings about certainty from the "Miraval Equine Experience" and my discovery of the power of my energy with being in the ring with Bailey at the Purple Sage Ranch.

Another amazing experience was having one of their Frozen Mint Lemonades while enjoying one of their pools.  Miraval Resort shared this recipe in their recent newsletter.  I felt compelled to share it with YOU!

Miraval's Frozen Mint Lemonade

YIELD: Makes 1 serving

Download a PDF of this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Lemonade:

• ¾ C. organic cane sugar.
• 1 C. water
• 1 C. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 C. cold water, 2 C. Ice (to dilute)

Frozen Mint Lemonade:

• ½ C. ice
• ½ C. lemonade
• 4 fresh mint leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Lemonade:

Heat Sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved completely, about 5 mins.

Juice 4-6 lemons enough for 1 cup of juice. Strain out the seeds. Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add cold water and ice, more or less depending how strong you like your lemonade. Refrigerate until completely cooled, 30-40 mins.

If lemonade is too sweet for your taste add more lemon juice.

Frozen Mint Lemonade:

Take ½ cup of the lemonade you just made. Combine with ice and mint leaves in a blender and blend.

NUTRITION INFORMATION:

Per serving:

• Calories: 50
• Total Fat: 0g

Dr. Daffner, a Harvard brain specialist, offers some tips to help us know when to seek medical help.

“If someone has reduced or slowed ability to retrieve names of friends and acquaintances – especially those they’ve recently met – that’s probably very benign,” Daffner says. “But if they consistently can’t recall the names of close friends or family, that’s a red flag.”

It’s understandable not recognizing someone when you see them in a totally different environment – or “with their clothes on” as we often say when seeing someone from a workout class when they are dressed professionally.  But if you suddenly do not recognize someone you do know, that could be a danger sign.

If you sometimes can not think of a word, that is probably not a concern.  If you are having difficulty on a regular basis of recalling events, even when others offer helpful information, you probably need to get it checked out.

Do you get lost often in familiar places?  That is a warning sign more so than if you occasionally turn the wrong direction.

With little rain in Phoenix, it’s hard to know just how much is wrong with a roof until a big storm.

I couldn’t find my little ShihTzu anywhere and finally found him under my bed…first time he’s hidden there.
Don’t know if he thought the house was coming down or what???

I found it was helpful for me to do some running around in the house, pulling out shoes for Goodwill.
I have to keep this all is perspective.  It’s not like Joplin, Missouri where so many homes were destroyed.
Tornadoes are significant in the history of our family.  I lost relative including my namesake, great grandmother Susannah.

My older sister was an infant during that tornado in Greenock, Pennsylvania.  My mother grabbed her from her crib and rushed behind one of those big old radios for safety.

It’s a combination of yoga and pilates. INTENSE!

I did what I could and know it challenged my body – both muscularly and cardiovascularly…..NEW WORD!

After taking a convoluted route to Costco to stock up on my greens, I stopped at the library to pick up a book and a CD I had on hold and noticed that they had The King’s Speech on their Best Picks shelf.  I swooped that one up.  It was the next item to be mailed to me from Netflix-my favorite form of entertainment!

Watching the movie now and doing a little sorting through old cassettes to see if there are any personal ones I want to keep!

Southwest Airlines has always amazed me!
How do they manage to provide low fares and no baggage fees?
How can they afford to allow changes to airline tickets without any change fee?

AND the big question is:  Why do other airlines lack these features?

And how does Southwest  manage to have employees who are always smiling and joking?
And when they need to be serious, this news story from about four years ago demonstrates the dedication of their employees.

Today is Friday the 13th.  And this incident took place on a Friday the 13th in July of 2007. Larry Colbert was a member of the Phoenix chapter of the National Speakers Association prior to his death earlier this year. His guide dog Banner was a key to his navigation of Phoenix and the many air trips he made to do his public speaking.

On that fateful Friday Banner somehow was badly cut in a taxicab on the way to the airport.  Although he was aware of Banner’s yelping and jumping up onto the seat of the cab with him, he didn’t realize he had been injured until he was asked in the airport by a security guard if he needed some help.  Banner was bleeding badly, the main vein to his leg cut and an artery nicked.  Banner carried on as though nothing was wrong and probably would have continued to support his master until he bled to death on the plane.

It was a Southwest employee who played a major part in the survival of Banner.   None of the Southwest employees involved even knew that Larry was about to board a Southwest plane.  Southwest is just of many airlines in Terminal 4 at the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.  Troy, a Southwest Customer Service employee, held pressure of Banner’s wound until he was transported from the airport to the vet’s office where he had emergency surgery.

Amazing that these Southwest employees rallied when they saw someone in dire need.   Afterward, the airline employees sent Banner flowers and a balloon as a get-well gift.

Yes, this is an extreme case of employees going above and beyond the line of duty.

It really does demonstrate customer service at its best.

Unfortunately, there are many times when customer service with the airlines is not anywhere this magnanimous.  The industry has gotten to be so stressful in some airlines that you can just see the strain on the faces of the employees.  And it is often reflected in attitudes that can be less than cordial.

When you do receive really good customer service, do you make a point of acknowledging that employee?

When I’ve had an exceptional experience,  I often make a point of finding out where I can give this person proper acknowledgment of their fine performance.

Mother’s Day is one that is full of emotions for me.

I became a mother on Mother’s Day.  That was exciting to wake up in labor…I was overdue and sad that I wouldn’t be a mother in time.  The night before I had an incredible craving for fresh strawberry pie and my husband made a trip to the local Elby’s to get me a piece. Unfortunately, that took the gas level in the car to a low level so a stop at the gas station was part of the anxious ride to the hospital Mother’s Day morning.

Nurses gave all of us a carnation and it felt really special to become a mother on that special day.
What is even more fascinating is that my mother also became a mother on Mother’s Day when my sister was born!

Suzanne, Pat, and Mom in 2006

AND, this is the second year for me to be without Mom on Mother’s Day.  After four years in an Alzheimer’s Care Center, Mom passed away November, 2009.  She had a fabulous life that vanished as Alzheimer’s took away her mind and zest for life.

AND grandchildren…another emotion of joy that came about as our children become parents!
I’m blessed to have four grandsons and a granddaughter.  I never could understand how grandparents could be so “obnoxious” about boasting about their grandchildren until I had my own.  There’s an indescribable feeling that I had when my children had children of their own.

Sending you my best – and warm wishes for your observance of Mother’s Day – a day that can be full of a myriad of emotions.

Many people are super frightened and want to kill any snake that they may see near their home.
We’re not born with any fears except the fear of falling and of loud noises.  Other fears and phobias develop as a result of what others have shared with us as we’ve grown up.

That fear of reptiles develops from the conditioning from parents and others who have acquired the fear from their predecessors.

As a child I went to a day camp where one of the activities was going to the “snake pit”   where we would sit around the edge and the handler would pick up snakes for us to handle.  I loved the little ring-necked snakes….about  8 – 10 inches long.  Fun to hold.   At the snake pit, I learned some of the characteristics of poisonous snakes – the flattened head, a small depression between the eyes and sometimes a “rattle” for a tail.

My parents didn’t instill a huge fear in me…. I learned the value of snakes in controlling rodents.   We lived on the edge of some woods though and seeing a snake in the shed where we kept gardening supplies was a little startling.

Another unforgettable experience was when our basset hound yelped from the other room when we were living in a very large older home.  That large black snake definitely didn’t belong in my kitchen….  Quickly removed, safely from the house, with the help of a large shovel.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend an event at  my grandsons’ school where “The Reptile Man” showed quite a variety of reptiles to the enthralled audience of children.  His loving attitude toward his animals quickly spread to the children and they were all excited at any opportunity to go up with him to be part of handling the animals.    He had a cute name for all of them…..like Sheila the Gila – monster.   He was very clear about leaving snakes alone in the wild.  They like to be left alone.  And poisonous snakes are not to be reckoned with.  He described in detail the effects of poisonous snake bites.  He taught the difference between realistic caution and unfounded fears.

To see the throngs of children lining up to have their picture taken with either a small alligator or a huge snake was amazing!  They knew these creatures were safe because of being raised in captivity.

With careful education, they knew that they could be close to these animals.  The generalization that all reptiles are scary was dropped by these kids for sure.

You may be wondering what this discussion has to do with your life.
What negative conditioning have you received that is affecting your mindset?
Are there things that you are not attempting because you have generalized your fears about trying something new or going to different places?

If you can just think rationally about opportunities rather than reacting quickly from your preconceived notions, you may very well find yourself getting beyond stuck and moving on to new experiences.  Think back over the last few days or weeks.  Where have you made quick decisions without getting beyond the old beliefs that may or may not be reality?

Bailey in the Ring

Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona is known for its luxury spa treatments, exciting rope challenges, and experiences with the horses at the nearby Purple Sage Ranch.

What’s great about most of the challenges and the Equine Experience is that they are all included with your ample overall cost for the stay. Although the spa treatments were amazing ñ including a thermal mud wrap ñ what stands out most in my memory of the time at Miraval are the “Swing and a Prayer” rope challenge and the Equine Experience.

And, believe me, the mud wrap was memorable – black French mud mixed with spirulina. coated over my legs, arms, and torso, followed by being wrapped up in a cocoon and having my head massaged. This was followed by my taking a shower in the treatment room and trying to become white again. Then, an amazing massage to end the pampering.

Back to the horse story! After we had all done the first part of the experience, grooming our horse’s hooves, brushing, and walking; we moved over to another ring where we would be lunging a horse.

As I watched our instructor demonstrate what we would be doing ourselves, I was convinced that there was no way I could get the horse to do this. She pointed the center of her body (belly button) at the horse’s rear end and he amazingly started to walkÖ She went a little faster and he moved faster. She turned and pointed toward his side instead of his behind, and he stopped. Amazing!

And then, she walked around in such a way that he totally reversed directions and moved quite rapidly. And then she turned again and he stopped. Wow! I was totally impressed.

Amazing power in that energy being pointed in various directions. I watched as another woman did the same movements without quite such accuracy in the horse movements that resulted from her actions.

And then it was my turn. I concentrated on the energy in my body and confidently aimed my energy toward Bailey’s behind. And, what do you know? He moved. I moved more quickly and so did he! I aimed at his side and he stopped. AND, after a reminder of just exactly how to do the turn operation, that worked also. Bailey did a total turnaround. I was feeling so energized running around the ring!

What a powerful metaphor for how we can use our energy. When we connect with our internal power and direct it well, we can move mountains.

It’s really an inside job. Concentration is essential. And the knowing that we do have the power actually GIVES us the power. Thank you, Bailey, for the amazing experience at Miraval.

Wyatt Webb

One of the highlights at Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona is the Equine Experience. I did NOT want to miss this opportunity. I gave up my appointment for a spa treatment because it conflicted with this activity.

Purple Sage Ranch is just a dusty road away from the main resort. Wyatt Webb, best-selling author and psychotherapist met us, loaded us up in the van and off we went to meet the horses.

We weren’t there to ride the horses, but to do simple tasks with them. Interacting with a horse gives you insight into yourself. The idea of the Equine Experience is that the way you do one thing is the way you do most things.

Although I hadn’t had any traumatic experiences with horses, I really didn’t have much confidence because I hadn’t even been riding for over 30 years. And I’ve never groomed a horse.

So, our assignment was to pick out dirt from a horse’s hooves, brush him a couple of different ways, and lead him around the ring. Later, we did another activity, lunging, that I’ll describe in my next blog post.

Cherokee was my horse, a beautiful brown and white. He had quite a personality, seeming to talk to us and often interacting with the fence to get our attention.

HOWEVER, he was not about to lift his hoof for me to clean it. I followed the described procedure. Hoof stayed firmly planted. I felt as though I was assertive and he should have gotten the message.

Cherokee and Suzanne

When he didn’t, I started feeling as though this wasn’t going to work for me. AND caught myself.
Yes, I CAN do this.
I walked away from the horse and approached him again with the thought in my mind that he definitely was going to need to pick up his hoof and he did!
And I did the same with the second hoof. First try. Yay! So, when I was really DECISIVE, he got the message.

The same thing happened when I was about to walk him around the ring. Hmmm, I’m pulling and he is standing still. “OK, Cherokee. We are going for a walk and here we go.” My assertive steps soon had his following mine very nicely.

It was really clear to me that if I were more decisive in the actions I take in my business, that I would most likely see more positive results. Doubt and uncertainty can certainly make an announcement to all involved that they don’t want to go along with an indecisive person!

Our attitude has a lot to do with our brain health.
Thinking positively and focusing on what is going well can make a huge difference in the clarity of our thinking.

Are there things that you would like to have happen in your life, but you just don't feel that you're up to doing what is needed to make them happen?

You just never know how great your life could be if you were willing to allow yourself to be supported.
How can being open to support change your life?

Let's look at a few examples of how you may be staying small.

Traveling to the same old places rather than going somewhere new
How about exploring travel sites and reading about others' experiences going to particular locations?  With the internet pulling our world together, we have that opportunity to reach out to people everywhere to get information. 

Or join a group that is traveling somewhere.  Elder Hostel is an organization that brings together boomers and beyond to explore and learn about the world.  Other tour companies are also supportive in bringing a group together so no one feels alone on a trip.  You get educated prior to trips and are supported throughout.

Isn't this an amazing photo of Kate, a yoga instructor, showing her skills during her swing?

Allowing yourself to get overwhelmed and off purpose by trying to meet all the needs of family
So often a family member takes on all the responsibility of an aging parent even though there are other siblings.  Ask for what you need from others in the family so that you still have time to take care of your own needs.  Find out services that you could hire that could support you in running your home so that you can still have the energy to do what fuels your soul.

Avoiding new activities because you're just not sure you can do them well
It's amazing how we can sometimes think we should be able to do things perfectly when we have never done them before.  Allow others with experience to guide you.  This is fulfilling for them to be able to mentor you as well as very comforting to you as you try out something new.

My recent experience with the "Swing and a Prayer" rope challenge activity at Miraval Resort in Tucson, Arizona was a wonderful life lesson for me!
I signed up for the activity with a little anxiety not knowing exactly what it would be like.  Rather than playing small and choosing not to participate, I was open to learning about the process needed to swing in a harness 35 feet in the air.  We had an expert guide who talked us through the entire process.  Not only did I see the physical supporting elements for the challenge, but I also felt supported and reassured by the pre-adventure discussion.

Letting go of the rope and swinging forcefully out 35 feet off the ground was a wonderful accomplishment for me.  I could really feel the similarity to how I have been keeping my business small because I haven't had enough quality support.  Just a couple of months ago I hired an assistant and I can see it making all the difference in how much I want to take on in my business.  I feel supported and knowing that it is not up to me to take care of every detail frees me up to think bigger and more creatively.  No longer staying small.

So have you become aware of an area where you are playing small in your life?
What small step can you take today to get some support in living just a little larger?

Those were the words of Steve, our guide for the ropes challenge at Miraval Resort in Tucson.
It was surprising that there were only six of us who showed up for the experience after many more had taken the allotted slots or were on the wait-list.   We all sat in the comfort of the lounge as Steve explained what we would be doing and checked to see if we were prepared with proper clothing and water.  

He talked about the perceived danger in swinging at that height. It is only natural since from the time we were born, falling is an inborn fear.  

- You can see in the photo the support being given to Laurie as she prepared for her challenge.

Steve shared that there actually was more danger in getting to the course!
He said there were more injuries slipping while walking down the path or from people swinging their arms and making contact with cactus needles than there were from swinging high in the air.

Steve went through each segment of the experience in great detail so that we knew exactly what to expect for each phase of the challenge.  My apprehension dissolved after this preparation and very detailed explanation of the process they created and follow.  All the elements of the process for this activity are put in place so that each participant feels safe and supported.

We learned the correct way to enter and adjust our harness and to get our helmet on securely and comfortably.  Each person chose a number as to the order we would like to participate.  My preference was for being second.  I knew I wanted to experience someone else doing the challenge before doing it myself.  However, I chose to go second in order to move forward so that I could enjoy the swing without building up too much anxiety.

As I watched Kyle going through all the steps of getting hoisted up to the 35-foot position, I visualized my own body doing each of the movements.  I learned that it was that first moment of letting go of the rope that would allow the initial strong swing down that would be the thrilling one!  Each of us had a specific role in making his experience a safe and supported one.  

Then it was my turn.  As I climbed the steps of the ladder that would take me to the position of getting hooked into the ropes, I recalled past enjoyable experiences of rappelling freely through the air after climbing a rock wall.  I was excited to feel this sense of flying once again.   

Together they pulled the rope that hoisted me higher and higher to the 35-foot point.  It was my decision as to how high I wanted to go and when I would release the rope that would free me to swing between the two high poles. The view from that vantage point was totally breath taking.  Mountains and blue sky and cactus.  And then at that moment of release was amazing!  The strong first swing that took me flying across the area was exhilarating.  Feeling the breeze as I moved through the air is a sensation I'll always remember.   Gradually the swinging slowed and I was safely brought down to the ground, ready to support the next adventurer.  

How grateful I was to have gone ahead with the opportunity to do the challenge.  I walked away feeling stronger and more confident to take on the next seemingly difficult challenge in my life!

In my next post, I'll be sharing some of the insights I took away from this experience.  It was an amazing metaphor for much of what we experience in our lives.
 

Recently,  Suzanne Holman International became a member of the Alzheimer's Association Early Detection Alliance.  It's an honor to have our company be part of this group that is helping to spread awareness of Alzheimer's disease.  

The goal of the Alzheimer's Early Detection Alliance is to educate everyone about the major warning signs of Alzheimer's.  The Alliance also shares the resources that are available to those who see signs of the disease in themselves or their loved ones or coworkers.

Many people do not know how to recognize if the memory changes they see in someone may be a serious health problem.  When Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed too late, the opportunity to get the best help for both the patient and the caregivers is often lost.

When I saw these new resources put out by the Alzheimer's Association, I wanted to share them with you not only to educate yourself, but to inform others.

Doctor's Appointment Checklist.pdf  (immediate download – free)

10 warning signs of Alzheimer's checklist (link to web page)

There are also two E-Courses being offered, at no cost, by the Alzheimer's Association:

• Know the 10 Signs: Early Detection Matters  
• The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

As much as we'd like to think that we won't have to experience this dreaded disease, the reality is that all of us will know someone, in our lifetime, who develops Alzheimer's Disease.  

If you recognize any of the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's in yourself or in a friend or family member, it's really important that you not ignore them.  Getting into a doctor early can help you explore what treatments are available that my be helpful in relieving symptoms and keeping your independence longer.  

If you do receive a diagnosis of Alzheimer's early enough, you will be competent to take part in all the decisions that need to made for your future care.  How will you get around?  Where will you live?  What financial and legal arrangements need to be made?  

Understanding why there are so many changes taking place in the newly diagnosed Alzheimer's patient gives a little clarity to the family.    It also helps the family get support that would be helpful for them and for the Alzheimer's patient.

Take advantage of these free resources from the Alzheimer's Association to educate yourself so that you can be more aware of changes in yourself or in those you love.  

Learn the signs so that you can take action. With early detection, there are more choices for treatment and support.

I asked Dave to share some of his knowledge with my blog readers.
Dave is a voracious reader and I thought it would be great for him to share some of the books that he has found most valuable.  

BRAIN and BODY HEALTHY READING

I believe, the first thing we need to understand about food is – food is a drug.  The next thing we need to understand is that, it is not what we eat; it is what we think about what we eat.  

The Greeks knew that a healthy body provided the environment for a healthy mind.  It amazes me that humans have been on Earth for over 150 million years and we still are debating how to care for this body we wonder around in.  Wayne Dyer has a saying that describes the human condition, “we aren’t doing anything, we are being done!”  We live in an organism of 50 trillion cells that maintains itself.  Bruce Lipton, writer of the “The Biology of Belief” describes the human form as a Petri dish, wrapped in skin with our brain as the chemist.

I have found the following collection of materials to provide me with tools that have been useful in helping me maintain a healthy body.  Dr. Barry Sears, “The Anti-Aging Zone” is a broad view of how the body functions.  

Later books have more specific topics.  Julia Ross’s book “The Mood Cure” is helpful in giving us tools to learn how to eat to keep mentally balanced.  

Stephen Chernicke’s book “The Metabolic Plan” gives us a look at how we fit in Mother Nature’s plan and what we can do to “fool” Mother Nature.  All three of these authors favor the “hunter gather” type of diet.  

Dr. “B”’s (Batmanghelidj) work, “Your Body's Many Cries for Water”.  We start off life being 70% water and as we age, it is not unusual to have this percentage drop to 50%.  No wonder we become prunes!  

Dr. Barry Sears has a family history of early heart disease.  His PhD is in the study of lipids, body fats.  His personal mission was to see if he could change the spots on the genetic code cards he was dealt.  He went looking for the magic bullet.  What he found was that food and omega-3’s were the key elements.  He must be doing something right, he is almost a decade older than past generations of men in his family.
http://www.drsears.com/AboutDrSears/tabid/400/Default.aspx

Julia Ross was tasked with finding a better method to increase the success of rehab efforts in 1976.  She and the team she worked with needed to come up with a program to increase rehab success from 10% to a much better number.  The team looked at what the body’s reaction was to the dependent chemical the patient was using.  They looked for food sources that would supply a complimentary response.  The amino acids that are the building blocks for the mood balancing drugs the brain uses to keep us balanced is her addition to the puzzle that I found interesting.  Taking her tests to see what amino’s are missing or in short supply, is the first step.  Take the amino acids that are body is low in and checking for a response is the second step.  This happens in minutes.  In 20 minutes to a half hour, you will feel the response if this was the amino your body was low in.  I play bridge.  I use to take an amino acid 20 minutes before game time.  It was amazing how the clarity increased.  It was like the Claritin Clear commercial.  It was like having the fog lift.  If we supply ourselves with the right foods, we can get our bodies back in balance in a few months and the need to take supplement amino acids goes away.
http://www.moodcure.com/julia.html

Stephen Cherniske’s book “The Metabolic Plan”, I thought was a handbook to the human body.  It will make you take a different look at caffeine and if you want to have it in your life.  He looked at people over the age of 100 and searched for what was it that they had in common.  The common factor of living longer is muscle mass.  Discusses how we age and what actions we can take to maintain function and alertness until the day we leave this Earth. Look at page 40 in the book.  It has a picture of him at age 40 and age 48.  He practices what he preaches.  The guy is in his early 60’s and has 11% body fat.
http://us.univera.com/story/science/Stephen-Cherniske

Dr. B.   I admire the guts this guy had and the conditions he lived under for years.  He was in prison for treason.  In prison is where he discovered the magic of water.  On the link, listen to the interview with Tony Robbins.  

After doing some research, I started drinking 1.5 liters of water 3 times a day.  I was amazed that my bathroom habits didn’t change the first day.  I must have been a “quart” low.  My headaches went away.  They were from dehydration.  I have asthma and drinking more water helped this condition.  I take a ¼ teaspoon of sea salt a day to keep my electrolytes balanced.   My blood shot eyes cleared.  I was amazed at how a simple thing as the amount of water made such a difference in the function of the body.  Sweat and elimination is a primary method of removing toxins.  We need to have enough water going through us to make this work properly.  It was interesting to learn that the hungry response may be a cry for water.  I now drink a glass of water.  If I am still hungry in 20 minutes, I eat a balanced snack with carbohydrates, fat, and protein.

These four authors, taken as a collective, have given me a perspective on how to get the best performance from my body.

About Dave Jeffries:

I was born in Spokane, WA and have lived from Anchorage, AK to Long Beach, CA and many other points along the West Coast. I became active in doing self improvement in 1972 when I took a class as, a lark that was titled "Self Actualization and Human Potential" taught by Don Jolly.  I have a BS degree in Computer Science from UC Irvine.  I have been employed in many industries including finance, service,manufacturing, entertainment, farm equipment, and service.  My current love is the Home Performance, energy efficient industry.  I verify homes for the Energy Star program.  In late 2006, I discovered that most everything I knew, was a lie.  Interesting how our view of reality continues to change.  I became absorbed in spiritual and metaphysical books.  I was then able to understand the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know".  I enjoy watching the Dog Whisperer.  This is the best show on seeing the energy connection, in communication, that we have with all forms on this Earth.  In short, I am a searcher and a seeker.

Think of the anatomy of the dinosaur.  They were huge creatures and had very small brains.

Ironic that what research is showing us is that as our bodies get more and more overweight, our brains get smaller.  Dr. Daniel Amen came up with the "Dinosaur Syndrome" name to paint a clear picture of the danger of being overweight. 

With obesity comes more frequent diabetes, sleep apnea, and often high blood pressure.  All of these health problems are associated with a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

Dr. Amen has written a number of books, the most recent one  The Amen Solution: The Brain Healthy Way to Lose Weight and Keep It Off.  And he recently opened an online site that offers ongoing support to those who choose to take the steps to get their weight down to a healthy level.  

Recently, I heard Dr. Amen talk about a church he has helped to create a program for weight loss.  Saddleback Church is one of the largest churches in the United States.  Richard Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, is the pastor there.   They have a comprehensive website to support their congregation in getting fit.  Here is a link to Dr. Amen talking about the Dinosaur Syndrome:  http://www.saddleback.com/blogs/thedanielplan/avoid-the-dinosaur-syndrome/

When adults take the lead to eat consciously, children see this as an example of what is the appropriate way to eat and will follow suit.  The current statistics on obesity in our youth is disturbing.   Below are some statistics from the William J. Clinton Foundation, an organization that “focuses on worldwide issues that demand urgent action, solutions, and measurable results," that will open your eyes to this huge problem.

• Almost 25% of our children do not participate in any free-time physical activity.  
• Less than 25% of high school students take daily physical education classes.
• Healthcare payouts are three times higher for treatment of obese children
• Nearly 25 million children are overweight or obese
• Currently, there are five times more obese children, ages 6 – 11, than forty years ago

Think of the heath problems that will develop for these young people if they do not change their lifestyle.  Health care costs are high now but, what will they be in another 15 -20 years when these young people are going into their middle ages and older years.

It's a wonderful thing that attention is being brought to this issue at the high level of Michelle Obama. There are efforts being made all over the country.  

Kids love dinosaurs but, will they love having the Dinosaur Syndrome which results in shorter, unhealthy lives?

Who doesn't want to stay independent?

When you were growing up, do you remember how it felt when you could finally drive by yourself?   Can you even imagine losing that ability?

Studies are showing that cognitive training can make a huge difference in the skills required for competent driving.  It is important to know what kinds of training made the biggest impact in driving skills because some of the more familiar brain exercises have more impact than other exercises. Just doing crossword puzzles isn’t going to speed up your reaction time.  It’s important to choose an activity that encourages you to give answers quickly in order to stimulate the brain.

Dr. Jerri Edwards, an Associate Professor at University of South Florida’s School of Aging Studies was Co-Investigator of the ACTIVE study (2005) aimed toward discovering how cognitive abilities can be maintained and even enhanced with advancing age.

Her studies focused on the specific cognitive ability of processing speed.  Processing speed is one of the cognitive skills that decline earliest as we age.

She was particularly interested in how cognitive interventions might help older adults avoid or at least delay difficulty with daily functioning and thereby maintain their independence longer. Much of her work has focused on the functional ability of driving including assessing driving fitness among older adults.  She has also been involved in remediation of cognitive decline that results in driving difficulties.

Dr. Edwards wanted to find out how training could improve cognitive abilities and also slow down, or delay cognitive decline.

What they found was that those who used a computer-based program to train processing speed showed great short-term and long-term results.

Those individuals who experienced improved speed of processing also showed better performance on tasks of typical activities used in daily living such as finding an item on a cluttered kitchen shelf and reading the text on medicine bottles. They also showed faster reaction to road signs.

Their cognitive speed of processing increased by 146-250% and a significant portion of that improvement stayed even five years later.

Even though they used very specific training methods in their studies, there are a number of ways that you can give your brain the cognitive exercise it needs.

I have found using "Brain Challenge" on Nintendo DS or "Lumosity" on the iTouch or iPhone to be effective in increasing my brain reaction time.  

You can also do exercises using something as simple as a deck of cards, doing various sorting methods and timing yourself to get faster.

What we do now to build our brain resiliency can make the possibility of our being independent well into our old age a reality!

Nelson Dellis's  grandmother died of Alzheimer's disease and the climb up
Mt. Everest will earn money for research to help find a cure for this widespread disease.

He also broke the record for number memorization, remembering the first hundred and seventy-eight digits of a randomly generated five-hundred-digit number, with just five minutes to study it.

Dellis uses memorization techniques giving cards and numbers associations he can visualize—the name of a famous person, an action, an object.  

One of the tasks was to memorize playing cards in order and be able to remember that order.  There are a number of different brain exercises where we can use ordinary playing cards.  You can sort them by suits or numbers and work at increasing your speed.  Just doing the memorization as Dellis did is a great exercise for your brain.  The associations you create in order to recall certain cards form new neuropathways in your brain.

In this photo, he is doing the competetition in Names and Faces—ninety-nine names to memorize in fifteen minutes.

Are there days that you wish your brain were just a little sharper, clearer, creative?

Did you realize that you can do many things to support your brain health?

This is Brain Awareness Week sponsored by the Dana Foundation that supports brain research through grants and educates the public about the successes and potential of brain research.  

I have partnered with the Dana Foundation for over ten years now, presenting events during their special week in March each year where they promote being more aware of your brain and what we can do to nurture it.

Wednesday, March 16th at 6 pm Pacific time/9 pm Eastern time is the time to gather with me on a webinar to learn some easy ways to take care of your brain.

5 Simple Strategies to Care For Your Precious Brain

March 16, 2011
6 pm Pacific time/9 pm Eastern time

If this time does not work for you, register to get the recorded webinar sent to you.

Register now to get the information to connect with this free webinar!
http://suzanneholman.com/brain-awareness-week/

Also, during the presentation you will be able to type in your questions on the webcast window and I will do my best to answer them during the hour of the call.

I hope you'll join me!
I look forward to connecting tomorrow, Wednesday, March 16th!

Please type in a hello to me so I know you have joined the webcast!

Join the free webinar!
http://suzanneholman.com/brain-awareness-week/

How many suggestions have you heard just this week for how to improve your memory or to avoid getting Alzheimer's disease?

It's overwhelming and confusing to sort through the multiple supplements, foods, brain games, and other techniques that are being touted as the latest and greatest support for your brain.

What makes it so difficult for even the best of scientists to tell us how to improve our brain is that the mechanisms of intelligence are not understood nearly as well as the mechanisms of muscular strength.  If these mechanisms of intelligence were better understood, logical conclusions could be made as to the effectiveness of various strategies to improve our brain functioning.

All the research in neuroscience is gradually showing us the mechanisms of cognition. “We have accumulated enough knowledge about the mechanisms and molecular underpinnings of cognitionat the synaptic and circuit levels to say something about which processes contribute,” says James Bibb of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who organized a symposium on “cognitive enhancement strategies” at the 2010 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Having more neurons or synapses gives you greater cognitive capacity.  This is possible with neurogenesis (creation of new neurons), particularly in the memory-forming hippocampus.

Neurogenesis and synapse creation increases learning, memory, reasoning, and creativity.

Doing what we already know how to do doesn't increase our cognitive functioning.  

Attention is the key.  

Your brain pays attention to what is new and that is what creates the new neurons and the synapses that allow communication between the neurons.

So, there you go!

It's tIme to get out there and try something new.  Attack a new challenge.  Learn a new exercise or dance move.

You'll find that your brain will respond with energetic interest and the neurogenesis process will be accelerated.

I have seen so many TV commercials and have had occasion to make a cup of coffee with one at a relative's  home.   It just seems so packaging crazy to use this handy system.

When I was gifted with a Special Edition Keurig Coffee Maker recently, I felt torn as to whether to love it or hate it.   Fast and easy to make a cup of tea or coffee.  Wasteful to use the little K-Cups and add to the landfills. The K-Cups are not yet recyclable.  They are made up of plastic, foil, and a sophisticated paper filter that is firmly attached to the plastic. 

And you do pay more than 50 cents for each K-Cup.

I noticed Keurig has what's called a My-K-Cup.  That seemed like it would be more ecologically friendly. When I read about this option, I heard very bad reviews about the quality of the item as well as the way it works.  Plus, I understand you have to take a piece off the coffee pot in order to use it.

Searching around on Amazon, I noticed a product called K-Caps.  I read some reviews and studied the company website.  Sounded like it was the best solution of any of the options I've read about.  I ordered them and have tried the little caps and they work!  You can fill up a number of your recycled K Cups and have them ready to go.  I added them to the Breville K-Cup holder I purchased. 

I feel MUCH better about using the machine now.  I get the convenience of a quick cup of something hot to drink AND I'm being GREEN about it!   And love using my variety o loose teas in the recycled K-Cups.  This K-Cap system works beautifully.

You can find out more about their product and read the story of the engineer who knew there had to be a better solution than throwing out those well designed K-Cups by clicking this link:    Reuse your Keurig K-Cups!

Today, Congress took a critical step toward addressing Alzheimer's disease, the public health crisis of the 21st century. In January, the baby boomer generation will begin to turn 65, entering the years of greatly increased risk for Alzheimer's. One in eight baby boomers, or 10 million Americans, will develop Alzheimer's. Yet our nation lacks a national plan to overcome this epidemic.

The National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) provides a path to the solution: a coordinated strategic plan to confront this crisis. Today, the Senate Committee responsible for NAPA took action on the bill. This is the final step before securing a Senate vote. Please take action today to ensure that NAPA reaches the Senate for a vote.
 

When calling, identify which state you are from and the system will automatically connect you to the correct office.

With your help, we can secure a vote on NAPA during the next 48 hours. Take five minutes today to call your Senators at 1-800-958-5374 and urge them to pass NAPA — and let them know how important this issue is to the Alzheimer community.

Tell them: Hello, this is [name] and I am a constituent from [town].

- A strategic plan to overcome the Alzheimer's disease crisis,
- Coordinated federal efforts to enhance Alzheimer-related care, services, and research

• As you may know, today the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee considered the National Alzheimer's Project Act (S. 3036).
• This bill will create:
• Please ask the Senator to ensure that the National Alzheimer's Project Act is brought up for a vote in the Senate during the lame duck session.
• Finally, I would like to personally request that the Senator vote YES on the National Alzheimer's Project Act (S. 3036) – which will take the first steps in the fight against Alzheimer's, but will not require any additional federal spending.
• On behalf of the Alzheimer community, thank you for your leadership. I look forward to hearing from the Senator regarding their vote on this critical bill.

Thank you for your support. Together, we can make the Senate hear our voice and work toward a world without Alzheimer's.

Stay tuned for more updates about this legislation.

Sincerely,

Robert Egge
Vice President of Public Policy
Alzheimer's Association

P.S. Want to get more involved? The Alzheimer's Association Advocacy Forum is the perfect opportunity to share your story with your elected officials. Join us in Washington, D.C., May 15-17, 2011, to lend your voice in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Please visit www.alz.org/forum to learn more about how you can make a difference.

Headline article today, CNN

At a glance one would think that it is time to forget about taking Omega 3's.

BUT – notice that the headline says "doesn't slow Alzheimer's"…..

The study described in today's article was done with people in their 70's already showing signs of Alzheimer's/dementia.

This is not the time to start taking supplements to help our brains although they can still help general physical health.

According to this study funded by the National Institute on Aging and led by Dr. Joseph F. Quinn, M.D., a neurologist at the Oregon Health and Science University, in Portland, once symptoms are showing up it is generally too late to make much of a difference in the cognitive functions.

"Quinn and his colleagues randomly assigned about 400 women and men in their mid-70s with likely Alzheimer's disease — the disease is very difficult to accurately diagnose — to take 2 grams of DHA or placebo capsules per day. After 18 months, the average mental decline in the DHA and placebo groups was nearly identical, as measured on two separate tests and rating scales."

That is why it is KEY to start early with taking care of our brains.  Alzheimer's starts years before any symptoms show up.

"Effective treatment strategies to prevent progression of [Alzheimer's disease] will likely need to be initiated earlier," according to Dr. Kristine Yaffe, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.

Even if you have Alzheimer's developing in your brain, if you do all the supportive things for your brain, you may not see any symptoms until years after those who have not been taking care of their brain health.

By the time you are in your late 80's, the percentage of dementia is about 50%…

As time goes on and more people are cognizant of their brain health, I expect that the age for 50% occurrence will be into the 90's.

“Brain Exercise may worsen existing Alzheimer’s”

“Why you shouldn’t play mentally stimulating games”

These are recent headlines after results came out from a new study.  These headlines distorted the study statistics quite a bit.

Published in Neurology by Dr. Wilson from the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, this new study showed that  individuals who had a mentally or cognitively stimulating life prior to the onset of Alzheimer's actually showed a faster decline than those who had been less cognitively active.

YIKES!  This spread a wave of panic among those people who have been consciously staying cognitively active in order to avoid getting Alzheimer's.

We've been told for years that keeping the mind active and stimulated with new activities was what was needed to help keep our brain optimized.

SO, what is the story?  Is this really true? 

You have to read the details of the study to understand how this can be possible and what it means to all of us who are concerned about our brain health. 

Here is a quote from the study:

"This means that, after diagnosis with moderate impairment, compared to less cognitively active people they will decline faster. Indeed the mean rate of cognitive decline per year for people in the Alzheimer group increased by 42% for each additional point on the cognitive activity scale."

That sounds pretty clear that it's true that it is a problem for people to be cognitively active-or IS it really clear?

Let's look into more of the details of the situation for these Alzheimer's patients. First of all, those with only mild cognitive impairment did not show this effect of increased decline.

What happens is that having the reserve from the cognitive stimulation delays the onset of the disease.  Even if Alzheimer's is developing in the brain, the symptoms will not show until later. 

Unfortunately, even cognitively active people who are diagnosed with dementia will reach a threshold of pathology where it would be difficult to continue normal function.  By the time these cognitively active people are diagnosed with dementia, they have more pathology in the brain than those diagnosed  who were less cognitively active.

If you were to develop this fatal disease and knew you would die in-for example-10 years, which of these scenarios would you prefer?

Slow rate of cognitive decline over the 10 years, limiting the quality of your life more and more.

Living symptom free for 9 years and then having rapid decline in your 10th year, the end stage of the illness, ending in death.

There's no question in my mind what I would prefer.  My goal is to be living fully for as many years as possible, independent and productive.  Naturally, my preference would be not to have the disease at all, but this may not be a choice.

So my plan is to do every single thing I can do to optimize my brain health, including brain stimulation and as much cognitive activity as possible!

How about you?

Join us on the free weekly Ageless Woman Teleseminar Program. 

If you are already in my database, you will receive notice of each week's call.  If you do not already receive my updates, you can register here:

If the population of people with dementia were compared with the population of a country, it is bigger than Switzerland. And it is expected that dementia will cost $604 billion dollars worldwide this year.

There is a serious need for more research, education and resources.

An example of an area that has not been given enough attention is the prevalence of dementia in young men in their late 30's and early 40's. Some of them have brains suffering the same effects of dementia as a man in his 80's.

Football helmets protect the skull but what happens with impact that causes a concussion is that the brain that floats inside the skull actually bashes against the inside of the skull. This causes tissue bruising that when repeated over and over leads to lifelong brain problems.

And concussions are occurring not only in football, but are increasingly seen in youth basketball, particularly in girls. Parents, teachers, coaches and our children need to be educated about the signs, symptoms, and risks of concussions. They need to be aware of the long term effects of head injuries.

We have 3 million kids playing youth football in the U.S. and 1 million who go on to be part of their high school team. In professional football, players who suffer a blow to the head are sent off the field. The concern is whether the same caution is being taken with our children. Are they being treated appropriately for concussions?

It is important to be aware of the effects of the disease on those that suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's and to realize that no one is immune to the possibility of suffering from dementia.

We have conquered SO many of the physical ailments that used to cause early death. The brain is really our last frontier. We've learned a tremendous amount in the last twenty years and need to continue to support the research that may find a cure for devastating brain diseases.

This week on The Ageless Woman Teleseminar Program, I am interviewing Helen Raptoplous.

Helen is an Action Habits Coach who loves to support people to take action on the things that matter most. She shares that people can achieve great success by being held accountable,  getting attention, and taking action.

Suzanne and Helen at recent seminar in Atlanta
 

The call is Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at

6 pm EDT
3 pm PT

In this interview you can expect to:

• Find clarity about what is really important to you
  
• Identify what's holding you back from going after what you want
  
• Get inspired to take action and move forward
  
• Learn how to have a location-independent business
  

Register now to get the call information!

September 21 is World Alzheimer's Day –

It's a day when the Alzheimer's Association joins with organizations and people around the globe to raise awareness about Alzheimer's and its impact on our families, communities and nations.

Today, 35 million people worldwide are affected by Alzheimer's and related dementias, and this number is growing rapidly.

World Alzheimer's Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease and the need for more education, support and research.

Take action by joining one of the many World Alzheimer's Day events.

Sign a petition to Congress to make Alzheimer's disease a national priority.

http://www.alz.org/research/breakthroughride/petition.asp

World Alzheimer's Report Comes Out Tomorrow.

On World Alzheimer's Day 2010, a new report will be released by Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), highlighting the need for action in response to the growing number of people affected by Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

With a new case of dementia in the world every seven seconds, there is no time to lose.

Celebrities play “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” for the Alzheimer’s Association

Tune in as Alzheimer’s Association Celebrity Champions test their knowledge on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” beginning Monday, Sept 20.

During the week of World Alzheimer’s Day, contestants including Peter Gallagher (Covert Affairs, The O.C.) , Victor Garber (Eli Stone, Alias), Jean Smart (Samantha Who?, Designing Women) , Evan Lysacek (2010 Olympic Champion) , Mario Cantone (Sex and the City), Melora Hardin (The Office, Monk) and Melissa Rivers (television host) will do their best to make it to the million-dollar mark, with winnings benefitting the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association.
For show times, check your local listings.

For more information visit the Alzheimer's Association website:

Technology does not have to be complicated and can help control the clutter that is a barrier to your business success.

 Do you ever write down information such as telephone numbers or notes about a task that you need to do? I know I have and it often causes frustration and chaos when I dot. Do you have a smartphone? If so, put it to work tracking your to do list and set up reminders so you do not forget important appointments. Google and Gmail offer simple ways to track your schedule with an online calendar.

Do you spend time travelling to locations for meetings? Meeting online can be a time and money saver.  It does not replace personal contact with clients, but I have found it an option that is often overlooked.

Have you overlooked something as simple as a timer? In getting tasks completed, I have found setting a timer helps me stick to the project at hand as I commit to doing  just the one thing until time is over.

It is sometimes the simple things that can start you on the track to success. Don’t overlook technology as one of the tools you can use to your advantage.

Cynthia Charleen helps “Clear Out The Mess To Make Room For Success”. You can find out more athttp://BreakFreeFromClutter.com

My mother had me when she was 37, and that was quite uncommon during the 1950’s. Now I am in my fifties and she is almost 93, so that means that our roles have reversed and I am now doing much of the care giving for her. Last year she broke her hip, and can no longer get around as she used to before she fell.

Fortunately, I have been working at home since 2006. This means that my business in exclusively on the Internet, and that I can make my own hours to fit my schedule. I am able to get up around 6 in the morning, work at my computer for two or three hours, and then drive to the rehabilitation facility where she has been living for the past six months. We usually have lunch together, and I can spend several hours with her. I do check my email from my phone a couple of times, but I do not need to worry about getting back to work or having a problem with my boss. I am the boss.

Most people do not have this time luxury. They are working long hours, far away from home, and are then too exhausted to do much more than make dinner and turn on the television when they come home. I know all about this because I did the same thing for more than twenty years, working as a classroom teacher and a real estate appraiser for 12 to 14 hours each day, six or seven days each week. If my mother had needed my help during that time in the way she now does, I’m not sure what I would have done.

You do have a choice. If you have elderly parents or young children that must be cared for, think seriously about working from home, or from anywhere there is an Internet connection. You can never get back the time you have with your loved ones, so make this the best time in your life by being able to choose how you spend each day.

Connie Ragen Green teaches new entrepreneurs how to get started with an online business to have the time and financial freedom to live the live they choose. Find out more by visiting her blog at http://ConnieGreen.com. 

When things are not working as we'd like, it's easy to curse all of these innovations…

But wait!

Where would we be without the many technological advances we enjoy
today?  I look around my home and am amazed at what we have at our disposal today.

Think of how connected we now can be with family – all over the world – for free or a small fee.  I remember the days when it was a really big deal just to make a long distance call within the United States.  

There is so much more than connection that we can do with technology.

I've had some requests asking me to share some of my technical expertise with members of my community. 

I actually taught technology for a number of years along with my years of teaching college-level psychology.

I'd love to talk with you about some possibilities that you may not have explored or may not even have heard of.

Or that you'd like to understand better…

Come join me on The Ageless Teleseminar Program this week and bring
all your questions about technology and the internet.  I'll do my best to answer those questions and will find out the answer if I don't know it.

As always, there is no charge for this Wednesday program.

We gather at 3 pm Pacific time/ 6 pm Eastern time.

Register below to get all the information for connecting with the call or listening on the webcast over the internet.

Resources:

Webcast and teleconference service I use.
EASYWEBCASTS.COM

Complete, economical Shopping Cart service
YourEasyShoppingCart.com

Autoresponders and Emails to your Database
YourEasyContacts.com

Recording and Getting Audio and Video on Your Site
EasyAudioandVideo.com

I offer support for anyone signing up for these service with my affiliate links.  I appreciate that you provide me the opportunity to earn a commission on the services so I like to offer you the help you need to use them effectively.

Friday was Laughter Yoga Class at Lighthouse Giftshop in Phoenix …

I go most Fridays after doing an aqua aerobics class and Hatha Yoga class.
By the time I finish the Laughter Yoga class, I feel as though I have worked every part of me…inside and out…physically and emotionally.

Norma Richardson is the certified instructor – her laughter and energy is contagious!

 Laughter Yoga Clubs were started by Indian physician, Dr. Madan Kataria in 1995 with just five people. Today, the Laughter Movement is widely accepted and has become a global phenomenon with over 6000 clubs in 60 countries.

Realizing the tremendous power of laughter and its efficacy as the best prescription for wellness, Laughter Clubs have brought smiles and laughter in the lives of many people suffering from physical and mental and emotional upsets.

There’s now scientific proof that laughter is contagious, so all you need is to start laughing. Laughter Yoga is a unique and proven method that helps release physical, mental and emotional stress. Laughter Yoga is a unique concept of unconditional laughter, according to this, anyone can Laugh for No Reason. It does not rely on jokes, humor or comedy. It initiates laughter as a form of an exercise in a group, and as the laughter sessions progress; laughter becomes real and contagious.

When you are going through a time that is heavy on your mind, your heart, and your body, try doing something like Laughter Yoga to loosen up your body, warm your heart, and lighten your mind with a different perspective.

Norma takes Laughter Yoga to care centers where she sometimes is leading Alzheimer's patients who are no longer verbal.  Laughter is universal and can still be enjoyed when much of life and memory is gone.

Contact Norma at norma@thebodyknowsbest.com  to schedule a laughter yoga session to enjoy the benefits of laughing for no reason.

Check out Norma's website at
http://www.thebodyknowsbest.com

If you no longer know how to laugh, join a laughter yoga group near you. If you live in the Phoenix area, go to  www.meetup.com/Valley-of-the-Sun-Laughter to learn how to laugh for no reason. If you live somewhere else in the world, go to http://www.laughteryoga.org/ to find a club near you.

Thursday I have the pleasure of being the featured guest for the National Association of Boomer Business Women.

I'll be sharing ways to feed your brain to avoid Alzheimer's Disease.   New statistics out from the Alzheimer's Association are alarming.  An estimated 5.3 million Americans of all ages have Alzheimer's Disease.   That is one out of every eight people aged 65 and older (13 percent) have Alzheimer's disease.  Every 70 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer's. 

Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of growing older.  We can do quite a lot for the health of our brain and feeding it premium fuel is a huge factor in keeping it healthy.

You can register for the interview at this link:

http://suzanneholman.com/brainfood

There is no charge for the interview and you will have the opportunity to get your questions answered. 

You will need to attend live as only members of NABBW can access the replay.
What you can expect to learn in this interview:

    * Learn specific foods that are excellent for your brain health

    * See how you can make your meal planning and preparation simple

    * Find out ways that you can be more frugal with your food shopping

I look forward to connecting with you on Thursday, August 19, at 8 pm Eastern Time.

http://suzanneholman.com/brainfood

This week on The Ageless Woman Teleseminar Program

Four years ago, alarmed by her then 83-year-old mother’s stark personality change (from highly functional to nasty freakishness) and her dramatic shift in mobility, Renée Barnow set sail on the unknown waters of elder care.

As the oldest and only daughter, Renée became more the executive of her Mom’s daily care than of her own coaching and consulting business.

Responsibilities were divided, with Renée accepting the primary roles in the care of her mother of HR Director and Facilities Manager. She was designated the person who could most easily handle the emotional issues, and there were plenty ranging from minor squalls to major storms.

Learn the sometimes in-the-moment actions (get mother out of jail—aide du jour cited for making a U-turn and in writing the ticket the officer discovered there was an arrest warrant out for this person) Renée took to navigate the long distance care, what she called Mom Care—interviewing, hiring, training and firing 20 aides and being on site (putting her solo business on hold) during two hospitalizations and in-home rehabilitation (one for hip replacement) and two surgical procedures to name a few until the end of March 2010 when she moved her Mom, against her Mom’s wishes, from the house where she lived for 51 years to assisted living.

Renée Barnow has a book on Amazon,
Action Based Communication

She created Marshmallow Meditations: A Baker’s Dozen to help those who get lost, stressed or stuck to find a way out!

What you can expect to learn from this interview with Renée:

• Assessing internal and external resources available for navigating long distance care—basic requirements, good to have
• Staying on course when going in two directions—what to hold on to, when to let go  
• Recognizing resistance,  yours and your parent’s—wind in your sails can advance your course or move you off course

Register below to join us on Wednesday, August 18, 2010!

3 pm Pacific Time; 6 pm Eastern Time

Even if that time doesn't work for you, sign up to receive access to the replay of the interview.

Guest Post from Sue Rasmussen

I have learned so much from Sue and thought this article had some great information.  As you know, I've made decluttering a huge emphasis in my life right now.  I learned a lot from Sue in her Staging Course.

You may wonder if it is worth your time to sort clutter and organize your home and office…I mean, it DOES take time to clear out your junk and organize your home. 

So is it worth the time and energy and investment?

Here's the bottom line:

Studies show that you can easily save literally WEEKS of time every year, simply by clearing out your stuff and organizing your space. That's like throwing away a 2-4 week vacation every year!

Not to mention the clarity, peace of mind, and enjoyment of your space!

So yes, it is well worth it to sort clutter and organize.

And just imagine what you could do with weeks of extra time this year.  :)

• The average desk worker has 36 hours of work on his or her desk and spends 3 hours per week sorting piles trying to find the project to work on next. - The Overload Syndrome (by Richard Swenson)
• According to Harper's Index, the average amount of time that the average American spends looking for misplaced things over the course of a lifetime is one year. That's one YEAR spent looking for lost stuff!
• According to Home Gain, the Home Seller's Online Resource, a survey of nearly 1,000 real estate agents regard clearing out clutter as the number one home improvement project to speed the sale of a home and fetch a higher selling price.
• The Wall Street Journal reports that the average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files. And that is only one hour per day…many executives and managers spend more than an hour per day searching through and rearranging their piles.
• More than 80% of the clothes in most people's closets get worn rarely (if ever).
• According to The Leader-Post, 80% of what we file never gets looked at again.
• Cleaning professionals indicate that clearing out the excess clutter would easily eliminate 40% or more of the housework in the average home, reports the National Soap and Detergent Association.
• Agency Sales Magazine says that 80% of what we keep we never use. 
• According to the American Demographics Society, Americans waste nine million hours a day looking for misplaced items.
• The real cost of being disorganized is hundreds of times more than the cost for a professional organizer's services, according to Roger L. Drolet, CPA, MBA / Founder, SafeRecord.Com

Is investing what it takes to sort clutter, clear out and organize your space worth it? 

Looks like it, doesn't it?  :)

Sue Rasmussen is a Master Certified Coach, writer, and speaker. She is internationally recognized for her straight-forward, practical, down-to-earth approach and enthusiastic style of showing people how to unclutter, organize, and stage their home and life. Visit her website at www.unclutter-organize-transform.com to subscribe for articles, tips, and upcoming events.

As part of The Ageless Woman Teleseminar Program held weekly at no charge, I will be interviewing Dr. Allen Power, author of Dementia Beyond Drugs: Changing the Culture of Care On Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 6 pm Eastern Time.

Dr. Power will explain why we need to radically re-frame our view of dementia and the ways in which we provide care. His new book outlines a pathway for continued engagement, growth and well-being throughout one’s life with dementia.

You’ll be able to listen to the interview by telephone or by webcast on the computer, saving any long distance charges.

Register even if you are not able to attend at the assigned time as you will receive the audio replay after the program is completed.

Dr. Allen Power is an internist, geriatrician and an international expert in transformational models of nursing home care.

His new book, Dementia Beyond Drugs: Changing the Culture of Care takes a radical new look at America’s most dreaded diagnosis, to find new opportunities for life, growth and hope.

Dr. Power’s Website: www.alpower.net, Book publisher: www.healthpropress.com, apower@stjohnsliving.org, Eden Alternative: www.edenalt.org

——————————————————————————————————————-

I launched The Ageless Woman Teleseminar Program with show topics focusing on issues of concern to boomer women.

With Alzheimer’s Disease becoming more and more common, there are many women who are faced with the responsibility of managing the care of their parents. Many of the shows deal with ways of coping with this situation. Other shows educate the listeners on new brain research and ways that we can take better care of our body and brains.

Another concern for boomer women is taking time to continue to pursue their own interests-whether that is a business or some other personal passion. It is easy to put the needs of everyone else first and just forget about what is important to you as an individual.

Information about each week’s program is published at http://www.SuzanneHolmanBlog.com

Rising to the challenge, Cynthia worked to develop a system that she now teaches to clients around the world

Step, by step, she helps people develop a plan that is a custom fit for them.

“If they are your precious memories, then why are they hiding under your bed?” is one of her favorite replies.

Sometimes life hands us challenges in the form of aging parents with health concerns that require a lifestyle change.

Do you need a way to clear the clutter and then organize for your parents or yourself?

What you can expect to learn from this interview:

• Create an actual plan of action before you start the task
• Implement the plan in a way that does not upset your family
• Work together with the resources you have to organize and clean
• Put a program in place so the stuff does not return.

Come join me via audio for this enlightening interview with Cynthia Alexander!

Register below for immediate access:

Shelly Lisoskie

Leader and Strategic Thinker Shelly Lisoskie is my guest on The Ageless Woman Program Wednesday!

In order for women to not lose sight of their purpose as they move through their 40′s and beyond, they have to know what their purpose is.

In this interview with Shelly Lisoskie you can expect to discover how to:

~ FInd your purpose if you’ve lost sight of it
~ Keep yourself centered in order to not get pulled and swayed by outside forces
~ Manage the duality of corporate life and personal business life

Shelly Lisoskie started her career as a foreign language teacher and athletic coach. With a spit-fire mind, it’s not surprising that Shelly jumped into personal computing technology during Apple and Microsoft’s early days and became a technology trainer.

She left the public schools and became an entrepreneur. She and her partners at CompuShare published “Your Apple IIGS Guide” in 1989 to rave reviews by Apple II magazine, and went on to write and publish a number of Mac and PC related technology manuals.

Shelly and her husband, Pete Lisoskie, went on to form The Business Toolbox to help small businesses use technology to improve customer relations management.

In 1994 they wrote and published “Customers For Keeps: The Network System To Smash Your Profit Barrier”. Their book received high praise from sales and marketing gurus Jay Conrad Levinson, Bill Bethel, and Rick Barrera to name a few.

Shelly returned to the world of education in 1996. Her mastery of technology and personally networking were instrumental in her career. She has had the unusual opportunity to teach pre-school through college, has run high school and college campuses, and has been responsible for large IT and vocational programs from the North Shore of O’ahu to the Pacific NW.

She is a resourceful manager and strategic thinker who delivers consistent outcomes by bringing diverse elements and viewpoints together to focus on mutual benefits.

Shelly believes true leaders strive to create positive, productive work environments where people can grow to achieve their full potential. Her mantra is “lead people, manage numbers” and her personal goal is to teach managers to become great leaders.

Join us to learn from Shelly’s experience and receive some valuable insight into living your purpose!

The call is Wednesday, July 14 at 3 pm PT/6 pm ET.
Sign up even if you can not attend. You will be able to hear a replay of the call.

This week’s show featured Elder Care Specialist, Elizabeth Hallett: The Emotional Effects of Loss.

When we have a loved one who has developed Alzheimer’s Disease, there are difficult adjustments to make as we see the person we knew disappearing.

Learning to accept this different person who is experiencing Alzheimer’s effects can be a challenging process.

Expect to learn from this recorded call what spiritual pain is and how to diagnose that in the Alzheimer’s patient as well as in you, the family member.

Elizabeth Hallett is a Family Care Consultant, Elder Care Specialist and Certified Lay Chaplain who provides caregiver support and advocacy in a gentle and supportive way. She believes in making smart choices ahead of time to avoid crisis whenever possible. She works with caregivers and care receivers alike. Her focus is on:

• Recognizing change and how to move through it
• Creating Plan B in advance!
• Placement assistance
• Spiritual care and addressing emotional pain
• End of life support
• Family mediation.

Her passion is working with family caregivers as they juggle their own busy lives with that of a loved one dealing with eldercare issues or memory loss.

As the former Director of the Ashland Community Hospital (ACH) Memory Care Center, she is sensitive to family dynamics and is an experienced family educator for Alzheimer’s-type dementias, stroke and Parkinson’s.

She now coordinates Memory Works, a community nonprofit, and a bi-monthly support group in Ashland, Oregon. Private consultations take place through teleconferencing or in person. Her website is at www.ElizabethHallet.com

Elizabeth says:

“The work I do is family-centered and based on my experiences helping families with senior care issues over the last ten years. This work is an honor and a spiritual calling for me.”

How dogs who were in danger of losing their lives came into the lives of families and ended up being a huge blessing in many different ways.

Therapy dogs do wonderful things at Alzheimer’s Care Centers as well as in other retirement communities.  There is a language of dog connection that is not lost even when Alzheimer’s Disease has advanced to the point of no verbalization.

It’s not too late to get to hear the stories.  Register here and the audio will be delivered to you immediately.

http://budurl.com/jpuq

Elizabeth Hallett, Elder Care Specialist

This week’s show features Elder Care Specialist,  Elizabeth Hallett:  The Emotional Effects of Loss.

When we have a loved one who has developed Alzheimer’s Disease, there are difficult adjustments to make as we see the person we knew disappearing.

Learning to accept this different person who is experiencing Alzheimer’s effects can be a challenging process.

Expect to learn on this call what spiritual pain is and how to diagnose that in the Alzheimer’s patient as well as in you, the family member.

Elizabeth Hallett is a Family Care Consultant, Elder Care Specialist and Certified Lay Chaplain who provides caregiver support and advocacy in a gentle and supportive way.   She believes in making smart choices ahead of time to avoid crisis whenever possible. She works with caregivers and care receivers alike.  Her focus is on:

• Recognizing change and how to move through it
• Creating Plan B in advance!
• Placement assistance
• Spiritual care and addressing emotional pain
• End of life support
• Family mediation.

Her passion is working with family caregivers as they juggle their own busy lives with that of a loved one dealing with eldercare issues or memory loss.

As the former Director of the Ashland Community Hospital (ACH) Memory Care Center, she is sensitive to family dynamics and is an experienced family educator  for Alzheimer’s-type dementias, stroke and Parkinson’s.

She now coordinates Memory Works, a community nonprofit, and a bi-monthly support group in Ashland, Oregon. Private consultations take place through teleconferencing or in person. Her website is at www.ElizabethHallet.com

Elizabeth says:

“The work I do is family-centered and based on my experiences helping families with senior care issues over the last ten years. This work is an honor and a spiritual calling for me.”

———————————————-

The Ageless Woman Radio Show topics generally focus on issues of concern to boomer women.

With Alzheimer’s Disease becoming more and more common, there are many women who are faced with the responsibility of managing the care of their parents. Many of the shows deal with ways of coping with this situation. Other shows educate the listeners on new brain research and ways that we can take better care of our body and brains.

Another concern for boomer women is taking time to continue to pursue their own interests-whether that is a business or some other personal passion. It is easy to put the needs of everyone else first and just forget about what is important to you as an individual.

Jeanette Cates

30 blog posts in 30 days!   I made it and received my little gold trophy icon by my name.
I wondered if I would be able to follow through with this.

In the past, I had started a challenge and then would  feel overwhelmed and not complete the posts.
This time, I was determined.  For one reason, I really wanted to get my writing juices flowing.  I have so much to say about caring for yourself when you have a parent with Alzheimer’s.  I love sharing new research to support us in having a healthier brain.  Women deserve to have a life with gusto, being ageless rather than aging into a lackluster life.  I am enjoying creating a weekly Ageless Woman Radio Show and sharing information about the calls and offering the audios afterward for all to enjoy…

I found it to be an inspiring experience, and loved creating each little writing piece and particularly enjoyed adding images.  All my blog posts go to Twitter and then to Facebook.  I always went to Facebook for each post to make certain that the image would show up with the status update.

Jeanette helped us all form a community on a membership site and we all posted with a hash tag of #blog30.  I used TweetChat.com so that the hash tag would automatically go with the post and I was able to see all the other posts that were being made by others in the group.

I”ve been blogging for 10 years now…way before it was a trend and the blogs were more private.

These June writings were the first time I’ve ever consistently blogged everyday for a whole month.  I intend to keep the momentum with several posts a week.

Thanks, Jeanette!

Loving your dog back to happiness can be very fulfilling for the owner!

Nothing can be as wonderful as having a dog at your side.

Particularly when you work at home, it is such a nice feeling to know there is a loving being near you as you work alone at your desk! There are all kind of statistics showing how beneficial pets can be for your health.

Dale Anderson and Suzanne Holman came together to create a teleseminar to discuss the great gift that a rescue dog can be.

Both Suzanne and Dale have had experiences demonstrating just how meaningful that canine relationship can be!

This was a great time of discussion and sharing with all of the participants on the call.

If you have had a great experience,  add your story as a comment on this blog post.

Register here to receive the audio of the call:

http://budurl.com/jpuq

Hope you enjoy this celebration of our wonderful canine companions!

Whoopie! It's the 4th of July!

For most dogs, the 4th of July is one of the most unfavorite days of the year!

The loud crackles and booms of fireworks is hard on their delicate ears and scares the begeebies out of them.

Shaiming, my six-year old ShihTzu I rescued from the Humane Society in April wasn’t terribly excited about modeling his cool hat.  I had to get him this hat.  I had one in a larger size for my Australian Shepherd years ago.  Found the hats at a craft fair, sold by people who lived in Northern Arizona.  I had to see if I could get one for Shaiming.  Hats are made for AZ shade and you can even wet the terry lining to cool down the dog!  You can check out the hats at their website:
http://www.k9koolhats.com/ They mail the hats for a very low shipping charge.

Today, Richard Maraj, lead minister of Unity of Phoenix Church, talked about Radical Honesty, based on the book by Brad Blanton.

It was a perfect topic for today because true honesty with others and with ourselves is the ultimate freedom!

Honesty was a perfect topic for the 4th of July, the day we Americans celebrate our freedom.

Think about it for a minute… Have you ever told a lie?
Then, you were bound to what you said and had to work hard to make everything else you said be in congruence with the untruth you told.  EXHAUSTING!

But maybe you’ve never told a lie…
Did you ever hear yourself saying something like…

Oh, it was just a “little white lie…”
“I bent the truth a bit…”
“It was mostly the truth…”
I just fibbed a little…”

Although honesty is the wisest, it’s not the easiest.

So what should we do?

1.  Reveal the facts – how are we deceiving ourselves?  When we release the energy we use to deceive ourselves, we release that energy that attracts good to us.

2.  Make a list of things withheld from others.  Acknowledge to yourself and perhaps to others
involved that you want to make things right.

3.  Express your current feelings and thoughts.  Radical honesty gets us to the root of who we are.
It gets to love, to our essence, and to Spirit.

As I think back to the 4th of July, 2010, I’ll remember “honesty” – “being real” – “living full out as me”

Where in your life can you feel more freedom by being more honest?
If you are involved in the responsibility of the care of others, whether Alzheimer’s Disease or some other ailment, there are probably times that you could be more honest in expressing your need for support from others.

And I don’t just mean to others… Honesty with ourselves can be the toughest of all.
Take time to listen to yourself.  Are you being true to you?  Are you allowing guilt to rule your life and are not listening to your own heart?

No legacy is so rich as honesty” [William Shakespeare All's Well That Ends Well]

In this audio interview you can expect to find answers to these questions:

Why do you think women are so committed to pleasing others?

Women who have been really involved in their work who are suddenly hit with the responsibility of a parent who needs someone to take over for them…..and now are finding that they are either traveling out of town to see their parent or managing care locally……work is slipping… she is exhausted and feeling like a failure ….What would you suggest to someone in that situation?

What would you say to someone who has restless energy that seems to drive them to accomplish more and more in their lives…. Feeling that what they’ve done so far just wasn’t enough?

How can we discover our sense of purpose? Sometimes it’s confusing to even clarify what “our purpose” means…. How can we distinguish this from what we’re good at or what everyone else wants for you?

Visit Marcia Reynolds’ blog here:

http://wanderwomanbook.com

If you purchase her book, she is giving listeners of this show the bonus gift of a complete downloadable workbook. You just need to send Marcia your receipt from the purchase.
Marcia@wanderwomanbook.com

I purchased the book and have been reading it and starting to do the exercises in the workbook. This is an amazingly comprehensive book. The exercises are so right on….
What we as women need to learn about ourselves so that we can have a satisfying and joyful life.

This book came out at just the perfect time for me. Since my mother’s death in November, I’ve been reexamining my life and carefully pondering every choice I make in how I want to use my time, energy, and money. I plan to put together a group to make the study of the book even more powerful!

90 degrees Fahrenheit at 5 am this morning!

Audio Boo message:    Where\’s my cool Phoenix morning?

As I’ve been talking about in previous posts, I’ve been getting up at 5 am to take advantage of the cool mornings to be out in nature, walking around the neighborhood lake with my dog, Shaiming, working in my flower garden, and just enjoying the start of the day.

When we start to get more cloudy weather in Phoenix,  the cloud cover holds the heat overnight and we don’t have the usual wonderful desert cool down.   It’s amazing what a difference there is between clear skies and cloudy skies as to what happens overnight.

This was all new to me when I moved to Arizona.  There are so many things different here from where I lived in West Virginia (near Pittsburgh, PA)   Every part of the world has its own idiosyncrasies when it comes to weather patterns….  Guess it’s a lot like people.   We all have things about us that are unique.  We can’t expect others to react just as we would about what is going on.

In Phoenix, when it starts to get more cloudy and stormy, it’s called “monsoon” season.  Let’s hope that this isn’t going to be happening already.  With the clouds becoming more an everyday thing, we lose our cool mornings….  What’s interesting in Arizona though, is that you can travel just a few hours north and have totally different weather because of the elevation change….  That is why there are traffic jams heading north many weekends during the summer!

Keep cool if you live where it’s hot…..and aren’t you lucky if you are feeling cool in your location today!

Sunday’s message by Richard Maraj, minister of Unity of Phoenix church was part of the series on Spirituality in Everyday Life.

Focus this time was on food and cooking and how it corresponds to life.  Three main lessons about cooking relate to Service, Creativity, and Connection.   Below is the audio of the talk…

All of the Sunday services are available online either as an audio file or as a video. Enjoy!

Thoughts about the message as shared on the Unity of Phoenix website.

If you need a little chuckle or would like to roll on the floor laughing today, please take a minute to listen to the talk-at least the beginning.  Richard had us all rolling in the aisles as it went on and on talking with all the many sayings we have that relate to food.   After a very moving meditation experience, as I listened to this, I broke into SO much laughter!  I just had to share it with you.

What I started thinking about during the service was how my mother found so much joy in cooking and serving food.  This was her Love Language.  She expressed her love to everyone by preparing wonderful food and sharing it with many.

Christmas time always meant baking a lot of cookies, preparing boxes with the variety of cookies and taking them around to people who were house bound.  We often did this early on Christmas Eve.

We had so many big dinners at our home.  Parties for birthdays and parties for the adults.  We kids enjoyed the adult parties as we helped out in the kitchen and had fun doing it….  Favorite memory was playing with the can of whipped cream as we garnished many desserts with it!

When Mom and Dad moved into a retirement community where they went to a dinner everyday in the dining room, Mom’s cooking decreased more and more over the years and finally stopped.   Sometimes I wonder how much the loss of that creative outlet, that way Mom expressed her love may have contributed to her developing Alzheimer’s Disease.

Food, glorious food! How we all love food! We love to think about it, dream about it, look at it, smell it, touch it, experiment with it, and taste it. Food is one of our basic necessities, but it plays a far more important role than simple survival. It’s an integral part of our social and emotional lives, and is a deeply engrained part of our culture.

Food is even an overwhelming part of our language! “He’s a good egg.” “She’s a bad apple.” “You’re the big cheese … and the apple of my eye!”

There is also a very strong connection between food and spirituality. The Bible has more than 600 references to bread. Jesus’ first miracle took place at a wedding feast, where he turned water into wine. The last group activity Jesus engaged in was The Last Supper, where he broke bread with his disciples, using it as the ritualistic symbol of communion. “Take this and eat it, for this is my body … Do this in remembrance of me.” Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” When Jesus first appeared to the disciples after the Resurrection, he completed three important acts around food: he helped them catch fish to sustain their lives; he cooked the food and served it to them; and he said to Peter, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus used a food analogy to direct his disciples to nourish the people: to feed their spirits, to sate the hunger and quench the thirst we all have for a deeper spiritual life, and for more love, joy, peace, happiness and fulfillment.

Food is a powerful symbol of life, and cooking is the act of preparing and designing that food into meals – or life experiences – that nourish and sustain us. In this sense, cooking can be viewed as a beautiful, sacred, spiritual activity that has many lessons to teach us. Following are three important life lessons we can learn from cooking to help us experience life in a more joyful, fulfilling way.

Lesson #1. Cooking is an art of service. Cooking is one of the many ways we can express love, kindness and service. Emeril Lagasse said that a chef’s greatest joy comes from preparing a good meal, and then watching the delight and contentment of all those who enjoy it. Every cook has a desire to serve, to prepare something that provides a positive, joyful, nourishing experience for others. Famed humanitarian Albert Schweitzer said, “One thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.” Cooking is one vehicle through which we can share our gifts and serve others, a vehicle through which we can express the love that we are here to share. Serving food is just not about the ingredients we use, but the way in which we cook: infusing the food we prepare with a spirit of joy, love, positive energy and desire to serve. Nothing can beat a “home cooked” meal, because it embodies the heart and hands that have poured love into the food … and that’s what makes the difference. This week, make an attempt to serve someone else using food! Cook a meal for your family, surprise a co-worker with a sandwich or cup of coffee, invite someone to lunch, or share your snack bar with a friend. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you pay close attention to the art of service in your act, because that is truly what can bring joy and fulfillment to your life.

Lesson #2. Cooking helps us develop the art of creativity. Cooking involves mixing together different ingredients to create something better than any of the individual ingredients, alone. Flour, butter, sugar and eggs combine into a beautiful cake; a mixture of tomatoes, onions and garlic creates a delectable spaghetti sauce. Every one of the recipes we enjoy has been developed by someone who used ingenuity to mix together ingredients in a new and different way. God gave us the cow, the cocoa bean, and the peanut … but it took the creativity of a human mind to come up with a Reeses peanut butter cup! There are thousands of spices and ingredients available to us in this great banquet we call life, but many of us have never heard of or used a good portion of them. It’s important to explore new ingredients and incorporate them into our regular routines, because that’s how we create new flavors, new tastes, new dishes … and new experiences!!! God has provided all the ingredients we need for a happy and fulfilling life … but many of us choose to keep eating the same foods (doing the same things, repeating the same mistakes). We fling open the pantry door andscream, “There’s nothing in this house to eat! The cupboard is bare!” We attest that we don’t have enough – or the right kind of — ingredients to succeed or experience a great life. Some of us become frustrated at being served financial challenges, abuse, broken relationships or health challenges. Famed motivational speaker Les Brown was served a main ingredient of poverty, with a side dish of being labeled as mentally retarded. But he used his creativity to mix those ingredients together in different combination and create something better … to concoct a greater, more delicious dish as his slice of life. Now he is one of the most successful speakers in the world!

Like a master chef, we must all practice the art of mixing together the ingredients we have in our lives to create happier, more fulfilling experiences.

Lesson #3. Cooking provides connection to others. Food has historically been a primary vehicle through which we connect with one another. Food is the centerpiece around which we gather with family, friends and community. Moreover, the food we eat is blessed and touched by a great many more people than we are even aware: from the people who plant the seeds; tend the growing crops; and harvest, transport and sell the fruit of the leave; to those who buy, prepare and serve the final product. Food offers a wonderful venue to let down our walls, open our hearts, and make a strong connection with others. We take casseroles to those who have suffered a crisis, bake cookies to welcome a new neighbor, and take advantage of a cup of coffee to catch up with a friend. We share meals with our loved ones to celebrate happy occasions and break bread to give thanks for the blessings in our lives. One of the really beautiful aspects of cooking and dining together is that these acts allow us to make a heart connection and realize our true Oneness with one another. Food helps us demonstrate that we are there for others, that we care for them, and that we want to nourish, encourage and sustain them. And that’s where true fulfillment lies.

So this week, remember the powerful lesson that food and cooking provide. When we take the time to serve in love, creatively mix together the ingredients of our lives to make something better, and reach out our hearts and hands to connect with others, our lives will feel like a bountiful banquet. Each and every day will bring a new feast that will feed and fulfill our minds, bodies and spirits

Marcia Reynolds, PsyD, author of  the just-released book, Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction, is my guest on The Ageless Woman Radio Show on Wednesday.

After years of coaching high-achieving women, master coach and personal development expert Marcia Reynolds started noticing something troubling: many of the clients with whom she worked were plagued by anxiety over their own restless responses to the world.  These women were jumping jobs regularly, defining and redefining their relationship with the marketplace, constantly questioning their roles as wives and mothers and sisters.

Dubbing her subjects “wander women,” Reynolds found that the mentoring and personal development resources currently available don’t address this audience’s needs. They don’t want to balance their lives; they want to find peace of mind in the chaos. They don’t necessarily want to learn how to gain a seat in the boardroom; they want projects they can run with or businesses they can run on their own. The problem isn’t their level of stress; it’s about knowing who they are and what they want to accomplish in this one lifetime.

Wander Woman explores how generational shifts and changing expectations of working women have fostered a new kind of restlessness among many. Through real-life stories she reveals the hopes and dreams, disappointments and challenges this group of high-achieving women are facing. And, most importantly, she provides exercises and development strategies for readers as they make their journey to peace and finally come to rest with a strong sense of identity and purpose.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Marcia over the years.  We are both located in Phoenix.  Her worldwide work is affecting so many people.  I can only imagine how her teachings spread from one person to another  in many countries.

We had a great interview when I did my 12-speaker  Your Million Dollar Life-It’s Not Just About the Money Telesummit in 2008.  Her new book was just released this month.   I am finding this to be an amazing book…so right on with what so many of us are experiencing as women.

This promises to be an outstanding interview! Join us at 3 pm Pacific/6 pm Eastern time on Wednesday, June 30.
The Ageless Women Radio Show
Staying the Course-Living Your Dream

You are able to listen to the live audio stream on your computer or listen later either online or download the audio file to listen on your iPod.

Click on the show link below:

http://suzanneholman.com/agelessradio

These shows are aired live, and we would love to have you call in and ask questions as well as interact with all of us on the live chat function.

I check the chat box during the call to look for questions and comments.
Please let me know you’re listening by typing hello there!

You can also access the recording of the show after if you can not listen to the live show.

Here’s how to join in the live show:

Go to : http://suzanneholman.com/agelessradio

This is the number to call if you would like to make a comment or ask a question…or just to say hello:   1 (646) 652-2349

There is a chat function that you can log into and participate while listening to the live show on your computer.

What helps you to stay centered and to feel peaceful?
Water sounds are my favorite. That is why I decided to do the audio boo recording
by the waterfall in the prayer garden at Unity Church of Phoenix.

Sunday service at Unity of Phoenix was an exceptional experience for me. I tapped into some deep meditation and healing during our brief meditation time, laughed out loud during Lead Minister Richard Maraj’s talk, and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful music and the opportunity to sing outrageously. I usually take a few minutes after the Sunday service to sit in the prayer garden to enjoy the beauty and sound of the waterfall.

I decided to do an “Audio Boo” This is a short audio you do on your iphone or itouch. You then can publish it on your Facebook page.

I am in the process of figuring out how to get it to appear on this blog also.
I took a photo of the waterfall to accompany the audio.
It’s fun to use these services to connect with friends, family, and business associates.

The “Audio Boo” can be published directly from the iPhone no matter where you are with cell service. With my iTouch, I record the audio anywhere, but must wait until I have internet connection to publish the audio.

For a night owl, it’s been a bit of a challenge for me to be up early enough to enjoy the cool, early dawns here in Phoenix.

AND, I’m seeing that I AM able to make the change, getting myself to bed earlier and eager to get out to enjoy the cool as the morning light starts to come in through the blinds at sunrise.

When I decided that I would be in Phoenix all summer, I knew I needed a strategy to stay centered with nature.  It’s easy to stay locked up in a closed, air conditioned home and not have that nourishment of being surrounded by the beauty of our world.  I go to 24 Hr Fitness for aqua aerobics three times a week and yoga twice a week to get a lot of my cardio and stretching.  That just isn’t a replacement for moving out in nature.

Gradually I got myself headed to bed earlier.  I found ways to wind down to be able to fall asleep.  I have found that taking melatonin is helpful.   I am taking 10 mg of time release along with my Zyrtec I take for allergies that also tends to make me drowsy.  Staying consistent with a regular bedtime is effective in improving your quality of sleep.  Quality sleep is essential for our brains to process.  Without quality sleep, we are jeopardizing our brain health and our chance of getting some form of  dementia such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

We need to move away from the TV and computer before trying to sleep.  Our brains need to have a chance to shift gears from the stimulation of the computer screen and the multiple screen angles we see  on TV to be able to drop into sleep mode.  Look for more suggestions for quality sleep in a later post.

If you are saying you don’t like to exercise, find something that you can enjoy-whether it is something indoors like dancing or aerobics classes.  Just putting on some music and moving your body in your living room can be a great way to move!

If only I could get my adopted ShihTzu Shaiming as excited to get up and go walking as I am!

Today, after he gave me some clear signals that he really didn’t want to be walking…like planting his feet and refusing to move his little furry body…

I decided that I would take his little leash and tuck it in his harness and let him walk free.

He liked this MUCH better! He’s not a dog that would run away….as a matter of fact, the only time he WILL run is if I am enticing him with a very yummy treat, playing hide and seek from room to room in the house.  I’ve never had a dog who wasn’t excited to take a walk so this has been interesting looking for strategies to get him to enjoy some exercise.

He likes going to the dog park where he can be off leash so I thought I’d try it on our normal walk. Glad I did.  I think he actually enjoyed his time out there this morning.

Yesterday at 6 am we headed to our nearby dog park and found out it was closed for a week for maintenance.  It’s a great park with lots of grass and trees-one section for small dogs and one section for large dogs.

I’m optimistic that he’ll learn to love exercise.  As I read in the ShihTzu manuals, this breed needs exercise although they really don’t like it!   I had no idea about the unique characteristics of this breed.    I just fell in love with him April 23rd at the Humane Society and knew he and I were meant to be together.  Then I started my education about his breed so I could understand him better.

Please take note of his unique eyes!  He has one brown and one blue eye.  Some ShihTzus do have blue eyes.  Most have brown eyes.  Shaiming is unique in having one of each!  More large dogs have two different eye colors than the little ones.  Shaiming is her own “person” in so many ways!

I just read a great little post from MaryPat Kavanagh,

Failure and Perseverance

This month I’m participating in a blog challenge with her along with the Blog30 challenge with Jeanette Cates.

I’m loving the movement I’ve had in my writing.  Getting in the flow on a daily basis is really quite fun and inspiring!

Reading others’ posts in the challenges has connected me with some great people!

http://www.queenofmarketing.com/failure-and-perseverance/

I commented on her blog this morning because I so related to her message:

MaryPat, I love this post…
SO true…
Just getting up one more time can make all the difference.

Several years ago  my coach suggested I asked several people close to me what they saw as my top qualities. What they told me was that perseverance is a strong asset of mine.

This year my perseverance was running very low…. lots of transition for me with my mom’s journey with Alzheimer’s the last several years and her passing away in November  -  reexamining my values and purpose.

After stepping back and giving myself a chance to breathe, rest, and work at a pace of flow rather than push….

I am feeling some real strength in my steps and feel more inspired, productive, and joyous than I have in years!

I’m loving the 30-day Blog Challenge.
I feel the energy of all who are participating!
Thank you for the opportunity, MaryPat

One of my yummy meals!

Yesterday on The Ageless Woman Radio Show I shared a shopping cart full of delicious ways to fuel your body for a fabulous brain.

On this audio you’ll discover some great ways to plan and prepare scrumptious, easy meals that are great support for your brain.

We need to be proactive in optimizing our brains so that we can avoid Alzheimer’s Disease. And in an Alzheimer’s patient anything that you can do to enhance the brain will help to slow down the progression of the disease.

I have always been interested in brain health and have done research over the years for my own benefit and to support clients. When my mom developed Alzheimer’s Disease,  I became even more passionate in learning all I could about how we can make the most of our brains.

My previous work experience was as an educator in the fields of psychology and technology.  Along with psychology and technolgy, my education included the study of nutrition at Cornell University.

I incorporate all of what I’ve learned from my background, training, and experience to be the best support possible for all of my clients.  If you have interest in being part of a coaching group or would like to work with me privately, please email me at suzanne@suzanneholman.com.

On this audio you’ll see ways to shop and stock your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer to have abundant choices for meals always ready to go.

You’ll discover that simple foods can be gourmet if prepared creatively.

You’ll hear ways to cut down on your food preparation time drastically.

We’ll be focusing primarily on the foods that are brain healthy.

Many of the recipes are on my blog at  TheAgelessWoman.Org
I’ll be continuing to add more recipes and planning tips.

What I share in this audio is so important when our time is limited for shopping and cooking. Having the food available keeps us on track with giving our brain the fuel it needs to be fully functional for a lifetime.

Instead of getting caught without anything to cook for dinner, you’ll be prepared to make something quickly.  You’ll avoid that temptation just to run out for fast food or to eat in a restaurant.

Choose something that appeals to you and try adding it to your meals this week!   Each healthy choice is another step toward your focused and fabulous brain!

Fresh and Healthy!

If you are feeling as though you don’t have the time to eat healthy, you must join me on The Ageless Woman Radio Show!

Not only are the meals easy, they are also wonderfully flavorful and appealing.

In last week’s show we talked about how you can avoid Alzheimer’s disease in a variety of ways.

How you eat is a huge part of creating a strong, healthy, focused, creative brain!

Go the http://suzanneholman.com/agelessradio and just listen online.

If the time isn’t a good one for you, you have access to a downloadable audio after the show!   The show goes for 30-40 minutes and if you have a question or a comment, there is a guest number where you can call in to participate.

Today at 3 pm Pacific time/ 6 pm Eastern time

I look forward to hearing you on the show!

The Old Time Victrola

LP records  served as the primary release format for recorded music until the compact disc began to significantly displace them by beginning of 1988.

Although most LPs play at   33 rpm, some “super fidelity” discs were designed to play at 45 rpm.

There were also, early in the evolution of the LP, some records (primarily spoken word) designed to play at 16 rpm, and from the 1950s to the 1970s it was possible to purchase playback systems with four speeds: 16, 33, 45, and 78 rpm.

I remember the 45′s we had-the smaller records with just one song on each side.  It was kind of like buying one song at a time on iTunes today!

Some record turntables, called record changers, could play a stack of records piled on a specially designed spindle and arm arrangement.

I remember these well-and when they worked well, they were great.
Occasionally you would have records not falling down or two going at once!

Today there is actually a renewed interest in vinyl and the demand for this medium has been increasing every year in niche markets.

The long playing albums are analog as compared to the digital recordings made possible by the technology of microprocessors and computing that came about in the 1970s and the 1980s.

Known as the Alzheimer’s Gene, Presenilin 1 Gene actually enables cells to digest toxic proteins.  Scientists have found that this gene enables neurons to clear away toxic proteins.

National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, did a study that shows the presenilin 1 (PS1) gene as essential to the function of lysosomes.   This cell component  digests and recycles unwanted proteins.

There are unusual circumstances when there are mutations in the PS1 gene and this disrupts this beneficial process of the PS1 gene.   This is a known risk factor for a rare, early onset form of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Ralph Nixon, M.D., Ph.D., of the Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, N.Y., and New York University Langone Medical Center, directed the study involving researchers from the United States, Europe, Japan and Canada.

This study was also supported by the Alzheimer’s Association.  The study appears in the June 10, 2010, online issue of Cell.

Amyloid deposits and tau protein tangles are involved in both early-onset and the sporadic, more common form of the disease found in people aged 60 and older. These new findings, however, suggest PS1 mutations may play a more general role in the development of early-onset Alzheimer’s.

“It has become increasingly clear that many factors may drive the development and progression of this very complex disease,” said Nixon, the principal investigator. “I believe we will need to explore an array of therapeutic targets, including ones to normalize or moderate disrupted autophagy.”

There are so many factors that can be a support or a danger for your brain. I went into all of these in great detail.

I invite you to check out the audio below, either by playing right here on the web or by downloading the audio file. With PC’s you right click on the link to save as and with Mac’s you use Control click to save.

Gram Enjoying Her Reading

Mom LOVED to read! She would often be reading newspapers.  I remember when she was receiving three different subscriptions:  Sun City paper, Arizona Republic, and the Wall Street Journal!

Or Mom would be reading a newsletter from the Mayo Clinic or some other health related organization.    Novels would capture her attention and even in her 8th decade  she would be reading well into the early morning to complete a great story!

Mom developed macular degeneration and over the years it grew worse and worse.  She developed what is called “wet” macular degeneration and at that stage, laser treatment is recommended.   She had the laser treatment from a renown retinologist, but she ended up with a black spot in her eye.  This can happen as damage to the nerves can happen when the treatment is being done to the macular.

She was no longer able to read, even with special glasses and special lighting.  I believe that was a huge part of her demise with Alzheimer’s taking over her brain.  That stimulation was gone.  Her hearing also wasn’t great so it was difficult for her to hear a lot of conversation and television became more challenging for her to hear.

Learning new technology wasn’t easy for Mom so trying to get her to play the talking books didn’t work well.  In 2006 she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and in 2009 she passed away in an Alzheimer’s Care Center.

Studies are showing that treating vision problems really can reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s Disease.

When University of Michigan researchers noticed that people with dementia tended to have had fewer eye procedures prior to their diagnoses than those without dementia, it was motivation for the start of the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study.  There were two major questions that the researchers wanted to answer:

* Does poor vision contribute to the development of dementia?

* Does treating visual disorders reduce the likelihood of developing dementia?

Some of the connections between poor vision and dementia symptoms seem obvious, while others are not yet understood.

They found that people with poor vision were less likely to participate in the kinds of activities, such as reading, playing board games and engaging in physical activities, that can be protective against cognitive decline.

Other research indicates that visual loss can lead to structural changes in the brain, but more studies are needed to understand why.

Using data from Medicare and the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study, the Michigan researchers followed 625 elderly Americans who did not have any form of dementia for an average of 10 years. Based on a scale that ranked vision from excellent (one) to totally blind (six), they found that the risk for dementia increased 52%, on average, with each step up the scale.

Mary A.M. Rogers, PhD, a clinical epidemiologist and the study’s lead author, said the study results suggest that the problems with declining vision preceded the dementia.

Dr. Rogers  said that this is the first epidemiologic study, to her knowledge, that points to treatment of vision problems as being protective against the development of late-life dementia.

Good news came out of this study too.

Dr. Rogers said that when elderly people received appropriate treatment for their visual difficulties — which can include procedures such as corneal transplant, cataract removal and lens insertion, and treatment for retinal detachment, lesions and other eye disorders — their probability of developing dementia decreased. Even one visit to an ophthalmologist was associated with a lower risk.

Medicare coverage of vision problems is spotty.

While only about 13% of the Medicare population has Alzheimer’s disease, this group accounts for 34% of Medicare spending.
Alzheimer’s incidence is increasing rapidly.

Dr. Rogers believes it would be very worthwhile to investigate whether expanding vision screenings and treatment to more elderly Americans would in fact save money for Medicare.

All of this research points to the importance of good eye care.  Conditions that are treatable need to be tended to.

Hopefully as time goes on, there will be more hope for those people like my Mom who have macular degeneration.

Although there is no proven way to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease, there are some practices that may be worth incorporating into your daily routine, particularly if you have a family history of dementia. Talk to your doctor about any of these approaches, especially those that involve taking a medication or supplement.

So many boomers are concerned about their brain health.  Our physical health has improved over the years as research has come up with more and more ways to diagnose and cure ailments.

Alzheimer’s Disease is still quite a mystery.  Over the past 25 years tremendous strides have been made in brain research and we are all optimistic that there will be more conclusive results in finding out what can prevent and what can cure Alzheimer’s Disease.

* Consider taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), sulindac (Clinoril), or indomethacin (Indocin). Statin drugs, a class of medications normally used for high cholesterol, may help lower your risk of Alzheimer’s Disease. Talk to your doctor about the pros and cons of using these medications for prevention.

There have been multiple studies published in medical journals, but debate about the effectiveness of NSAIDs continues. In an overview of the conflicting literature on his website, Dr. Andrew Weil, a pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, observed that the “issue remains controversial.”

UCSD-Mayo Clinic Study
1. Advil and other NSAIDs may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Advil and other NSAIDs may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Medical researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, claimed in 2001 to have found the mechanism through which NSAIDs—including aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen—decrease the proteins implicated in the formation of the brain plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. Their study, conducted on laboratory mice and in cell cultures, found that high doses of the NSAIDs inhibited production of the amyloid-beta 42 (AB42) protein that causes plaque. However, the levels of NSAIDs required to achieve this goal were far higher than could be prescribed safely for human use.
2008 Study
2. In a groundbreaking study published in the May 2008 issue of Neurology, researchers from Boston University’s School of Medicine said their findings showed that ibuprofen had lowered the risk of Alzheimer’s by 44 percent in patients who had taken it for five or more years. Other NSAIDs, the study showed, cut the risk by only 25 percent. The subjects for this large-scale study numbered roughly 250,000; slightly less than 20 percent of those studied developed Alzheimer’s.
Contradictory Findings
3. In June 2008, Neurology posted online the results of a study that suggested that all NSAIDs, and not just ibuprofen, had the same effect in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s. The second study compiled the findings of multiple studies of NSAID use, covering roughly 13,500 people. As summarized on Weil’s website, “the apparent risk was 23 percent lower among participants who used NSAIDs compared to those who never took them.”
Still Another View
4. The April 2009 online issue of Neurology reported on the findings of a joint study undertaken by researchers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Washington. That study, which followed 2,736 people over the course of 12 years, concluded that the use of NSAIDs did not prevent Alzheimer’s but merely delayed its onset.
Weighing the Options
5. Although the jury is still out, the preponderance of evidence compiled thus far suggests that NSAID use can at least hold Alzheimer’s at bay, giving patients more years of cognitive function than otherwise might be the case. However, before embarking on a daily regime of NSAID use, it is essential that you consult with your doctor and take into consideration the potential damage NSAIDs can cause to your digestive system.

Read more: NSAIDs & Alzheimer’s Disease

I never thought this plant would bloom again!

These are baby roses from a plant that I originally gave to Mom as a gift in a little pot. After the plant appeared dead, I planted it in my yard and it has grown into quite a beautiful rose bush.

Mom died in November after traveling the Alzheimer’s Disease journey for nearly four years.

I have such heart-warming memories of Mom when  I pamper and enjoy these beautiful roses!

Mom always loved  flowers.  She always had a big garden of flowers as well as vegetables as we were growing up.  When she no longer could have big beds of flowers, she then planted big pots with red geraniums and white petunias.  They were near her front door along with the United States flag that she put out on a daily basis.

I just know she’s enjoying seeing the beauty of these little roses that are flourishing now that they are free from that little pot….  Hmmmm   Perhaps Mom is similar to that rose plant.  With the ravages of Alzheimer’s Disease, she was just fading away…  Now I see her Spirit so alive and glowing!

Alzheimer’s Disease is being studied much more as we learn more and more about the brain.   It is still a mystery, however.  There is no cure at this time and that is a frightening thought.  The drugs we have help the patient to function better for a period of time until the disease progresses to the point that the drugs really don’t help.

So the question is…..  How can we avoid getting Alzheimer’s Disease?

Genetics can play a part in your chances of getting the disease, particularly when there has been early onset Alzheimer’s in the 60′s or younger.   If this is the case in your family, you may want to have testing done to determine if you are showing any signs of the disease.  Early intervention can be helpful.

There are a variety of ways you can support your brain and body so that you have the best health possible.  In future blog posts I’ll be talking more about a variety of strategies.

This is also the topic of my Ageless Woman Radio Show on Wednesday, June 16, at 3 pm Pacific Time/6 pm Eastern time.  You will be able to listen to the show live on the internet and may call in to make a comment or ask a question.

The show is only 30 minutes long-so take a break and tune in!

Go to this link and you’ll see the play arrow to start listening to the show.   The only time to use the call in number is if you have a comment or question.

http://suzanneholman.com/agelessradio

Choosing simple stories is best for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease.  Stories that are familiar ones can still be understood.

This weekend I took some time to prepare for and to read two books for
Gardner’s Story Box,  sponsored by our local Gardners’ Book Service.
All the stories are read by Book Pals, a service sponsored by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.  As a candidate member of the National Speakers Association, I was asked if I would like to volunteer.

A few years ago I volunteered for this program at one of our local elementary schools.  I read stories to classrooms – very fun!

I was happy to be selected to be the online story teller for this week,
June 14-20.    I read the classic, James Marshall’s Cinderella and a modern version of the story, Cinder-Elly by Frances Minters.

I read the classic one first;  that one would be a familiar one for Alzheimer’s patients as well as for children.  The second one is an updated version – very cute, but probably not as conducive for the elderly.  It’s appeal is more for the middle school population.

You can connect with the storyline day and night at 602-864-3870.
Enter the Extension number 9800 for the stories.

If you have children, grandchildren, parents, or even YOU who like stories, have them call in this week for story time with me!

There is also a video service online with known actors and actresses reading books.  This is a fabulous free service for everyone!  And how great for school children during the summer to keep up with their learning! http://www.storylineonline.net/

We’ll have our June call on Monday, June 14, 2010 at
8:30 pm Eastern/5:30 pm Pacific.

This phone group meeting is the second Monday of each month.

Register to get all the info:
http://suzanneholman.com/free-monthly-call/

It’s such an easy way of gathering together those who have a loved one
with Alzheimer’s.

What a wonderful way to share experiences and offer suggestions for
problems others may be having.

I’m looking forward to hearing what’s been going on for you and
what plans you are making for a “staycation” or a “vacation”

Everyone with an interest in Alzheimer’s is welcome!
… whether as a family member,
yourself, or a professional involved in care

Come with any questions, concerns, and suggestions for those in the
group.

Please do join us for the Alzheimer’s Monthly call Monday, June 14!

I opened my email to see that I was one of the three winners for
Video Guru @LouBortone’s  offer in the recent Done For You Giveaway created by Kim Clausen and Linda Claire-Puig.

I love videos – they can express so much in such a short time!

For my Mom’s memorial in March, I created a video with a multitude of photos from her entire life.  I added music that she loved from various stages in her lifetime.

All of the family attending the memorial enjoyed watching it and getting an overall picture of her life…not just the later years as she was developing problems and then very lost in the world of Alzheimer’s Disease.  The old photos and music helped everyone recall memories of Mom/Gram and it was wonderful to share as we sat all around my living room.

So, to have someone who is as skilled as Lou is, create something uniquely for me and my work is quite exciting to me!  I know the work that goes into a video project.

Below is the description of what I won…
You can expect to see a short, fabulous video on my site
this summer!

Contributed by Lou Bortone, Online Branding and Video Branding

Win a high-end, professionally produced and customized branding video! Your video graphics package includes production of a 10- to 20-second, animated sales or branding video, with professional motion graphics and copy customized for your business. Your website will look like a million-dollar brand with one of these amazing, television-network quality videos!

Value Each: $995
Quantity Available: 3

I have followed Lou’s work for quite some time now.  He has created videos acknowledging those who have connected with him – always fun to watch – lively and professional!
He’s created them at holiday time and after events.  You’ll find examples of his work on his Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/lou.bortone

After my Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2006, I started the AlzheimersintheFamily.com blog and focused my work to support women who have a parent with Alzheimer’s.

Here on the Alzheimer’s in the Family Blog you’ll find tips on how to stay sane, healthy, and professional during the Alzheimer’s journey with your loved one.

Focus on The Ageless Woman Radio Show today was on the Alzheimer’s Journey with my Mom and strategies I used to keep sane, healthy, and professional.

Do you or any of your friends have a parent with Alzheimerís? What I shared on the show today would have been helpful for me prior to experiencing the drastic shift in my motherís lifestyle a few years ago. I never expected to have such an emotional roller coaster.

Having strategies in place to take care of yourself when you are facing difficult times is so important.
It is difficult to support anyone if you have depleted yourself.

I was able to be there for Mom with an open heart because of some steps I took to keep my resilience alive. Today I shared some of those strategies and in a future show I’ll be sharing more about the adjustment after my Mom passed away in November.

Another subject I look forward to sharing on The Ageless Woman Radio Show are some of my favorite brain healthy, easy, frugal recipes!

Technology was on my side today as I did the first radio show… everything worked as expected.
It’s great to get started on what will be a weekly event.

Below is the audio of  today’s show – the replay and the file that you can download:

Yes, my long anticipated Ageless Woman Radio Show debuts!

Today I will be talking with you about the Alzheimer’s journey I had with my Mom for nearly four years.
I’ll share some of the strategies I developed to support myself during the process so that I could be there for her in a loving way.

I’d love to have you join us for the show and to call in with your comments or questions!

This will be a weekly show that runs about 30 minutes.
You can expect great interviews with Ageless Women…
Healthy recipes that I’ve found support me in feeling healthy and energetic…
Just plain old chatting about being a boomer woman intent on being Ageless —not Aging!
Support for those who have a family member with Alzheimer’s…
Tips for enjoying your elderly parents…

Show Time is:

3 pm  Pacific
6 pm Eastern
You’ll find the show page at this link each week:

http://suzanneholman.com/alzradio

If you would like to call in to ask a question or make a comment, you will
call this number:  (646) 652-2349

You’ll see this number on the radio show page.
This number is only if you would like to comment or ask a question.

First time I wanted to hear a show, I called the number as I would for a teleclass
and was surprised when I was expected to ask a question!

I look forward to having you with me for the Ageless Woman Radio Show today!

I was surprised to hear recently that new research is indicating that melatonin does much more than help some people sleep better.  I also understand now that the dosage I took earlier just wasn’t effective.

Melatonin can actually guard the nervous system against Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, two degenerative diseases.  It’s also been shown to prevent the debilitating migraines suffered by some individuals.

Deep inside the brain is the pineal gland where melatonin is secreted.  For over 25 years, scientists have seen that melatonin has the ability to coordinate the body’s physiological rhythms, helping to set the brain’s biological clock.

Because the naturally produced melatonin declines as we age, it is really beneficial to supplement older adults to enhance their protection against conditions associated with oxidative stress, particularly neurodegenerative diseases.

Melatonin supplementation can help older adults have protection against some of the worst diseases of aging – Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, and stroke.  Because of the very low levels of melatonin in Alzheimer’s patients, nearly half of the patients suffer from sleep problems and “sundowning,”  the increased confusion and agitation late in the day and evening.

Melatonin supplementation has been shown to alleviate these sleep symptoms and it is believed to decrease cognitive deterioration in individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, possibly by protecting brain cells from the toxic protein, beta-amyloid.

Check with your physician to see what kind of dosage of melatonin would be helpful for your family member with Alzheimer’s or for anyone who would like these wonderful benefits of melatonin.

I certainly have a lot more respect for  melatonin and have made it a part of my supplementation.

Suzanne - Triangle Pose

Having someone in your family with Alzheimer’s Disease can be a drain on everyone involved.  Whether you are directly involved with care of the patient or are managing care for them in some kind of a care facility, it takes its toll mentally, emotionally and physically.   Your self care is just as important as their care.

For oh so many years, I have found yoga a way to connect with my body, stretch out the kinks, and breathe deeply.  Many of the poses are really helpful to get more blood to your brain – great for your brain health.

So much of the time our breathing is so shallow that we are not even clearing out the stale air in our lungs.  If you ever start exercising or doing some deep breathing, you may find that you will yawn.

This is not about your being tired, but about your lungs being activated.  I learned when I had pneumonia years ago that this was the case.

And when I had my first yawn (a breath and a half ) as the pulmonologist called it, I knew my lungs were recovering.

Most of my yoga is done in a class inside 24 Hr Fitness, but it is really fun to do yoga with your bare feet in the grass!

I’ve enjoyed having my grandchildren join in with me when I do downward facing dog or tree pose!

Even if you just do deep breathing, you’ll find that you are more centered and able to deal with difficult situations.

BUT …admit it.  Isn’t it interesting to realize that very similar things go on in the brains of dogs as in humans?  We are all susceptible to Cognitive Dysfunction/Alzheimer’s Disease.

Omega 3 supplementation is one very positive step to take for brain health…
for both your dog and you!  These omega-3 fatty acids scavenge free radicals that are  elevated in the brains of CDS pets.

Though some pet diets may include Omega-3 fatty acids, virtually none include satisfactory amounts of the most important Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Many pet foods contain primarily Omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oils resulting in a highly unbalanced ratio of Omega-6s to Omega-3s. Research has shown that a ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 of 5:1 to 10:1 is optimal for dogs and cats and therefore supplementing with a high quality Omega-3 fish oil supports pet health.

Pets with any type of inflammatory disease may benefit from fish oil supplementation.

The important thing to remember about choosing omega-3 supplements in the form of fish oil is that there should have been molecular distillation, sometimes also called pharmaceutical grade to avoid mercury contamination.

Omega 3 oils also support the heart, joint health, vision, and immune function.   It  has been shown to be helpful with allergies, arthritis, kidney disease, and cancers.  As an added bonus, Omega 3 oils nourish the dog’s skin and coat.

I admit I am just a bit obsessed about dogs after adopting my  Shih Tzu Shaiming on April 23rd after not having a dog for quite a few years. He’s six years old and came from a neglectful home so I am doing my very best to give him every nutritional advantage to get him more energetic and excited about life.

Know that this focus on dogs will not be an ongoing theme.   This is the week devoted to dogs and Alzheimer’s and what to do about it.  Anything that promotes brain health is helpful in preventing cognitive dysfunction and Alzheimer’s Disease, both in humans and animals.

Not only are vegetables essential for human brain health;  they are also really beneficial for the health of dogs as well.  Vegetables have powerful antioxidants that may help to reduce chronic disease and slow down the rate of aging.

Some standard and even some premium dog foods do not have all the nutrition that your dog needs.
Almost all vegetables, cooked enough for digestibility, are good for your dog.  The only vegetables that are a problem for dogs are onions and garlic due to the chemical called thiosulphate which is known to be toxic to dogs.  When dogs are given this chemical, they can develop hemolytic anemia, a condition affecting the red blood cells. Onions in particular are dangerous because of the high quantities of the chemical in it.  It literally causes the red blood cells to burst, reducing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood.

If your dog enjoys the taste of vegetables, vary his antioxidant exposure by adding different vegetables that are good for him.  Anything that promotes brain health is helpful in preventing cognitive dysfunction and Alzheimer’s Disease, both in humans and animals.

Vegetables that are good for dogs include green beans, cabbage, carrots, green beans, broccoli, squash, and most other green, leafy vegetables. Not only do these vegetables add healthy antioxidants to your dogís diet, they also are a significant source of soluble fiber and roughage which can promote intestinal health in your dog.

I am finding that with my new rescue 6 year old Shih Tzu, he is always wanting to eat.  He loves the vegetables I prepare lightly cooked and that is filling for him.  He is only 13 pounds so his calorie requirement is low.  Feeding the lower calorie veggies to him allows him to eat more quantity of food without getting overweight.

If you are having a problem getting your dog to eat veggies, you can try pureeing them i a blender and mixing them in with his regular food.

Be looking for my upcoming short report on Feeding Your Dog for Optimum Brain Health!

If you are seeing the behaviors in your dog that are consistent with the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease, consult with your veterinarian.  Your vet will do a complete behavior and medical history of your pet.

You vet can also perform a physical and neurological exam and blood and urine tests to rule out other conditions that could cause these symptoms, such as hypothyroidism, kidney problems, arthritis, and hearing and vision loss.

Once all the other possibilities are ruled out, you can discus possible treatments with the doctor.

Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s Disease or CDS, there is more that can be done than in the past.  There is a prescription drug for dogs that works by increasing the amount of dopamine in the dog’s brain.

Dopamine is one of the transmitters needed by the brain in order to function normally.  Increasing the dopamine level in the dog’s brain can improve his brain function.

This drug does not work in all dogs, but has been shown to help many dogs with Alzheimer’s Disease/CDS think more clearly, remember more, interact with their family, and basically enjoy a better quality of life.

Your veterinarian will help you evaluate factors as to whether the prescription may be a good choice for your dog.

Are you a cat lover?

Because there are a large number of conditions affecting older cats, it is difficult to distinguish CDS/Alzheimer’s Disease  from other conditions.  At this time there are no prescriptions approved for treating CDS/Alzheimer’s Disease in cats.

I’m sure you’re wondering how to find out if your dog is showing signs of CDS or if  he is just getting older.

One sign is if your dog has always been very involved with the family looking for attention and hanging close by, and he is no longer doing this, this is a strong sign that there may be CDS going on.   He seems to be withdrawing from the family.

Your dog may be sleeping much more during the day and less during the night than previously.  You may notice that he is having accidents in the house.

If you see your dog wandering aimlessly around the house or staring at walls or into space, this could be a strong symptom of CDS/Alzheimer’s Disease.
He may start ignoring familiar commands and not respond by name.

Just as in humans, your dog may stop recognizing family members or friends.

Anything new – a new place, a new task, a new command – are all very difficult for your dog.

You may notice shaking or frequent trembling.

All of these characteristics are very similar to humans with cognitive difficulties, particularly Alzheimer’s Disease.

There is not yet a cure for humans or for animals, but there are things you can do for your dog.

Next we’ll look at what you can do for your dog when you see the symptoms.

Shaiming Chilling

Dogs with Alzheimer’s Disease?
Who would have thought?

You may have read on previous posts  that I adopted a 6-year-old ShihTzu from the Humane Society 5 weeks ago.   Although little dogs live longer lives than larger ones, I am still concerned about his health and this research really caught my eye.

If your dog is starting to have accidents in the house and seems lost in their home, this can be more than just normal dog aging.

Slower movement and turning gray are expected as a dog grows older.  Seeing a complete, sudden change in your dog’s behavior with confusion, losing his way, and distancing from you is NOT. This most likely is resulting from cognitive dysfunction Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (or CDS), a degeneration of the brain and the nervous system in dogs, roughly comparable to Alzheimer’s disease in people.

In the past ten years, veterinarians have come to realize that severe cognitive (or thinking-related) problems are no more normal in older dogs than they are in aging people. While older dogs may move a bit more slowly and get a little gray around the muzzle, they shouldn’t experience a complete change in personality. A dog that suddenly seems confused, distant, or lost may be showing signs of cognitive dysfunction.

This deterioration results in behavioral changes, disrupting the lives of the pets and of the families that are caring for them.  Along with all the brain research in humans, veterinarians in the last ten years are realizing that severe cognitive  problems in dogs are no more normal in dogs than they are in aging people.

An ongoing study performed at the University of California-Berkeley has shown that 62 percent of dogs between ages 11 and 16 demonstrate one or more signs of CDS, and the percentage goes up as dogs get older.

For all of us dog lovers, this is important information.  For the rest of this week  I’ll be sharing more about the specific signs of this “Alzheimer’s Disease” in dogs and how we can support our pet’s brain health.

I know for me it was a very difficult time when my mother started showing symptoms. My health and business both suffered. How would you like to learn some new ways of coping with this mind-boggling marathon of Alzheimer’s Disease?

Come join me when I reveal some simple strategies that can make the journey not quite so difficult. Find out ways to stay productive in your work as well as in your personal life.

You can listen to the show via the internet and there is a call in number that you can use to connect and ask your questions. Go here for all of the details:
==>> http://suzanneholman.com/alzradio

Suzanne Holman, MAEd works with women who are boomers and beyond to keep themselves vibrant and successful no matter what family challenges are going on for them. Suzanne is a life and business coach/consultant with a background in technology and counseling.

Fun to be interviewed today by Life Coach Karin Lingerfelt about what is going on with Alzheimer’s in the Family!

Karin Lingerfelt, Life Coach

We’re taking life one step at a time since adoption 21 days ago.

This was quite a stretch for me to adopt Shaiming….

I had adopted two large dogs in 1997 and they had both died by 2003.
I would have loved to get another dog, but I felt I was traveling too much and didn’t think it would be fair for a dog and I wasn’t sure I wanted to have that responsibility.

But I’ve had “dog hunger” for a number of years.  I have been receiving emails I requested letting me know when  pets are available for adoption that met my criteria.

I finally took the plunge and checked to see if this dog was still available and went to the human society to meet him…and I took the big step to sit with him and I fell in love with this little guy.

He warms my heart and also challenges my patience on a daily basis.  He can be so withdrawn and fearful yet is also so loving.  He seems afraid to let down his guard and embrace his new life….maybe waiting to see if  something bad is going to happen to him.

I wonder about his previous life…know he was very neglected and I don’t know what the other circumstances were for him.

I chose a dog small enough to travel in the cabin of an airplane so I could still go visit my grandchildren in WA state and West Virginia and have him travel comfortably. He likes the little carrier I bought for him.

I have been taking him to the dog park and getting him out for walks and have made sure to have him in positive situations.

I love his new cleaned up look.  In time, his hair will grow in and he’ll look more like the Shih Tzu that he is!

Where in your life are you hesitant to move forward?

Are you as hesitant as Shaiming?
Think of how you can break down goals into small actions.

Find the support that you need for encouragement and guidance on your journey!

Pets can be amazing therapy for all of us, whether we are in a care center or just living the ups and downs of life. Today was my rescue Shih Tzu’s first grooming appointment.

He had a history of neglect and who knows what else.

He likes to hide in safe little corners.

We’ve been taking everything one step at a time …to help him realize the world is a wonderful place – daily walks, dog park, pet stores.

Shaiming  is learning to love walking around my neighborhood lake in Phoenix – some days – and sometimes just doesn’t want to keep walking!
I read a bit about the breed and although they need the exercise, they could easily opt out if they have a choice!

It’s quite a socialization process for him to get used to many activities that he must not have had in his previous home.

I took him yesterday to meet the groomer and see how he reacted to the environment. He seemed to like it and she was amazingly loving to him.  She put him on the table and just brushed him a little – a little like when you take a child to the dentist for their initial visit and just sit in the chair to get familiar with a different kind of place.

I’ll post his after photo…it will take a while for him to recover from the “mercy groom” they had to give him at the Humane Society to remove all his uncared for Shih Tzu coat.

Particularly helpful in creating more connections in our brain is physical exercise that involves concentration to follow new moves.  This stimulates the creation of new neuro-pathways.  Try dance classes or some kind of sport.  Workout classes in the water are easy on the joints while giving you a great cardio boost and stimulation of the brain with the new moves you learn each class.

If your belief is that you “hate to exercise”  there is still hope for you.
Think about anything in your past that you enjoyed.  Is there some way to do that
activity or to adapt it to what you could do now?

Try putting on some music you love and just move with it in the privacy of your home!
You’ll get your heart and lungs moving and can elevate your mood and energy level.

Our brains love variety and novelty and respond well to stimulation such as crossword puzzles, sudoku, and the variety of “brain games” available online and in software created for many of our electronics.

These programs are designed for a number of different purposes.

One problem with aging brains is a slowing of reaction time.  Practice with programs
that provide you with drills to act quickly and accurately can work with those brain cells that may have gotten sluggish.  Some are designed to develop response inhibition to avoid errors in a quick reaction that may not be correct.  I’ve found these to be quite challenging and have seen quite a lot of progress as I’ve taken the time to work on several exercises a day.

My brain is enjoying the stimulation of multiple math problems thrown at me to answer in quick fire response.  I’m pleased to see that I do really well on these.

Some that are more challenging for me are spatial logic drills.  I am improving but do find these to be less fun!

Others work to improve your memory of faces, numbers, shapes, colors, etc.
Visual field is tested and tweaked in an exercise that is part of a site called www.lumosity.com.

Speed spelling, definitions, and unscrambling of words is part of the Word Coach program for Nintendo DS.
Other Nintendo programs are Brain Challenge and Brain Age that offer a variety of exercises for focus, memory, vision, math, and logic.  They also include opportunities to perform the exercises with added stressful distractions to see how well you can focus and ignore those annoyances.

What is normal and what may be the development of Alzheimer’s?
This week I’ll be sharing with you information to help you answer that question.

In our brains we have different parts where we process memories.

Short-term memory includes what we’ve experienced recently – foods eaten for breakfast, name of someone we just met.

Long-term memory is how we remember events from long ago.  This is also called our remote memory.

Aging does change our brains.

Even in our 20′s we start losing a few brain cells at a time.
Our body begins to make less of the chemicals that are needed by the brain cells to function.
These effects become more pronounced the older we get.
This is “normal” in the aging process.

When you’re in your 20s, you begin to lose brain cells a few at a time. Your body also starts to make less of the chemicals your brain cells need to work. The older you are, the more these changes can affect your memory.

What changes with aging is the way the brain stores information.
Aging can make it difficult to recall stored information – particularly the most recent memories.
Notice that I said RECALL.  That is the challenge.

So what can we do to help our recall?

Keeping lists and using a detailed calendar are great helps in organizing our information.
If we follow a routine including keeping things in the same place, we can avoid a lot of frustration for ourself.

When we meet someone, make some kind of association with that person’s name.  Repeat it as you hear it, think of someone else you knew with the name or come up with some crazy association that will help to jog your memory when you see that person again.  The crazier the association is, the more likely we will be able to recall the information.  Our brains LOVE novelty.  When something is associated with emotion, we have more connections that help us to access the information.

Also in the area of entertaining our brains -

Find ways to keep your brain busy.  There are a number of ways to stimulate the brain.
Stop by tomorrow for some great suggestions for “brain entertainment”  that advances your memory.

How many times have you felt like no one could really understand what you are going through trying to do what you can for your parent with Alzheimer’s?

Have you felt like there is just no way to keep up with your professional responsibilities AND meet the needs of family?

I know when my Mom started showing symptoms over three years ago, I could find information everywhere but what was really most helpful was connecting with others who were going through the same experience.
I had to get creative with the operation of my business in order to keep everything moving and growing.

In response to the needs I was hearing from professional women in this situation I’ve developed a program that has these benefits:
- increased productivity in a shorter amount of time
- renewed energy with adequate sleep, nutrition, and exercise
- improved communication with family members and medical personnel
- some peace of mind from acceptance of the reality of the disease

When I decided to direct my coaching and consulting to support professional women who have a parent with Alzheimer’s, my first thought was to create a monthly fr.ee call for women to gather to learn and share. I also offer support in the form of individual and group coaching.

The fre.e calls are on the second Monday of every month at 5:30 pm Pacific/8:30 pm Eastern time.

Getting together in person would be even better, but it can be more difficult to connect that way. It may be challenging for you to have the time away from your work and personal responsibilities. Wouldn’t it be delightful to connect in the comfort of your home – even in your pajamas?

Having the telephone connection also allows people from all over the globe to connect. The word telephone comes from the Greek language: “far” and “voice”. Even though our voices are far away from each other, we can be close by connecting on a teleconference bridge line that allows a number of people to call onto the same line.

This is a time for sharing, supporting, and learning. We meet on a special phone line that allows quite a number of people to call in at the same time. There is no extra charge for this conferencing ability. It is just your normal long distance charge if the bridge line is not in your calling zone.

You can participate in the discussion or just listen in.
Each month we have a different focus for our conversations.

If you are interested in receiving information about the calls, please enter your information below.
You’ll receive the phone number and any updates about the calls.

Here is the schedule for the next few calls:

April 12, 2010
May 10, 2010
June 14, 2010
July 12, 2010

All calls are at 5:30 pm Pacific/8:30 pm Eastern time.

Register below to get the call information and to get all the latest information
for the calls!

It’s a time for those of you involved in Alzheimer’s caregiving to
share experiences and offer suggestions for problems others may be
having.

Come with any questions, concerns, and suggestions for those in the
group.

Please do join us for the Alzheimer’s Monthly call  March 15th at
5:30 pm PT/ 8:30 ET.

Register here to receive the call  information and announcements of future calls:

===>> http://suzanneholman.com/free-monthly-call/

How could I have forgotten that?
What’s happening to me?

I’ve found out about a great course created by two women involved in the caregiving world, a Life Coach and an Eldercare Consultant.

I’ve gotten to know Elizabeth Hallett, the eldercare consultant, through the Caregivers Telesummit in November and through her membership in my Alzheimer’s group that meets the second Monday of each month.

I’ve found Elizabeth to be both very knowledgeable and highly compassionate.   I’ve included all the details of the program below:

Do changing behaviors – yours or others – have you worried?
Are you a caregiver feeling overwhelmed, isolated, depressed?
Get answers and support!
Memory Loss: A Mastermind Teleclass
Dates: Tuesdays, Feb 2, 9, 16, and 23, 2010
Time: 1 PM – 2:15 PM Pacific Time
Fee: $97, payable in advance * Limited to Seven Participants

Register Now to Assure Your Place:  email your name, address, and phone number to Elizabeth Austin, mycoach@mind.net.  Payment by check, payable to Athena Associates, 395 Pearl Street, # 4, Ashland, OR 97520, or Paypal.

Life Coach Elizabeth Austin and Eldercare Consultant Elizabeth Hallett pool their expertise to offer a four-week introductory teleconference series for people who may be dealing with Alzheimer-type behaviors.

Topics
·    Identifying Problems and Symptoms
·    Adapting to Change
·    Balancing Changes and Possibilities
·    Planning Ahead: Resources, Actions

Each session includes time for each participant to ask questions, to share their issues and wisdom, and to set personal goals. You will gain new insights and resources with this four-week teleconference.

Special attention is given to helping you to:
·    recognize and deal with the emotional pain inherent in memory loss,
·    enhance self-care
·    find balance in achieving your goals
·    strategize care for someone you love who has memory loss.

The Memory Loss Mastermind Teleclass uses the innovative MaestroConference telephone conferencing system.  You will be charged your usual long-distance charges.  The call-in number and your special access code will be emailed to you after you register.  Learn from the comfort and convenience of your own home, anywhere in the world, with MaestroConference.

Life Coach Elizabeth Austin, RN, CPCC, CEC and founder of Athena Associates, brings her background in nursing and extensive studies in human capacities to her role as moderator and mastermind coach for Memory Loss series. www.coachelizabeth.net.

Elizabeth Hallett, educator and Eldercare Consultant served for ten years as Director of the Ashland Community Hospital Memory Care Center, a day program and education center for families living with Alzheimers and related dementias.  She now coordinates Memory Works, an Ashland nonprofit.  She can be reached at evhallett@opendoor.com

Register Now to Assure Your Place: Sign up right away by sending an email with your name, address, and phone number to Elizabeth Austin, mycoach@mind.net.  Payment by check, payable to Athena Associates, 395 Pearl Street, # 4, Ashland, OR 97520, or Paypal.

One phase of my business is working with professional women who have a parent with Alzheimer’s.  I’ve always had a major interest in brain research and how to create the most healthy brain possible. My formal education working as an educator in psychology moved me forward in this endeavor of learning all I could.

Check out Dr. Oz today…find the time for his show on your TV listings.

It’s great that this very serious problem is getting great media attention.

Holidays are here!

Take a minute and check out the  gifts offered by some
incredible people.

It’s definitely worth your time.
I know there will be something you’ll love!

Lots of good stress relievers!  Perfect for this time of the year!

We’ve “made up the list and you can check it out twice….”
Do you still believe in Santa Claus???

Go here now to choose your gifts!

===>>   http://suzanneholman.com/Santa

It doesn’t even matter if you were “naughty or nice”…

Everyone gets to take a look and choose some gifts!

These are gifts offered by speakers and supporters of the Comfort for Caregivers Telesummit held last month.
You’ll find a variety – some related to caregiving and others that are stress relieve – something for everybody!

Enjoy!

What a wonderful opportunity for a gathering of those of us involved in the world of Alzheimer’s caregiving. It is so helpful to share experiences and offer suggestions for problems others may be having.

Some of you already know and I’d like to share with everyone that my mother passed away just two days after our November call. Mom died at 5 am Wednesday, November 11. She had her 95th birthday on November 5th and her physical health started a downward spiral from that. She was diagnosed in early 2006 and was in an Alzheimer’s Care Center since late summer of that year.

I look forward to sharing more stories of her life and the journey we had during those last years both on this blog and in my forthcoming book.

It’s been a hectic time for me with the production of the Comfort for Caregivers Telesummit that ran from November 3 – November 19 with 19 speakers. If you have not heard about that event, it’s not too late to share in the vast amount of expertise shared from our experts.

http://www.CaringInterviews.com

Please do join us for the call on December 14th. Aside from sharing and support, we’ll look at what intentions we have for 2010.

Register here to receive the information for tonight’s call and for notice of the future calls.

http://suzanneholman.com/free-monthly-call/

When you have someone in the family with Alzheimer’s, it can be a real challenge to keep yourself energized and optimistic.  The gradual grief that you feel when your loved one is slipping away can be devastation.

We’ll focus on ways to keep ourselves centered and fully engaged in life.

Join us on the call Monday,  November 9, 2009  at 6:30 pm PT/9:30  pm ET.

We meet each month on the second Monday with a different topic each month.   This is a wonderful way for you to connect with others who are going through  similar experiences in their own lives

Register here to receive the information for tonight’s call and for notice of the future calls.

http://suzanneholman.com/free-monthly-call/

Get registered today!

http://www.ComfortForCaregivers.com

How are you doing in preparing healthy food for you
and your family?

What if you could actually create a nutritious dinner in 15-20
minutes with food that you’ve previously purchased and stored
correctly?

I’ve developed a number of strategies for smart food purchases and
easy meal preparation that I’d love to share with you on the call.
And I’m sure you may have ideas to contribute to the group as well.

It will be great to connect on the call to support you
and talk about ways that you can prepare meals that are both easy
and support your health and well being.

Nutritious food can be so important not only for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, but also to improve your mood and energy level.

Join us on the call tonight at 6:30 pm PT/9 pm ET and each month on the second Monday.

Register here to receive the information for tonight’s call and for notice of the future calls.

Marianne Williamson
Gregg Braden
Neale Donald Walsch
Stuart Wilde
Marci Shimoff

These are just a few of the well known, sought-after speakers that you’ll be able to experience  from the comfort of your home and without spending a dime!

You can check out details here if you’re in a hurry… or read on to learn more about the 24-speaker event that starts TODAY!  Sept 29 at 4 pm Pacific time.

http://budurl.com/09292009

In this remarkable series of 24 speakers you will experience
the intimate processes each of these master teachers have used
to achieve their dreams. You’ll be hearing each one of them
reveal the profound discoveries that have contributed to
their leading edge thinking (that you can apply immediately).

The BEST part—These speakers will be teaching and guiding you
ABSOLUTLY F*R*E*E. Yes, you read that right… my friend
Jennifer McLean, Host of Healing With The Masters , is
continuing her fourth season of change and insight for fr*ee.
All you have to do is register and she’ll send you the dial
in information and the webcast links.

http://budurl.com/09292009

The speakers this season will blow you away, they are the best
known leaders in the human potential movement; I think you will
be pretty amazed by Jennifer has created this season, here
is just a sampling:

Marianne Williamson, an internationally acclaimed spiritual
teacher and New York Times bestselling author on spiritual and
personal issues, Marianne is admired for her personal
narratives on applying love to all difficulties. She is best
known for her unique perspectives and signature style when
teaching A Course In Miracles.

Neale Donald Walsch, renowned personal development leader and
New York Times bestselling author of Conversations with God
Series and the new book When Everything Changes, Change
Everything. Expect startling revelations from this modern-day
spiritual messenger who answers the question, “How do I handle
changes today?”

Stuart Wilde, writer and lecturer in the metaphysical, Stuart’s
audiences have been known to laugh, cry and even swear when
reading his best-sellers due to the Great Brit’s razor-sharp
wit and out-of-the-box transformations. He has penned over
twenty books—some have been translated into fifteen languages.
One conversation with Stuart and you’ll never see your world
the same again.

Guy Finley, best-selling author of The Secret of Letting Go,
and The Essential Laws of Fearless Living, Guy’s teachings are
considered step-by-step manuals that make the healing journey
fascinating, compelling, and comforting. He’s published more
than 36 books and audios, selling over a million copies in 16
languages. It’s no wonder Bob Proctor said, “This information
has given me everything I have today.”

Dr David Simon, neurologist and pioneer in the medical field.
His personal mission is to facilitate the integration of
complementary and conventional medicine in the 21st century.
Since he began his association with Deepak Chopra, M.D. in
the 1980′s, Dr. Simon has become one of the nation’s foremost a
authorities on effective and appropriate use of holistic health
care practices, specifically ayurveda – the 5,000-year-old
healing tradition of India..

Dr. Eric Pearl, renowned healer and founder of The Reconnection
system has medical researchers worldwide interested in his
instantaneous healings. From the disappearance of cancer, AIDS,
cerebral palsy, and more, people who interact with Eric report
a sudden ability to access this healing energy not just for
themselves, but for others. These miracles have been documented
in six books to date including Eric’s own international
bestseller.

Alison Armstrong, whose mission is to “alter society’s culture
by transforming the way women relate to men.” This powerhouse
of knowledge has spent years researching men’s and woman’s
behavior and delivers priceless insights into our motivations
and inspirations, ultimately helping hundreds of thousands
through her books and workshops to achieve to peace and joy
with each other. You will learn some amazing insights that
could change you relationships for good.

Marci Shimoff, a celebrated transformational leader and one of
the nation’s leading experts on happiness, success, and the law
of attraction, Marci has inspired millions of people around the
world, sharing her breakthrough methods for personal
fulfillment and professional success. With 6 bestselling titles
from the Chicken Soup for the Soul and her new, New York Times
bestseller Happy for No Reason she has become the woman’s face
of the biggest self-help book phenomenon in history.

John Holland, spirit messenger and author, and one of the top
psychic mediums and spiritual teachers in the USA. Spectacular
results have been achieved with clients throughout North
America, Canada, Europe, and Australia. His story was
originally profiled on CBS “Unsolved Mysteries.”

Sonia Choquette is a bestselling Hay House author and intuitive
guide who gently leads seekers to release their inner psychic.
Delighting in a lively and friendly voice—described as angelic—
Sonia weaves personal anecdotes with how-to advice, offering
meditative processes on “everything you want to know.” Her
mantra? “Trust your vibes!”

All of  these amazing people and 13 more speakers!

Check it out NOW…

http://budurl.com/09292009

“See” you there!

We are in the 2nd week of the “Profound Paths to Health, Healing and Happiness” Fall 2009 teleseminar series, and an empowering conversation with Dr. Joe Rubino. An internationally acclaimed expert on the topic of self-esteem, he is the author of 9 books, including The Self-Esteem Book: The Ultimate Guide to Boost the Most Underrated Ingredient for Success and Happiness in Life.

Hosted by my friend and colleague Dr. Carol Robin, this no*cost*
series returns TOMORROW, Tuesday Sept. 15th, 2009 for 12 weeks of
inspiring and transformative conversations. Carol has been a
practitioner in the natural health and healing field for 30 years.
She brings her knowledge and experience in holistic health, energy
medicine, EFT, guided imagery and nutrition to create in-depth
dialogs with some of today’s most innovative experts in health,
healing, wellness and spirituality.

Sharing their wisdom, insights and profound and practical
techniques, these visionary teachers will help you find your own
unique path to health and well-being through body, heart, mind and
spirit.

Join us to experience the inspiration and wisdom of this unique
series. And please forward this to your friends who might be
interested. This series is committed to real, in-depth information
and no sales hype.

The series begins TOMORROW, Tuesday, Sept. 15th, 2009 at 7pm EST
There’s no fee, but you do have to register here:

http://budurl.com/sbd8

There are 3 ways to listen:
- listen by webcast each Tuesday at 7pm EST

- complimentary replay is available through Thursday 7pm each week

- optional mp3 downloads and CDs are available, so you can listen
whenever you wish and have lifetime access to these inspiring and
information-packed talks.

Register to hear these extraordinary speakers:

Marci Shimoff – opens the series with her revolutionary approach to
experiencing deep and lasting happiness based on her new book,
Happy for No Reason: 7 Steps to Being Happy from the Inside Out.

Dr. Joe Rubino – an internationally acclaimed expert on the topic
of self-esteem, and best selling author of The Self-Esteem Book on
healing self esteem

Donna Eden – author of Energy Medicine on energy medicine for
personal and global transformation

Eldon Taylor – author of Choices and Illusions and Mind Programming
on empowering our choices, protecting and re-training our minds

EFT Master Carol Look – Attracting Abundance with EFT and the Law
of Attraction exploring true abundance and clearing limiting beliefs

Dr. Frank Lipman – author of Spent? End Exhaustion and Feel Great
Again, on restoring energy and creating optimal health

Suzanne Scurlock-Durana – CranioSacral Therapy for healing and
balancing body, heart, mind and spirit

Dr. Dean Shrock – guided imagery expert, cancer expert and author
of Why Love Heals, on mind body spirit medicine

Dr. Ronald Frederick – author of Living Like You Mean It, on
emotional mindfulness and healthy relationships

EFT Master Gwyneth Moss – innovative approach to energy psychology
and a new understanding of The Brain, Trauma and EFT

Emilie Conrad – Continuum Movement and connecting with our
essential fluid nature and our inner wisdom

Dr. Carol Robin – Creating Your Unique Path to Health, Healing and
Happiness

Register here:

http://budurl.com/sbd8

I’d love to hear from you to see what you think of the series.
I’ve enjoyed Carol’s interviews very much. I think you will find
the series very valuable!

If you want to maintain your bone and muscle strength, you definitely need to turn your attention to strength training.  Once we’ve gone through puberty, the rest of your life you will begin to lose about 1 percent of your bone and muscle strength every year.  This is true for both men and women.

This is supported by a health professional who has done the research and sees this happening on a daily basis.
“One of the best ways to stop, prevent, and even reverse bone and muscle loss is to add strength training to your workouts,” advises Troy Tuttle, MS, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston.”

Find some strength training that you would enjoy and include it in your schedule on a regular basis.  Your body will thank you for it!

Opportunity:
Healthy Body – Healthy Brain Coaching Group
Get information here!  http://budurl.com/hbhbcoaching

It’s a group of women interested in improving their health and fitness.
Group size is limited to only 8 women.  Current groups meet by phone.
Don’t miss this chance for making a significant shift in your life!

This hike with three of my grandsons was a fun day….. landscape looks fake, doesn’t it?
We didn’t get to do any sled riding in the snow as we have at times in the past, but we did get to see lots of snow on the higher peaks.

Days like these are critical breaks from the intensity of a life filled with pressures of family, business, and challenging situations such as Alzheimer’s in the Family.

Ingredients:

Spinach, 2 or more cups
Water, about 1  cup water
Ginger, about a square inch of fresh, peeled
Ground flax seed, 2 Tablespoons (whole seeds do not allow absorption of nutrients)
L-Glutamine Amino Acid powder,  1 Tablespoon
Green Defense, super green foods powder, 1 scoop
Blueberres or 1/2 scoop of BerrySplash, mixed berry powdered drink mix with Acai Berry
Aria (powdered supplement of blended soy and whey protein) (optional)

Directions:

Put spinach and chopped, peeled ginger into the blender.
Pour in the water.
Cover the blender.
Blend on high until the spinach and ginger are liquefied.
Add ground flax seed, Aria, berries or BerrySplash, L-Glutamine, and Green Defense
Blend in 2 or 3 ice cubes…more if you want your drink more frozen

This is a way of getting mega nutrients into your body to support you when you are going through stressful times such as having Alzheimer’s in the Family with a parent or other loved one with the disease.

Check back for upcoming blog posts that will describe the immense benefits of all of these ingredients!

This is an opportunity to meet with others who are facing similar challenges – what a wonderful support to know you are not alone!

Our focus this month is Finding Time For Fitness when there just doesn’t even seem to be time to breathe.

You’re invited to join others who are facing the challenges of having a family member with Alzheimer’s disease.

Please respond to receive all the information for this call as well as to be notified of  future calls.

September 14

6:30 Pacific Time, 9:30 Eastern Time

http://suzanneholman.com/free-monthly-call/

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that is eventually fatal, making it the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.

The biggest-known risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s is age.

In fact, about 50 percent of those over the age of 85 will develop Alzheimer’s to some degree.

Genetics also seems to play a role, but experts have yet to pinpoint why some relatives of people with Alzheimer’s will get the disease and others will not.

Sometimes a person with no known relatives with Alzheimer’s will still develop it.

Alzheimer’s most commonly develops after the age of 65, but can affect some people as early as their 30s and 40s.

Memory loss may be the most commonly recognized sign of Alzheimer’s, but other signs of the disease include changes in mood or personality, confusion with time or place, withdrawing from work or social situations, difficulty planning or completing familiar tasks, trouble with spatial relationships such as determining distance, and problems speaking or writing.

Scientists have yet to determine an exact cause for Alzheimer’s, but they have dispelled myths that exposure to aluminum or artificial sweeteners leads to memory loss later in life.

Researchers are working hard to develop a cure for Alzheimer’s, but so far there is no known way to reverse the illness, eliminate it entirely, or prevent it from advancing.

However, there are medications that can temporarily delay the worsening of symptoms, and behavioral methods can help people with Alzheimer’s and their families better cope and plan for the future.

In short, Alzheimer’s may not be curable yet, but there are many steps one can take to help make living with it somewhat easier.

Source:  EverydayHealth.com

Physical exercise is one element that has absolutely been proven to improve our brain functioning.  This is due to the increased blood flow to the brain, giving it the nutrients needed for optimal performance.

Outdoor hiking is great when the weather is wonderful.  And to make it easy to be consistent with exercise, we need to have something that is possible no matter what it is like outside.

If it is possible to go to a workout facility, it is a wonderful influence to have others all around you also working out….keeps me going!

My favorite machine at the gym is the Elliptical Machine…

I love doing group classes such as yoga, kick boxing, pilates, aqua aerobics (with ankle weights), salsa dancing, and even Zumba!

But when there isn’t a class scheduled, I enjoy using the elliptical machine because it is easy on my knees and doesn’t take a whole lot of concentration to keep moving on it since your feet don’t leave the pedals. What really makes the time go faster is listening to a good audio book, watching a TV show with a head set, or just great music.

Jillian Michaels, one of the coaches with the Biggest Loser TV show has some thoughts about ellipticals that she shared recently in her newsletter.

1. It’s a great alternative to running because it’s much easier on the joints.
2. Elliptical machines usually have a lot of variables built in and movable handles so that you can work your upper body as well.
3. Some of the machines have adjustable ramps so that you can target different leg muscles by varying the degree of the incline. You can pedal either forward or back, allowing you to work totally different muscles. If the ramp is inclined and you’re pedaling forward, you’re working the muscles on the backs of your legs: the hamstrings, glutes, and calves. If the ramp is at a lower incline and you pedal backward, you’re training the muscles in front: the quads and dorsiflexors.

Some cautions about using the elliptical machines:

1. Do not hold onto handles other than the movable ones that allow you to get your arms and heart rate pumping.
2. Keep the intensity high, at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. (Subtract your age from 220 to find out your maximum heart rate.)
3. Increase the resistance so that gravity isn’t doing all the work.
4. Don’t trust the electronic readout to tell you how many calories you are burning.

Follow these suggestions so that you are not wasting your time by not using the machine for your best workout.  Vigorous exercise is the key to our better brain functioning.  This is reassuring to those of us who have Alzheimer’s in the Family!

It’s Monday evening at 6:30 Pacific Time/ 9:30 Eastern Time on a telephone bridge line where we can all talk together.

Our focus for August is   “Up Your Energy Level Now!”

Expect to learn ways to improve your physical, emotional, and mental stamina.
And find out what others in a similar situation do to support themselves as well as their loved ones.

Join us Monday, August 10 at 6:30 Pacific time/9:30 Eastern Time~
Get all the information here:

http://suzanneholman.com/free-monthly-call

Getting together in person would be even better, but it can be more difficult to connect that way.  It may be challenging for you to have the time away from your work and personal responsibilities. Wouldn’t it be delightful to connect in the comfort of your home – even in your pajamas?
Having the telephone connection also allows people from all over the globe to connect.

This is a time for sharing, supporting, and learning.  We meet on a special phone line that allows quite a number of people to call in at the same time.  There is no extra charge for this conferencing ability.  It is just your normal long distance charge if the bridge line is not in your calling zone.

http://suzanneholman.com/free-monthly-call

She created an article,   “21 Ways a Blog Can Make Your Business Stronger”  and I thought it was worthwhile to share it with you.

Bea teaches a course on blogging that I’ve taken and she is starting up a new group of bloggers on Monday.  I’ll be there to learn even more about promoting this blog.   This is an incredible course with 2 hour webinars every week for 12 weeks and even includes a personal coaching session with Bea…for $97!  Unbelievable value!

I personally believe that everyone needs a blog…it just makes sense from an SEO perspective to have great content filled with rich keywords.

As  a Professional Certified Coach and a member of the coaching industry, I believe that coaches have so much to offer and share with others, and a blog is a perfect mechanism for getting your message out and delivering ongoing value.  At the end of the day, delivering a great message and adding value can make your business so much stronger.

So, if you are a coach, here are the 21 ways a blog can make your business stronger.  Of course, these apply to anyone, but today, I am truly speaking to coaches:

1) A blog can serve as a storage site for the many articles you write.  This can greatly enhance your expertise and build credibility.

2) With a great podcasting player, you can load ALL of your teleclasses straight into your blog.  You can password protect your pages for teleclasses you sell and give the others away as freebies.

3) With Survey Gizmo, you can run free surveys and assessments on your blog.

4) With a blog, you can answer the most frequently asked questions about coaching.

5) Each time you are mentioned in the media, this information can be posted on your blog.

6) I have nothing against static websites, but unless you know Dreamweaver or Front Page, many coaches pay web designers to make tiny changes that end up costing thousands of dollars annually.  With a blog, you have complete control over making updates to your pages without hiring a webmaster to do it.  If you can type, you can write a blog post or create a blog page.

7) Many of the new blog templates (check out http://ithemes.com or http://studiopress.com ) offer templates that look JUST LIKE WEBSITES.  You can build pages, add opt in boxes, add video, podcasts and the list goes on and on.

8. You can become known as an expert in your field.  As a coach, when you become great with blogging, you can become a newsbreaker, spreading great news about the latest/greatest information in the coaching industry AND in the niche you represent.

9) News agencies and radio/television shows are more likely to pick up your story if you are consistently putting information out there (I know…it’s happened dozens of times for me.)

10) Your network will grow by leaps and bounds…and not just in the coaching industry but in multiple industries.

11) With a blog, you can post an events category, and each time a new event is coming, you can post it.

12) You can sell coaching,  products and training straight from your blog.  Yes…you can indeed add links to your blog to sell products and services.

13) Search engines love blogs, because they are so content rich.  Your search engine ranking will go up the more you blog.

14) If there is a concern circulating around your business or the coaching industry, you can address this immediately by posting on your blog.

15) You can allow your true voice to be heard.  As a coach, you have so much to say and offer, and most of this (I have found) goes unspoken.  With a blog, you can talk from the heart about your passions, goals and vision.

16) You can use your blog to post all of your newsletters.  With e-mail becoming more and more difficult to send and open, you can have a place on your blog just for your newsletters.

17) With a platform like WordPress , a blog can be basically free.  If you host the blog on your own domain, with a service like Hostgator.com, you pay about $9.00 per month to have a blog on your own domain.

18) You can use your blog to connect your message to over 30 social networks, including the 3 big guns:  Twitter , Facebook and Linked In.

19) When you grow tired of the “look” of your blog or it becomes outdated, you simply update it by installing a new theme…you don’t have to go back to the drawing board with a brand new design, paying thousands of dollars for a new website.

20) You can use your blog as a forum by encouraging comments from others.  The dialogue you create with others will enrich your life and the lives of your customers.

21) You can deliver ongoing value to the public every day of your life, and this is what coaches are so great with…delivering ongoing value!

At the end of the day, if the above 21 are happening, you WILL see your sales increase.  It just happens, because at the end of the day, people want to hire a coach who knows what he/she is talking about and who is on the bleeding edge of business and technology.

If you are a coach (or a business owner) and you do not yet have a blog, I invite you to check out the Become a Blogging Maniac Program starting August 10.

Make Room For a Healthy Body

When we are in the midst of family challenges and our whole being needs it most, we are often inclined to bypass the things that can support us in being fully engaged in our lives.

How often have you decided that there just isn’t time for even a short workout, walk,  or run?

Or there just isn’t time to shop for fresh vegetables and fruits …much less take the time to prepare meals with “real” food?

Is your sleep sacrificed in order to “catch up”  with all the projects left undone … or to indulge in shadow comforts like mindless TV to get you through the family challenges you are facing?

Our brains are very demanding in their nutritional and restorative needs.  It takes adequate sleep for your brain to have the opportunity to regroup and recharge for another day.   Consistent, continuous flow of glucose and fluid needs to go the brain for it to funciton properly.  By the time we start to feel thirsty, we are already dehydrated and our brain has lost its optimal operation.

Our bodies need a vigorous workout often in order to stay strong  and to have our organs work efficiently.

I imagine you’ve heard that before…but do you realize that the most effective way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease is by having vigorous exercise.  When we exercise, we increase the flow of blood into the brain, giving it the fluid and nutrients it needs.  Anything that is good for your cardiovascular health is also having a very positive effect on the health of your brain.

I don’t know about you, but when I am dealing with family challenges, I need all the brain power and body stamina that I can possibly have!  And realizing that boomers can expect to see one out of every eight of us with Alzheimer’s disease, we need to do everything we can to optimize our brains.    This data comes from a report released by the Alzheimer’s Association.  That is 10 million American baby boomers who can expect to have Alzheimer’s in their lifetime.   The report also estimates that as many as 5.2 million people are living with Alzheimer’s in the United States, including up to 250,000 under the age of 65.

So, it’s time to kick up your exercise.  Find something you like to do and make certain you do it … no matter what!  You can just do something at home or wherever you are.   As long as you are getting your heart rate up to a point that you can talk but with some effort for a short period of time, you will be doing wonders for your heart and brain.

My work with primarily professional women who are facing family challenges, particularly a parent with Alzheimer’s, focuses on maximizing our well being as well as developing strategies for a more efficient business and improved communication with everyone involved in the crisis.

Starting Tuesday, August 4 is a three-part teleseries designed to support you in this process of creating a better way of handling any family challenge.

Access information about the course at http://budurl.com/challengeseries.

All calls will be recorded so even if you have to miss a class, you will not miss the content.

CAUTION - Family Challenges Can Be Hazardous to Your Business

What I have to share with you are the strategies I developed at
each stage of my life that enabled me to move forward and
make a difference in the world.

You may already know that  my mom is in an Alzheimer’s
Care Center.  She was diagnosed over three years ago and has been on
hospice now for seven months.

What I haven’t talked about are some of the earlier times when
I was really challenged to come up with strategies to keep me from
giving up…

…what I’ve done when I felt as though I had hit bottom
and there was no way back up

…how I bounced back from despair and moved forward with passion
and determination

Many of you may be experiencing challenging times and know that
somehow you need to “get it together” so that you can be the person
you want to be in the world.

You’ll learn strategies on these calls that you can use immediately to
get more fully engaged in your life and work.

If you’re ready to make some changes to improve your family situation during a
particularly difficult time, this is a great opportunity

Specific Strategies for moving forward
…no matter what!

In this 3-part, live TeleSeries you will learn
specific, innovative ways to deliver your marketing,
maximize productivity, and optimize family involvement.

Yes…You CAN have a healthy business even when you are dealing
with challenging family situations.

Whether you have
aging parents…
children and grandchildren needing attention…
an ill spouse…
your own illness or injury…

Would you like to learn ways that you can modify how you operate
your business to be able to balance all of your responsibilities?

Do you forget about yourself when you are focused on the family
members who need attention?
You’ll learn ways to enhance your health and ease your stress.

Are you experiencing total overwhelm and even some discouragement
about the future of your business?
We’ll take a fresh look at your business to see what
you’d like to improve or totally change.

Join us in this TeleSeries to create
an easier AND more productive life for yourself.

We’ll meet for three weeks, for 60-minute calls
that will be recorded so that you can
download the mp3s to listen again or if you were no
able to be on the calls.

Our meeting dates are scheduled for these three Tuesdays:

August  4, 2009    4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific Time
August 11, 2009    4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific Time
August 18, 2009    4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific Time

You can even experience the benefits of the program by listening to the
recorded program and doing the exercises as you go along.

I’m offering this special price  so that you can really make a
difference NOW in how your life is going.

You’ll discover the ways to remove those roadblocks you may be
feeling as a result of difficult family situations.

Here’s what is included:

*  3 interactive teleseminar classes
*  Audio mp3s for each session
*  My love and support for you as you go through this process
*  Group sharing and support

Take action today and get started immediately to
create the life you desire!

During one of our monthly gathering calls for women who have a parent with Alzheimer’s I connected with  Alexandra Van Horn, who told us about the book she and her sisters wrote together about their mother.

Her  mother’s book, Jessie’s Book, A Mother’s Teachings To Her Daughters, “was a healing, collaborative way for us (the 4 daughters) to remember Mom in her vibrant, ‘in your face’, ‘ruling the roost’ days.

“The process of remembering her as she was helped to refresh our minds, to not let her current diminishing cognitive abilities reign supreme in our thoughts.

“As we brainstormed, there were many healing moments for us–chuckling on the phone across the miles at some of Mom’s sayings and attitudes from our early years.

“I felt that the process broke us out of our ‘melancholy’ over the current situation and transported us back in time to our childhood and teen years.  I know as the editor of the book, I felt a deep sense of connection to my mother.

“It’s almost as though I could recreate her and say to the world,  “Look, this is who she really is.  She is vibrant and witty! The sun is still shining behind the clouds!”  To me creating a book in her honor has an immortalizing effect on her essence.

“The book is very simple, but for me there is such great power in the simplicity. Even as I write this, I can recall her coaching me with my composition assignments!”

Thank you Alexandra, for sharing this profound way of preserving the legacy of your mother’s wisdom and personality!

Sometimes our scrapbooks are filled with photos and some memorabilia, but how often do we capture all those wonderful things our mother used to say?   This is an idea that I’d like to implement.  How about you?

Baby boomers are defined as people born 1946-1964.

After American soldiers returned home from World War II
in1946, the United States experienced an explosion of births (hence the name
baby boom) that continued for the next 18 years, when the birth rate began to drop.

In 1964, baby boomers represented 40% of the population, which means that
more than one third of the population was under 19 years of age.

In the 1990s, approximately 76 million people in the United States were born in the
baby boom years, representing approximately 29% of the country’s population.

Since baby boomers make up such a sizable portion of the consuming public,
their spending habits and lifestyles have a powerful influence on the economy.

Source: Dictionary
of Marketing Terms. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc

2.    Boomers are unlikely to take the week off because someone broke their heart.

3.    Most Boomers don’t think of ear-buds as required jewelry.

4.    Boomers know how to spell customer service – better yet, how to deliver it.

5.    Since they aren’t looking to climb the corporate ladder, Boomers make great mentors.

6.    Boomers don’t expect to be complemented for breathing. They expect praise for a good job and correction for a bad one.

7.    You’ll get points in heaven if you protect an endangered species.  After all, Boomerz are the last generation of workaholics.

8.    They REALLY need the job: after all, Boomers can’t move in with mom and dad (mom and dad are more likely to be moving in with them!).

9.    Boomers have an attention span greater than the life of a flea.

10.    Boomers don’t have their cell phones super-glued to their texting fingers.

11.    Boomers may not be quite as physically agile as they were at 20, but they are really flexible – they will work different shifts, work from home, change their plans and work on contract or projects without complaining.  They remember the old adage – work before pleasure.

12.    Boomers are not going to leave just because they are overqualified.  They are looking for balance in their lives and are perfectly willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get it.

Source:  www.Boomerzaz.com

Would you love the opportunity for a week on a houseboat in
San Francisco?

This is a great opportunity for an amazing free class AND hundreds
of dollars in bonuses both for you and the smoker who attends the
class.

Lela Bryan of  Nicotine Solutions has an innovative approach to
smoking cessation.

Here’s what participants in Lela Bryan’s classes will learn:

* The one obstacle that has stopped you in the past and how to
overcome it
* How you can quit smoking or chewing without feeling deprived
* Why cold turkey and hypnosis methods don’t work
* The real truth about stop smoking drugs such as Zyban,
Wellbutrin, Chantix/Champix
* That you don’t have to go through it alone!

The Free Class is a Bonus all on its own!

Spread the word about this opportunity.

Here’s more information about the classes to share with smokers:

Get gifts for just attending a free sample lesson.
Sometimes The hardest part of stopping smoking is
the first step!

So we want to give you some incentives.
And now here’s an opportunity for a wonderful week on a houseboat!

===>>> http://budurl.com/lela

Teleclasses are held worldwide. There will be lots of free classes
scheduled at many different times to make it convenient
for smokers to attend.

Here is the Nicotine Solutions July Class schedule:

Tuesday July 21
3 pm Eastern/ 12 pm Pacific
6 pm Eastern / 3 pm Pacific
8 pm Eastern/ 5 pm Pacific

Thursday July 23
6 pm Eastern/3 pm Pacific
10 pm Eastern/ 7 pm Pacific

Monday July 27
5 pm Eastern/2 pm Pacific
7 pm Eastern/ 4 pm Pacific
10 pm Eastern/ 7 pm Pacific

Thursday July 30
8 pm Eastern/ 5 pm Pacific
11 pm Eastern/ 8 pm Pacific

**Only for July — every smoker who attends a preview is put into a
drawing for a 7-day stay on a houseboat in the San Francisco Bay, CA.
Drawing will be held on July 31. And if you refer a smoker, you will
also have a chance in the drawing.

Classes will be held over the phone and smokers
will call into a number. Some of the international
calls will be held on SKYPE and the instructor will
call everyone’s SKYPE number or telephone!

Sign up here for gifts for you and for the smoker you send to the
gift class:

===>>> http://budurl.com/lela

Cross your fingers for winning the week on the houseboat!
And share this opportunity with someone you love.

Hudson Valley Club Sandwich

Yesterday was a really hot day in Phoenix.  I made the decision to stay home and enjoy the cool house…

I particularly love weekends because I am on an electric plan that gives me power for 1/3 the cost Saturday and Sunday (and after 9 pm weekdays)….

In planning my Sunday,  I had one of my activities listed as 30 minutes magazine time!  I find myself getting magazines and planning to read them and not getting around to it.

My choice to read was the new O magazine and I was captivated by her collection of Real Food recipes.  I love cooking healthy food and buying great produce.  Don’t have my own garden as Oprah does, but think of my time at Sprouts as picking my veggies!

The Hudson Vally Sandwich caught my attention and then I kept on reading some of the other recipes.

Rustic Fruit Tart

The Rustic Fruit Tart looks very enticing and with all the fruit in season now, it’s one I want to try out.  I’ll be in Washington state before long and that is the berry capital of the world!!

On Oprah.com you can find all of the recipes featured in the article.
http://www.oprah.com/menu/omagazine/recipes/200908-omag-real-food

You’ve probably been hearing how powerful a blog can be in getting your message out to a far reaching audience.  Blogs are timely, interactive, and engaging.  I love the dialogue created with having readers leave their comments.

If you would like to dive into learning all the in’s and out’s of blogging and creating a site, you might be interested in joining her program starting in August.  The price is ridiculously low at $97,  especially since it includes a one hour session with Bea as well as 12-2-hour webinars,  audio and web recordings, comprehensive notes and resources.

I’ve signed up with her even lower special rate for those who are taking the course a second time.  There is always so much more to learn about promoting your blog and getting good media coverage.

Bea Fields

If you have an interest in moving forward in blogging, you really should check out this program.   I just can not believe how much I have learned and how much more I still have to absorb and implement from all that Bea has presented!  …and I’m not kidding….the price for the entire program is REALLY only $97!    I thought there was a misprint when I read the cost!

http://budurl.com/BloggingBea

My Dad two months before he died, 1998

I knew it would probably happen.

Somehow I didn’t think it would really happen with MY Mom though.

And it was Father’s Day…

Mom has had Alzheimer’s Disease for over 3 years and has lived in the Alzheimer’s Care Center in Royal Oaks Life Care Community since July of 2006.

Mom still gets around with a walker for short distances, but when I take her for an extended walk, we use a wheelchair.

During our usual wheelchair walk outside and in other areas of the Care Center, we passed by a bronze plaque honoring my Dad for his work in the renovation of the Care Center where Mom lives.

Dad died in 1998, after a painful journey with cancer that lasted about 9 months.  I talked with Mom about the plaque and she looked at it.     She looked at me and got out the words, “Do you know him?”

I answered yes and said that he was my Dad and was her husband for 66 years.  She didn’t respond to that.  I didn’t question her anymore about what she remembered.  If the memory is gone,  it is just upsetting to press the issue.

I know even before Mom has Alzheimer’s, she shared with me something she learned in training she had taken as a volunteer going into the Alzheimer’s Care Center.  Never ask an Alzheimer’s patient, ” Do you remember when….?”   Much better to just talk about something or somebody and if there is remembrance of that, you’ll know by the patient’s response.  When the person does not know the answer, it is just disturbing to them when asked over and over.

It’s important to be cognizant of the language we use so that communication can be as positive as possible.

Father’s Day and their anniversary sometimes hit on the same day, June 18. Mom worshiped my Dad.  She was always so proud of all that he accomplished during his working days as a metallurgical engineer in management of steel companies.

After retirement he was President of the Board at the Royal Life Care Community where they lived in a beautiful garden home for many years.  Mom now lives in the Alzheimer’s center there.  We moved her there three years ago after she was no longer able to live on her own.

Mom has been nearly nonverbal for quite some time now.  Yesterday she actually spoke a bit more than usual.  It’s always sketchy communication and she often tries to speak and can’t get out the words.

So it has been difficult to know just how much she is understanding and remembering.  With this experience with communicating about my Dad, I became painfully aware of the truth of her condition at this point.

Yes, Mom is still a beautiful human being, enjoying her limited food choices.  And has a special affinity for ice cream with chocolate sauce.  There was one visit that her only verbalization was ice cream.  Another time, it was chocolate.  She still is able to express just enough to get the important things in life!!

If you or someone you know has a loved one with Alzheimer’s, let them know that we have a fr.ee monthly call to gather together on a teleconference line and communicate with others going through similar experiences.  It’s helpful to know you are not alone in this journey.

Our next call is July 13, 2009 at 6:30 Pacific/9:30 Eastern time.

Register now to get all the information about connecting to the call.

Go to     http://www.AlzheimersintheFamily.com/

A recent NY Times article focuses on a group of women in their 90s that play bridge with each other regularly. Researchers believe there are a couple of components to longevity – social interaction and using the mind. The game of bridge has both. My mother who is 95 pointed out the article to me. Of course she plays bridge (4 times a week) and loves it.

Similarly when you are managing your career, you want to make sure to have lots of social interactions with like minded people (networking) and you also want to challenge your mind in way that helps you to grow intellectually in your chosen profession or occupation. Meaningful work is work that enables you to grow both intellectually and interpersonally. Here are 10 Tips that will put you on the road to a long life and grow your career at the same time!

1. Read current periodicals in your profession or occupation. To stay current in your profession or occupation read the journals, newsletters and magazines that are thought to be important in your profession or occupation. You may not have time to read the periodical from cover to cover but you can scan the table of contents to pick the one or two articles that are most pertinent to you.
2. Know the hot topics in your profession or occupation. Use Google Alerts to bring you information daily on those hot topics. What are the buzz words that everyone is using? Start to form your own opinion about the trends you see in the industry.
3. Read books related to your field. Identify the thought leaders in your particular field and read the books that they write. If you see a new trend on the horizon explore it and read books related to it.
4. Read books and periodicals in other areas too. Look for ways to integrate your field to another area and read up on that area too. Try to develop a unique perspective or expertise so that you can distinguish yourself from others in your field.
5. Write articles and/or speak at meetings. Speak and write about current topics in your field where you have developed an expertise. Get known by others in your field and related fields. Become known as a thought leader.
6. Use social networks to expose people to you and your ideas. Write articles for your blog. Comment on someone else’s blog. Answer questions that others ask online. Share your expertise with others online through a newsletter, blog or postings to Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.
7. Don’t stay behind the computer or books and magazines. Get out and socialize! Join business groups, mentoring circles, and professional associations to meet people with common interests. Go to or invite others to a Tweetup. (Gathering of 2 or more people who know each other through Twitter)
8. Start a group of your own. Start a business book club where you read the latest business books and get together to discuss them. Are there several people in your networking sphere that have something in common? Working mothers perhaps who want to share time management ideas for example. Socializing for business purposes should be fun and useful.
9. If groups are hard for you, have coffee with a colleague instead. Try meeting someone new every week at work. If you work in a small office where you know everyone, find a new person in your building or in another office that does work you are curious about. Expand your network with both mental and social growth in mind. Spend time with people from whom you can learn and grow.
10. Pay it forward. Be open to helping others. When you begin to build relationships with others, start by helping people get what they want. To do this you could introduce them to someone they are interested in meeting, you could provide them with information they ask about, or you could refer a potential client or referrer to them. It is said that you have to give to get so begin by giving. You can read the New York Times article here.

Learn more about Alvah Parker and her practice and receive more of her articles at http://www.asparker.com

Check out the video from the New York Times here:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/playlist/health/1194811622283/index.html#1194840414235

What research is now showing us has caused scientists to change their approach to Alzheimer’s disease. Early detection is of huge importance in making a difference to the Alzheimer’s patient.

By the time a person shows the classic Alzheimer’s symptoms and can be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, nerve cells in the memory processing areas, the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus are virtually gone. Replacing lost nerve cells in a person with established Alzheimer’s is nearly impossible. Stem cell therapies could be helpful, but are not available at this time.

Emphasis is now turning to identifying those people who are only mildly cognitively affected or healthy people who are at risk for Alzheimer’s.

There are three tools available for identifying at-risk people: neuropsychological evaluation, imaging of the brain and identification of markers of Alzheimer’s disease in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Marilyn Albert, a professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University, is an expert on studying presymptomatic people. She suggests the following sequence of action for obtaining new data for treatment of the disease. Neuropsychological testing and imaging of amyloid can identify people who have mild memory impairment. Monitoring of any changes in cognitive testing, imaging of brain volumes and markers in CSF Subsequent will give indications if the disease is progressing. A selected group of those at risk can be used to evaluate potential drugs to modify Alzheimer’s disease when it is still possible to change the course of the disease.

Read the full article here by Guy McKhann Brain in the News

Tonight’s the night for the first of free monthly Gathering Calls for women who have a parent with Alzheimer’s.

Call starts at 6:30 PT/ 9:30 ET.

There are so many issues that these women face when they realize their parent is developing symptoms that make it impossible for them to remain as independent adults.

This is a time to learn, support each other, and brainstorm ways to handle all the many responsibilities women have in their personal and professional lives.

Register for the call here:
http://budurl.com/alzcall

Here is a collection of ten suggestions.
Thank you to all of you women who shared what you do.

I’d also love to hear what YOU do to keep your brain sharp and creative!

1. Walking in a park while just being one with nature and staying in the present moment- help me to think clearly. My best ideas just come to me as I’m walking. Another method I use is alternate nostril breathing. This really helps me to think more creatively.

Diana McCray
www.dancingtowellness.com

2. I think regular exercise in aerobics classes that force me to follow directions is my key to staying clear and creative. When I am especially muddled I either move my body or write out whatever thoughts are running through my mind.

Laurie Weiss, Ph.D., MCC
Business Communication: Http://www.DareToSayIt.com/blog
Relationships: http://www.RelationshipHQ.com/blog
Personal Development: http://www.idontneedtherapy.com/blog

3. Here is my best way for me to stay sane!
The strategy that works the best and the quickest for me is to take a walk outside in nature. If I am feeling stuck or challenged mentally, I will go outside and walk and connect to nature and say a walking prayer… letting everything go or turning everything over to the Universe/God/Allah to work on it for me. I also like to t get a good ole magazine (Oprah or MORE) and sit outdoors in the sun till my my mood shifts. For me, it is more about getting out of my own way and “checking out” for a bit rather than trying to do therapy on myself and figure out what is wrong with me. The more that I don’t force things to change and am able to “let go”, the faster I can get into being creative again. In fact, I think I will go do that now! :>)

Sheri Rowland, MA
www.HavingTheTimeOfMyLifeNowBlog.com

4. I use Meditation, Pranayama Breathing, walking 3-5 miles 6 times a week, and playing musical instruments (piano, guitar and harmonica)

My mother-in-law does genealogy (using the computer) to stay sharp at age 76.

My husband reads

Joan Ketels
http://beingofsoundspirit.com/blog/

5. My favorite strategy is 5-10 minutes of a practice called
Shiva Nata. http://bit.ly/dos-hav

I also like taking gardening breaks, making discrete decisions about what I am going to do, when, and for how long, and sudoku.

Molly Gordon
http://www.shaboominc.com/blog

6. Thanks for inviting me to participate. The timing of your request is right on as the New York Times had a front-page story yesterday http://bit.ly/rBfWt “At the Bridge Table, Clues to a Lucid Old Age.”
It details a study that shows that playing bridge and other games keeps minds sharp well into your 80s and 90s. I play bridge and it is an important part of my self care because it transports me to a world with a different population than my professional community. Bridge does keep you mentally sharp and, as the article points out, the socialization is just as important. I think always trying to learn something new (like how to create a blog!) is also mentally stimulating and carries over into all the activities of daily living.

Jeannette Paladino
http://writespeaksell.com/blog/

7. The most important part of my day is the time I spend in early morning sitting meditation. That may sound strange as an entrepreneurial habit, but from that place of quietness and reflection I gain insight, clarity, calmness, and focus. Many clients tell me I have the ability to focus quickly and succinctly on their business issues, to see the bottom place and help them move to and through that place with ease. I know that my morning practice has given me this skill, and I’m grateful that I can use it both for myself and in service to others. I bet that anyone’s business and personal mental status can see beneficial changes from a morning practice that fits the person, and includes quiet and reflective times.

Sue Painter
http://confidentmarketer.com/site/blog/

8. For me that is a two-part question. To stay grounded and access my intuition and creativity, I take a morning walk with my dog and use that time to remind myself of everything I am grateful for. To keep my mind sharp I carry a book of Sudoku (numbers) and whenever I am waiting for someone anywhere I work on one.

Dr. Jackie Black
www.AskDrJackie.com

9. I do many things that focus on self care. I start the day with a short Yoga routine, and if time a meditation for 20 minutes. I end the day with a longer yoga routine. During the day, at least 5 times a week I do either aerobic or strength training for at least a half an hour at a gym that is close by. I also eat organic foods, take vitamins, and eat several small meals a day. And I think quite important is that I started recently to drink half my weight in filtered water a day in ounces (you divide your body weight by 2, and then drink that many ozs a day).

Sharon Mulgrew, M.P.H.
Blog: Plays Well with Others www.sharonmulgrew.com

10. For keeping myself mentally sharp and creative, I choose physical exercise such as walking, kick boxing, yoga, salsa and zumba, aqua aerobics, and using the elliptical and other fitness machines. It sharpens my focus and also takes me out of my head and into my body, allowing my creativity to flow through me. In addition, I choose the best fresh fruits and vegetables and appropriate supplements.

Suzanne Holman, MAEd
http://www.AlzheimersintheFamily.com

There’s probably no better support for a woman who has a parent with Alzheimer’s than to connect with others in the same situation.

No one else can really understand just how difficult it can be to see a parent go through such drastic mental and physical changes.

I’ve created the monthly calls so that women can come together from anywhere in the world to share and support each other. These calls are my gift to this community. They are scheduled for the second Monday of each month.

Sign up to receive the call information.

She has lectured across America teaching healthcare professionals to have integrity, compassion and to improve end-of-life care. She created a nationally distributed program, “Improving the Geriatric Patient’s Medical Experience” video.

In our interview we talked about the difficult transition that adult children have when they are faced with the reality that their parent has Alzheimer’s Disease.

We discussed ways that make the transition less difficult and how getting support both personally and professionally can make a huge difference in keeping up with multiple responsibilities.

Viki Kind

You can access all of Viki Kind’s shows on BlogTalk Radio.

I receive a weekly newsletter, Brain In The News from Dr. Daniel G. Amen, AmenClinic.com.

This information was particularly interesting so I thought I would include some of it here for you.

Quoting from the newsletter:
Here are some tips to help you stay vital into your senior years. Preventing Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of memory loss requires self love (I deserve to be healthy), a well-researched scientific plan (something that will actually work), and a good prefrontal cortex so that you will follow through on the plan.

Step 1. Know and reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

Step 2. Reduce Your Risk.

Step 3. Keep your body and brain active

Physical and mental exercise is the best way to keep your brain young. Mental exercise helps the brain maintain and make new connections. Physical exercise boosts blood flow to the brain, improves oxygen supply and helps the brain use glucose more efficiency and helps protect the brain from molecules that hurt it, such as free radicals.

Step 4. Take antioxidants and supplements

Step 5. Eat to Live Long

You are what you eat. Many people are not aware of the fact that all of your cells make themselves new every 5 months. Food is a drug; intuitively we all know this fact. If you have three donuts for breakfast, how do you feel 30 minutes later? Blah! If you have a large plate of pasta for lunch, how do you feel at 2PM? Blah! The right diet helps you feel good. The wrong diet makes you feel bad. Diet is an extremely important prevention strategy.

The best diet is one that is low in calories (calorie restriction is associated with longevity), high in omega three fatty acids (fish, fish oil, walnuts and avocados), antioxidants (vegetables). The best antioxidant fruits and vegetables according to the US Department of Agriculture include:

Prunes
Raisins
Blueberries
Blackberries
Cranberries
Strawberries
Spinach
Raspberries
Brussel sprouts
Plums
Broccoli
Beets
Avocados
Oranges
Red grapes
Red bell peppers
Cherries
Kiwis

A lot of the intensity comes from our wanting it to be different…
make it go away….
make it right for our parent….

In a recent talk at Unity of Phoenix, Richard Maraj shared thoughts about the Eagles song from 1972 and how it relates to stress. As he spoke, I found myself relating everything to the experiences one has when a parent is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

He reminded us of the research of Hans Selye, the Canadian endocrinologist who developed the stress scale. It is both the events and our attitude about the events that cause our stress.

60 – 90% of all illness is caused by stress.

Taking it easy isn’t all that simple.
And acceptance is key to living with Alzheimer’s disease in the family with any degree of sanity.

…as the song goes….

“Take it easy……Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy….

“Lighten up while you still can….don’t even try to understand…”

How many times have you had the same thought in your mind and it goes round and round and round? This “monkey mind” just creates more of the chaos that you are already experiencing.

As we allow ourselves to renew…to move to a place of peace, we can begin to see new ways of looking at a situation….

With Alzheimer’s Disease, there is a need to let go of the parent we have always known and be open to loving this different person..not an easy process.

Holding on to and trying to make this person still be the parent we once knew is what can make this oh so painful.

“Be still and know that I am God”…. Breathing in and breathing out…
God is peace. I am peace.
God is love. I am love.
God is joy. I am joy.

“Come to peace with what is…”
Trust and let go of the need to control what we can not control.

“Just find your place and take your stand…”
What intention – stand do you want to take?
What qualities will you embody?

When you are faced with numerous family and professional responsibilities in addition to caring for your parent, it is critical to get clear on what you need to do for yourself to stay healthy and vibrant.

Set some intentions as to how you will communicate with others to create a team rather than having you be the solo player.

Know the boundaries that are important to keeping yourself from taking on too much.

Find some support for yourself, both personally and in your business.

“Take it easy……Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy….

“Lighten up while you still can….don’t even try to understand…”

“Come to peace with what is…”

“Just find your place and take your stand…”

Thanks, Eagles, for a beautiful song.
Thank you, Richard Maraz, for your wonderful talk at Unity of Phoenix.

Keeping the refrigerator stocked for healthy eating!
Here are some ways I make life easier and my meals healthier and even save some $:

1. Vegetables:

I buy large bags of frozen organic beans and mixed vegetables to have in the freezer ready for times that I am out of fresh veggies.

Check for specials in the grocery ad and choose those vegetables that are featured that week. You’ll have variety week to week and generally these are fresher because of the turnover of lots of people buying the specials.

Garlic and onions keep pretty well if they are kept dry. I keep them in an open bowl.

2. Meats:

I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts when they are featured at a special price and package them in sandwich baggies… one or two to a baggie. Costco actually has their chicken already in individual plastic. These keep well in the freezer. It is a good idea to put the bagged chicken breasts in a second plastsic bag to prevent freezer burn. You should mark with a permanent marker so you use them up in the order you buy them.

Safety tip: Never use a wooden cutting board for cutting raw meats. It is very difficult to get all of the meat out of the wood. There is danger of salmonella or ecoli from raw meat. Using a plastic board that can be washed in the dishwasher or thoroughly in soapy water, you will be avoiding this risk.

When lean ground beef is on sale, I buy it in quantity and make hamburger patties and freeze in sandwich bags. Again, mark with the date and put the small bags into a larger plastic bag.
Sometimes I cook a couple of pounds of lean ground beef with chopped onions and garlic until brown. I package this mixture in plastic containers, ready to thaw and use for tacos, in omelets…anyway you’d like. It’s great not to have to make the mess again…quick and easy!

If you like meatloaf, you can use some of the ground beef to make meatloaf. Sometime I’ll post a good meatloaf recipe. These can be frozen and are ready to pull out and bake.

Shrimp is reasonably priced in the large bag at Costco. It is easy to take out a few at a time to thaw and use.

Turkey meatballs are also sold in a large bag. I take out a few, cook for a while in a non stick skillet and add some tomato sauce for use with pasta or with some zucchini.

Salmon is sometimes sold as a whole fish. You can buy it this way and cut it into individual portions and freeze them in baggies.

3. Breads

I have discovered wonderful whole wheat kaiser rolls that are perfect for burgers or chicken sandwiches. They have fewer carbs or calories than having a normal bun or two pieces of bread. I cut a center slit before freezing so that they are ready to be pulled out, thawed for a little while and filled with yummy stuff!

Any bread without preservatives needs to be frozen to avoid mold… at least in Phoenix this is true!

These tips are GREAT for cooking for one or two, but are also perfect for having family meals ready to go.

About the ADEAR Center

The U.S. Congress created the Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral (ADEAR) Center in 1990 to “compile, archive, and disseminate information concerning Alzheimer’s disease” for health professionals, people with AD and their families, and the public. The ADEAR Center is operated as a service of the National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the Federal Government’s National Institutes of Health and part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NIA conducts and supports research about health issues for older people, and is the primary Federal agency for Alzheimer’s disease research.

As a public, U.S. Government-funded resource, the ADEAR Center strives to be a current, comprehensive, unbiased source of information about AD. All our information and materials about the search for causes, treatment, cures, and better diagnostic tools are carefully researched and thoroughly reviewed by NIA scientists and health communicators for accuracy and integrity. Individuals and organizations can make donations to the National Institute on Aging to be used specifically for Alzheimer’s disease research and educational activities. For more information about how and where to send donations, please click here.
Our Services

The ADEAR Center has a staff of Information Specialists available to assist you with:

* Answers to your specific questions about AD
* Free publications about AD symptoms, diagnosis, related disorders, risk factors, treatment, caregiving tips, home safety tips, and research
* Referrals to local supportive services and AD Centers that specialize in research and diagnosis
* Spanish language resources
* Clinical trials information
* Literature database searches for further research and reading
* Training materials, guidelines, and a newsletter for health care and caregiving professionals

As part of its public education effort, the Alzheimer’s Association has worked with a wide range group of experts to update its 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s to make them more current and user-friendly.

The comprehensive review process included feedback from health professionals, clinicians, scientists and people with dementia.

Early detection, diagnosis and intervention are vital because they provide individuals the best opportunities for treatment, support and planning for their future.

Here are the 10 signs:
1. Memory changes that disrupt daily life
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
4. Confusion with time or place
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
8. Decreased or poor judgment
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
10. Changes in mood and personality

Here is a link to a full description and checklist of the 10 signs:
===>> http://www.alz.org/national/documents/checklist_10signs.pdf

Below is a clip from today’s CBS Morning Show, an interview talking about the campaign.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Today there were several incidents that were a bit disturbing to me.
I decided to record my thoughts in this short 6 minute audio rather than writing about the day.

Thanks for taking the time to listen to my little audio diary from my visit to see Mom in the Care Center today.  Have a great week!

If you wait until you feel thirsty to have a drink, you are already dehydrated. It is essential to drink often throughout the day. When it is very warm or when you are perspiring, you need to be particularly careful. Living in Phoenix, this is critical. Many people who move here and do not make it a point to drink enough develop kidney stones. If this is occurring, that means the brain has been severely deprived of its required hydration.

To get the optimum function of the brain, it just has to have enough water. When there’s Alzheimer’s in the family, this is one area where we need to give our attention.

For good hydration, it’s important to have drinks that do not have caffeine. And it’s easy to choose drinks that are heavily laden with sugar. Sure, water is the best choice, but it can get monotonous.

I’ve developed a number of drinks that do not have sugar or caffeine. These have helped me stay fully hydrated and refreshed.

I’ve always enjoyed the drinks in glass bottles like Snapple or Arizona Ice Tea or Fuze drinks. There’s something about that really cold bottle and chilled drink that makes them special.

The problem is that there are not any drinks that I have found in glass bottles that are sweetened with Stevia, the only natural artificial sweetener. It is actually made from the Stevia plant.

So in order to have that cold bottle/chilled drink effect, I save the glass drink bottles and wash in the dishwasher. I wash the caps by hand so they do not rust.

I created this combination as an alternative to water that is not sugar sweetened or artificially sweetened.

I enjoy having the fresh squeezed lemon juice.
When the fresh juice is not readily available, I use unsweetened Kool-Aid lemonade packets.

Black Currant Lemonade

Juice of 2 lemons or 1 packet Kool-Aid lemonade
three droppers of liquid Stevia (available at Sprouts or health food stores)
2 quarts of water
1-2 cups of unsweetened Black Currant juice

(Other juices I use are Just Cranberry, Just Pomegranate, Just Raspberry.
I get my juices at Trader Joes or Sprouts. They have no added sweetener.)

Fill recycled glass drink bottles and refrigerate.
Enjoy a wonderfully chilled, refreshing and healthy beverage!

58% of the grandparents in the U.S. are boomers.
That’s 27 million boomer grandparents.

Boomer grandparents may live close by, but more likely they live at a distance. Instead of the family all going to grandmother’s house as in the old days, it’s more often the case of grandparents traveling to their families. With long distances to consider, it makes more sense most of the time for the grandparents to be the ones traveling.

And then, it’s likely that the boomers’ parents may live at a distance as well. That can be a lot of bouncing around trying to keep up with everyone in the family. Working full time either in an employed sense or as a business owner is another huge demand on the boomer grandparent.

Boomer grandmothers may enjoy reading stories written by 27 grandmothers, exploring grandmotherly emotions and experiences.

Barbara Graham: Eye of My Heart: 27 Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother

Have you had the feeling that you are not remembering things well anymore? I know I have.

And now there is a study showing that when we worry about aging and losing our memory, we actually do have memory problems.

AND those with more education showed the greatest effect on their performance on memory tests when they are worried. This is probably because those with more education place a higher value on their cognitive processes and therefore are more concerned and perform at a lower level. These were tasks in math and memorization.

For the testing, participants were told they were being tested to see how they did as compared to younger people. This created a psychological “threat” creating the worry state.

In a study at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, psychology professor Tom Hess and his team found that worrying about aging and memory loss can actually become a “self-fulfilling prophecy.”

I know when I realized that Mom was having problems and was then diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I found myself not remembering things and overreacted to that, feeling as though I was right there on the path to AD myself. When there’s Alzheimer’s in the Family, it’s really important to be aware of this possibility. With the awareness, it’s easier to keep things in perspective as you support your parent in getting needed care.

Check out the article. Very interesting.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/DyeHard/Story?id=7453229&page=1

Quite a learning curve for me to do this! Lot of funny false starts! And I’ve got to figure out why the quality isn’t crisper. It’s a high quality Logitech recorder and should have higher resolution.

I’m so excited to share with you the program I am developing! I support business women in staying sane, healthy, and professional when they have a parent with Alzheimer’s disease.
I’m making it a priority right now to connect with many women who have been or are now faced with this challenge in their lives.

If that’s you, I would love to talk. I’m setting up 30 minute appointments so that we have time to share wisdom we’ve acquired through experience. Hopefully our time together will be a support to you as well as a wonderful resource for me.

Just click on this link to take you to the contact page. I’ll email you so we can set up an appointment to meet either by phone or in person. I live in Phoenix, Arizona.

I look forward to hearing about what you have experienced in having a parent with Alzheimer’s or what you’ve learned from others who have Alzheimer’s in the family.

Quite a learning curve for me to do this! Lot of funny false starts! And I’ve got to figure out why the quality isn’t crisper. It’s a high quality Logitech recorder and should have higher resolution.

I’m so excited to share with you the program I am developing! I support business women in staying sane, healthy, and professional when they have a parent with Alzheimer’s disease.
I’m making it a priority right now to connect with many women who have been or are now faced with this challenge in their lives.

If that’s you, I would love to talk. I’m setting up 30 minute appointments so that we have time to share wisdom we’ve acquired through experience. Hopefully our time together will be a support to you as well as a wonderful resource for me.

Just click on this link to take you to the contact page. I’ll email you so we can set up an appointment to meet either by phone or in person. I live in Phoenix, Arizona.

I look forward to hearing about what you have experienced in having a parent with Alzheimer’s or what you’ve learned from others who have Alzheimer’s in the family.

This situation with Alzheimer’s in the family is different from what my family has experienced. We have had the experience of taking Mom’s great grandchildren to the Care Center to visit her. It’s difficult for them to feel comfortable with her because of her lack of verbal skills, the unfamiliar environment, and Mom’s appearance that has changed so much. Even the anxiety of their parents, Mom’s grandchildren, is felt by the little ones. All of the great grandchildren are under 10 years old.

Family has always been top priority to Mom and she still shows a positive reaction to seeing the children. The great grandchildren live all over the U.S. All the families have made the effort to come to visit.

Something we did to help the children feel a bit more comfortable was to bring Mom out to a living room area in the Care Center that feels more like being in a home situation. It’s also important to plan so that someone can be with the children when the visit goes longer than they can tolerate. Short connection is the best. It’s difficult to keep the children with Mom for very long because of their discomfort and the sometimes intense stimuli for Mom.

… guilt of feeling you are not doing enough, guilt of not being able to do SOMETHING to take your parent out of this situation they would not want to be in, AND the supreme guilt of feeling it would be a blessing for your parent to die. Ouch! We can go back and forth with wanting them to be at peace and then feeling like a terrible child to want their parent dead.

Whew….I feel anxious even talking about that to you.

So, back to the exercise. What can you do to increase your stamina, stimulate your endorphins that contribute to a more positive emotional state, and alleviate your stress?

It depends on the amount of time and freedom you have to take time for physical movement. You can do various exercise routines in your own home. With the multitude of DVD’s available for many types of exercise, you can work out when you have a small segment of time. And it’s not so important to have a huge amount of time in the exercise mode. What the latest research is showing is that short bursts of strenuous exercise are the most effective way of increasing your cardiovascular system and controlling or releasing weight.

If your schedule allows it, I highly recommend participating in organized workout classes at a physical facility. This gives you some social connection as well as a very energizing environment.

I’ve made my fitness a high priority the last few years. I’ve always enjoyed working out, but have amped it up as the stress and grief have been with me since Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

When there’s Alzheimer’s in the family, there is a cloud hanging over with everyone wondering what will happen next. Will the patient know us the next time we visit? Can we plan a vacation or do we feel as though at any time, we’ll need to be with our parent?

I’ve enjoyed Yoga and Platform Pilates, Exercise Ball classes, and weight machines and the elliptical previously at Bally’s… I combined this with Curves for awhile to incorporate a quick, mindless workout that I could fit in easily.

At the beginning of the year, I decided to join 24 Hour Fitness. Had a great deal buying a 2 year membership through Costco. I just happened to see an ad in their online mail and jumped at the opportunity. After joining, I learned that they had a New Member Challenge and signed up for that and looked at how I could earn points. I say I’m not a competitive person, but it seems when there is a challenge I do get engaged!

I saw that if I did 100 workouts in the 6 months, I could earn 2 extra points. In calculating all the points possible, I could see that I could qualify for a BodyBugg, a product by Apex that 24 Hr Fitness offers for sale from $199 – $249 if I earned the total possible points of 24. The BodyBugg allows you to easily keep track of calories burned. You wear it on your arm while working out or all through the day.

AND, I checked my records yesterday and see that I worked out over 100 days in the last four and a half months! I enjoy a variety of workouts from cardio in the water, Yoga, Zumba (great vigorous dance class), Turbo KickBox, the elliptical machine, weight-training machines, and Salsa Dance classes. I also enjoy being outdoors, whether walking around my neighborhood lake or hiking our urban mountains here in Phoenix.

Cross training is the very best way to develop fitness and a healthy Body Mass Index. I make a point of planning a variety of activities each week. One of the keys to staying on schedule is having all the proper clothes and equipment lined up. I use those canvas L.L.Bean bags to have everything ready to go for water work and yoga.

I can’t tell you how much this physical exercise has supported me in staying Sane, Healthy, and as a result more Professional! I highly recommend your finding some way of moving your body on a regular basis. You’ll survive the marathon of having Alzheimer’s in the family and even thrive in the midst of a challenging situation.

I thought I’d share a fr*ee resource for you to learn more about internet marketing.

4,000 people who signed up for Ali Brown’s free teleclass called “Ali’s Top 10 Recommendations to Kick-Up Your Revenues This Summer!”

If you weren’t there, there’s still time for you to download the audio.

(But do it soon, as you only have a few days before the audio is coming down.)

Ali always shares so much valuable information, even on her fr*ee calls! I admire all that she has accomplished and learn so much from her every time she teaches.

Check it out. I’m sure you’ll find that you’ll learn something!

I thought I’d share a fr*ee resource for you to learn more about internet marketing.

4,000 people who signed up for Ali Brown’s free teleclass called “Ali’s Top 10 Recommendations to Kick-Up Your Revenues This Summer!”

If you weren’t there, there’s still time for you to download the audio.

(But do it soon, as you only have a few days before the audio is coming down.)

Ali always shares so much valuable information, even on her fr*ee calls! I admire all that she has accomplished and learn so much from her every time she teaches.

Check it out. I’m sure you’ll find that you’ll learn something!

It was fascinating to see Meredith’s mom, once an extremely talented physician, with the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s. This brought so much attention to the disease and that it could affect younger people than we usually expect to have Alzheimer’s.

More than 200,000 Americans are living with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease, meaning they have been diagnosed under the age of 65. Alzheimer’s is not just a disease that affects “old people.” Today, we have the ability to diagnose people in their 30s, 40s and 50s — giving them time to plan for the future and begin drug therapy. Learn how to recognize the signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

In this instance, the fictional world of television has only emphasized what is fact: Alzheimer’s is a public health threat that must be stopped.

http://www.alz.org/Meredith_and_Derek/

It was fascinating to see Meredith’s mom, once an extremely talented physician, with the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s. This brought so much attention to the disease and that it could affect younger people than we usually expect to have Alzheimer’s.

More than 200,000 Americans are living with younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease, meaning they have been diagnosed under the age of 65. Alzheimer’s is not just a disease that affects “old people.” Today, we have the ability to diagnose people in their 30s, 40s and 50s — giving them time to plan for the future and begin drug therapy. Learn how to recognize the signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

In this instance, the fictional world of television has only emphasized what is fact: Alzheimer’s is a public health threat that must be stopped.

http://www.alz.org/Meredith_and_Derek/

Most mornings I throw together one of these super nutritious, refreshing drinks.
I know that I’ve gotten my day off to a great start without a lot of preparation.

Ingredients:

2 or more cups of spinach
1 1/2 cups water
about a square inch of fresh ginger, peeled
1 Tablespoon of Flax Oil
2 level scoops of Aria (powdered supplement of blended soy and whey protein)
1/2 scoop of BerrySplash, mixed berry powdered drink mix with Acai Berry
1 Tablespoon of L-Glutamine Amino Acid
1 scoop of Green Defense, super green foods powder

Directions:

Put spinach and chopped, peeled ginger into the blender.
Pout in the water.
Cover the blender.
Blend on high until the spinach and ginger are liquefied.
Add Flax Oil, Aria, BerrySplash, L-Glutamine, and Green Defense
Blend in 2 or 3 ice cubes…more if you want your drink more frozen

This is a way of getting mega nutrients into your body to support you when you are going through stressful times such as having Alzheimer’s in the Family with a parent or other loved one with the disease. I won’t go into all the amazing benefits of the ingredients right now. Another time I’ll talk about that.

It’s important to have equipment that makes creating the smoothie effortless.
I use an Osterizer blender. What I have now is their 12-speed blender. This is an amazingly powerful blender. I’ve been doing daily shakes with this one for several years and it is still going strong. I have noticed that the bottom of the glass container where the mechanism is may be leaking….wearing out a bit. Rather than checking into getting a new part….usually a tedious process, I am purchasing a new one….

I’ve chosen the Osterizer 14-speed blender. The 12-speed doesn’t seem to be readily available. I’m confident that this one will be as good…and even better than the 12-speed. I found it online at walmart.com. It came up on Google and the price is incredible…$24.88 and is available with their Site to Store with no shipping.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3946735

When you compare this blender to various prestige ones on the the web costing hundreds of dollar, I recommend this one. I’ve been very satisfied with the performance and durability. Other typical blenders just don’t handle this type of blending job as well. Having the glass container is a plus also.

I met Bert and his wife at Jack Canfield’s Breakthrough to Success Workshop in Scottsdale last summer.

I can’t insert the PDF newsletter so I’ll include the text here so you can also benefit from this information about sleep deprivation.

Is Your Work Causing Sleep Deprivation?
7 Possible Ways

Do you feel drowsy during the day or evening?
Is tiredness affecting your daily activities on a regular basis?
Do you fall asleep often when you sit down to relax?
Are you irritable with others around you?

If you answer yes to a couple of these, most likely you are sleep deprived.

LONG WORK HOURS

Staying at work way beyond the normal eight hours is the biggest determinant of how much sleep Americans get in a typical day. Overtime is a common occurrence in many industries. In the culture of many organizations, to work just eight hours could actually be considered skipping out early. Mathias Basner, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine studied 47,731 Americans. He found that those who worked longer hours found time for other activities by shortening their sleep hours.

INSOMNIA CAUSED BY WORRY

When you have concerns on your mind about work, it can be difficult to sleep at night. In order to combat this sleeplessness, many people have an alcoholic drink or take sleeping medicines to fall asleep. The problem with these is that you have lighter sleep and don’t have the REM phase of sleep that is so restorative to the brain.

SHIFT WORK

When you are working at times when you normally would be sleeping, you disrupt your circadian rhythm. This rhythm is the cycle your body repeats day after day. Shift work sleep disorder has effects very similar to jet lag. Shift work affects people in various industries: medicine, production lines, technology, telephone service reps, transportation. We also need light in our days to produce the melatonin needed for quality sleep. Having to sleep in the daytime when you are on a night shift deprives you of sunlight.

LONG COMMUTE

Travel time, including time sitting in traffic, can take up a large portion of your day. It could be considered one of the hidden costs to living out in the suburbs. To make up for the loss of those hours, it’s tempting to shorten sleep time. Fatigue caused by the lack of sleep can make the commute dangerous as well as stressful. Sleep-deprived drivers cause more than 100,000 automobile crashes a year (National Sleep Foundation).

LOGGING INTO YOUR OFFICE COMPUTER FROM HOME

What a wonderful technological advancement to be able to log into your work computer from home! Or is it? When does work stop and leisure begin? Working on your sofa with your laptop while trying to participate in family time is not effective for either activity. And how tempting it is to continue work in the quiet of the night to catch up on what you didn’t feel complete from your day! To transition from working at the computer to falling asleep can be difficult also, resulting in an even later start to sleep.

UNHEALTHY EATING

Working long hours and not taking breaks during the day can lead to too much time between food intake and poor food choices. Late business dinners or dinners with clients can mean a very full stomach when heading to bed. This can have an adverse effect on the quality of your sleep.

LACK OF EXERCISE

Exercise is often forgotten with not enough time or energy left over after work demands are met. And exercising too late in the evening can also make it difficult to get to sleep. Getting up early enough in the morning to exercise can be a real challenge when you do not have enough sleep during the night.

If some of these factors are influencing your sleep, you may want to look for solutions that can help you move toward taking better care of yourself. Over a period of time, the effects on you from sleep deprivation build up and can cause a multitude of physical, mental, and emotional problems.

If you have employees, be aware that these challenges to their sleep and other self-care can be very detrimental to their productivity and attendance on the job.

I loved how he connected James Taylor’s “Shower the People” to the many aspects of loving, feeling, and sharing those feelings.

As I listened I found myself seeing parallels with what I’ve learned from women who have Alzheimer’s in the family, whether a parent, spouse, or grandparent.

There are more songs and books about *love* than any other subject…not surprising!

Jesus showed us how to love…unconditionally love…

I was thinking about that in relationship to having a parent with Alzheimer’s.
Just as we love our infants unconditionally….just for being, it gets to that point when there is Alzheimer’s in the family. No longer is there much response from our parent to what we do or say.

And your parent may not even know who you are anymore…just some nice person who comes to visit.

It’s an opportunity to see how pure your love really is…
Are you OK with just “loving” on your parent, even when there doesn’t seem to be a positive response?

I am grateful that I truly do believe my Mom still knows me and she usually responds positively to loving touch and smiles. Sometimes not… I just never know from one visit to the next what to expect. I remember one day last year when I visited and she was sitting in the hall and never would wake up the entire time I was there…

She no longer even sits in the hall as far as I know… and I’ve learned to visit at lunch time when Mom is more alert. I usually sit with Mom while she eats and make certain that they bring her an ice cream sundae. She loves her ice cream!

…and back to James Taylor….
“Show them the way that you feel….”
Expressing your feelings is essential for a successful relationship. The number one reason for dissatisfaction in relationships is not sharing our feelings. We don’t tell the truth … and sometimes don’t even FEEL the truth of what is going inside us.

Jesus shared his emotions. Jesus wept. Jesus shared his up feelings, down feeling, angry feelings.

As children we learned that it was much easier and we felt more loved if we said what parents wanted to hear rather than what we were really feeling. Who wants to be the one who’s always in trouble for speaking up against their parents?

“You can run but you can’t hide”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjKnHAKtYFA&hl=en&fs=1]
Don’t you LOVE his amazing voice!
I have a special affinity for James Taylor.
His “Greatest Hits” CD was my first…a gift from my son, David.

Yes, you can run from your feelings but you can’t hide from them.
There are negative effects when we don’t notice and express our feelings.
Suppression of our feelings lowers our immune system.
Not sharing creates separation in relationships.

When a parent is getting older, not hearing well, or is in various stages of Alzheimer’s or some other dementia…
After asking over and over again for someone to repeat what they’ve said, you’ll see some older people start faking that they’ve heard what was said.

Or parents may hide from their children that they are really struggling with keeping up with all the details of their home and life. They feel their children are too busy…don’t need to hear about their problems. And parents don’t want to lose their independence. If their children think they are not able to be on their own, they’ll lose the joy of having their own home and life.

I even saw a story on TV of many homeless people living in tents. People who found themselves without the funds to support a home after losing their jobs…
One couple was talking to the reporter saying they had not told their children…were ashamed to be in the situation….

Think of what’s happening to our parents’ immune system when they are suppressing their feelings and not sharing their problems with their children…
We need to encourage our parents to share with us.

Gregg Bauer in Real Love says that when we are in fear we can’t even be honest with ourselves, much less with others.
With fear, we lie, attack, become a victim, cling, or run.
With love we feel, we’re honest, and we’re safe.
It all comes down to living in love or living in fear.
Only with honesty and sharing of feelings can there be “Real Love”.

Talk to your parent and express your love even if it seems there is no understanding of what you are saying. Just as small children pick up on emotion before they have understanding of language, the same is going on for your parent.

Share what you are going through with someone else who cares about you. Be honest with yourself about the multitude of emotions you are experiencing. It’s OK to have negative as well as positive feelings about all that is going on.

Yes, Shower the People….
with your love…
with your concerns…
with your joy…
with your sorrows…
Yes, Show them the way that you feel…

It’s for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. My Mom’s physician prescribed Aricept for Mom and that is a medication that has to be taken at very precise times.
With Mom’s condition at that time, we couldn’t trust that she would take any meds at a prescribed time. We employed one of the aides at the retirement community where she was living in an independent living garden home to come in at med times.

This seemed like a good solution for Mom to have the meds she needed to keep her symptoms from preventing her from living on her own.

However, Mom didn’t like having someone ring her doorbell when she was sleeping…and she was sleeping more and more.

That was over three years ago…
Mom’s behavior got more and more unlike her. Dishes piled up in the sink.
She wasn’t going to the retirement community dining room for her nightly meals as she always had.

I took her shopping and bought some frozen dinners. I wondered why she hadn’t been
eating those…only the pudding snacks and other snack foods. Mom also always loved making cappuccino from the dry mix.

I realized she had forgotten how to use the microwave oven that she had been using for many years.

I would go to visit her and find her sitting out on the little front porch in her nightgown. This is something she NEVER would have done previously.
She also wasn’t taking showers… Mom ALWAYS showered and washed her hair daily before.

So we did have to move her into the care center where she could receive the care and protection she needed. This is something she had seen happen with her younger sister and Mom said never to let that happen to her. She didn’t want to be sitting and sleeping and not knowing anyone or doing anything. When there is Alzheimer’s in the family, it was difficult not to see herself heading on the same path.

So Mom is still in the Care Center. She moved in July 14, 2006. It’s now April 25, 2009. I can’t believe she has been there so long.

They placed Mom on hospice several months ago, mostly because her weight had dropped so much as a result of her Alzheimer’s disease.

I’m curious how the Exelon medication would have worked.
Would she have been able to be on her own longer?

I am so grateful that there is a lot of research going on to uncover more of the mysteries of Alzheimer’s. Mom spoke with pride when they built a research facility right there in Sun City, Arizona that would be researching Alzheimer’s.

Mom had an amazing life. Dad died in April 1998. Mom was on her own for 8 years before needing to leave her home.

For many of those years I was very involved in getting her to doctor appointments and grocery and clothing shopping. When she was going through breast cancer, I was with her for the many appointments and surgery.

I feel as though I don’t really DO all that much for her now as compared to then. Her care is done by the staff at Royal Oaks Life Care Center. I am her advocate for good care and medical decisions. I am her loving daughter who visits her and takes her for walks outside in the wheelchair.

What is huge is that overshadowing feeling of concern and sadness for Mom and the kind of life she has now.

And guilt…is there something I should be doing for her?
Is there something I should have done differently?

There’s anxiety before each visit, wondering if she’ll speak at all that visit….whether she’ll know who I am….

And sadness as I leave…
Will she know me next time?
Will this be the last time I see her alive?

Every good bye is straight from my heart.
I never know if it will be my last.

It’s for mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. My Mom’s physician prescribed Aricept for Mom and that is a medication that has to be taken at very precise times.
With Mom’s condition at that time, we couldn’t trust that she would take any meds at a prescribed time. We employed one of the aides at the retirement community where she was living in an independent living garden home to come in at med times.

This seemed like a good solution for Mom to have the meds she needed to keep her symptoms from preventing her from living on her own.

However, Mom didn’t like having someone ring her doorbell when she was sleeping…and she was sleeping more and more.

That was over three years ago…
Mom’s behavior got more and more unlike her. Dishes piled up in the sink.
She wasn’t going to the retirement community dining room for her nightly meals as she always had.

I took her shopping and bought some frozen dinners. I wondered why she hadn’t been
eating those…only the pudding snacks and other snack foods. Mom also always loved making cappuccino from the dry mix.

I realized she had forgotten how to use the microwave oven that she had been using for many years.

I would go to visit her and find her sitting out on the little front porch in her nightgown. This is something she NEVER would have done previously.
She also wasn’t taking showers… Mom ALWAYS showered and washed her hair daily before.

So we did have to move her into the care center where she could receive the care and protection she needed. This is something she had seen happen with her younger sister and Mom said never to let that happen to her. She didn’t want to be sitting and sleeping and not knowing anyone or doing anything. When there is Alzheimer’s in the family, it was difficult not to see herself heading on the same path.

So Mom is still in the Care Center. She moved in July 14, 2006. It’s now April 25, 2009. I can’t believe she has been there so long.

They placed Mom on hospice several months ago, mostly because her weight had dropped so much as a result of her Alzheimer’s disease.

I’m curious how the Exelon medication would have worked.
Would she have been able to be on her own longer?

I am so grateful that there is a lot of research going on to uncover more of the mysteries of Alzheimer’s. Mom spoke with pride when they built a research facility right there in Sun City, Arizona that would be researching Alzheimer’s.

Mom had an amazing life. Dad died in April 1998. Mom was on her own for 8 years before needing to leave her home.

For many of those years I was very involved in getting her to doctor appointments and grocery and clothing shopping. When she was going through breast cancer, I was with her for the many appointments and surgery.

I feel as though I don’t really DO all that much for her now as compared to then. Her care is done by the staff at Royal Oaks Life Care Center. I am her advocate for good care and medical decisions. I am her loving daughter who visits her and takes her for walks outside in the wheelchair.

What is huge is that overshadowing feeling of concern and sadness for Mom and the kind of life she has now.

And guilt…is there something I should be doing for her?
Is there something I should have done differently?

There’s anxiety before each visit, wondering if she’ll speak at all that visit….whether she’ll know who I am….

And sadness as I leave…
Will she know me next time?
Will this be the last time I see her alive?

Every good bye is straight from my heart.
I never know if it will be my last.

Those times when I was to take her to the doctor’s and she was convinced that it was on a different day and would be waiting for me…calling me again and again, leaving me messages that she was waiting for me to get there….sigh..

Mom was always so precise with her punctuality…kept an accurate calendar and followed it precisely. Experiencing her frustration with her confusion was so painful.

I hate seeing Mom losing her once professional brain.

This is a photo of Mom just a few months before her Alzheimer’s diagnosis three years ago.

And when I couldn’t remember something, I was convinced I was losing my professional brain also.
With Alzheimer’s in the family, was I next?
I started to think I was headed down that road right along with her!

I even made an appointment with a neurologist…for ME….to see what he thought about my condition. He took me through some cognitive tests and informed me I scored higher than anyone else had scored…told me that it was the stress of the situation with my mom that was causing me to forget things. Having this Alzheimer’s support made a huge difference for me in relaxing about what I’d been feeling.

He reassured me that when Alzheimer’s comes along at an advanced age…after 80…that it is not as likely to be an inherited condition. It is early-onset Alzheimer’s that is passed on from generation to generation.

I hate that I sometimes have problems focusing on my work. It’s easy to let concerns and anxiety about what’s coming next cloud my clarity. It takes conscious effort of setting clear intentions and categorizing time segments.

I hate leaving Mom each time I visit her, wondering if she’ll know me the next time I see her.

I hate not being able to share my latest projects with Mom.

I hate seeing so many of Mom’s friends getting very frail and dying.

I hate seeing Mom’s eyes looking so lost and far away.

I hate losing my Mom.

Those times when I was to take her to the doctor’s and she was convinced that it was on a different day and would be waiting for me…calling me again and again, leaving me messages that she was waiting for me to get there….sigh..

Mom was always so precise with her punctuality…kept an accurate calendar and followed it precisely. Experiencing her frustration with her confusion was so painful.

I hate seeing Mom losing her once professional brain.

This is a photo of Mom just a few months before her Alzheimer’s diagnosis three years ago.

And when I couldn’t remember something, I was convinced I was losing my professional brain also.
With Alzheimer’s in the family, was I next?
I started to think I was headed down that road right along with her!

I even made an appointment with a neurologist…for ME….to see what he thought about my condition. He took me through some cognitive tests and informed me I scored higher than anyone else had scored…told me that it was the stress of the situation with my mom that was causing me to forget things. Having this Alzheimer’s support made a huge difference for me in relaxing about what I’d been feeling.

He reassured me that when Alzheimer’s comes along at an advanced age…after 80…that it is not as likely to be an inherited condition. It is early-onset Alzheimer’s that is passed on from generation to generation.

I hate that I sometimes have problems focusing on my work. It’s easy to let concerns and anxiety about what’s coming next cloud my clarity. It takes conscious effort of setting clear intentions and categorizing time segments.

I hate leaving Mom each time I visit her, wondering if she’ll know me the next time I see her.

I hate not being able to share my latest projects with Mom.

I hate seeing so many of Mom’s friends getting very frail and dying.

I hate seeing Mom’s eyes looking so lost and far away.

I hate losing my Mom.

Yes, we CAN work it out, but it is not always in the way we would choose.
We can set our sights on what we want to avoid…and what we feel we much have..

When we have Alzheimer’s in the family and see our parent slipping away from the person we knew them to be, it’s hard to see the good in that. And I have to admit, it’s been difficult for me. Alzheimer’s support is important for anyone whose parent is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

What I have experienced the last four years is a review of my life with my mom – the good, the bad, and the “ugly” as they say…

I’ve thought about things I wasn’t all that happy about with our relationship and have been able to let them go… I see Mom now in a very different way…not in the mom role anymore….and it allows me to accept her as just a human being. All that I experienced with her was just my mom doing the best that she could with what she knew at the time and with her own life experiences.

And what I really love is the rich appreciation I’m feeling for all that has been amazing about my Mom. Remembering how she was so up on what was going on…
Seeing myself back at those great holiday celebrations that we always had…special birthday parties, festive Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.

Mom always created wonderful food and a beautiful home….

It’s given me a rich, positive position about my childhood.

Often we affirm the negative, project the worst, and narrow our focus to fear…
“If this doesn’t happen…I’ll never be happy again!”

We can not control what results may happen in our life.
Sometimes what comes about is better than we ever expected…
And sometimes we see things happening that seem so wrong and later turn out to have a very positive result.

What we do have the power to do is create our own inner environment.

Unlike indigenous plants that can thrive only in their native environment, we are instead endogenous…meaning that we grow from within and can thrive anywhere.
When we remember that, it’s easier to move forward and see the positive around us.

As the Beatles sang it all so wisely:

Life is very short and there’s no time for fussy and fighting….

Take time to be grateful…
Take time to receive…
Take time to love…

Love Can Change Your Life! by Morgine Jurdan

My entire body tingled as I awoke, snuggled in crisp clean sheets, warmed by the sunlight kissing my skin. It was as if several hundred pounds of emotional excess has been released from my life these days! No more endless processes, books and courses attempting to change myself any more! I am free at last, bathing in the simplicity of Love!

Thinking I knew what love was, and having an intimate relationship with It, was life transforming for me. I liken it to being in love with my partner for over 10 years from afar, and finally having that first kiss! I could barely sleep for three days! Many mystics and scientists alike agree there is “an energy” everything emerges from and which creates all we experience here and beyond. I too, began to see this energy and call it Love.

It seems this Love is Infinite and without conditions, powerful and healing. Yet being everything, I also found it inside anger and war, inside cancer cells and toxic chemicals. There seemed to be no place Love does not call home and my entire perspective of life was altered! I released definitions which had so confined my life and now live outside that box.

I learned how to connect with my inner wisdom, at first usually when disaster struck. Then when I consulted it daily, fewer disasters would occur. Life became easier and easier. I only needed to ask, “What choice would Love make here?”

For me this Love lives through me, breathes me into existence, loves me endlessly just for the sheer joy loving brings. This Spirit fully embraces all It’s creations. Daily I am bathed in love from inside and also, outside in the form of Nature, animals, buildings, people, and so much more!!

I ask for guidance all day long and allow this Spirit of Love to bring clarity to my life in the midst of chaos, returning me to a peace beyond words. I truly believe It desires what is best for me, allowing me the free will to listen or not. It guides me to fully living the brilliance I truly am! It sings endless songs of praise and encouragement, if only I remain open.

I am Love and I have always known everything I needed to know connecting with this inner wisdom. When I step into fear, struggle, pain or judgment, I am aware I am pretending I am alone and separate. Love is the Key. I am learning to trust it more and more every day and know it changes my life when I follow Love’s lead.

© Morgine Jurdan
4-21-2009

This fact comes from the 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report.

There are now 5.3 million Americans living with this debilitating disease.
When there is Alzheimer’s in the family, there are both social and economic impacts for both the patients and their loved ones.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in America. It even exceeds diabetes in the number of annual deaths.

And what is even more sobering is that younger-onset Alzheimer’s, occurring in people as young as in their 30′s, affects nearly 500,000 Americans!

These younger individuals are usually employed and may have children still living at home. This brings up even more serious consequences including financial crisis, receiving benefits, and helping their children cope with the disease. Alzheimer’s support is critical for this transition time.

Our support of research and awareness of Alzheimer’s and its effects on the family is critical for the well being of all of us.

If you’d like to check out the 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report, you can access it here:

===>>> http://alz.org/national/documents/report_alzfactsfigures2009.pdf

This fact comes from the 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report.

There are now 5.3 million Americans living with this debilitating disease.
When there is Alzheimer’s in the family, there are both social and economic impacts for both the patients and their loved ones.

Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in America. It even exceeds diabetes in the number of annual deaths.

And what is even more sobering is that younger-onset Alzheimer’s, occurring in people as young as in their 30′s, affects nearly 500,000 Americans!

These younger individuals are usually employed and may have children still living at home. This brings up even more serious consequences including financial crisis, receiving benefits, and helping their children cope with the disease. Alzheimer’s support is critical for this transition time.

Our support of research and awareness of Alzheimer’s and its effects on the family is critical for the well being of all of us.

If you’d like to check out the 2009 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures Report, you can access it here:

===>>> http://alz.org/national/documents/report_alzfactsfigures2009.pdf

There are seven distinct stages of Alzheimer’s that are good to know so that you can be aware of problems developing with a loved one.

With early detection, there is an opportunity for medical treatment that can slow down the symptoms for the patient.

I came across a great article that describes these stages very clearly and succinctly. You might want to check it out here:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers/alzheimers-progression.aspx

There are seven distinct stages of Alzheimer’s that are good to know so that you can be aware of problems developing with a loved one.

With early detection, there is an opportunity for medical treatment that can slow down the symptoms for the patient.

I came across a great article that describes these stages very clearly and succinctly. You might want to check it out here:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers/alzheimers-progression.aspx

With all the responsibility involved in taking caring of a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, it’s hard to take time to tend to your own well-being.

What causes burnout when your parent has Alzheimer’s?
There is a huge shift in roles between you and your parent….
It’s difficult to give up on the idea that your parent could actually get better.
There is a tremendous loss of control…
And there can be unreasonable demands on you from your family and from
your parent with Alzheimer’s.

For more information about these dangers and more about the disease, you need to check out this great article put together by the HealthTalk Staff and was medically reviewed by Ed Zimney, MD.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers/alzheimers-caregiver-burnout.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyAging_20090411

With all the responsibility involved in taking caring of a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, it’s hard to take time to tend to your own well-being.

What causes burnout when your parent has Alzheimer’s?
There is a huge shift in roles between you and your parent….
It’s difficult to give up on the idea that your parent could actually get better.
There is a tremendous loss of control…
And there can be unreasonable demands on you from your family and from
your parent with Alzheimer’s.

For more information about these dangers and more about the disease, you need to check out this great article put together by the HealthTalk Staff and was medically reviewed by Ed Zimney, MD.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers/alzheimers-caregiver-burnout.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthHealthyAging_20090411

Mom has always loved to be outside. Gardening, golfing, walking.

Lying in her bed in the Alzheimer’s section of the Life Care Center where she lives is not where she would have ever expected to be.

When Mom saw her friends and even her sister withering away from the ravages of Alzheimer’s, she would say, “Don’t ever let me be like that!”

So today was a day to take a “walk” in the sun. After inquiring about the location of the wheel chair Hospice provided for her so that I could take her on walks and no one being able to locate it, they found a chair we could borrow and we headed outside… a bit of a project to get Mom up, shoes on, and maneuvered into the wheel chair. Most of the time Mom is able to use a walker for the very short distance from her room to the dining room. She does needs help getting up and started walking.

Mom still enjoys the beauty of the roses….Not sure just how clearly she can see them. Her macular degeneration has robbed her of good vision. Maybe it’s just the color….I had her touch the petals…soft and smooth.

I love that Mom is still happy to see me. She doesn’t say much any more…and some days she says nothing during the entire visit. With Alzheimer’s, communication skills decline more and more.

I am grateful that she still does appreciate that I am there for her.

Yes, I cherish being in the moment with Mom…loving the beauty of roses.

Kim Kirmmse Toth and Cynthia Leibrock http://www.positiveaginginc.com offers a quality
program every week in her Tuesday Teleseries.

Tuesday, 4/21, at 4:00 pm Eastern time her guest speaker is Cynthia Leibrock.
The topic will be Aging in Place, how and what we can do to safely stay in our homes until we take our last breath. Cynthia had a great spread in the New York Times about this very topic. Check out her website at http://www.agingbeautifully.org. This is not a call to be missed!

If you know anyone who has a desire to stay in their home and is unsure how to do so, please send them to http://www.positiveaginginc.com/kimstuesdayteleseries.html to sign up for her free Teleseries.

Combine Physical and Mental

Exercise We’ve all heard that mental exercises exercising memory and problem solving can help to keep our brains healthy and vibrant.

What researchers have found out is that physical exercise not only is good for the heart and general circulation, but also contributes significantly to keeping the brain young.

As professional service providers dealing with challenges involving people as well as data, we need that brain power to perform our work effectively.

Human Studies Came After Studies With Rodents

After earlier studies on rodents showing that those animals that spent a lot of time running in exercise wheels had better brains than the sedentary rodents, studies were begun on humans.

Less Brain-Tissue Shrinkage

Scientist measured maximal oxygen uptake (a gauge of aerobic fitness) in 55 subjects during walking and treadmill tests. They used subjects with fitness levels from sedentary to those in peak-performance fitness. The physically fit subjects had less age-related brain-tissue shrinkage than the inactive subjects.

MRI Aids In Research

With the help of MRI’s (magnetic resonance imaging), the researchers saw that the tissues affected in the brain that are crucial to memory, learning, and carrying out ideas in the mind were very different in the various subjects. (frontal, temporal, and parietal regions)

Decline Can Start In Middle Age

These abilities are the ones that start to decline as early as middle age, particularly in new situations. Studies have shown that increased physical activity in middle age can help to prevent or delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of senile dementia, in which there is a marked decline in brain function and memory.

Researchers found that combining strength training with aerobic exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes had the greatest impact on cognitive function. (University of Illinois)

School Children Not Getting Enough Exercise

What concerns me is how the brains of the computer and video game generation will be affected by the lack of physical exercise. It is estimated that nearly half of young people ages 12 to 21 are not doing vigorous physical activity regularly. Less than one fourth of children are getting at least half an hour of any type of daily physical activity in school. School children spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games.

Increased Productivity

Increasing exercise for all ages would be a great benefit for all of us. Healthy brains increase productivity and full engagement in whatever we are doing. Combining physical activity with memory exercises gives the best results for a healthy brain.

Next Steps

What are you doing now to improve the blood flow and oxygen delivery to your brain?

Deciding on what type of exercise you would enjoy and DOING it on a regular basis will determine your short and long term thinking skills.

Combine Physical and Mental

Exercise We’ve all heard that mental exercises exercising memory and problem solving can help to keep our brains healthy and vibrant.

What researchers have found out is that physical exercise not only is good for the heart and general circulation, but also contributes significantly to keeping the brain young.

As professional service providers dealing with challenges involving people as well as data, we need that brain power to perform our work effectively.

Human Studies Came After Studies With Rodents

After earlier studies on rodents showing that those animals that spent a lot of time running in exercise wheels had better brains than the sedentary rodents, studies were begun on humans.

Less Brain-Tissue Shrinkage

Scientist measured maximal oxygen uptake (a gauge of aerobic fitness) in 55 subjects during walking and treadmill tests. They used subjects with fitness levels from sedentary to those in peak-performance fitness. The physically fit subjects had less age-related brain-tissue shrinkage than the inactive subjects.

MRI Aids In Research

With the help of MRI’s (magnetic resonance imaging), the researchers saw that the tissues affected in the brain that are crucial to memory, learning, and carrying out ideas in the mind were very different in the various subjects. (frontal, temporal, and parietal regions)

Decline Can Start In Middle Age

These abilities are the ones that start to decline as early as middle age, particularly in new situations. Studies have shown that increased physical activity in middle age can help to prevent or delay the onset of diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of senile dementia, in which there is a marked decline in brain function and memory.

Researchers found that combining strength training with aerobic exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes had the greatest impact on cognitive function. (University of Illinois)

School Children Not Getting Enough Exercise

What concerns me is how the brains of the computer and video game generation will be affected by the lack of physical exercise. It is estimated that nearly half of young people ages 12 to 21 are not doing vigorous physical activity regularly. Less than one fourth of children are getting at least half an hour of any type of daily physical activity in school. School children spend an average of 4.8 hours per day on the computer, watching TV, or playing video games.

Increased Productivity

Increasing exercise for all ages would be a great benefit for all of us. Healthy brains increase productivity and full engagement in whatever we are doing. Combining physical activity with memory exercises gives the best results for a healthy brain.

Next Steps

What are you doing now to improve the blood flow and oxygen delivery to your brain?

Deciding on what type of exercise you would enjoy and DOING it on a regular basis will determine your short and long term thinking skills.

Mom lives in a life care campus that has various levels of care. She was living in a garden home, completely independent other than interior and exterior maintenance and one meal a day at the communal dining room.

Keeping a schedule becomes impossible.

One of the first things I noticed was her confusion about what she had planned. I had a couple of her friends comment that she was not showing up at arranged times they had planned for dinner. Mom has kept a calendar for years where she writes anything that is planned and notes about what has happened. She’s always been on time for any appointment, even early. For her to miss appointments was not a good sign.

When I was going to pick her up for one of her medical appointments, she would get confused as to what day we would be going and leave me numerous messages asking why I hadn’t arrived. This would also occur on the actual day of the appointment. She would be confused as to what time of day it was so would call me wondering when I would be there.

Anxiety builds with the confusion.

I tried to solve this problem by calling with just enough time for her to get ready for an appointment. We didn’t talk about what day the appointment would be. This would make her anxious also because she wanted to know in advance when she would be going somewhere.

For a long time she knew she was confused and was upset by that. She liked to be in control of what she was doing. This definitely felt like lack of control and loss of her independence. By her own decision, she had already given up driving. We never found out why, but suspect she had a close call that scared her and didn’t want to be in an accident.

Self-care deteriorates.

When I started seeing a sink full of dirty dishes and clothing stacking up on her clothes rack, I could see that her habits had certainly changed. She has always kept an immaculate kitchen and took good care of her clothing.

She stopped going to the dining room and chose to eat snacks at home instead. Her choices for meals were not nutritious. When we shopped, she wanted to buy various carbohydrates. Generally she would have had nutritious meals at the dining room. We didn’t realize for a while that she was not going because she said she was going. When I checked with the dining room, I found out she hadn’t been there for weeks. The only time she had gone was when I was there for a visit.

No longer could we rely on her taking her prescribed medicines. In discussion with her physician, she decided to start her on Aricept, an Alzheimer’s med. We knew with this additional med to take that she would definitely need to have someone see that she took her appropriate medications regularly. The service of having someone deliver meds was available where she lived and it helped her to stay on her own for a longer time. Mom resented the interruption to her sleep when the person arrived. I felt reassured that someone was also checking in on her on a regular basis.

As time went on, Mom would not even be dressed when I arrived for a visit. I would need to help her shower and pick out her clothing. And sometimes it was even a struggle to convince her that she needed a shower. In the past, Mom was always fresh out of the shower, dressed to a T, and waiting for me when I would arrive for a visit or to take her to an appointment.

Those months of watching Mom’s decline and working to give her the care that was appropriate at each stage were extremely stressful. I found it difficult to keep focused on my business and to feel passion in any part of my life. With skillful counseling and coaching, I developed strategies for rekindling my passion and getting the focus back in my business. I knew that I had to take care of myself in order to be there to support all the aspects of my life and business.

After six months of various strategies to support her to stay independent, my siblings, Mom’s physician, and I made the decision that Mom really needed to be in the Care Center division of the life care facility. This was a difficult move because Mom was very attached to all the collection of family furniture and endless mementos of her full life.

We have surrounded her with family photos, recognition plaques she was awarded over the years, and hand work done by various members of the family including her mother. It was important to Mom that the family would appreciate the cherished belongings. My sister and brother and I sorted through her home, making sure that nothing was discarded that was part of our family heritage. We worked with all the family to find out what each person would like to have from the home. I took countless photos and posted them on the web so that family from Alaska to Washington, DC could view and choose items that had meaning and memories for them.

Mom is well cared for and still appreciates our visits. Days and times and location are foggy for her, but with a very structured schedule, she seems peaceful knowing what will happen next and that her needs will be met.

I’m able to be there for her with an open heart because of the steps I took to restore my resilient spirit.

If you’re dealing with Alzheimer’s or other challenges in your family and need some support in creating strategies for coping with all aspects of your life, look for more posts detailing what I’ve done and what could help you stay centered, strong, and loving.

Mom lives in a life care campus that has various levels of care. She was living in a garden home, completely independent other than interior and exterior maintenance and one meal a day at the communal dining room.

Keeping a schedule becomes impossible.

One of the first things I noticed was her confusion about what she had planned. I had a couple of her friends comment that she was not showing up at arranged times they had planned for dinner. Mom has kept a calendar for years where she writes anything that is planned and notes about what has happened. She’s always been on time for any appointment, even early. For her to miss appointments was not a good sign.

When I was going to pick her up for one of her medical appointments, she would get confused as to what day we would be going and leave me numerous messages asking why I hadn’t arrived. This would also occur on the actual day of the appointment. She would be confused as to what time of day it was so would call me wondering when I would be there.

Anxiety builds with the confusion.

I tried to solve this problem by calling with just enough time for her to get ready for an appointment. We didn’t talk about what day the appointment would be. This would make her anxious also because she wanted to know in advance when she would be going somewhere.

For a long time she knew she was confused and was upset by that. She liked to be in control of what she was doing. This definitely felt like lack of control and loss of her independence. By her own decision, she had already given up driving. We never found out why, but suspect she had a close call that scared her and didn’t want to be in an accident.

Self-care deteriorates.

When I started seeing a sink full of dirty dishes and clothing stacking up on her clothes rack, I could see that her habits had certainly changed. She has always kept an immaculate kitchen and took good care of her clothing.

She stopped going to the dining room and chose to eat snacks at home instead. Her choices for meals were not nutritious. When we shopped, she wanted to buy various carbohydrates. Generally she would have had nutritious meals at the dining room. We didn’t realize for a while that she was not going because she said she was going. When I checked with the dining room, I found out she hadn’t been there for weeks. The only time she had gone was when I was there for a visit.

No longer could we rely on her taking her prescribed medicines. In discussion with her physician, she decided to start her on Aricept, an Alzheimer’s med. We knew with this additional med to take that she would definitely need to have someone see that she took her appropriate medications regularly. The service of having someone deliver meds was available where she lived and it helped her to stay on her own for a longer time. Mom resented the interruption to her sleep when the person arrived. I felt reassured that someone was also checking in on her on a regular basis.

As time went on, Mom would not even be dressed when I arrived for a visit. I would need to help her shower and pick out her clothing. And sometimes it was even a struggle to convince her that she needed a shower. In the past, Mom was always fresh out of the shower, dressed to a T, and waiting for me when I would arrive for a visit or to take her to an appointment.

Those months of watching Mom’s decline and working to give her the care that was appropriate at each stage were extremely stressful. I found it difficult to keep focused on my business and to feel passion in any part of my life. With skillful counseling and coaching, I developed strategies for rekindling my passion and getting the focus back in my business. I knew that I had to take care of myself in order to be there to support all the aspects of my life and business.

After six months of various strategies to support her to stay independent, my siblings, Mom’s physician, and I made the decision that Mom really needed to be in the Care Center division of the life care facility. This was a difficult move because Mom was very attached to all the collection of family furniture and endless mementos of her full life.

We have surrounded her with family photos, recognition plaques she was awarded over the years, and hand work done by various members of the family including her mother. It was important to Mom that the family would appreciate the cherished belongings. My sister and brother and I sorted through her home, making sure that nothing was discarded that was part of our family heritage. We worked with all the family to find out what each person would like to have from the home. I took countless photos and posted them on the web so that family from Alaska to Washington, DC could view and choose items that had meaning and memories for them.

Mom is well cared for and still appreciates our visits. Days and times and location are foggy for her, but with a very structured schedule, she seems peaceful knowing what will happen next and that her needs will be met.

I’m able to be there for her with an open heart because of the steps I took to restore my resilient spirit.

If you’re dealing with Alzheimer’s or other challenges in your family and need some support in creating strategies for coping with all aspects of your life, look for more posts detailing what I’ve done and what could help you stay centered, strong, and loving.

As I talk with other Boomer women, I am hearing over and over the stress they are feeling as they try to support their parents in various ways.

I am currently doing research with many people with aging parents to see what they are experiencing. If this applies to you, how are you keeping up with your work? What are you doing to take care of yourself?

I would love to talk with you sometime if you are in this situation. And if you know someone else experiencing parent stress, please let them know I would be interested in connecting.

I had the opportunity to not only be in that wonderful environment staying in a rustic cabin but also to be part of an amazing retreat with Jennifer Louden, known as the Comfort Queen.

This time was a turning point for me to go to a deeper level of knowing myself and moving away from the outside pressures of doing things “the right way.”

Now you have the opportunity to experience Jennifer and the fantastic teachers she’s brought together in a virtual retreat in the comfort of your own home. I know…it’s not Sedona, but you can pretend!

If you’re looking to find calm, comfort and confidence in these uncertain times, join 10 fantastic teachers – like Barbara Sher, Michael Neill, Geneen Roth, Steve Chandler- at Jennifer’s 2009 Virtual Retreat January 16th-19th.

Jennifer delivers a”true retreat” experience to enhance your well-being while teaching you ways to thrive during these sometimes scary times. Call in live or download over a dozen powerful retreat sessions at your convenience and get the soul-nourishing support you need to make this year “your” year. Click the link below for more details about the event…

Click here for more details…

With grandchildren in WA and WV you can see why having a
location-independent coaching business is a priority to me!

Wishing you Joy, Peace, and Prosperity in 2009!

“To the Editor of The Sun:

I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?”
Virginia O’Hanlon

Answer:

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.”

One item on my list of tasks today was to call my health insurance office. What a pleasant surprise when my favorite person in that office answered the phone!

After asking her a question and receiving a succinct answer, I felt as though I wanted to share the gratitude I was feeling for all she has done for me in challenging times over the years. I acknowledged her for not only being efficient and helpful in every situation, but being extremely compassionate in helping me resolve some issues.

When I shared my feelings, she expressed that what I said brought tears to her eyes. She said it was a perfect time for her to hear these positive words as this could be a challenging and emotional work day.

I let her know that I would not only fax the form I needed to send her, but would also write down my thoughts and fax them to her as well. Knowing that I made her day more joyful with acknowledgment of her as an empathetic and efficient person brought so much positive energy into my heart.

Are there wonderful thoughts you are having that you haven’t yet shared with someone? What a perfect month to express the gratitude you are feeling.

Go beyond wrapping that present of gratitude. Give the present and feel the warmth in your heart. Priceless!

How often have you made the decision to pick up fast food or go out to eat simply because you don’t have foods on hand ready to be prepared?

Part of a Million Dollar Life is nourishing your body so that it can serve you well, both physically and mentally.

Here are some ways I make life easier and my meals healthier and even save some $:

1. Vegetables:

I buy large bags of frozen organic beans and mixed vegetables to have in the freezer ready for times that I am out of fresh veggies.

Check for specials in the grocery ad and choose those vegetables that are featured that week. You’ll have variety week to week and generally these are fresher because of the turnover of lots of people buying the specials.

Garlic and onions keep pretty well if they are kept dry. I keep them in an open bowl.

2. Meats:

I buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts when they are featured at a special price and package them in sandwich baggies… one or two to a baggie. Costco actually has their chicken already in individual plastic. These keep well in the freezer. It is a good idea to put the bagged chicken breasts in a second plastsic bag to prevent freezer burn. You should mark with a permanent marker so you use them up in the order you buy them.

Safety tip: Never use a wooden cutting board for cutting raw meats. It is very difficult to get all of the meat out of the wood. There is danger of salmonella or ecoli from raw meat. Using a plastic board that can be washed in the dishwasher or thoroughly in soapy water, you will be avoiding this risk.

When lean ground beef is on sale, I buy it in quantity and make hamburger patties and freeze in sandwich bags. Again, mark with the date and put the small bags into a larger plastic bag.
Sometimes I cook a couple of pounds of lean ground beef with chopped onions and garlic until brown. I package this mixture in plastic containers, ready to thaw and use for tacos, in omelets…anyway you’d like. It’s great not to have to make the mess again…quick and easy!

If you like meatloaf, you can use some of the ground beef to make meatloaf. Sometime I’ll post a good meatloaf recipe. These can be frozen and are ready to pull out and bake.

Shrimp is reasonably priced in the large bag at Costco. It is easy to take out a few at a time to thaw and use.

Turkey meatballs are also sold in a large bag. I take out a few, cook for a while in a non stick skillet and add some tomato sauce for use with pasta or with some zucchini.

Salmon is sometimes sold as a whole fish. You can buy it this way and cut it into individual portions and freeze them in baggies.

3. Breads

I have discovered wonderful whole wheat kaiser rolls that are perfect for burgers or chicken sandwiches. They have fewer carbs or calories than having a normal bun or two pieces of bread. I cut a center slit before freezing so that they are ready to be pulled out, thawed for a little while and filled with yummy stuff!

Any bread without preservatives needs to be frozen to avoid mold… at least in Phoenix this is true!

These tips are GREAT for cooking for one or two, but are also perfect for having easy family meals ready to go.

Is it really worth it?

Learn the inside scoop from Mari Smith when I interview her on
the Million Dollar Life TeleSummit Thursday.

Mari has the knack for connecting with people beautifully via Twitter and Facebook.
She’s an expert in the field of relationships.

Register for this free call and audio replay now!
http://suzanneholman.com/mari.htm

and wonder how you could get that message out to the people who need
to hear it…

how to describe what you offer…

how it will benefit them…

if you’re ready to get their attention,

learn the secrets from an expert…

be sure to join Suzanne Falter Barns and me on Thursday

where she’ll share her wisdom about getting known.

Get all the call details here:

====> http://www.YourMillionDollarLife.com

I look forward to our time together Thursday.

Suzanne

FR.EE Admission just for you!
Value of this course: $97

In just three powerful teleseminars, you can be well on your way to

Your Million Dollar Life!

3 part teleseminar

60 minutes

~ July 16, 2008 at 8 pm EST

~ July 23, 2008 at 8 pm EST

~ July 30, 2008 at 8 pm EST

It’s the perfect tune up for your business and life strategies!

How can I benefit from this?

What will we do in the three sessions?

~ Look at your business and life through a new lens.

~ Get clear about how you envision
YOUR Million Dollar Life.

~ Set short and long term goals to get you there!

Included with this short course to Your Million Dollar Life
will be your own study guide where you can chart the way to your future!
Sign up in the form at the top of the page!

Offered by Suzanne Holman, MAEd

I doubt that Nana (my mother’s mother) ever read books about Feng Shui or organizing, but she certainly understood all the principles! There is something about clearing and straightening to move to a more energized, positive state.

Nana’s been gone for 20 years now … doesn’t seem like that long ago. Jessie was active until her dying day. She did finally have to give up her home when she was about 90. But she made a point of getting all around her retirement home.

Something that was really awe inspiring is that my mom received a letter in the mail from Nana a couple of days after Nana died. Nana had an abdominal aneurism and was rushed by helicopter to a hospital but died almost immediately. Even to the end she was doing something interesting… her first helicopter ride.

She’s been on my mind so much lately. Every night I sleep under two of her quilts: one on my bed and one hanging over my bed on the wall. So many loving stitches in those quilts!

That was Nana’s other key to feeling peaceful, productive, and resourceful, creating something.
Her sewing, knitting, and crocheting are everywhere through the family. She was constantly creating a gift for someone!

She had a garden for years always full of wonderful produce. And there was the grape arbor with those wonderful Concord grapes. I haven’t seen those in the stores for a very long time…would taste so good right now!

AND, there was the raspberry patch! I absolutely LOVED picking…and eating raspberries! Fresh raspberries are absolutely my favorite fruit! Not the same in the store after they’ve been transported…. Here are some photos of raspberry picking in Bellingham WA last summer.

Seems safer… and easier … to say what is acceptable and “in the box”… So we carry around shackles of constraints we place on our communication. And even more shackles when we hear all the limitations of those around us! Not YOUR Million Dollar life when you aren’t being true to yourself.

Time to let the shackles down and communicate from the heart. You are the only one coming from your viewpoint. Don’t keep it from the world!!

You can download Chris Kennedy’s talk on the Unity of Phoenix website.

Times have changed…two years ago my siblings and I made the decision along with Mom’s physician that she would need to give up her independent living.

Mom is 93 and she is in the Alzheimers section of her life care facility where she and my dad moved into a beautiful garden home in 1990. Dad died of cancer in 1998.

I visited her today and it was one of my most teary eyed times with her. Her words are formed with more and more difficulty.

I tried calling my sister in Ohio so that she and mom could have a little conversation…..didn’t happen this time….Mom barely made a tiny sound during the course of the conversation.

She still knows me, thankfully, and most everything else seems to be very foggy for her. She prefers to be lying down most of the time.

My tears dripped down on her as I was looking down on her at close range so she could see my eyes. She has extreme macular degeneration and sees very little now.

Before I left, Mom did give me several I loves you and expression appreciation for my coming to see her.

What I’ve had to come to terms with in these two years is that life has its seasons and even though it seems very sad for Mom to have Alzheimer’s, it means that she was healthy enough to live a long life into her 90′s, a decade where Alzheimer’s and dementia are way too common.

Mom’s life was a full one…I’d have to say she has definitely led a Million Dollar Life! Lots of travel from an early age when travel wasn’t nearly as common as it is today, wonderful family, an amazing husband, lots of interests, a love of learning.

What is a Blogathon?

During July, we plan to post at least once a day on our individual blogs. Jackie Dishner spearheaded this project after being part of a Blogathon in May with a group of writer friends from Freeland Success.

Here’s a list of my fellow bloggers and a little about what each of them do:

Jackie Dishner has a blog, BIKE WITH JACKIE This blog promotes a spiritual life navigation system she calls “BIKE — It’s mental, not metal!”(TM) It’s a metaphor for something uniquely yours that can help you overcome life’s obstacles.
And this week she’s launched a new travel blog, The Phoenix Traveler.

Susan Ratliff is a trade show expert and a great motivator to others. She’s got great ideas for increasing your visibility at Bling My Booth.

Andrea Beaulieu is a highly creative woman who teaches you how to find your authentic voice. She also encourages you to live your life at its best at Conspiracy of Love.

Mimi Meredith inspires you to create better lives, workplaces and communities. The Blooming Blog helps spread her message.

Beth Terry shares her commonsense solutions to everyday work and life issues at Corporate Cowgirl. She’s also an inspiration to her fellow friends and colleagues.

Vickie Mullins creates things: your office collateral, your newsletters, and really special books. She talks about it all at her two blogs: Mullins Creative and Vickie Mullins.

Michelle May, a physician and author helps you eat for the right reason–because you’re hungry. She talks about diet and food and how consumed we are about all it at her blog in the East Valley Tribune newspaper.

Arlene Rosenberg helps her clients achieve personal and professional rewards. Her blog, Leading Achievers, shares inspirational stories behind her work.

Stanley Bronstein is a motivational speaker who helps businesses perform at their best. Click on his name to check out his words of wisdom.

Visit regularly!
Should be an interesting month with interviews and guest blogs also part of the project.

A great example of this is what Janet Beckers of Wonderful Web Women did recently.

After being invited to participate, I submitted an offer for a three-part teleseminar. Normally I would charge a minimum of $97 for this series, focusing on Your Million Dollar Life … it’s not JUST about the money!

Janet pulled together over 200 giveaways from internet marketers as well as a variety of other business owners.

Even using specific software for the program, it is still a massive project!

Check out her campaign and notice how well it is organized and the high quality of the offers!

With a good offer and an appealing landing page, this is a great way to add new subscribers to your database!

It’s a win-win for ALL involved!

Marketing Plan: How to Create an Internet Marketing Action Plan That Gets Results

by Donna Gunter, The Online Biz Resource Queen (TM)

There’s no doubt about it — keeping up with your marketing tasks can be overwhelming, whether you choose to market via networking, print advertising, or through a strategic set of online techniques. As I have a virtual company and can work with clients from around the globe, I don’t like to limit my marketing to local efforts. Having a viable presence online is more important to me and seems to work best for my company. Therefore, I primarily concentrate on things I can do to bring visitors to my website and demonstrate my expertise to them while they are on the site.

Recently inspired by a blog post that I had read, I decided to create a regular daily, weekly, month, and quarterly marketing to-do list. First, I brainstormed a list of ideas of marketing tasks that I perform regularly, and others that have remained on my to-do list for awhile, as I’ve never gotten around to them. Then I categorized them into either a quarterly, monthly, weekly, or daily task. On the third examination of these tasks, I went through and culled all but those to which I thought I could realistically commit on a regular basis.

Below are the tasks that comprise my online marketing action plan. Add them to your own online marketing to-do list as appropriate, or substitute other tasks that are a better fit for your business.

Quarterly Tasks

1. Send out post card campaign to targeted national media list promoting myself as an expert. Prior to mailing, have VA call contacts to update list.
2. Request testimonials from new coaching clients, membership site members, product purchasers, and speaking gig hosts and update appropriate pages on my sites.

Monthly Tasks

1. Update my blog with new reading lists, recommended resources, products, etc.
2. Update the media page on my site with links to new press coverage I’ve received, press releases I’ve submitted, and story ideas I can offer to the media.
3. Write promotional copy for free list building teleclass and have VA submit teleclass to major event promotion sites
4. Create handout for free teleclass and conduct teleclass.
5. Send out at least three feelers for potential online collaborations/strategic alliances or joint ventures with other sites, speakers, etc.
6. Create one new information product and upload it to my sites for sale.
7. Check click-through and conversions with ezine and banner ads and determine whether to renew for another month.
8. Research and find one new online advertising resource to try.
9. Write a press release based on one of my articles and submit through PRWeb.com.

Weekly Tasks

1. Check on my Google, MSN, and ClickRiver PPC ad campaigns to ensure they are still current and relevant and update any bids for any keywords on my list where I have been outbid.
2. Write an article for my email newsletter.
3. Find a great resource to recommend in my newsletter and write a personal article for email newsletter.
4. Send out the email newsletter to list.
5. Publish the article on my website.
6. Archive the ezine to my site.
7. Have VA publish the ezine content on my business blog and on my social networking blogs at MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Ning.
8. Have VA submit the main newsletter article to articles banks and distribution lists.
9. Create a podcast from my article and distribute to podcast sites.
10. Answer a reader-submitted question and post response in blog.
11. Create one additional blog post on Monday and set it up to publish on Tuesday.
12. Review my Google Alerts and find a new blog with a respectable Google Page Rank and comment on a post.
13. Do a Google search for keywords that best describe my business and see where my site shows up in organic search. As needed, conduct SEO tweaks on my sites for betting rankings

Daily Tasks

1. Read the blogs to which I subscribe and post comments as appropriate.
2. Review the emails from the discussion lists/forums to which I belong and post comments/questions as appropriate.
3. Log into my social networking profiles at Facebook, Linked In, SelfGrowth.com, Twitter, and Ning and approve friend requests.
4. Spend about 15 minutes each at Facebook and SelfGrowth.com making friend requests, commenting on pictures or videos, or responding to emails.
5. Send 1-2 updates to Twitter and Facebook profiles about what I’m doing at the moment.

When you have your Internet marketing action plan outlined with quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily tasks, your prospecting well never runs dry. Many online business owners are so wrapped up in working on their business that they don’t make time to work in the business, like performing regular marketing tasks. Consequently, they often experience slow times in their business because they begin to market themselves only when the prospect pool has dried up. If you create and follow an Internet marketing action plan, you’ll never be hungry for clients again!

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it: Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FR*EE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at AskDonnaGunter.com.

Perhaps you’re too young to remember! I LOVED that show.

A representative of a millionaire would go to someone’s house and give them a million dollars. The story developed as the recipient of the money reacted to this new wealth.

There were some very interesting stories of both positive and negative experiences. I don’t think that at that time we had the lotteries that we have today. So the idea of having this wealth (and at that time, a million dollars was a HUGE amount of money) was quite a novel concept for the show. Now we hear many stories about the impact that sudden wealth has on lottery winners.

One of the greatest joys I have is giving to several charities. You may have noticed this as I’ve shared in the past. I have a vision of being able to give even more abundantly as my wealth increases. And for now, I feel totally abundant…..like a wealthy person…..as I choose where I would like to donate from my income. This mind set is what opens us up to the abundance that is available to us. We can get so used to feeling like we “can’t afford” something or “just don’t have much financial freedom”.

Even consumers who run up huge credit card bills are not feeling abundant. They know they are spending beyond their means and are settling on having “stuff” for their happiness. There’s always one more great thing they just have to have to be satisfied and then one more and one more.

The joy of giving is not joy that fizzles away quickly. There’s a deep feeling of fulfillment that you are able to support others in this way. And this applies to the gift of our time and talents as well as our financial support.

Let me share an experience that I had today. As part of a series of talks about abundance at our church, each member of the congregation was given a task. Every month our church tithes one-tenth of what they take in. This goes to community causes as well as those on a national and international level. As part of this month’s tithe, they decided to have all of us (about 1200 people) take an envelope with a five dollar bill and a card in it. We were to give the money to someone who fed our spirit in some way.

I have to say that my immediate reaction was, “Five dollars. That is such a small amount that I would be embarrassed to give that to someone in this way. It’s certainly not a million dollars!”

As I listened on, I started to see that each small impact of the five dollar gift, six thousand dollars total, would have a trickle effect of many people receiving that small token of appreciation. We are to return the cards that we received with the money to share where we gave the money.

I could feel the excitement building in me as I thought about where my five dollar bill would land. In the past, I’ve done some random acts of kindness. (We’ll talk about those on another day.) That always felt so great to be the anonymous giver. This had another dimension of actually handing the bill to the person.

I had a return to make at a nearby store. Those clerks at the return desk have a rather thankless and sometimes unpleasant job. People often try to take advantage of the generous return policies at some stores.

We went through the process of my return and when that was complete, I handed her the five dollars and she first held up her hands saying, “Oh no. I couldn’t.” I explained further about what our church was doing and it was a joy to see her look of amazement that someone actually just gave her money for no reason at all! This experience is a totally different one from donating to a charity or doing a random act of kindness. And so much fun!

I went about my shopping and when I was ready to go through the check-out line, I knew exactly what I was going to do. I had a five dollar bill of my own and I couldn’t wait to give it to her. I was holding my credit card and the bill in my hand as she completed ringing up my order. As she completed the process, I handed her the money and explained what was going on. She was totally amazed as well!

I felt like a millionaire, giving just this token amount of money! I have the intention of keeping my wallet full of five dollar bills and giving them out on a regular basis. And I look forward when I will be giving out one hundred dollar bills instead. What fun that will be!

I challenge you to try this exercise. As I gave the money, I encouraged them to buy themselves a coffee. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had with $5.00!

Not only is Oprah launching a new show Sunday, March 2nd, but she is also starting a 10-week worldwide online class with Eckhart Tolle Monday, March 3rd!

When I heard about Oprah’s Online Class with Eckhart Tolle on his book,
A New Earth, I knew I wanted to be part of this powerful worldwide study. They will have archives of the webcasts available for those who can not be on the computer live.

On Oprah’s site you can sign up to lead or be part of a study group.
I decided to offer a Global Study Group via teleseminar. This is an international study group that will run concurrently with Oprah’s online class with Eckhart Tolle, that will be every Monday for 10 weeks starting March 3. The purpose of the teleseminar is to give participants from all over the world the opportunity to share their thoughts with others taking the online class.

Our calls will be Fridays at Noon Eastern Standard Time starting February 29, 2008. It is early enough in the day to accommodate residents of UK and Greece who are interested.

There is no charge for Oprah’s class or for the phone study group.
A New Earth is available in book form or an unabridged audiobook read by Eckhart Tolle.

Join the online yahoo group to keep up on details of the calls and to communicate with others in the group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GlobalStudyGroup/

Call Information

February 29, 2008
12 Noon, Eastern Standard Time
605-990-0700 974762#

I’m looking forward to this amazing experience! Come join us!

Not only is Oprah launching a new show Sunday, March 2nd, but she is also starting a 10-week worldwide online class with Eckhart Tolle Monday, March 3rd!

When I heard about Oprah’s Online Class with Eckhart Tolle on his book,
A New Earth, I knew I wanted to be part of this powerful worldwide study. They will have archives of the webcasts available for those who can not be on the computer live.

On Oprah’s site you can sign up to lead or be part of a study group.
I decided to offer a Global Study Group via teleseminar. This is an international study group that will run concurrently with Oprah’s online class with Eckhart Tolle, that will be every Monday for 10 weeks starting March 3. The purpose of the teleseminar is to give participants from all over the world the opportunity to share their thoughts with others taking the online class.

Our calls will be Fridays at Noon Eastern Standard Time starting February 29, 2008. It is early enough in the day to accommodate residents of UK and Greece who are interested.

There is no charge for Oprah’s class or for the phone study group.
A New Earth is available in book form or an unabridged audiobook read by Eckhart Tolle.

Join the online yahoo group to keep up on details of the calls and to communicate with others in the group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GlobalStudyGroup/

Call Information

February 29, 2008
12 Noon, Eastern Standard Time
605-990-0700 974762#

I’m looking forward to this amazing experience! Come join us!

After Oprah had a show in December of 2006 giving $1000 to the audience members and having them go out and use that money to create a worthwhile project, she was inspired to take it to another level. She loves the feeling of giving money to people and seeing their reaction and wanted others to experience that as well.

I just heard about the new series she created: “Oprah’s Big Give” It premiers in a week, Sunday, March 2nd. In the end, there is only one rule in “Oprah’s Big Give”: YOU EITHER GIVE BIG OR YOU GO HOME! In every episode, the contestants must each find innovative and ingenious ways to impact the lives of strangers, or they risk elimination at the hands of the judging panel.

The series premiere, “Episode 101,” kicks off in Los Angeles, where Oprah hands ten contestants sealed envelopes with only a picture and the name of a complete stranger. Under intense pressure, they must give big to change this person’s life in just five days. The contestants must use their creativity and resources to generate the most powerful and sensational ways to make a real difference, and with the clock ticking, the competition, drama and emotion mount and the contestants’ stamina, creativity and drive are tested. This first dramatic challenge will send one person packing.

After Oprah had a show in December of 2006 giving $1000 to the audience members and having them go out and use that money to create a worthwhile project, she was inspired to take it to another level. She loves the feeling of giving money to people and seeing their reaction and wanted others to experience that as well.

I just heard about the new series she created: “Oprah’s Big Give” It premiers in a week, Sunday, March 2nd. In the end, there is only one rule in “Oprah’s Big Give”: YOU EITHER GIVE BIG OR YOU GO HOME! In every episode, the contestants must each find innovative and ingenious ways to impact the lives of strangers, or they risk elimination at the hands of the judging panel.

The series premiere, “Episode 101,” kicks off in Los Angeles, where Oprah hands ten contestants sealed envelopes with only a picture and the name of a complete stranger. Under intense pressure, they must give big to change this person’s life in just five days. The contestants must use their creativity and resources to generate the most powerful and sensational ways to make a real difference, and with the clock ticking, the competition, drama and emotion mount and the contestants’ stamina, creativity and drive are tested. This first dramatic challenge will send one person packing.

Why is it that people are willing to pay outrageously high bills at restaurants, spas, and luxury hotels and then complain about paying fees for their doctor, lawyer, or financial advisor?

They’re paying for the experience, not just for the product or service. When they feel like celebrities, they don’t mind the expense. With so many choices of providers, it’s the ones who take that extra step to pamper the client that are the preferred choice. This can be true of prospects in all income levels. And we all
know that clients who may not initially be able to invest huge amounts of money may very well continue to increase their portfolio, as they are able to. With their loyalty to you, you are in position for a long-term client who values your services.
What can you do to provide the platinum service that your clients deserve?

Let’s look at five ways that you can distinguish yourself from other businesses.

1. Provide an inviting environment in your office.
Can you think of anything you could do to give your clients an energizing, nurturing experience when they visit your office?
Think of various offices that you have visited for any type of appointment. What do your remember about them? Did you notice up to date decorating? Comfortable furniture? Interesting, non-commercial art and no clutter? Really look at your office environment with the point of view of a client and see how it looks. You may need to have a designer come in and give your office a makeover.

2. Having interesting reading material available shows that you care about your clients and value their time. Appealing and healthy refreshments such as protein bars, nuts, and interesting nonalcoholic drinks can make the office visit memorable.
Provide customized service.

3. Really get to know your clients, asking questions that will determine what they’re trying to achieve and why. Not just questions on a form, but in-depth life questions. Having an understanding of your clients’ priorities and goals for their finances allows you to give them truly customized advice. Give clear explanation of why you are suggesting one approach over another.

4. Some tangible perk such as a CD on a relevant investing topic sent every quarter shows that you are thinking about them and they’ll appreciate receiving more than just their monthly statement from you. This mailing is especially important for personal contact if your services are not offered through an office. Birthday acknowledgments are a great personal touch.

5. Keep communication open.
When you sense any uneasiness in communication with a client, acknowledge the tension and find out what the source of the dissatisfaction is. It can very well be that what seemed like a problem in one area may actually be from frustration about a broader issue. When the concern is out in the open, it is much easier to resolve the problem. Actually acknowledging that you notice the concern and exploring it gives the client so much more confidence in your dedication to serving their needs.
What’s it worth to you to have Million Dollar clients?

Having clients who value you not only for your expertise, but for your genuine interest in them can position you to make a significant difference in their lives. And the effect of the legacy they leave can make the world a better place for everyone.

Today is the double birthday for my twin daughters!

It was a blustery, snowy day in the middle of February. My doctor’s appointment was at 11:00 a.m. After being examined by the doctor, he suggested I go onto the hospital to have my “baby”. I was too close to going into full labor to be way out in the country in very snowy weather.

At the hospital, the labor/delivery nurses said they were preparing for twins even though earlier in the pregnancy my questions about the possibility of twins were dismissed by what could be heard by stethoscope. By noon, I was delivering Baby A and just two minutes later, Baby B came along! More surprises in those days before ultrasounds were used routinely!

This photo of me holding the girls is my emaciated picture! After having the babies I was a the lowest weight I’d been in years and was quite the skeleton.

If you are familiar with typical construction phases, you might notice the drywall/plaster streaks on the wall. We moved into a home we designed and were having built by our own company just 6 weeks before the babies were born.

Our son David was not quite three when the girls were born. So, with the birth of Amy and Elizabeth, we were parents of three little ones under three!

There are now four grandsons and one granddaughter, all 5 and under, in our family!

Isn’t life incredible?
I feel so blessed.

There can be a lot of expectations not met when there is such hype about the day. There can be so much emphasis on candy, flowers, jewelry, and cards!

Why not do something for yourself just as much as for everyone else. I like to get myself some kind of gift such as a book, a journal, or a massage.

And don’t wait for Valentines Day for this expression of love!
Everyday is a day to show our love and appreciation for ourselves and everyone in our life, both at work and at home.

There can be a lot of expectations not met when there is such hype about the day. There can be so much emphasis on candy, flowers, jewelry, and cards!

Why not do something for yourself just as much as for everyone else. I like to get myself some kind of gift such as a book, a journal, or a massage.

And don’t wait for Valentines Day for this expression of love!
Everyday is a day to show our love and appreciation for ourselves and everyone in our life, both at work and at home.