Age in Motion No 9

14 June 2015

Globally, Pro-Ageing has progressed dramatically in the past 20 years.
The reality of birth-age (your ID age) as opposed to real-age (your lifestyle age) has become a scientific, sophisticated, solid and philosophical truth, with challenging practical foundations. It has become one of the most profound choices we can make: To age more youthfully – and therefore remain useful and creative in our society. This is possible because of the brain’s ability to create and release the right chemicals in your body when you know how to think and feel about growing older. Thinking and feeling and flowing optimistically with the years as they move forward, create positive physical changes in the body on cellular level!

I have learned that my body is my greatest friend when things go tough. It talks to me and I know that what it tells me is a pure reflection of what is happening to me and how I manage my life.  Mindful stretching – either by way of practicing YOGA or Pilates is a wondrous way of engaging in bodywork. When I am in this personal space of quiet mindful stretching, I know why I am exhausted, emotionally empty, unhappy, or simply living without any creative energy. And then I can fix it!  So, exercising is not just about getting our body in shape, it also makes us more aware of what is going on between our heads and our bodies. Mindful stretching and the deep breathing that accompanies every exercise, have enabled me to transform myself, my body and my soul.

Doing YOGA and Pilates is not as easy as it appears to be, but its benefits go far beyond strengthening the center of your body and giving you a longer, leaner look. These exercises become an ongoing education in body awareness and you becoming a much smarter person with yourself!

The body’s connection to the mind is astonishing. Whenever we are in serious stressful times, our brain triggers particular body movements to help us cope. It instructs certain organs to produce the chemicals necessary to survive. These chemicals are pumped into the muscles of the body to provide the necessary protection.  Because the muscles contract every time we are exposed to stressful events, it is extremely important to ask ourselves:

“What happens to the stress that has gone into our muscles?

Where do the chemicals go to?

How long do they stay there?

And HOW does it impact on the way we age?’

These questions led me to empowering answers!  I’m totally honest when I suggest that mindful stretching is the very best way of releasing those chemicals out of your muscles, and out of your body. It’s a natural way for the body to get rid of at least some of the chemicals that stress has left in your body. 

When we stretch mindfully, knowing about the body’s wisdom to release tension from our muscles, we are helping ourselves to cope and eventually flourish through otherwise unbearable times.

 

I believe that fighting ageing is making you older, faster than flowing with the years and embracing a brighter future. Let’s become more aware of our inborn abilities to use our brain more effectively, also in the ageing journey!

Don’t even start to think it is too hard and so impossible. Create your own space in your home, once you have learned the basics of these exercises and swing your world around!  Believe for a change!  Believe that there are ways to younger looking skin and a more toned body, once the connection between mind and body senses peace and tranquility. Mindful stretching demands from you to live in the moment, and when you do, you may be amazed at what you may discover about yourself and your body.

www.anniecoetzee.co.za/annies-blog

 Don't forget to take it SLOW!

Age in Motion No 8

8 June 2015

A while ago, just before I was walking into the room for an interview with a panel of judges who interviewed women on the value of their work in the Community and Country, one of the make-up artists turned to me and said, ‘Your face is a bit thin. Let me try and widen your jaw’.

For a moment it threw me! If I was twenty or even thirty, I might have run to the mirror and helped her to CHANGE my face! But luckily, with age comes confidence and calmness. With age, we also become more effective and at peace with ourselves, in a quieter way.

I mentioned in previous blogs that I’m going to refer to experts on Ageing Well and this morning, once again, I was enthralled with Doctor Oz.  AMERICA… do you KNOW who you have there!? I am learning so much from him and his team and bit by bit I will share – just enough at a time, so that you and I can embrace it and make it a part of our life!

Since April this year, I have added Yoga exercises to my fitness program. I got started by my friend, Yolanda and was inspired by her dedication and focus. So I got the textbook with explanations, the pictures, and watched a number of You Tubes to help me. Slowly but surely I am beginning to feel more supple. It is helping me with my breathing too, which is a KEY to good health as well. My daily programs with training and presentations don’t allow me to attend regular classes at a specific place – but believe me, the dvd’s are excellent and the instructor/s explain very well as they do the exercises with you. Just get the mat, beginners’ dvd’s, put on some comfortable clothing, and begin your stretches! Part of the excitement is that you will be able to measure your suppleness. You will walk more confidently and certainly more steadily.

Any exercise program has to do with your BODY and your MIND. So for today, I would like to add some wisdom about the ageing body from Doctor Eric Braverman. He refers to us as being ‘as YOUNG as our OLDEST part’. Now we can never deny the reality that as we age, our bodies somehow deteriorate. We used to think that this weakening was due to illness, but now Science believes that it is just a factor of age. Yet the outcome is the same: Any illness that is caused by aged, weakened organs and systems in the body, subtracts from overall health and eventually leads to death. Think of the ‘times’ when you don’t feel good because something, somewhere in your body aches, as ‘times’ when the failing organ, becomes older than the rest of your body. However, because we are so wonderfully and magnificently created, this organ’s associated hormone levels drop, and send a signal to the rest of the body, whose purpose is, (YES!) to broadcast to the whole body that the system is failing. I still think we are marvelously created. There is a message here!

All this sounds very negative. But in the journey of growing older in MOTION it serves no purpose if I never enlighten you with some truths that can assist you in staying young for longer!

Although this signal that is being sent to the whole body is not a good one, it is a way of telling you that something must be done! Your body’s signal of a weak, damaged or sick organ, may in essence be a signal to the mind whereby the whole body can begin to shut down.

I injured my left knee in 2005 during a 42 km race, which I couldn’t complete. At the 28 km mark, my knee was swollen and highly inflamed. I was taken to the end of the race by ambulance. For me, it was a sign and a warning: my knee has been damaged – but my mind started to help me and said, ‘Have a rest. Use the right medication. Do the necessary Bio- Kinetics Exercises and STAY positive’. And so I did.

My knee never needed an operation. However – I stopped doing the long races and go slower down steep hills, simply because that’s the way I keep my knee in good condition to last longer!

Think of a consistent way whereby you can keep your body in a supple and flexible condition and try to discover what YOUR body loves doing – this may be walking, dancing or aerobics, or playing sport. Make it your duty to discover something about YOUR body and what may be the ideal for you – TODAY. 

www.anniecoetzee.co.za/annies-blog 

Golf with my girlfriends, Hazel and Sandy at Kimiad. I have discovered that my body and mind love playing golf.

Age in Motion No 7

2 June 2015

Interesting thoughts go through my mind these days. I looked at a number of other blogs on Ageing and found several with the word ‘MOTION’ in it – but all of them referred to either exercise only, or growing older in general, and very little to the processes in our minds and hearts (guts) that I believe, are the most important 'moving' parts of growing older well and wonderfully.

So I will strengthen my input on the role and value of how we think and how we feel about ageing. Today I am emphasizing the power of the subconscious mind. It is really important to understand how our subconscious mind works.

Basically there are two levels of your mind: the rational (conscious) and the irrational (subconscious). We THINK with our conscious mind, and whatever we habitually think, sinks into the subconscious mind (or sub- level). This then' creates' according to the nature of your thoughts. Maybe you also know that the subconscious mind is the seat of your emotions and is very creative. Therefore, if you think wonderful thoughts about your body (for example), wonderful things will happen in your body. The same is true when you think sick thoughts about your body: SICK things will follow! I have witnessed this so many times with older folks.

And then, don’t forget the media’s influence! Winter is hardly around us, and the most colourful posters about ‘The BIG Flu’ are visible in many pharmacies. You may also have friends who influence your subconscious mind. They might not believe what you believe, and voice words and phrases that don’t ‘sit’ with what you believe!
So, here are some practical tips on how to improve the power of your subconscious mind about ageing.
Simple is the name of the game!

• You have the power to choose your thoughts. Choose to think good and healthy and wonderful and wise, about AGEING. Choose to believe that you can be different than all the ‘others’ you know!
• Protect your subconscious from false impressions. When a certain friend of mine has visited and said things like, ‘But it’s only normal to feel weak at our age’, I have the habit of erasing her words from my mind, the moment she leaves the gate! There are wonderful creative ways to delete negative input! More about that in later blogs!
• Believe that it is God’s will for you to age well. Believe that you are mainly a spiritual being, and that your subconscious mind can initiate miracles (IN your BODY) that are beyond the logic of Physics.
• Embrace CHANGE in your life and know, it’s never too late to start or begin a new hobby of habit!

Believe that EVERY day is a NEW day for You!

www.anniecoetzee.co.za/annies-blog