An Ounce Of Prevention is Worth A Poind of Cure

Let’s not sugarcoat things: after you hit the big 4-0, life only gets a lot more complicated. Alzheimer’s, Macular Degeneration and Heart Diseases start sounding like everyday concerns, on top of thinking about the bills, the kids or the PTA meeting.

All three of the diseases mentioned above are going to be your biggest concerns when you are over 40, for the reason that, there is no widely-available cure for any of them. Should there be, then by the time you are reading this, it will still be in the experimental stages, or its price range is going to be out-of-reach for people like us.

Here are a couple of tips to fortify your defenses against those diseases with.

Alzheimer’s – Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia, which is, in essence, permanent damage to the brain. To date, there is still no known cure for this disease and the number of factors for contracting this disease simply hits most of us like a random flash-flood. We’ll never know. The best ways for staving off Alzheimer’s disease is by mental and physical activity. This strikes people who don’t undergo physical or mental challenges on a daily basis. Sociable interaction is also a plus. Foods that carry antioxidants, and vitamins C and E are also linked to lesser known cases of Alzheimer’s.

Heart Disease – There are several forms of heart diseases --- but most of them can be stopped by restraint. Restraint from living a relatively physically inactive life, restraint from cholesterol and restraint in front of alcohol or tobacco is all that is needed to lower the risks of getting heart disease. Love your heart and it will love you back.

Macular Degeneration – Unfortunately, there are still not enough studies to completely fight off macular degeneration. However, in the few guaranteed controlled observations concerning macular degeneration, a smoke-free and a fruits-and-vegetable-rich lifestyle has been shown to be less likely to develop the severe effects of macular degeneration.

It’s especially frightening to know that there are diseases that we are completely vulnerable to after 40, but the knowledge of lessening risks is key to living a disease-free life that doesn’t need cures --- for there will be no sickness.

What Cardiovascular Diseases Will I Be Prone To?

Often, there are no symptoms of the underlying disease of the blood vessels; a heart attack or stroke may be the first warning signs of cardiovascular diseases.

How scary does cardiovascular disease have to be, for a heart attack to be a warning sign? Cardiovascular diseases are absolutely terrifying. Cardiovascular diseases may develop from years of tobacco use, an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity --- combine that with your 40s and you become a volatile cardiovascular disease surprise.

According to the World Health Organization, “Over 80% of cardiovascular disease deaths take place in low-and middle-income countries and occur almost equally in men and women. Cardiovascular disease risk of women is high particularly after menopause.”

Here are the top three causes, and what cardiovascular disease you may expect from them.

Tobacco User/ Smoker – At first you’d be surprised to find this at the top of the cardiovascular disease list, because for one, you’d expect cigarettes to harm your lungs, not your heart, and for two, it isn’t immediately obvious to people that smoking is bad for the blood.

There’s the carbon monoxide --- it interferes with the transportation of oxygen, and less oxygen means a higher potential for cardiovascular disease. There’s nicotine too --- it decreases the amount of good cholesterol which makes fat become deposited on the walls of an artery. If you’re a long-time smoker, you’re at risk of a stroke or a heart attack.

Unhealthy Diet – An unhealthy diet gives you the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The heart and the blood vessels stop working properly if an unhealthy diet leaves a build up of fat deposits on the inside lining of the blood vessels. These fat deposits cause the blood vessels to become narrow, thereby blocking off the blood flow.

Of the cardiovascular diseases that may get someone with an unhealthy diet, a stroke is most likely. Someone who experiences a mini-stroke while being overweight still has a potential for full recovery, but it would involve losing weight to prevent further cardiovascular disease.

Physical Inactivity – Currently there are studies being performed linking physical inactivity to cardiovascular disease. It’s not a direct result of the sedentary lifestyle, but it would still affect you indirectly. Long bouts of physically inactive bodies might develop arterial stiffness, and for the body to develop a resistance to insulin. It has also been found that cases of these happen to people in their 40s.

The metabolic dysfunction that follows is closely-tied to cardiovascular disease. No doubt, there is an increasing need for regular physical activity while you’re young, since the metabolic dysfunction only develops after years of inactivity. A heart attack or a stroke’s risk is high among people living highly inactive lifestyles.

My Battle Against Alzheimer's!

Imagine that you have a favorite book; when it was new, the edges were still sharp, the pages, crisp from the publisher --- imagine that you read that book at least once a year. Over the next few years, the once-crisp pages become crumpled, some get soaked, some get torn --- now how would you like to know the ending, not knowing how you got there?

That’s what Alzheimer’s is like --- you get to miss some of the best parts of the book --- you miss part of the story because the page just wasn’t there.

Now imagine that you give the book a plastic cover. Picture yourself carefully opening the pages, gently enough to not leave a bend in the spine. Would all those pages still be missing if you did?

Now that I’m older (I’m in my 40’s) my daily battle revolves around staving off serious diseases, (and Alzheimer’s is just what I’m most petrified of) while everyone says that life starts at 40. Not that it doesn’t, it’s just that its both for enjoying myself and a time to help myself.

Here are my battle plans; my strategies on fighting Alzheimer’s … and winning.

Communication – Let your family know that you’re concerned about your personal health. Talk to your family --- this will help you realize who you’re really doing all this for. Leave notes to remind them to remind you to take your medicine/supplements.

Exercise, but do only what you can – So you think that getting into exercise is what’ll make you healthy? Yes and no. If you’re just beginning, you should start off small and not hit the big heavy weights when you can’t. Do stretches before you exercise. Have someone close by should anything happen to you. Over-exerting yourself would only lead to more muscle wear-and-tear, plus it burns off liquids that your body might need during the day.

Eat right – By that I mean going after what you love eating the best. Of course, you’d still have to look at your blood pressure. Before taking that first, big,<p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><img style="width: 459px; height: 359px;" alt="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/barnabebarbaracon/1066730_40980898.jpg" src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y34/barnabebarbaracon/1066730_40980898.jpg" /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Imagine that you have a favorite book; when it was new, the edges were still sharp, the pages, crisp from the publisher --- imagine that you read that book at least once a year.<span style=""> </span>Over the next few years, the once-crisp pages become crumpled, some get soaked, some get torn --- now how would you like to know the ending, not knowing how you got there?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">That’s what Alzheimer’s is like --- you get to miss some of the best parts of the book --- you miss part of the story because the page just wasn’t there.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now imagine that you give the book a plastic cover.<span style=""> </span>Picture yourself carefully opening the pages, gently enough to not leave a bend in the spine.<span style=""> </span>Would all those pages still be missing if you did?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Now that I’m older (I’m in my 40’s) my daily battle revolves around staving off serious diseases, (and Alzheimer’s is just what I’m most petrified of) while everyone says that life starts at 40.<span style=""> </span>Not that it doesn’t, it’s just that its both for enjoying myself and a time to help myself.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Here are my battle plans; my strategies on fighting Alzheimer’s … and winning.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Communication – Let your family know that you’re concerned about your personal health.<span style=""> </span>Talk to your family --- this will help you realize who you’re really doing all this for.<span style=""> </span>Leave notes to remind them to remind you to take your medicine/supplements.<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Exercise, but do only what you can – So you think that getting into exercise is what’ll make you healthy?<span style=""> </span>Yes and no.<span style=""> </span>If you’re just beginning, you should start off small and not hit the big heavy weights when you can’t.<span style=""> </span>Do stretches before you exercise.<span style=""> </span>Have someone close by should anything happen to you.<span style=""> </span>Over-exerting yourself would only lead to more muscle wear-and-tear, plus it burns off liquids that your body might need during the day.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Eat right – By that I mean going after what you love eating the best.<span style=""> </span>Of course, you’d still have to look at your blood pressure.<span style=""> </span>Before taking that first, big, juicy bite off that quad-stacker burger, ask yourself, “will this be bad for my blood pressure?”<span style=""> </span>Also, eat some of them fruits and vegetables a little more.<span style=""> </span>They aren’t that bad, plus, food with Vitamin C and E can boost brainpower.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Tease your brain everyday – Solve a crossword puzzle, solve a riddle, read a book, watch a subtitled movie, listen to music or writing are good brain exercises.<span style=""> </span>These mediums are therapeutic, and helps you get more sleep, relieve tension and erase uneasiness within yourself.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://over40andfighting.com/illnessesalzheimer.asp">Take this test to know if you have Alzheimer's. My top score is 14!</a><br /></p>

I'm Starting To Feel My Age

Do you hear your bones creaking at the slightest movement? Is there a spot in the center of your vision? Are you frequently absent-minded or forgetful? Did you remember that last sentence? Then you may be settling in to your old age quite nicely.

Nicely?! That’s not good. There are predetermined notions of how people “your age” should be acting --- but who dictated it? The people who got to that age first?

It’s not really following someone else’s example --- it’s just that people “your age” (assuming you are like me, who is over 40) are notorious for the common geriatric no-no’s. Here are a couple of signs that make you feel your age.

Problem: Blurred vision --- “I can’t see!”

By now, you could hardly read the fine-print on shampoo bottles. You might even start to conclude that you have weak eyes. This isn’t your fault, it’s the macular degeneration. Well, it’s partly your fault --- think about it --- how much time have you been spending in front of the television, or how long do you read books? Do you take at least 30-minute breaks every 2 hours? The eye gets strained after strenuous visual activity. Ask an optometrist for a recommended eye drop to soothe eye strain, or stare at something green in-between long eye activity.

Problem: Little things annoy me! --- “Get off my lawn, you kids and your DVDs!”

Knowing much more than generations do, it’s expected that by your 40’s, you’ve found the more important stuff, the things worth caring about --- you got there by being curious and playful. Don’t let other people’s immaturity dictate your own. Cool down, count back from 10 to 1 and let the anger pass. Unless you want to be nicknamed “the ugly old fart” of the neighborhood.

Problem: My chest hurts --- “My heart, my heart!”

a.) If you feel sharp pains over your chest after your kids give you a bad report card, it’s the stress; you have to learn to let stress go, not only is it bad for your overall health, it also makes you age faster --- white hair and wrinkles. b.) If you feel pressure on the chest, followed by a radiating pain that snakes its way up the back of your neck, your throat, your jaw and your arms, then you may have a heart disease. Remember to see a physician for check-ups regularly. Exercises like aerobics or running also help ward that off, plus, it makes you feel younger!

Problem: I frequently think of how old I am.

Perception is projection --- you’re not old --- your active mind has been the same (only much more developed) since you were young --- when you keep running back to safe-zone memories to save you, then you haven’t fully accepted your age. Being over 40 isn’t “old” unless you think it is.

Are you over 40 and fighting?

Keeping the Fire in Your Belly

Fires. Bellies. I think keeping the fire in your belly denotes that you are a dragon, and that keeping that fire alive is a priority.

I think a more succinct interpretation of that statement is keeping the spark alive for when you’re over 40 --- the passion for life and living --- the thing that keeps us going. Rather than let it get blown out like a birthday candle off a cake for every birthday we get, we keep on fanning the flames to nourish the fire.

What can you do to keep the fire in your belly alive?

TLC – Tender loving care. Scratch that --- TLC is the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet. It’s for people who have heart disease, have a high risk of getting it, or just have high cholesterol. Even if you don’t have them, it’s better to be prepared than to be catching up when it’s all too late. It means having less than 7% of saturated fat DAILY, with 25-35 percent of the day’s meals solely for the calories from fat. It means having to have enough cholesterol to be able to maintain a healthy weight.

Become the “Cause” – In cause and effect, are you often standing in the effect side of the situation? Are you riding life based on reactions? Become proactive, this is part of keeping the fire in your belly. Will you let situations ride you, and not the other way around? This means taking action and taking responsibility for them. You are never a victim of circumstance.

Define your life’s mission statement – Its funny how most people go through life without knowing who they really are --- and in keeping the fire in your belly, you have to be able to define who you are. It could be a tag line, for who you wish to be seen as. It helps you stop procrastinating, and will make you focused on the more important goals. It could be as simple as, “Being the one who looks after the family.”

Top 10 Causes Of Morbidity In The Philippines

If you have been living in the Philippines ever since you were born, you would be so used to having all these kinds of pollutions we have now. If you go to other countries, you would see a different sky. I never thought that the grass would be really greener and the sky would be actually be bluer in other countries.

A lot of people get sick here in the Philippines and they think that it is normal. They do not know that the causes of these sicknesses are because of these 10 reasons:

1. Water pollution – Factories dumping toxic chemicals in the sea would have a domino effect. Fishes that we eat would be poisoned and when consumed by humans, it won’t be a good source of nutrition.

2. Noise pollution – You think that noise pollution don’t cause sickness? Noise pollution can cause hypertension, high stress levels, annoyance and aggression

3. Soil pollution – Plants and vegetables is a healthy food source. Of course, when polluted with chemicals, one would know the many effects in can cause.

4. Population – The more the merrier? No. The more people there is in one country, the more sickness it can spread and at a faster rate.

5. Lifestyle – Eating out? Fast food is very bad. Very unhealthy. It will make you sick!

6. Limited resources – In the Philippines, where we were recently hit by the rice shortage crisis, people resort to eating alternatives or not eating at all. Also, resources of organic food is limited that only those people who are willing to pay a premium price can avail of the fresh organic food from selected places.

7. Evolving sickness – Bird Flu transmitted to humans? Well, this is one effect of pollution but we can blame this on us, human beings, because we are the ones destroying the environment.

8. Attitude – having a bad attitude would not only make seem your life longer but, it would actually make it shorter. Suicide rate in Japan and Hong Kong are among the highest when stock market crashes. In the Philippines, it’s not yet as high as those countries but, with this economic turmoil and instabilities, it would surely grow.

9. Crime – sad but true. The crime rate here in the Philippines is high that I do not hear in the news a day passing without someone being killed.

10. Global warming – and this, my dear friend is not a made up story. All the things we do contribute to this ticking time bomb. Smoke belching factories and cars, non-biodegradable materials, non-recyclable things and other things we do, unknowingly contribute to global warming which would soon be the number one source of disaster not only in the Philippines but to the world from sickness, to drought, earthquakes and high floods.
<p class="MsoNormal">If you have been living in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> ever since you were born, you would be so used to having all these kinds of pollutions we have now. If you go to other countries, you would see a different sky. I never thought that the grass would be really greener and the sky would be actually be bluer in other countries.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A lot of people get sick here in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> and they think that it is normal. They do not know that the causes of these sicknesses are because of these 10 reasons:</p> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="1" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Water pollution – Factories dumping toxic chemicals in the sea would have a domino effect. Fishes that we eat would be poisoned and when consumed by humans, it won’t be a good source of nutrition.</li></ol> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="2" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Noise pollution – You think that noise pollution don’t cause sickness? Noise pollution can cause hypertension, high stress levels, annoyance and aggression<o:p></o:p></li></ol> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="3" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Soil pollution – Plants and vegetables is a healthy food source. Of course, when polluted with chemicals, one would know the many effects in can cause.</li></ol> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="4" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Population – The more the merrier? No. The more people there is in one country, the more sickness it can spread and at a faster rate.</li></ol> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="5" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Lifestyle – Eating out? Fast food is very bad. Very unhealthy. It will make you sick! </li></ol> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="6" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Limited resources – In the Philippines, where we were recently hit by the rice shortage crisis, people resort to eating alternatives or not eating at all. Also, resources of organic food is limited that only those people who are willing to pay a premium price can avail of the fresh organic food from selected places.</li></ol> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="7" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Evolving sickness – Bird Flu transmitted to humans? Well, this is one effect of pollution but we can blame this on us, human beings, because we are the ones destroying the environment.</li></ol> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="8" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Attitude – having a bad attitude would not only make seem your life longer but, it would actually make it shorter. Suicide rate in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Japan</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:place>Hong Kong</st1:place> are among the highest when stock market crashes. In the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region>, it’s not yet as high as those countries but, with this economic turmoil and instabilities, it would surely grow.</li></ol> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="9" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Crime – sad but true. The crime rate here in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> is high that I do not hear in the news a day passing without someone being killed.</li></ol> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;" start="10" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="">Global warming – and this, my dear friend is not a made up story. All the things we do contribute to this ticking time bomb. Smoke belching factories and cars, non-biodegradable materials, non-recyclable things and other things we do, unknowingly contribute to global warming which would soon be the number one source of disaster not only in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>Philippines</st1:place></st1:country-region> but to the world from sickness, to drought, earthquakes and high floods.</li></ol> <p class="MsoNormal">It’s not yet too late. Take care of the environment. Do something for it. Don’t rely on the government, it all starts with you. <a href="http://over40andfighting.com/home.asp">Have a healthy lifestyle first and start helping the others have a healthy lifestyle too for us to help save the environment altogether.</a></p>

Merry Christmas and A Prosperous New Year!

How The First 40 Years Of Life Will Impact The Rest Of Your Years

Life doesn’t end when you turn 40 --- unless you want to think of it that way.

There are things in your life that you will learn the hardest possible way --- and you’ll carry that for the rest of your life. It starts from the way you were raised … ‘til the day you pass. Here are a couple of ways on how your first 40 years of life will impact the rest of your years.

Better, faster, stronger – You know better --- less and less things excite you. You tend to see the patterns of relationships, businesses. It’s like gaining a brand new sensory organ. It should help you avoid common pitfalls, or ‘rookie mistakes.’ The downside is … you’d have to find new things that you won’t be able to predict --- a life of knowing is a life less exciting. Hence the life goal of looking for new things to feel passionate about. As you know better, do better.

Honest with yourself – You might’ve gone through a “hippie” phase, an 80’s phase, the 90’s attitude phase and the 00’s technological upgrade --- but you know yourself better now. In your teens, trying to fit in was the reason for undergoing phases, and it might’ve affected how you are now as a person, but in your 40s? It’s like you’ve made it --- you’ve got nothing more to prove. You tend to find out who you really are. Being honest with yourself means you could then become honest to the people around you --- especially the lucky ones who stick even after finding your ‘true’ self.

Fearless – You’re a champ! Monsters under the bed might’ve frightened you as a 10-year old, but you know that it isn’t true. Your child getting into a squabble with other kids? That used to petrify you, but not anymore! (Not that it’s a good thing to get used to kids getting sent to the principal’s office) You can try hang-gliding, or rock climbing without it scaring you anymore.

Faith – No matter your religious belief, you’re gonna have to raise your children on a foundation of faith. If you lived a moderately religious life, it’ll teach you to be grateful for what you have in the present. Nothing wrong about being grateful, right?

Become dependable – Growing up, you may have depended on people to help you on several occasions --- it will have taught you the importance of helping and being helped. Now that you’ve made something of yourself, it’s time to give back and be dependable to those who look up to you.

the Symptoms Of Heart Disease

Fact: heart disease strikes the best of us on a daily basis -- whether we are over 40 or not. Sadly, as simple as a healthy diet or minor change in lifestyle can decrease the chances of getting it, many individuals our age aren’t even aware that they have heart disease!

While the symptoms will inevitably vary from case-to-case (given a person’s unique medical history, history of family disease, lifestyle choices) --- there are several symptoms that are found to be common among those who suffer heart disease.

Angina – Angina comes from the Latin word for chest pain. It is the tightness of the chest which seems to radiate to the neck, shoulder, jaw and arms most especially after strenuous activity. This symptom is most-commonly mistaken for a full-blown heart attack.

Heart Palpitations – This is when the heart feels like it’s going to explode. When the heartbeat starts feeling like the heart could just thump out of a person’s chest at any minute. This is most peculiar because it doesn’t require being active to trigger --- and it may often cause a shortness of breath.

Fainting, Dizzy spells, Nausea, Heavy Sweating – When a person suffers angina or heart palpitations, not enough blood gets pumped into the body, causing several functions to just screech abruptly to a halt, thus causing dizzy spells. These are usually warded off by adequate rest, but use that time to recuperate or get yourself checked out.

Have you experienced chest pain after exercising? How about palpitations after drinking an energy drink? Maybe its time to go see a doctor --- what you may shrug off today can bite you tomorrow.

Common Eye Diseases For Those Above 40

Eye disease can affect anyone … at any age. It’s only after 40 our vision starts to blur.

The eyes aren’t like teeth, which you can brush and floss and care for everyday --- time catches up with the eyesight after four decades. Since 40 is also the time where other diseases are likely, they may have lasting effects to your eyesight.

You may scoff and think that prescription glasses, reading glasses and 20 minute breaks will fix your deteriorating vision, but actually, putting off any actual check-up may make things worse.

Here are the most common diseases that affect eyesight:

Cataracts – These are obstructions in the lens of the eye that essentially make that part of the eye a blind spot. It is actually a bag of fluid that fills up where the lens of the eyes sit. When old cells die, they accumulate and cause cloudy / blurry vision.

Glaucoma – Is damage done to the optic nerve when there’s simply an imbalance of fluids in the eye. It causes decreased peripheral vision and pressure to the eyes which may lead to complete blindness.

Macular Degeneration – This is when the macula, or the center of the eye’s retina has deteriorated because of age. The center of the retina is responsible for seeing the finer details. If left untreated, it may lead to a complete loss of function in observing details, which basically means no more reading, or recognizing faces.

Diabetic Retinopathy – Is a severe complication of diabetes which may lead to swelling blood vessels in the eyes. Vision changes may not be noticeable, but if left untreated, may lead to vision loss, then blindness.

In you are in the 40's, these are the common eye problems you may encounter. Make sure to visit an eye specialist to make sure you’re not straining your vision too much.

My Midlife Health Concerns

In my 40s, I find that the more I try to fend off my midlife health concerns from the world; the biggest fears come from me instead. Not that I’m not careful about my personal health, it’s that I’m not entirely the “super-health-lifestyle” guy.

I’m trying my best to keep track of what my body takes in on a daily basis. I find that all the worrying about health only serves to make me even more worried about the threats my midlife health concerns couldn’t predict. So I trimmed down the list of concerns:

Regular Check-Ups – Before, medical check-ups were things to be taken for granted --- I mean, if you don’t feel sick, there’s no reason to go for a test, right? Unfortunately, some of the more deadly midlife health concerns are the quiet ones, the ones you wouldn’t see coming; the ones you don’t expect. You may live a health-oriented lifestyle, but you have to admit your age --- you may be sick and not know it yet.

Preventive Meds – It is absolutely crucial, that, after those check-ups, you find out if there’s any sort of preventive measure to be taken. This includes preventive medicine like statins, aspirin, ACE inhibitors, etc – and you better remember to take ‘em.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – If you’re a smoker, make it a point to stop now. If you’ve quit smoking entirely, there’s still the issue of second-hand smoke --- it’s even worse than if you’ve had the cigarette --- avoid smoking areas at all cost, not for the temptation, but to shield you from all the burnt poison that you might inhale.

Diet and Exercise – Set up a diet and follow it religiously --- if you can, exercise at least 3-5 times a week --- these activities are healthily tedious, but doing so proves to be a much cheaper alternative to being hospitalized. Both of them work by preventing obesity and/or diabetes, some of the very real culprits behind your midlife health concerns.

Risk Factors – Get informed. Talk to your family about your health concerns, and they may do the studies for you. Not only will this lead to a healthier lifestyle for you, it also encourages an even healthier lifestyle for the rest of your family. Know what’s right for you and cut down on your possible risk factors.

There you have it --- some of my weekly midlife health concerns --- because sometimes, we all need a little reminding from time-to-time.

How Do I Find Out If I Have A Disease?

There are dozens of serious diseases that often go unnoticed, even by the people who are closest to us. But what if we, ourselves start doubting our own well-being?

The phrase “better safe than sorry” comes to mind --- would you, dart off to the nearest hospital and get yourself checked up over nothing, or would you rather wait it out and have potential serious diseases do more damage in time?

Now that we’re over our 40s, something as minor as a discoloration, a headache or a sensation of sharp, sudden, immediately-disappearing pain could be indicators for serious diseases. But what could you do? Wait it out to get either better, or worse, or take up somebody’s time?

Here are a couple of ways to find out if you have a serious disease. The big three for people who are in their 40s:

Alzheimer’s Disease

A form of dementia, this serious illness starts off as absent-mindedness. This happens because of the natural aging process --- it also changes a person’s mental functions. Do you notice yourself forgetting more and more things frequently? Have you suddenly become moody? Couple that with light disorientation and feeling generally irritable, and you might have Alzheimer’s.

Heart Disease

This is in general --- the symptoms that are common in a number of serious diseases that are classified as heart disease. Do you feel extraordinarily fatigued, even if you haven’t done much during the day? Do you feel a sudden tightness in your chest? Do you sometimes have trouble breathing? Are you a smoker/drinker/unhealthy eater? If you answered “yes” in 4 of the last questions, then you may have heart disease. If you answered “yes” to 2-3 symptoms, then it’s time to let go of some bad habits, and actively seek out a healthier change.

Macular Degeneration

This affects the eyes. Along with the heart, the eyes are affected by the aging process. When you squint as hard as you can and is still unable to read the fine-print on anything, or, when you have blood-shot eyes even after a full night’s rest --- it’d be time to see a specialist --- one of a number of serious diseases could make your eyes permanently blurry, or damaged.

Bottom line is --- it shouldn’t matter if you prefer to go to the hospital if you’ve got even the faintest suspicion that you have one of the serious diseases --- doctors and nurses and hospitals are employed to look after the welfare of their patients, and should there be a consultation/check-up fee, it’d be a small price to pay for what might go wrong down the road.

What Should I Watch Out For When I Get Over 40?

When you get over 40, there’s this obvious risk of getting any disease. Some are even surprising --- the people who have don’t ingest toxic substances suddenly getting sick?! If we ourselves have a drink or a smoke from time-to-time, how safe are we? What should we look out for?

Tobacco smoke – This is the silent and deadliest killer. The media has informed us repeatedly that cigarette smoking is bad for the health --- I mean, even the packs of cigarettes themselves have the warning --- so how could it still creep up on us? If you’re over 40 and you still smoke, then maybe it’s time to quit, or even lessen the number of cigarettes you light up daily. If you’re not a smoker, remember: second-hand smoke is oftentimes more dangerous than first-hand smoke. Better stop hanging out with friends who smoke, or walking through smoking areas --- it’s toxic!

Alcohol – We can make up all the excuses like red wine being good for the heart, but alcohol is still alcohol --- have too much and it’ll haunt you for the rest of your years. You could claim that you’re not an alcoholic, that, instead, the alcohol follows you, but you should take responsibility when you drink. When you’re over 40, binge drinking is harder to recover from, and is harder to escape. If you have an alcohol problem, it can contribute to higher triglycerides, cancer or heart disease. Enroll yourself in a program if you can’t handle it on your own, or, better yet, condition yourself to drink less.

Weight – When you’re over 40, it’s harder to notice that your metabolism has slowed down to a crawl. You may claim that it’s just the beer weight, but any additional weight is just added load to your heart. Plus, chances are, if you start gaining weight, it means that you might possibly have higher blood pressure, higher blood cholesterol, and a higher risk for diabetes or a heart condition. It may also signify inactivity, are you moving less? Join a weekend exercise class, or jog before going into the morning shower --- it’ll do your body good, too, with the endorphins.

More info about your health? read other blogs posted here or go to over40andfighting.com

Happy Holidays!

The whole family will be here at home this year. Isn't that something? At 43, I have everything I've ever wanted, and now I get to look forward to more new things. To all readers here, thank you for supporting my desire for health for all.

Looking forward to life with you guys next year. Happy Holidays!

Keeping The Mind Healthy In Your 40's

The mind is arguably the most important part in the human body. It is directly responsible for our well-being, whether we are aware of it or not.

Because honestly, in my head, I’m still me when I was in the third grade, highschool, as a bachelor --- it’s just that I’m in an older body.

Think about the mind as the great big operating system of the human machine. Imagine --- it handles side processes like breathing, regulating blood while also allowing you to control your actions.

Those with a healthier mindset are usually the healthy ones while in contrast, the ones who are consumed by worry are the ones who get sick more often. It’s not hard to see the correlation now, right?

Question is, how do you train your mind to be healthy?

Release – Hale Dowskin from the Sedona Method has said it better: the only way you can feel pain from the past and anxiety in your future is when you’re still holding on to that feeling. The heart may well be romanticized to control the emotions, but its really your head calling the shots. Cut out unnecessary causes of stress in your mind by mentally letting them go. Forgive past grievances, make amends with what is inevitable in your future.

Think In The Now – Because really, why dwell on the past --- you can’t change it. Why worry about the future when it isn’t here yet? When you take down all these layers of regret, worry and self-doubt, you find that prioritizing becomes a lot easier.

Meditate – No, meditation isn’t all about controlling your breaths --- it could be as simple as reassessing your life goals every week. Why not ask yourself personal growth questions on a set schedule? (Everyone needs personal growth; even those beyond 40!) For example, ask yourself, “how could I be a better spouse / parent / employee this week?”

Be Happy! – Release pent-up aggression as soon as it develops --- squeeze the life out of a stress ball, take a walk --- think of your beautiful family when you’re in doubt. Watch funny movies and tv shows. A stress-free life is a healthy life.

Those are just some of the ways to keep your mind healthy after 40. Do you know any more ways? Leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you.

If you have a health problem you want to discuss, go to http://over40andfighting.com/theworld.asp

Enjoying Life Over 40

Quit your job! No one should have just a job when they are over 40. It’s time for fun --- and it’s not just me saying that. Doing so will be good for your self-esteem.

Life over 40 sure is different. Some days, it feels like your kids, (and I love mine) are ingrates. Some days, I feel like I don’t want to pay the bills anymore. Some days, I feel like my job isn’t as important as I once thought it was, seeing fresh-grads taking over the big, active jobs in the office.

Do you ever think like that? Well, you’re not alone. We are running on the tightrope of midlife, and the damages we’ve done to ourselves are manifesting their cracks now that we’re over 40.

What do we do about it? Well if you’ve gotten over 40, then you must’ve learned about being patient along the way. Being patient is crucial, because now, you’ll make plans for the rest of your life.

Open up a notebook --- time to reassess your goals. Write up the years ahead on the top, and write down your goals for that year. If you’re over 40, you find that the years just seem to go by faster than when you were a kid, which also signifies that there’s no time to waste.

So, say, for 2009, your plans are “Healthy Body 2009” --- after that year, you recheck your notebook if you’ve gotten that goal down. Of course hoping won’t do the work alone, you’re over 40, you should know this by now. This includes eating more organic foods, getting proper rest, daily exercise, drinking 8 or more glasses of water, finding time to relax after stress, enjoying life with family and being happy.

Did you get your wish? If you didn’t get what you wanted exactly, reassess your goals for the next year if its doable, and slowly, you’ll be finding the ways to make that goal come true. Future projection is pretty important too --- your goal must be REALISTIC for you. Would you be left in a state of “unbelief” once you do get to drive that Ferrari? If you don’t believe it can happen to you, then it’s not REALISTIC for you.

Life may get easier over 40, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a slacker. Time’s running and your goals and dreams are now, more than ever, within your reach. Time to put it down to writing -- Being over 40 doesn’t mean you have to stop being a dreamer.

http://over40andfighting.com/

Staying Young

When I was around my 20’s, my dad would always try to fit in our generation and I always hated it. I would tell him, “Dad, it doesn’t fit you!” or “Dad, come on! Act your age!” Don’t you just hate it when he says, “yeah baby!” or “What’s up dawg?” Yes, my dad used those phrases. But in some way, my friends say my dad is cool because he knows how to use the computer very well in comparison to other people who are just about his age.

He would know how to use ROFLMAO not just plain “haha” or “LOL”. He would know how to search and download torrents. He has social networking accounts like myspace, facebook, multiply and friendster! I only have a multiply account, for your info.

Now that I am older, I realize his effort of stooping down to our generation to try and stay young. There are other ways to stay young other than trying to think young.

The advancement of science in our generation gives us several chances to feel young, look young and be young. One way is the unnatural way. Plastic surgery and other medical procedures are now normal but is not a good and natural way to look young. Besides, these procedures cost a lot that you might get old faster because of the amount o money you will spend.

What you must do is always exercise your brain. A stagnant brain will rust easily. Don’t just stare at the television and try creating a profession out of being a potato couch. Without using your brain, your memory will worsen.

While exercising your brain, also exercise physically, constantly. Make no excuses! To try help you with all those activities, try taking vitamins to ensure you get what you need to have the strength to exercise and memory to think analytically. Taking vitamins is a support only and should not be relied on to have a healthy lifestyle. It’s a very good start though.

Absent-Mindedness: A Random Occurence or a Curse?

Do you occasionally need a jumpstart? Have you been frequently daydreaming? Not as active as you’re used to? You’re not alone.

Are you absent-minded? Here’s an example: you’re taking notes with a pen then the phone rings --- you answer the phone, and you spend time, energy and aggravation trying to look for the pen afterwards, only to find it neatly tucked up your ear.

Some people dismiss events like these as just being “not their day.” But it happens to the best and the rest of us. Most especially at times when we try to juggle a job, an active home life and an extra-curricular activity --- there’s only so much things you could hold in your mind at a time!

“Mind wandering” --- it’s a phenomenon that’s apparently not getting enough attention from the big brains of the scientists that are studying it. It’s inexplicable why on average, a person will daydream 30% of the time, and spend 60% sleeping or working. If you think about it long and hard enough, those figures add up to an incredible amount of time and energy wasted doing nothing.

While it happens to the rest of us, we wonder --- how come so-and-so’s so active and alert most of the time? Is there something going on in their brain of theirs that’s not happening in yours? Did they get an upgrade, or a patch, that you didn’t download?

It’s not that they’re cheating --- it’s just that they’re more alert than we are! While absent minds can usually waste time, think of the consequences --- the inconvenience an absent mind may bring to a community. What if a member of the demolition crew forgot which direction he was swinging a wrecking ball? What if that same person drove the ball right up your wall? Not too small an inconvenience, eh?

Mental alertness is the key in combating the effects of absent-mindedness. Simple mental queues while doing an action can help. Tell yourself, “I’m clipping the pen above my ear / I’m swinging the wrecking ball to the left / Insert-action here” while doing the action to help anchor in what you’re currently doing before a state-breaking interruption.

There are other, ways in which you could invoke your inner alert tiger --- such as the right amount of caffeine, guarana, gingko biloba, gotu kola and fish oils can help heighten your mental alertness state.

Don’t sweat it if you forget things from time to time --- it happens. Now what was I talking about?

FREE - Alzheimer's Disease Test

7 Risk Factors That Are Killing Your Heart

“How at risk am I?” That’s the question you should be asking yourself on a daily basis. There are three major risk factors that cannot be changed --- age, gender and heredity. If you are older than 40, belong to the male gender or have someone in your family suffer heart problems, you are more at risk of a coronary heart disease.

How at risk is that? Let’s say that’s 30% of a heart disease … and that’s assuming that you are at 100% health, adding more risk factors would increase that risk and put your life in danger.

Here’s a list of the 7 risk factors that are killing your heart --- for each one you have, add 10% to the 30% you already have.

Smoking – Smokers tend to have 2-4 times the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease as compared to people who are non-smokers. Exposure to the poisons of smoke can increase the risk factor of a non-smoker, even.

High blood cholesterol – The percentage of blood cholesterol that a person has is directly proportional to the added risk he’s putting on his life. This can also be affected by age, gender and heredity.

High blood pressure – Not to be confused with blood cholesterol, a higher blood pressure increases the workload of the heart, making for a more dangerous living.

Too much alcohol – Fun fact: moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart disease than non-drinkers. Too much, however can contribute to obesity, depression and/or accidents, which are also fatal.

Physical inactivity – A sedentary lifestyle is a contributor to heart disease. Participating in vigorous physical activity may even help curb the effects of the other risk factors, such as blood pressure.

Obesity – People who are overweight are twice as likely to develop heart disease. It raises blood pressure, and may sustain a diabetes in the long run.

Stress – Studies have noted the relation of stress to a person’s well-being. This is truly a risk, not only for heart disease, but for a person’s mental breakdown.

What was the total of your risk factor? “How at risk am I?” for those over 40 can now finally be answered.

Heart Disease and It's Symptoms

There are several different types of heart disease: coronary heart infection, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, heart valve disease and angina. There are also different symptoms for each.

Coronary Heart Infection is when fatty deposits develop along the coronary arteries. This may have developed in youth, and thicken and enlarge during adulthood. Symptoms may include heaviness, tightness, and/or chest pains.

Myocardial Infarction, also known as a heart attack happens when the heart experiences a prolonged lack of oxygen caused by a blocked blood flow. The symptoms may include severe pressure in the chest area, a pain that spreads from the shoulders, neck, arms and/or jaw. Patient may also experience sudden sweating, paleness and shortness of breath.

Congestive Heart Failure is when the heart isn’t supplying the body with enough oxygenated blood. This may be caused by a high sodium intake, high blood pressure or a heart valve disease. Patient may experience weight gain, fatigue, loss of appetite, a persistant cough and/or constant nausea.

Heart Valve Disease is when the heart doesn’t function as well as it used to. Malfunctioning heart valves prevent bloodflow in and out of the heart. It may be caused by a previous heart attack Symptoms include chest pains, palpitations, fatigue, migraine and dizziness.

Angina is when a part of the heart doesn’t get enough blood. It’s a sign of coronary heart disease. Symptoms include a squeezing or crushing pain in the chest, and pain in the arms, shoulders, jaw and back.

Are you experiencing any of the symptoms? Remember to get regular check-ups from your doctor to confirm or read more about it. Heart health is crucial to a person’s longevity and therefore plays a role in anti-aging.

What Are You Fighting For?

With obligations hanging over our heads on a daily basis, it’s tough to find time for what you’re really fighting for --- you!

It shall be noted that I will use the word “fight” throughout this entire article with it pertaining to image of the raw, survivalist instinct it invokes, not “fight” as in brawl.

We fight for someone everyday. When we stand up for an officemate being abused, or when we say we’ll fight for love, or, in times of desperation, there’s a fight for your life. But do you really have to be in times of desperation to fight for yourself? That’s what is lacking in most people nowadays --- a relationship with themselves.

When you think of yourself as a fighter, it means you possess enough inner strength and scrappiness to face tough issues ahead. Here are some of the important things to fight for:

Fight for your rights. According to the World Health Organization, "the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being..." It is your absolute right to be healthy. Should you feel someone is hindering that goal, then it’s time to fight for your basic rights. If you didn’t know the basics about your health rights, then part of the hope is lost --- people may be taking advantage of you already.

Fight for food. Well, not literally. Everyone deserves a good well-balanced meal, and not live off on fast foods, junk snacks and sodas. You deserve what you get --- you should never, ever feel bad about spending for food. Not only is eating one of the most basic joys of being alive, it’s also our main source of energy, to fight for the next day.

Fight for the truth. News reports about the latest health miracle shouldn’t be considered the pure and absolute truth. Think about it … is televised news 100% accurate all the time? So what should happen, should they introduce health risks and hazards --- are you going to believe them, no questions asked? A feeling starts from signals from the brain. If you listen to your television 100% of the time, you’d be too petrified to leave your house, in case viruses were on the loose.

Fight for youth. When you fight for your life, your adversaries (the bad habits) are just one thing to think about, you get older too; Slower reflexes, memory problems, and a blurring eyesight --- is this what you want? Probably not. Rather than stay laser-focused on the issues everyone gets when growing old, why not fight it? Fight for life. When you fight aging, you are committed to making yourself better, not only will you remain youthful, you also ward off diseases that come from a lifestyle of excess.

There you have it. These are the things we have to fight for in our lives if we haven’t been doing so already. We owe it to ourselves to put a smile on, and fight for the new day.

Go to Over 40 and Fighting website now!

5 Strategies for the Perfect Over 40 Holiday

The holidays are a fun time for all --- and if you’re over 40, then it’s going to be sort of different. The kids are now probably in their teens and don’t look up to midnight with the same wonder, you may be concerned how much work you’re missing over the break, or, you could be feeling your age.

What can you do? Well, the description of the “sad” holiday above is how a pessimistic person might view the holidays --- and you’re not that, aren’t you? Your kids are lovable sweet little angels, your family comes first before work and you’ve never felt better! Here’s how you can have that perfect little “over 40” holiday.

Savor Every Moment – It’s a cliché, but are you spending the holidays looking at old photo albums, or thinking about older holidays? Remembering is nice and all, but a wave of nostalgia actually holds us back from looking forward. The moment you wake up from sleep --- before moving, think how lucky you are to be awake at THAT moment. Be thankful. This makes each and every “over 40” holiday even more special.

Go All Out – I think I can trace this back from my upbringing. No matter the circumstance, we would celebrate the holidays the BIGGEST way possible. A humble dinner with all your favorite meals would be enough. It’s not about being extravagant --- people deserve what they earn. You are over 40 and CAN provide for your family --- why not go all out this holiday?

F.W.F.F. – Fun with Friends and Family. You are only as big as how big people think of you. Think about it --- you must’ve been nice for a reason. It’s the golden rule: do unto others … etc. Think about your long-lost friends, or family you hardly get to talk to. Give them a call, or leave a note on their social network wall. (Yes, I did just figure that one out … thanks to my kid!) Do you still even send out holiday cards? Write a personal note to someone you’ve lost touch with, build a little group for you and your friends in your favorite social network; organize an exchange gift. Treasure your beautiful family.

Give – There’s this new “emotion” that’s being called elevation --- which is a glowing feeling, resulting as a reaction from moral beauty. Nothing can be more beautiful than to be giving. Encourage/teach your kids the beauty of altruistic acts --- and they will teach the same to their children. Give back by donating to a charity, or, in as simple a way as leaving a little tip for your house help, or the garbage man.

Smile – Be kind. Be nice. You’re over 40! You made it! Enjoy the holidays, from my family to yours.

What Nutritional Deficiencies Can I Expect After 40?

People over their 40s should be aware of their nutrition. During this age, our bodies tend to extract less and less vitamins from what we eat. Here are a couple of signs that you’re not getting enough from your everyday-sandwich.

Vitamin A – Your skin has become dry and wrinkly. Your hair losses its sheen and turns into grey. It can cause headaches, nausea and hair loss. Get your fill of Vitamin A when you eat carrots, egg, milk, fish liver oil and apricots.

Vitamin E – Your hair has turned to grey and your skin has become dry. Vitamin E rejuvenates, so if you had less of it, what’s the opposite of rejuvenate? For a fill, eat lots of green leafy vegetables, seeds, beans and nuts. Be careful though, too much Vitamin E may increase your blood pressure --- and lead to heart disease.

Vitamin B – Tingling of the hands/feet. Deficiency of Vitamin B, most specifically Vitamin B12 affects the whole body. It causes mood swings, anxiety and insomnia. The best way is to get a supplement with Folic acid. It can reverse the effects that B-deficit anemia cause.

Deficiencies of these vitamins can cause several health conditions. The best way to counter it is by eating the right amount of food, coupled with a healthy diet. Balanced supplements are also recommended for those who worry that they are getting too little or too much.

7 Risk Factors That Are Killing Your Heart

“How at risk am I?” That’s the question you should be asking yourself on a daily basis. There are three major risk factors that cannot be changed --- age, gender and heredity. If you are older than 40, belong to the male gender or have someone in your family suffer heart problems, you are more at risk of a coronary heart disease.

How at risk is that? Let’s say that’s 30% of a heart disease … and that’s assuming that you are at 100% health, adding more risk factors would increase that risk and put your life in danger.

Here’s a list of the 7 risk factors that are killing your heart --- for each one you have, add 10% to the 30% you already have.

Smoking – Smokers tend to have 2-4 times the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease as compared to people who are non-smokers. Exposure to the poisons of smoke can increase the risk factor of a non-smoker, even.

High blood cholesterol – The percentage of blood cholesterol that a person has is directly proportional to the added risk he’s putting on his life. This can also be affected by age, gender and heredity.

High blood pressure – Not to be confused with blood cholesterol, a higher blood pressure increases the workload of the heart, making for a more dangerous living.

Too much alcohol – Fun fact: moderate drinkers have a lower risk of heart disease than non-drinkers. Too much, however can contribute to obesity, depression and/or accidents, which are also fatal.

Physical inactivity – A sedentary lifestyle is a contributor to heart disease. Participating in vigorous physical activity may even help curb the effects of the other risk factors, such as blood pressure.

Obesity – People who are overweight are twice as likely to develop heart disease. It raises blood pressure, and may sustain a diabetes in the long run.

Stress – Studies have noted the relation of stress to a person’s well-being. This is truly a risk, not only for heart disease, but for a person’s mental breakdown.

What was the total of your risk factor? “How at risk am I?” can now finally be answered.

Do you have a heart problem? Or perhaps, do you want more tips on how to prevent them? go to
http://over40andfighting.com/theworld.asp

How Would I Know If I Have Alzheimer's?

Do I have Alzheimer’s? How would I know? What if I knew I did, but forgot about it?

Alzheimer’s is form of dementia that is a progressive, degenerative brain disease that destroys brain cells, causing memory loss, thinking/behavior problems and may become severe enough to affect speech, memory and a social life. Today, there is still no known cure for it.

There are three stages and should you even feel like you’re suffering the mild stage, you should immediately get yourself checked-up.

Mild – This is the stage that is most usually missed by the patient’s family. You start misplacing things and you forget some minor detail from earlier on in the day. You also tend to be less energetic. There’s a diagnosis for Mild Cognitive Impairment if your forgetfulness starts to alarm you.

Moderate – You may forget several important details, but should at least still be able to care for yourself. Simple tasks are still doable, but for the more complicated ones, like driving or cooking, you may need assistance. It is crucial at this point to start seeing a doctor about it.

Severe – This article stops making sense to you. Fact is you might not have been able to read it all that well --- it’s either you have read it and have forgotten about it, or your brain simply can’t access the part of your brain that knows how to read. The progression of the disease at this point is drastic, control of bodily functions go out the window and you may start forgetting who your loved ones are, or why they’re there in the first place.

While it’s silly to assume that we can all just go out every afternoon to get a cognitive impairment test, it’s even sillier to think that Alzheimer’s won’t affect you. As clichés go about prevention and cure --- there are several, more accessible means of decreasing the likelihood of Alzheimer’s, only if you don’t forget to remember.

Take this test to see if you have Alzheimer's!

Do Nutritional Gaps Affect You?

Every diet is a bust. No matter how careful you plan them --- there won’t be enough x-mineral or x-vitamin to fill up the daily recommendation.

The vast majority of us don’t get enough Vitamins A through E on a daily basis, let alone the omega-3s and fish oils. It’s gotten to the point where deficiency testing has become such a staple in your doctor’s check-up.

These gaps make way for damaged DNA, or the support for cellular growth. This leads to premature aging and diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s.

There is such a thing too, as overdosing on certain vitamins to reduce the chances of a disease. It has recently been found that Vitamin B DOES NOT directly affect the risk of heart attack in high-risk individuals.

The disappointing thing is that we know so little about how certain vitamins and minerals from food interact with others upon consumption --- so yes, in a way, nutritional gaps affect you.

The best way to curb the gap is by a diet that is both varied and nutritious. Mix up fruits, vegetables, fish, carbohydrates, low-fat meat and chicken. Add in some whole grains and low-fat dairy products. For those of us who are slightly older than the rest who need a little more nutrition need to take up supplements that are perfectly balanced, for an excess may lead to an amount of antioxidants that are slightly toxic in the body.

Effects Of Stress In The Body

Stress is the body’s warning system that it can’t cope. Much like a 486x running today’s computer applications … the body just can’t deal with the stress.

Stress and the mind.

A hard day at work, your kids getting in trouble at school, or just a bad encounter at a restaurant can cause stress. When the threats --- real or perceived --- overcomes a person, stress becomes harmful to the body. Stress starts in the mind --- when the mind thinks that there is a threat nearby, it starts firing signals down to the adrenal glands to produce adrenalin and cortisol.

Down to the body.

The rapid surge of adrenalin increases the heart rate, blood pressure and energy. The cortisols, at the same time, increases blood glucose levels. To further complicate the situation, the muscles and the liver releases glucose from the muscles and the liver. Meanwhile, the pancreas releases insulin and glycogen to regulate glucose.

In the long run.

All of the energy required to release the hormones and glucose (and both regulate them) are taken from the body’s main activity processes --- the ones used to maintain and regulate balance in digestion, for example. Imagine that everytime a person undergoes a stress episode, the body releasing hormones THAT WEREN’T NECESSARY in the first place.

A continued lifestyle of constantly stressing over nothing will take its toll on the body. The muscles will become tired and the organs will wear out eventually. Life won’t be the same --- the worn-out organs will make way for serious diseases in the long run.

During your 40s, a continued lifestyle of stress will have the most impact, since this is the time when you want to be in tip-top shape. Stress is something to avoid if you want a healthy heart lifestyle. Imagine what the heart undergoes from constantly trying to keep up with perceived stress, or over things that don’t require to stress over for. It may even lead up to heart diseases, real, not perceived.

Combine that with a family history of disease, lack of exercise, a pending mid-life crisis and several bad habits you might’ve picked up along the way --- and it might just go off in one of the worst ways possible. Certifiably unhealthy.

This might be, or any other instances before it, the best time to give stress a more in-depth looking into --- its lethal.

Want to talk about your back ache or memory gap and improve them? go and join this online forum at over40andfighting.com

Keeping Your Eyes Healthy

Don’t watch TV too close! Don’t read on with a dim light! Don’t do this, don’t do that. Does it remind you of your mother when you where young? Actually, for people who didn’t follow that, they might be suffering from poor eyesight now but, that’s not it. You don’t need a research to show you that one sign of ageing is having a deteriorating eyesight.

Sad but, we need all we can do to prevent our eyesight from deteriorating. The question is, how?

4 easy things to do to help you from having a poor eyesight.

1. Go to the doctor for regular check-up and follow their advice. Ask for 2^nd and 3^rd opinion if they suggest an open surgery. Laser treatment is another popular way to improve eyesight without having to wear those thick-as-a-vault lenses.

2. Eat veggies. Your mother would say, “Eat carrots! It has beta-carotene and vitamin A that improves your eyesight.” Although that is not the only determining factor for having good eyesight, eating vegetables actually helps in more than maintaining your eyesight.

3. Take in vitamins and minerals. It’s the fastest way if you hate eating vegetables like I do. Most kids also don’t love them but we force them to. You can always have them take in vitamins to help fill-in the lacking vitamins they need in their body. This also goes to us, older people. An ounce of prevention is better than cure. We don’t want to spend our savings in the hospital right? Start investing in those vitamins right now!

4. Reduce eye strain. Computers and big screen plasma LCD’s are in nowadays. Try decreasing the number of hours spent staring at those huge gadgets. Straining your eyes will of course just hasten your way to blurry-eye-ville.

So now, you understand why your mother nags you about those stuffs while you are watching your favorite tv show! Don’t wonder why now, your kids won’t listen to you. They won’t understand it unless they get to our age.

If you want to ask and discuss about your health, go to this forum: http://over40andfighting.com/theworld.asp

Over 40 and Online!

It’s no surprise that I still make online boo-boos. I just turned 43 this year, and have just learned about blogging. Aside from blogging, I’ve learned (with help from the children) what’s new on the internet. Now I’m not saying that the internet isn’t for people over 40, it’s just that email has been, for me, the pinnacle of the internet --- and that wasn’t even half of it, apparently.

Aside from my newfound blogging/email knowledge, with help from officemates and kids, I’ve discovered a whole wealth of great services and social tools that enrich my 43-year-old life’s online existence.

Budgeting
I admit my budget plan before has been pretty simple --- keep 10-20% of my income in the bank, save for at least 6 months’ worth of pay in the bank, and splurging whenever I find something that the family wants. I was pointed over to Buxfer --- a finance application over the web. It helps you keep track of your spending, plus, it even syncs up with your bank … online! Whenever you do transactions with your bank, it automatically updates your transaction list. You can even set it to send emails for bill reminders, or weekly finance updates.

Pictures
I’ve taken literally thousands of pictures over the last few years. My family has a love affair with the camera, and it looks like none of us are stopping at any point. Which is why we all have accounts on Multiply. My kid set it up so my contacts are family members, plus, we value the privacy options in keeping the content exclusive for sharing tender family moments.

Health
I’m not the perfect healthy being out there, but I’m not unhealthy either --- for that, the wife and I are updated on the newest development in health via Over40andFighting and WebMD. The former being my foremost source of discussion with people my age, while the latter, just an overall health information website.

Friendships
I’m just surprised at how Facebook works. It was a blast getting in touch with my mates from school, and how each one have families, or are living far, far away now. The class bully added me up to be my “friend.” This is as surreal as how my online social life’s going to get. For my close-knit buds though, we have a group page on 24Ever, and the cutesy interface just doesn’t get old in my eyes.

Videos
It was a big deal back in the 90’s when I had my officemate set up a meet on an IRC server on a specified channel to get in touch with my family. (Or whoever got the instructions back then) Now they have video on a site called Vimeo? Which is much more immediate than lugging around a camera, burning the footage on CD and sending it out to family, hoping that nothing bad happens on the trip.

Well, I think that’s my range for my online life over 40. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what can be done online. Do you have any suggestions for what else I can do online? Kindly share a comment below to let me know.

My Battles With Daily Temptation

Everyday is a good day to be alive.  Not that the world becomes perfect overnight --- it’s just that the amount of possibilities is staggering.  So does the daily temptation.

Being a little older than some of my colleagues, it’s easier to see why things seem easier for me.  I know better, and that “last” bottle of beer?  I know it’s going to haunt me --- if not in the morning, but for months or years to come.

It’s easy to think back to easier times, when, after a day of solid work, I’d go thinking how a couple of bottles of beers, cigarette breaks or a heavy meal might do me some good --- but now, these things are part of the daily temptation I try so hard to avoid.

 

Alcohol – I never believe in alcohol abuse.  The alcohol doesn’t abuse the body of the drinker, but when the drinker decides to abuse the alcohol, that’s when things go horribly wrong.  Part of the daily temptation is knocking back a few after a hard day’s work.  I used to think that I deserve that shot, or that bottle --- but now I consider that I deserve MORE.  I deserve my health, for what lifestyle changes I put my body through.

Smoking – I tried it when I was younger.  My advice is, if you don’t smoke already, don’t even try it.  It’s a nasty habit that leaves your teeth stained and your hands constantly smelling like burnt excess.  Daily temptation is storming out of a conference call and lighting one of these up in the designated smoking area.  Most buildings have designated smoking areas that just make you feel bad about smoking, like an empty rooftop.  If that wasn’t a sign enough already, consider your health.  I considered mine.

Heavy meals – A good meal is something to be valued, treasured, even --- for a meal only happens once in your life.  But constantly binge eating only reinforces the bad habit as instant gratification.  It makes your body ill and makes you think less of yourself.  I can’t think of a time when something deep-fried or buttered isn’t a daily temptation, and I’m not bound to try and decode why --- I don’t want to confess these sins from a hospital bed, see.  :D