"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” — Famous Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu

http://www.rosegantner.com/home.htm

(Rose's webiste above)

Dr. Rose Karlo Gantner, Ed.D, NCC, former Senior DIrector of Product Development and Innovation for UPMC's  (University of Pittsburgh's Medical Center's) Health Plan, wrote:  "Preventing health problems is more cost-efficient than having to treat them later.  You should raise your self-awareness and educate yourself about your health, trying to uncover potential health risks before they become medical concerns.  Make a commitment to personal change.

"Americans are spending more and more of their waking hours at work, so that can mean that it is possible that they are not getting enough physical exercise to maintain healthy lifestyles.  Exercise is so important, even if only a few minutes per day.  It is recommended that the average adult have 30 minutes per day for a minimum of 150 minutes per week of physical activity.

"Try participating in workplace programs and wellness programs.  Also, look for healthy nutritional choices in cafeterias or at home... join a health club or be more active, whether its gardening, playing individual or team sports, whatever.  Simply put, try being more pro-active in your own health: positive habits, attitude and life-style.

Rose is always searching new books and trying new things.  From one author friend named Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD, she learned:

1) No foods are bad-- just eat smaller portions

2) Eat on small plates

3) When you feel 75% full, quit eating and don't over stuff

4) grazing is really detrimental-- if you do this, eat celery sticks, carrots and radishes when hungry with some peanut butter on them.

5) No more than 6 ounces of meat two times per week; more fruits, vegetables and whole grains

6) Eat quality food selectively and always drink lots of water daily.

7) Although more expensive, buy single portions of potato chips etc so you eat the one bag and contents only without guilt.

"You get the drift.  If a person cuts back just 100 calories a day, that is a loss of 10 pounds in one year.  For lunch here I usually always eat one yogurt and a small can of low sodium V-8 and an apple or banana. I try to walk during my lunch hour, too.  When it was snowing too badly, I walked around in our commercial parking garage."

The Less Stress Webcast by Dr. Rose Gantner

Feeling overwhelmed today?  One of my favorite Health celebrities is Dr. Rose Karlo Gantner!  Click the link above to listen to her 12 minute Webcast on Less Stress and add more resiliency! 

Nov. 1, 2010:  THe National Wellness Institute is featuring Dr. Rose on a Member Webinar 11/11/10 from Noon to 1, CST.   It's called "LESS STRESS, MORE RESILICIENCY!"

http://www.nationalwellness.org/index.php?id_tier=128&id_c=297

See Rose's excellent book, WORKPLACE WELLNESS, PERFORMANCE WITH A PURPOSE, on her new website!

http://www.rosegantner.com

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http://m.cdc.gov

Here's a CDC Blog written by Dr. Jay M. Bernhardt, Director of the National Center for Health Marketing:

http://blogs.cdc.gov/healthmarketingmusings/

On a Linked-in Educational Forum, I met the author of this website dedicated to keeping you healthy when you travel!

http://www.passporthealthusa.com/travel_medical_services/

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Mark Rogish from the Detroit area, sent me this information 3/16/10 entitled Handbook 2010.  A friend had sent it to him:

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince   and dinner like a beggar.
3.  Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4.  Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5.  Make time to pray.
6.  Play more games.
7.  Read more books than you did in 2009.
8.  Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9.  Sleep for 7 hours.
10.Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive, present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of  6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.....
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please tell everyone that you care about, I just did.
Cika Marko 

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 My thanks to Paul D. Nussbaum, Ph.D., Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh, for sharing his wonderful website about brain information with us, 4/20/10

www.paulnussbaum.com

In SAVE YOUR BRAIN (McGraw-Hill, April 2010), clinical neuropsychologist Paul Nussbaum, Ph.D. shows readers how to ward off memory loss, improve brain performance, and increase mental fitness by implementing a brain healthy lifestyle today. Based on his clinical practice and research, the knowledge and practical tips provided in SAVE YOUR BRAIN put the tools for establishing a long and vibrant mental life in the reader’s hands. And it’s never too late – or early – to start.

From the left hemisphere to the right, from the neurons to the synapses, from the cortex to the all-important hippocampi, SAVE YOUR BRAIN provides readers with a basic understanding of the mechanics of the brain to show just how dynamic it is. The brain’s incredible plasticity, or malleable quality, enables neurogenesis, or new brain cell development. The individual who can build up more dense connections between brain cells, aka brain reserve, is the one who will be better protected from the devastating effects of dementia and memory loss.

With a grasp of how the brain functions, readers can begin mapping out their brain health lifestyle by pursuing novel and complex activities in the five critical areas of brain health. A proactive brain health lifestyle is most personal because it helps us maintain access to our lifestory, that which needs to be shared with the next generation.

The five critical areas of brain health, or the “slices to the brain health pie,” include:

Socialization: It is vital to brain health to remain active in a community and avoid isolation in it many forms. An isolated brain is an unhealthy brain.

Healthy Brain Tips: Join community organizations; engage in family fun nights; attend work-bonding activities; join online social networks such as Mywayvillage.com

Physical Activity: 25 percent of the oxygen, blood, and glucose pumped through the body is used by the brain for critical functioning. A healthy body truly does equal a healthy mind!

Healthy Brain Tips: Get three hours of aerobic exercise each week; take dance classes; play an active game on Nintendo Wii

Mental Stimulation: Learning, creativity, innovation, and complex information processing promote new brain cell growth that wards of dementia and memory loss.

Healthy Brain Tips: Learn a new language or musical instrument; take a trip to a new locale; Try out new roles and present novel ideas at work Try Fitbrains.com for a daily online brain fitness workout.

Spirituality: An over-stimulating and stressful environment can lead not only to emotional breakdown, but to slowed brain development. Brains respond well to rhythm and symmetry amid the chaos of daily life.

Healthy Brain Tips: Incorporate regular meditation into your daily routine; practice progressive muscle relaxation; use your lunch break to reflect quietly

Nutrition: The foods we eat can affect our thought processes, moods, behavior, and memories. At 60% fat, the brain may be the fattest part of the body and needs to be nourished.

Healthy Brain Tips: Eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids; incorporate fruits and vegetables full of antioxidants into your diet; consume proper carbohydrates; try one of the 24 delicious brain healthy recipes featured in SAVE YOU BRAIN.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Paul Nussbaum, Ph.D. is a clinical neuropsychologist who specializes in aging across the lifespan and brain health. For more than twenty years he has been caring for those suffering from dementia and related disorders. Dr. Nussbaum is a full Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He has been interviewed about brain health in media outlets including Workforce Management, Body and Soul, Better Homes and Gardens, Reader’s Digest, Orlando Sentinel, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Platinum Record and various TV news programs. 

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 THE BLUE ZONES, by Dan Buettner

http://www.bluezones.com/

How to Live to 100: Human Quest for Longevity

4 Secrets:  Vitality Project Media Project

http://www.bluezones.com/vitality

1.  Optimize/Improve Your Environment (activity)

2.  Eat mostly plants/mostly green; Smaller portions in restaurants.

3.  Socialize and volunteer; Social network- because loneliness kills.

4.  Figure out your sense of personal purpose. Immensely satisfying.

Maximize your happiness:

1.  Career Wellbeing: How you occupy your time or simply liking what you do every day

2.  Social Wellbeing: Having strong relationships and love in your life

3.  Financial Wellbeing: Effectively managing your economic life

4.  Physical Wellbeing: Having good health and enough energy to get things done on a daily basis
5.  Community Wellbeing: The sense of engagement you have with the area where you live

66% of people do well in at least one of these areas, just 7% are thriving in all five. These elements are universal across all faiths, cultures and nationalities, but people take different paths to increasing their individual well-being.  Spirituality (Faith) is the most important facet is some and the foundation of daily efforts.

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https://www.webmdhealth.com/nl/nlv.aspx?id=gbdppbIjhVM=&s=10474

For over 10 years, 20 million people  have been introduced to the concepts of strengths-based development and employee engagement by Gallup mostly through the individual books by the authors mentioned above.  Teaming up, they now share the results of a landmark study of wellbeing and implicaitons for individuals.  Read more about that here:  www.wbfinder.com

 Here's a wonderful statistic about Teaching and Teachers' Well Being!

  http://www.gallup.com/poll/124778/Teachers-Score-Higher-Professionals.aspx

Good to know your kids' teachers are happy!

Personally, being a retired teacher and speaking from experience, I think its because teachers realize that like Bill Gates, "Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter."

Teachers' lives have meaning, they're making a difference daily.  Those who have found their true calling have tools to help them unleash their creativity and do what they love.  Great work!

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Three excellent websites for Retirees:

AARP = http://www.aarp.org/

Maturity Works = http://www.maturityworks.org/

50 Plus = http://www.50plus.com/

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Maya Angelou's wisdom shining through:

'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.'

'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things:  a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'

'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone form you.'

'I've learned that making a LIVING is not the same as making a life.'

'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.'

'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back.....'

'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.'

'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.'

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The National Institue on Aging, Leading the Federal Effort on Aging Research

(Health, Research, Grants & Training, News & Events, etc.)

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 Mindful Leadership

About aging- you have 3 choices:

You can give up, you can give in, OR you can give it your all!

Dr. Ellen Langer has done some exciting research on Mindfulness, the consequences of health and well-being.  "We want to add more life to our years, not more years to our lives.  Mindfulness is contagious.  It's energizing, not consuming...."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tq4d3

Ellen did an experiment with old men.  She wanted to see if living in an atmosphere from their past, would their minds follow suit?  The researchers were happy to see in just ONE WEEK'S TIME, the men were able to Control their minds!

The men's DEXTERITY improved, as did their JOINT FLEXIBILITY, their GAIT was faster, they STOOD TALLER, their COGNITIVE ABILITIES improved, 63% had their IQ levels raised, some of the put on weight making them look younger.  Their VISION improved.  Their HEARING was better!  Even some ARTHRITIS disappeared!

Read more about it here below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8498233.stm

Mental Agility Tests

Here's some help in turning back the clock:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/features/theyoungones/

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One of the best health and wellness sites is:

Web MD.

http://www.webmd.com/

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Friend George Vurgich, former Principal at Gateway High School, and Supervisor for Teacher Interns at the University of Pittsburgh,  sent along these lovely thoughts of "I Believe" found on the Internet via email.

I Believe...

That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe.....

That either you control your Attitude, or it controls You!

I Believe....

That heroes are those who do what needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe....

That our background and our circumstances may have influenced who we are, But we are responsible for whom we become.

I Believe....

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything;  They just make the most of everything they have.

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BRAIN FITNESS!

Jeff Zimman, Chairman of Brain Fitness News, shares this paper written by Aging In Place Technology Watch editor, Laurie Orlov.  This paper entitled "Can Brain Fitness Technology Help Us Age Successfully?" highlights the role of brain fitness in that quest.

http://www.positscience.com/sites/all/themes/psc/pdfs/BFtechAgeSuccessfully.pdf

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Most Important Reasons to Live Well:

Dr. Robert Fusco is more than a doctor or owner of the G.I. Health website.  He's been a real friend and tech partner to me and hundreds of children who have gone through the Quaker Valley School District.  He was recognized for his dedication by being named "Man of the Year" in Sewickley.

Here, he shares his Three Rivers Endoscopy Center and Center for Digestive Health & Nutrition website with readers:

http://www.gihealth.com/

And here is a photo of his great team.  Please check out the incredibly creative Christmas cards they send out each year too!

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Senior Government Resource Info:

http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml

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Here's a link to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) dedicated to transforming Health Care.  Read about Electronic Health Records, Nursing Informatics, Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes and more on this site:

http://www.himss.org/ASP/index.asp

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Will Rogers, Beloved American Hero

Everyone loved Will Rogers, one of America's best loved statesmen, with his old-fashioned brand of wisdom like:

"If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there."

"There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves."

ABOUT GROWING OLDER...

First ~ Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

Second ~ The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

Third ~ Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me; I want people to know 'why' I look this way. I've traveled a long way, and some of the roads weren't paved.

Fourth ~ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

Fifth ~ You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

Sixth ~ I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.

Seventh ~ One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.

Eighth ~  One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.

Ninth ~ Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

Tenth ~ Long ago, when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft. Today it's called golf.

And, finally ~ If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.

About Will Rogers on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Rogers

Will Rogers' Memorial Museum:

http://www.willrogers.com/

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More Brain Health Info from Dr. Nussbaum:

Your Brain Health and Brain Health Lifestyle

 "And really, your life's story is your most precious possession."

™

www.amazon.com

The single greatest system ever designed in the history of the universe is your brain. Your brain is responsible for your every thought, emotion, and behavior. Unfortunately we humans do not know much about our brains and it is time to change that.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10125/1055524-114.stm#ixzz0ndV5o68K

Brain Basics:

1. Your brain weighs 2 to 4 pounds.  "Our identity, our hopes, our emotions, everything we love comes from this amazing organ that weighs between 2 and 4 pounds, the greatest miracle ever designed," said Dr. Nussbaum.  ("Pitt expert advises healthy lifestyle to build reserves at any age,"  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 5, 2010 by Maria Sciullo.)

2. Your brain is comprised of 60% fat and is the fattiest system in your body.

3. Your brain consumes 25% of the blood from every heartbeat.

4.  Your brain has two sides or hemispheres (left hemisphere and right hemisphere). 

     Left hemisphere helps you with language,  detail, and analysis

     Right hemisphere helps you with faces, spatial orientation, sounds.

5. Your brain has a Cortex and Subcortex.

Your Cortex is conscious and helps you learn, remember, communicate,

Read, write, orient to space, process sensory information, and personality.

Your Subcortex processes subconscious motor or procedural behaviors such as dressing, driving, and typing on your computer.

Your Cortex and Subcortex interact as a beautiful symphony.

6.  Your hippocampus is the structure in your brain (sits in the middle of each temporal lobe just under each temple on your skull) that enables you to learn.

New Ideas about Your Brain:

The human brain (like the animal brain) can generate new brain cells. This new brain cell development (neurogenesis) occurs in the hippocampus.

The human brain is now thought to have “neural plasticity” or be a system that is highly dynamic, constantly reorganizing, and malleable. It is shaped by environmental input.

Our brains need exposure to environments that are enriched, complex and novel. Environments that are passive and rote do not help the health of your brain.

Exposure to enriched environments across your lifespan will lead to new brain cell development and increased cellular connections (“Synaptic Density”). Synaptic Density or Brain Reserve may help to delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

 Thank you!  Be sure to take a look at his book! Dr. Paul Nussbaum's website is:  www.paulnussbaum.com

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Patti Conley, writing in the Allegheny TIMES newspaper (Exercising Brain Helps You To Stay Sharp, July 4, 2010, pp.1,9), talked about some other suggestions from Dr. Nussbaum:

"Don't sit.  Do things that are new and complext.  Learn a new language, sign language or musical instrument.  Do crossword puzzles, play board games, knit, plant a garden.  Take a computer class...... learning stimulates new brain cell growth that wards off dementia and memory loss.  Passivity is a bad thing for the brain and the body.... The brain doesn't know how old you are.  It just wants to be stimulated."

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Got this in an email from my friend, Larry Dziubek today (4/29/10) and thought it worthy of passing on here:

STRESS

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.  It depends on how long you try to hold it.

He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management.  If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, the burden will become increasingly heavy: and we won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again..
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.

So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down: don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
let them down for a moment if you can.'

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.

Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Just accept that, some days, you're the pigeon:
and, some days, you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet - ,
just in case you have to eat them.

* Always wear stuff that will make you look good
if you die in the middle of it.

*Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
"recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, It was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way,
you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you.
The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp; some are pretty; and some are dull. Some have weird names; and all are different colours;
but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
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 SMART GOALS

Smart goals should be:

Specific

Measurable

Appropriate

Realistic

Timely

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Email from my cousin Marti Grimes 6/20/10:

"I Wish You Enough"

I  wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how  gray the day may appear.

I   wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more. 
 
 I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.
 
 I wish you enough pain so that even the  smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
 
 I wish you  enough  gain to satisfy your wanting. 
  
I  wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. 
 
 I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final  good-bye.

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Don't say your

Final Goodbyes.... get fit!

 Thanks to Meghan Lambert from the Public Health Foundation in Washington, DC for sharing her 33,000 word report with us about Health and Fitness!  

Thank you Meghan! 

Meghan says:  "I co-authored this report covering: healthy balanced diet, various food groups, physical activity, nutritional needs during pregnancy and breast feeding, nutrition for the preschool children and more.

You can find the article here:

Healthy Diet & Lifestyle, Food Groups, Nutrition Before & During Pregnancy, Child Nutrition, Physical Activity

http://krilloil.com/blog/nutrition-pyramid/

In addition you can find more info below:

The Food and Nutrition Information Center
http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/

Nutritional Values For Common Foods And Products
http://www.nutritionvalue.org/

NutritionData.com: Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels and more
http://nutritiondata.self.com/

"Of course," Meghan adds, "feel free to let me know if you have any questions.Thank you for your help!"

Regards,

Meghan Lambert
Public Health Foundation
www.phf-net.com
1300 L Street, NW, Suite 800

Thank you, Meghan! <3

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Here are two more goodies:

 Completely free weight loss tools, nutritional info, has a recipe analyzer.

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Disabilities and

Special Needs

Thanks to QUINN ALAURIN:

I would like to thank Quinn Alaurin, from Seattle, Washington, for pointing out these wonderful resources for the Handicapped.

http://www.expertise.com/home-and-garden/home-remodeling-for-disability-and-special-needs