Archive for the 'Keeping Fit' Category

Aug 24 2009

Losing Your Memory? Things You Should Know Before You Forget to Ask

Published by Pat Mullaly under Keeping Fit

As we age it is normal to have occasional memory lapses. We experience it in our friends and in ourselves, and many Baby Boomers deal with this in regard to aging parents as well. What is the difference between one of those minor moments we all have once in a while and a more severe loss of memory? What are the indicators you should look for? For guest author, Patty Okawa this issue has become a personal one as she shares in the following article.

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What You Should Know About Mild Memory Loss Versus Severe Memory Loss!

Guest Author: Patty Okawa

This article is very close to my heart. It is about memory loss, and how to understand what mild memory loss is, compared to severe memory loss. I dedicate this to a very special little lady, who is only 4 feet tall, and cute as a button, her name is Haruko (my mother-in-law), she is 97 years old. Her health is like that of a 75 year old.

About 9 months ago, she had a pace maker put in. This procedure required general anesthesia. Physically, she came out of the procedure, feeling healthy and strong, but mentally, there seemed to be a severe down turn with her memory. Before the pacemaker was put in, mom’s memory loss seemed mild. Now, she is unable to remember what happened 5 minutes ago, when asked what her daughter and son’s names are, she cannot remember. We found ourselves constantly repeating the same thing, it was like she heard it for the first time.

When asking her doctor about this, she just felt, it was due to old age, something very common according to her. She did say, that sometimes general anesthesia could cause minor memory loss. As the days went on, mom’s memory kept deteriorating, to the point that she could not understand what she was watching on the television anymore or what she had just ate for dinner, all her memory seemed to have faded away. At night, I would feel very sad, feeling like she has left us. Frustrated, I decided to do some extensive research on the subject. I wanted to understand, what the difference was between, mild memory loss, and severe memory loss. Is there anything we can do, to help one who is suffering from this.

Here are my findings:

What is mild memory loss?

  • Age does contribute, we become more forgetful, sometimes called mild forgetfulness
  • It may take longer to remember where you put your glasses, or what you had for dinner, but eventually, you will remember
  • You become slower at learning new things, understanding and remembering what you learned
  • The names, places, and what time or day it is, are easily forgotten, but usually it will come back to you
  • What is a severe memory loss:

  • Serious memory loss is when it begins to affect your everyday living
  • Asking the same questions over, and again
  • Not knowing what you did within the last 5 minutes
  • Becoming very confused about time, people, and places
  • Not being able to follow instructions, due to forgetting what was said
  • Becoming lost in places you once knew very well
  • When everything around you seems new, nothing seems familiar
  • No longer taking good care of yourself, not brushing your teeth, taking a shower, and not eating because you can’t recall when you ate last
  • These are serious memory problems because they affect one’s safety and health.

    Medical problems which may cause severe memory loss:

  • Depression
  • Head injuries
  • Thyroid problems
  • Dehydration
  • Emotional problems, such as loneliness, being sad, feeling anxious and worried
  • Not being active enough in your life
  • Oversleeping
  • Medications
  • Things you can do if you are worried about your memory?

  • See your doctor
  • Get a blood and urine test
  • Have a CAT scan of your brain done
  • Examine your lifestyle, see if changes need to be made
  • Ways to keep your memory strong:

  • Learn something new everyday
  • Spend time with people around you
  • Use calenders, to do lists, and notes, to keep your mind sharp
  • Exercise regularly
  • Get many rest
  • Keep things, such as your keys, wallet, glasses in the same place all the time
  • Do crossword puzzles daily
  • Remember to Remember!

    I would like to tell you a little about myself, hoping to bring you a more personal connection. Every article is written with sincerity, passion, caring, experience, and professionalism. My goal is to reach out to everyone and provide them with all the knowledge and experience I have to hopefully make a difference in their lives. I have helped hundreds of people in creating major changes toward a better and more fulfilling life.

    Sincerely,

    Patty Okawa

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    267 responses so far

    Jun 06 2009

    Golf: One of the Best Sports for Boomers

    Published by Pat Mullaly under Keeping Fit

    Golf is one of the best exercises for the midlife boomer.

    As a boomer, you may feel that your days as an athlete are behind you. But one of the best ways to continue being involved in sports is by taking up the game of golf. This is one activity that can be enjoyed long into your retirement years. It offers the opportunity to get out in the open air, meet and socialize with like minded people, and keep your body flexible and strong.

    How to begin?

    First, talk to your friends who play golf and ask where they play. Inquire if there are instructors available or a golf clinic you could join. When I first considered learning to play I found a nearby golf club that had an early morning clinic. Each week we were given a short simple instruction for one aspect of the game and then sent out on the back nine holes of the course to play. It was a method of instant immersion which was a bit terrifying, but those of us who really wanted to learn kept at it, each week building one lesson at a time to learn the basics.

    Another method is to join a friend at the driving range. Borrow some clubs, buy a bucket of balls, and ask for a little friendly guidance.

    If you are still interested, I strongly recommend taking a lesson or two from the local pro. And ask their advice in purchasing your own set of clubs. Until you are sure you want to continue it might be wise to buy a “generic” set from a sporting goods shop, or clubs from a store that sells “gently used” sports equipment.

    There is some debate about this question. Golf clubs are expensive. If you do buy clubs that are not just right for you (the wrong length or a shaft that doesn’t fit your swing style) you may find you never improve. But if you are serious about the game and can see yourself playing for years to come, then ask the golf pro to fit you for clubs. They will observe your swing, and overall posture and recommend a set that works with your particular style of play.

    One thing you don’t want to do is buy a mixed set of clubs, (i.e. a driver from one manufacturer, woods from another, two irons from a third, the sand wedge from a fourth, etc. etc.) You will end up with a mish mash of miss matched clubs that are of different weights and shafts, each performing in a sightly different way. Your game will always be inconsistent because your clubs are inconsistent. The best way to purchase clubs, especially when it comes to irons, is to buy them all from the same manufacturer so that the shaft, weight and balance of each club matches all the others. Each club has a different loft and is used to accomplish a different task, but they all perform in a similar way. This goes a long way to bringing consistency to your game.

    Once you have your clubs, the final step is to get out there and practice, practice, practice. With a little confidence you can soon join a foursome and really begin to enjoy the game.

    150 responses so far

    Jan 15 2009

    Midlife Dieting: Eat a Healthy Breakfast for Weight Loss and Long Lasting Energy

    Published by Pat Mullaly under Keeping Fit

    Author: Kathy Ekdahl, Personal Best Personal Training

    “Start your day with the breakfast of a king, have the lunch of a queen, and the dinner of a pauper.”

    Sage advice, but one that most people ignore when dieting. In fact, most dieters do the opposite; eating a miniature breakfast, a small lunch and, as a response to under eating, a huge dinner.  This is a recipe for dieting disaster. And even when not dieting, most Americans can’t seem to figure breakfast out? We have the terrible habit of either skipping breakfast altogether, or overindulging on sweets or carbs such as donuts or bagels. SO…. What is a healthy breakfast? Continue Reading »

    60 responses so far

    Dec 26 2008

    How to Find the Rapid Weight Loss Programs That Work

    Published by Pat Mullaly under Keeping Fit

    Author: Aaron Patterson

    Searching for a good diet, especially one that will act fast, is like looking for a needle in a haystack. There are a thousand diet programs out there, and some are just the stock “eat more vegetables and fewer sweets” regimen, while others offer up bizarre remedies for obesity, like eating lots of peanut butter.

    How do you know which rapid weight loss programs work?

    To pick a diet program which gets results, you need to understand the basic concept underlying rapid dieting: it’s better to burn more calories than to try and eat less. Eating less makes you crabby, tired and hungry all the time, and it isn’t kind on your metabolism, either. Your body will slow down and try not to burn calories-it literally will try to burn less fat when you eat less! In the long term, it’s possible for a plan like this to work, but only with a lot of pain and time.

    We’re not interested in slow, painful diets. Our goal is to figure out how to lose weight quickly and painlessly. Here’s what to look for. Continue Reading »

    336 responses so far

    Dec 03 2008

    Lose Unwanted Weight Fast

    Published by Pat Mullaly under Keeping Fit

    Author: Jane J Doe

    Live to eat, or eat to live, which one do we live by. We should eat to live, but most of us live to eat. I am one of those that live to eat. I love food, I love the look, the smell and the taste of food. I like to eat out all the time, and having dinner parties with lots of yummy food and drinks. Therefore I am also part of the hugely overweight population of the world. I have been struggling for years to lose unwanted weight fast.

    I write this to share with you today a very important secret many of us don’t know about, and don’t use. This works wonders, and I have had success with this very small habit the last few months. I am not yet at the point where I can say that I have reduced all my unwanted weight, yet. But one thing is for sure, I see and feel results and I am getting there. I will be at my ideal weight in no time at all.

    So, what is the secret you ask. Well, it’s all about portion size. The average person’s stomach is supposed to be as big as your two fists put together. That is the amount of food your body needs to generate enough energy for your everyday tasks. The ideal eating habit is to eat just that amount of healthy food at least six times a day, and you will have more energy and less fat.

    What I have done, that works wonders is cutting down on my portions per meal. I take breakfast, lunch and supper with healthy snacks in between meals, spread out over a three hour period. The idea is to have smaller meals more often throughout the day. Keeping in mind not to eat after sun down as well, the food we eat during the day should be burnt as energy while we are active, after sundown we generally get less active, therefor less energy is burns from what we eat, and it is naturally stored as fat.

    The cutting of my portions works as follows, I started first by taking my big plate I usually had and cut it by a third for the first week. Then every week thereafter I cut my portion with a third again. It took me a total of about two months to get down to the size of my meal being as much as my two fists put together. If you work it out you’ll see that I was actually eating a lot of unnecessary food that my body did not need and could not transform it all into energy until the next big meal, therefor my body stored everything into unwanted fat.

    By cutting my portions with the initial result being to reduce unwanted weight, I have actually done a few very good things for my body. I loose unwanted fat fast, my metabolism speeds up, my energy levels are higher and I just feel great.

    Any diet that tells you to eat as much as you like and you will still lose unwanted fat fast, is lying to you. You need to eat less more often.

    About the Author:
    I am an expert research writer, that spends most of my time doing research on all the many things in the world that I find appealing and interesting. I am passionate about giving my views, opinions and advice to people who can use my findings to improve their lifestyle. STRIP THAT FAT !!! FAT LOSS 4 IDIOTS !!!

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    66 responses so far

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