Remember The Wizard of Oz and the scene in which Glenda the Good Witch floated down from the sky in her iridescent bubble?

You might be thinking, “What does Glenda the Good Witch have to do with staying fit as I age?”

It’s all about the bubble.

Imagine putting a child inside a gigantic bubble. If you told the child to push the edges, they would crouch, jump, wiggle, dance, reach, and press in all directions.

Now imagine yourself inside the bubble. How far can you reach over your head? How far can you reach down to the ground? What about to the left and to the right? How much surface area inside the bubble can you reach?

The bubble represents your comfort zone. It’s where you can manage quite well physically, mentally, and emotionally.

At earlier stages of life, our circumstances presented ample opportunities to get out of our comfort zones. We may have pushed our bodies to pick up children, run, play, or even compete in athletics. As we enter our 50s, 60s, and beyond, though, it’s tempting to stick to familiar routines for exercise.

It’s a challenge to keep moving despite the aches, pains, injuries, or health challenges during the aging process. It’s even more of a challenge to increase our range of motion and fitness as we age. But it’s possible, and getting familiar with “The Bubble Concept” will help you do it!

What’s the Bubble, Really?

“The Bubble Concept” applies to aging in a much broader way, but we’ll start with your physical range of motion. You’ve already got the image in your mind of the giant bubble.

On a practical level, the bubble is your sphere of motion, or your sphere of function. This is the actual distance around your body in which you can move while maintaining your balance and staying free of injury.

If you push too far, you might get hurt. But if you never push the edge of your bubble, the muscles, bones, ligaments, and tendons that can get you to that edge will sense they’re not needed, and they will atrophy.

“Use it or lose it” is true.

As we age, it’s natural that we cannot move as quickly or as dynamically as a child. The reality is that our tissues do change, and there are some things we just cannot do anymore. I’m not suggesting that you do anything that hurts, or push past where you feel safe.

Here’s a video about how to push the edge safely.

All that said, we absolutely must maintain our abilities to step, balance, and reach in many directions. Let’s get specific with one exercise you can do anywhere, anytime, without any special equipment.

Push the Bubble – A Practical Example

My favorite exercise to teach older adults is called “The Clock & the Bubble.”

You’re still inside that big bubble. Now imagine a clock on the ground. You’re standing in the center, and 12 o’clock is just ahead of you. With your right foot, step to the 12, then to the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and straight back to the 6. Now take your left foot back to the 6, and around to the 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

In a methodical way, you’ve just covered the bottom of the bubble. If it was easy, go around again, and step a bit further. Over time you can extend the distance you step to “push the edge of your bubble.”

If you feel unsteady with this, hold a walking stick or broomstick as you do it.

Here’s how to take it a step further. Step with your right foot to 12. Keep steady in your legs while you try to “paint” the inside of the bubble. Reach as far up, down, sideways, and diagonally as you can with your right hand. Then repeat with your left.

Image you are painting the inside of the bubble, and your goal is to cover as much surface area as you can. If you find a good stretch, stay there, and explore it.

Then you can repeat the painting exercise at each number on the clock. For example, take your right foot to the 3, and repeat the reaches with both hands.

This requires a good imagination! Here’s a video to help you do it and follow along.

The Clock & The Bubble is a systematic way to literally cover your bases. By the time you finish, you will have reached in front of your body, to the sides, behind, down, and up, so you will keep your joints moving in every direction.

Doing this one exercise not only helps you increase your range of motion. It also helps you improve core strength and balance.

Push the Bubble – The Bigger Picture

We’ve just explored how to use the bubble concept to increase and maintain range of motion, strength, and balance. We also need to push the edge of our bubble with regard to the variety and intensity of our physical activity.

Do you always walk the same route, distance, and speed? Do you always follow the same yoga or Pilates routine? To keep growing and learning, our bodies and brains need to be challenged by novelty and intensity.

My specialty is helping people age well through healthy movement and lifestyle choices. I’m not a psychologist, brain scientist, or counselor. But it’s fairly easy to see the connections between mind, body, and spirit.

The bubble concept also applies to our cognition, emotions, relationships, thoughts, and beliefs. If we read the same kinds of books, magazines, and websites that we’ve always read, we won’t be exposed to new ideas.

If we talk to people who think exactly like we do, we aren’t challenged to consider new perspectives. If we stay inside our comfort zone of activities, hobbies, and friends, we aren’t forced to grow and learn. “Use it or lose it” applies here too.

I encourage you to think about ways that you can push the bubble by trying new experiences daily.

5 Practical Ways to Push the Bubble

Let’s put the bubble concept into practice! Here are 5 more ways to push your personal bubble.

Change up your walking routine. Walk in a different place. If you feel safe, get off the sidewalk or road, and walk on uneven ground to strengthen your feet, ankles, legs, and balance.
In your next exercise session of any kind, ask yourself, “How could I do this differently?” Reach in a different direction with your feet or arms and stretch your body in a new way.
Are you really pushing the bubble when you lift weights or use resistance bands? Find a resistance that challenges you. Here’s a blog post about how to find the right weight and number of repetitions.
Challenge yourself to try a completely new fitness class or video. Do something you have never done before, and approach it with curiosity.
Look for non-physical ways to get outside your comfort zone by talking to someone with a different background, listening to different music, or simply taking a new route in your car or other transportation.

Now it’s your turn!

How do you “push your bubble”? How do you get outside of your comfort zone physically and emotionally? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Treat Vertigo Naturally

September 24, 2019Meditation & Mindful ChoicesJoan Craig

Several of my clients and students have had vertigo. It held them back, temporarily, from doing some things they loved, and from moving as much as they’d like.

Sometimes vertigo is caused by poor posture. For example, if someone’s upper back is too hunched, they have to look up to see in front of them. This can pinch the nerves or blood flow from reaching the head.

If that’s going on for you, check out this blog post to see two exercises for a stiff upper back.

Sometimes, though, vertigo is caused by deeper problems with the inner ear, or other internal imbalances.

I recently interviewed Eric Aufdencamp about how a Traditional Chinese Medicine approach can treat and cure vertigo. Check out the video below. You may be surprised about how Traditional Chinese Medicine can be a great complement to yoga, exercise, stretching, and a healthy lifestyle.

Key Takeaways

Not every acupuncturist is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine. A Doctor of Oriental Medicine also incorporates herbal treatments.
Vertigo can be treated successfully with herbs, acupuncture, bodywork, or a combination of these modalities.
Herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine include seeds, roots, bark, flowers, minerals, and other substances from the Earth.
Check out the rest of this interview below in which we covered degenerative disc disease, pain, menopause, and everything you need to know about acupuncture needles.

Find Eric Aufdencamp at www.ericaufdencamp.com.

Find a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner near you and make sure they are certified by National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

Key Takeaways

Menopause is not a disease! Learn how Traditional Chinese Medicine can help ease the symptoms for women during pre-menopause, menopause, and post-menopause phases of life. Herbs and acupuncture can assist with hot flashes, sleep, depression, anxiety, low libido, and other symptoms that impact quality of life.

All about the needles...Acupuncture needles are solid, stainless steel, and have rounded tips. They are designed to go into muscle but not nerves or veins. Western needles are slanted and hollow, designed to take or insert fluids into the body.

Traditional Chinese Medicine can help with degenerative disc disease (which is not a disease!), back pain, joint pain and musculoskeletal pain.

2 important vitamins for healthy aging (and you’ve never heard of them)

September 11, 2019Meditation & Mindful Choiceshealthy aging, seniors, vitamins for agingJoan Craig

This article was originally published in the online magazine Sixty and Me.

You know about Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D. I’m sure you do your best to eat a balanced diet of all nutrients. But have you taken your daily dose of Vitamin J and Vitamin P?

“What?” you may say. “Vitamin J and Vitamin P aren’t in my multivitamin, and my doctor never told me about them!”

The reason that you haven’t heard of them is because I made them up. Vitamin J stands for Joy, and Vitamin P stands for Peace.

I’ve noticed that these two key “vitamins” tip the balance for healthy aging in mind and body.

Sixty and Me Founder Margaret Manning did a great overview of my article for her YouTube channel, so I’m including it here in case you’d rather listen than read.

Or scroll below the video for more details about how to get your daily DOSE of Vitamins J and P.

The Daily DOSE

I first learned about “The Daily DOSE” from Chris and Dudley Tower of Dynamic Living Institute. They taught me that to age well we must continually replenish our supply of four key hormones and neurotransmitters.

These are:

D = Dopamine

O = Oxytocin

S = Serotonin

E = Endorphins

Dopamine and serotonin naturally decline with age. First, we’ll go over what these brain chemicals and hormones do for you, and how we can boost our production. Then I’ll show you how to make it really simple to get Vitamin J and Vitamin P every day.

Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is triggered by pleasure and reward. When our dopamine levels are optimal, we feel mentally alert and motivated.

Positive ways to release dopamine include setting and achieving goals, exercise, choosing a balanced diet, and meditation. We release dopamine when we check off a task on our to-do list. Negative ways to release dopamine include excessive eating, drinking, shopping, and gambling.

The best way to produce and release dopamine is to create a sense of meaningful purpose. At earlier stages of life, our daily activities provided plenty of opportunities to set and achieve goals – at work, raising a family, and making a home.

Our goals and purpose were often external. They were handed to us by the need to make a living and do what was necessary.

In later stages of life, we must identify our inner purpose. For many of us, it’s the first time we’ve had the freedom to do so, and it can feel overwhelming.

It can be challenging to feel motivated if we don’t need to work anymore and aren’t connected to volunteering or family activities where we feel needed. Dopamine is what gets us out of bed and into the world each day.

To develop your sense of purpose, build on success. Find what you’re good at and do more of it! If you know that you’re good with kids, arrange your schedule to spend time helping them. If you know you’re great at taking care of animals, volunteer with a shelter or serve as a foster home.

Celebrate what you do well. Celebrate your small wins. Set a small goal that you know you can achieve and do it. Then set a slightly bigger one – and do that.

Here’s a list of 10 more natural ways to increase dopamine.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin is sometimes called the “love drug” or “love hormone.” And yes, it is released through touch. We make oxytocin when we snuggle with a human or animal, or even when we touch ourselves.

It doesn’t need to be sexual or sensual touch. You can take a little extra time putting lotion on your body or massage your own feet!

As you age, you may notice fewer opportunities for touch. You may live alone or far away from family. The good news is that oxytocin is also released when we look into someone’s eyes, and when we feel compassion and empathy for others. We can feel compassion anytime, even in our minds, by simply thinking of loved ones.

To increase your daily dose of oxytocin, give more hugs to others, yourself, and animals. Love and nurture your body. Even if you are not a “touchy” person, take a few extra seconds to make eye contact and smile at others.

Serotonin

Serotonin is powerful and complex. It regulates mood, appetite, metabolism, and bone formation. If you have gone through a crisis or depression, you may have been prescribed a medicine to regulate how your body uses serotonin.

One of the best ways to help your body regulate serotonin is to “go with your gut.” I mean this literally and figuratively.

90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in your intestines. Ensuring that you have healthy digestion involves choosing whole foods, consuming probiotics, and reducing stress. Check out this blog post about serotonin, probiotics, and gut health.

Endorphins

Endorphins are released when we exercise or feel physically invigorated. The phrase “runner’s high” refers to the feel-good sensations of endorphins. They provide natural pain relief.

I have a colleague who went through an excruciating injury that still causes him a lot of pain. His daily exercise allows him to manage the pain without drugs.

Aging does have its share of aches and pains. It may be harder to get the same intense exercise of the past, as we must exercise around injuries or arthritis. As Margaret always encourages on Sixty and Me, find what you CAN do, such as yoga or water aerobics, to get those endorphins.

Get Your DOSE of Vitamin J and Vitamin P

Now that you know the basics of DOSE, let’s make it really simple.

First, good food, sleep, and exercise go a long way to healthy balances of these neurotransmitters and hormones. If you like choosing whole foods and healthy lifestyle habits, it makes it easier to get your DOSE and age well.

Second, there are some things that are proven to help you balance your daily DOSE. These are:

Meditation
Music
Laughter
Snuggling
Giving to others through service, gifts, or time
Feeling love and empathy
Celebrating small wins
Aromatherapy (or just enjoying good smells!)
Flowers
Being in nature

Here are 10 More Ways to Boost Good Feelings from Psychology Today.

Finally, and most importantly, do what brings you joy and peace! It doesn’t matter what other people do. I love to hike in the woods, but not everyone loves being in the woods with bugs and dirt.

I don’t like gardening, but other people love it. I feel peaceful being by myself at home for long stretches of time, but I have friends that need to socialize often to feel good.

You get your daily DOSE of Vitamin J and Vitamin P when you do what makes you feel joyful and peaceful.

It’s important to cultivate activities that are physical and non-physical. I love walking outside. It gives me joy. Recently I had a foot injury, and on some days I could not walk at all. I missed it, and I missed my dose of Vitamin J.

Even if we do everything possible to stay physically healthy as we age, we will have some inevitable obstacles to physical activity. So, cultivate non-physical activities as well, such as reading, movies, meditation, singing, or listening to music.

Take Action

Make a list of 10 things that bring you joy and peace. Include both physical and non-physical activities.
Post the list somewhere visible.
Do 1 thing every day!

What brings you joy and peace? How do you get your daily DOSE of Vitamin J and Vitamin P? What favorite activities could you do more of? Please share in the comments below.

Hip stretch for walking

September 8, 2019Posture, Yoga & Exercisebalance, hip stretch, yogaJoan Craig

Do you find yourself walking like an old lady (or old man)?

You know, tilted forward from the hips up?

I call it “The Tilt.”

People often walk like this when their backs hurt.

They also do it when they get up and feel stiff in the hips. Sometimes people tilt forward when they are afraid of falling.

My mom Beatrice does it when she’s in a hurry, or when she’s tired.

Click on the video to learn what to do about it, or keep reading below for two strategies, including a simple hip stretch for walking.

Strategy #1 – Slow Down

The first strategy is to slow down. When we are in a hurry, we often lean forward. This might help us walk faster, but it doesn’t help our posture, bones, or joints. It’s best to start walking more slowly and let your hips loosen up. Then you can pick up speed later.

Strategy #2 – Simple Hip Stretch for Walking

Take a step as if you were going to walk. Now press down firmly with your back heel and straighten your back knee. You can squeeze the glute muscle on the back leg too. Lift your belly muscles in and up so that your torso is upright over your pelvis. Hold for 3 breaths on each side.

Why it Matters

It matters because no matter how old and stiff we feel, we don’t want to look that way!

Second, it matters because when our joints are aligned, we experience less wear and tear. They are able to bend as designed without contributing to uneven pressure on one side.

Third, posture and alignment contribute to ideal vertical impact for our bones. Standing and walking tall helps us build bone density and decreases the risk of posture-related fractures.