Life is an adventure that starts from the the first day we’re born and ends the day we die, we start this new adventure by taking those first baby steps to healthy aging if we’re lucky. In this progress of healthy aging our muscles, joints and bones have already started the progress of aging and as we reach puberty, despite the notion that we are maintaining activities to help maintain those muscles, joints, and bones they are starting to degenerate. That’s simply life.

Once we’re past puberty we simply keep declining and our body and mind starts weakening so we’re told and it’s a fact, sounds pretty depressing doesn’t it, but it’s still a wonderful adventure that we explore eagerly that’s why during our life, we learn to eat right and depend on soluble fats to reduce heart disease and nutrients to help prevent high cholesterol.

We know that high cholesterol affects many of us because we don’t eat or exercise right. We know that our body needs a certain amount of fiber daily so that bulk will be added to our stools. High-Fiber diets help slow cholesterol  which the liver produces. The fiber helps keep the level of cholesterol down so we can keep the arteries from getting blocked, my cholesterol has always been high.

Our body is constantly changing throughout our life and by the time we reach age 35 that same body that most of us worked so hard to maintain for good bodily functions starts to decline even more even though we tried to give it what it needed. I’m sure most people at some point in there life have thought they needed to lose weight especially after we have binged on food and partying.

We have skipped meals and sat around just hoping we would lose the weight, that of course is not good for your system, you should always eat and not skip meals just don’t eat as much. High fiber foods can help control weight loss because as the fiber travels through the body some excess calories travel along with it. When food is high in soluble fat we eat less because it’s more filling and then that means less calories.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional so be sure that you always consult your doctor before you start any type of weight loss program because it might not be the best choice for you. Even fiber diet supplements can be harmful for some people.

The Adventure Continues:
Around 40 we start looking back over our life adventure, of the career and home we established, the vehicle we drive, children, and so much more. As we get older we may start finding it harder to keep up with the bills and it may seem like the harder we try the more difficult it becomes.

You may be thinking that you can’t afford to live at your residence anymore by the age of 50. I often thank God that our house is paid for and our expenses wont be horrible so we will be fine, but others will not. What with home taxes, maintenance and everything else weighing you down. I have wondered many times what I would do if anything happens to Bill.

During this time of life you might start feeling like you need to make adjustments in your situation. You may want to start checking into your community to find low-subsidized housing for seniors because you know someday that you will be that senior and you may need some sort of different housing arrangement. Instead of simply dwelling on it take action now before you are to old to do something about your situation and someone else is left to do it.

Make sure you find out what these facilities can offer you and you take control to save your future. It’s very sad, but it’s a fact that many older people do lose their homes, belongings, vehicles, insurance and everything else that we worked so hard for and this is the time that we deserve so much more. It’s just so sad that most aren’t healthy enough to enjoy these wonderful golden years that we have looked so forward to and just give up.

Don’t wait till your too old to enjoy traveling, take some trips now and enjoy your life. Check with your local travel agent and see if they have any outings planned that you might like to take. Traveling can be educational as well as a relaxation time and if you were too busy all your life then now is the time to see new things and meet new people. Just because we are getting older doesn’t mean we can’t still have adventures.

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately, some I comment on, but usually I need an incentive because I’m getting lazy. My time has been short this weekend because my days and nights have gotten mixed up somehow and I usually spend a majority of my time with Bill because he’s funny and usually he makes me feel better, but sometimes he irritates me just because I’m a grouchy old witch.

Laughter is so important because it relieves stress and tension and has been reported to help you live longer, but I have decided if I don’t get rid of this fricken menopause I really don’t know how much more life I can take. I tried giving up smoking, but it did not last. I was nicotine free for 3 or 4 weeks and I thought the worse was over…Well guess what, yup I started back.

For over 40 years they have been my constant companion and at 54 I thought I would try to dump my best friend because I pictured myself roaming and living on the streets and not being able to afford them when I get older and really get senile. Bill’s family thought I quit because something was wrong with me, but it was nothing so dramatic and I found out that our little Grandson put a prayer in his box awhile back asking God to help me quit.

I did slow down, but I haven’t told Nate that I started back yet, however I’m not chain smoking any more. I know I probably will not be able to keep that under control though because I’m sitting here right now craving one and I’m such a weak minded person. I would like to gain some sort of power over it instead of the other way around. I might have to start the Chantix again, I know I quit taking them too early.

We’re debating taking the bike out for a short ride so I’ll wrap this post up. I know it’s not healthy and Bill says old people look horrible smoking. I would like to be an elegant old lady, but I don’t see that happening. I actually only wear my glasses when I’m working on the computer or riding the bike because I don’t like looking in the mirror and seeing all the wrinkles especially around the lips, that way they are diffused and I can pretend.

Some people really fight the aging process, but I don’t any more. I guess that is one good thing about menopause, it is helping me to let go of all those preconceived ideas of looking young forever, like Priscilla Presley and Joan Collins at 70 something. I admire Priscilla for getting out on that dance floor and she’s doing such a great job at 62. Joan Collins said that the younger man she is with now is her last. Now that made me laugh, I think she is fantastic and has alot of spunk.

We had a great day with the family Sunday even though I was worried about my brother. His wife passed over on Friday, she had been sick for quite a while, but even though you’re expecting the end, when it actually happens it’s a shock. The older I get the more often I see my friends and family passing. I am really tired of funerals because I’m not good at comforting those that are left behind.

Bill thinks I’m strange because I don’t view death as an end, I view it as a beginning and who really knows, it really could be the best thing that ever happens to humans. Okay so I guess you think I’m strange also, that’s nothing new for me, I’m  quite use to that opinion. Bill also knows I have no desire for any type of viewing or service and I want to be cremated.

I need to hurry and get through menopause so I can enjoy the rest of my life, I feel like it has been with me forever and if I wasn’t depressed I am now. I really never thought of myself as being a depressed type person, but I was told I was, by therapist at a clinic and she put me on antidepressants that almost drove me nuts. I simply couldn’t do them, they made me so angry and mean all the time.

They then put me on something called Neurontin which is used for seizures and back pain, but it worked for my menopause and headaches for awhile, but I stopped taking that medication also because I simply don’t like taking pills. Now I’m on my own and all things considered I don’t think I have been as horrible as I hear some people are.

I do tend to stay away from crowds of people as much as possible encase I’m more weird than what I think. I’d sure hate to go ballistic on anyone especially since I quit smoking and yes I had to use a drug called Chantix to stop, but was only able to use the first two packs of the starter pack because it gave me such bad headaches. I have been doing pretty good though, but I still have urges.

I do count all the blessings that I have seen in my life and appreciate all the good things that have happened for and to me. I am very grateful that I have experienced love and friendship and children and grandchildren and I’m really looking forward to Bill’s retirement so we can spend more time together, of course after a few months I may wish him back at work.

I would really want people to appreciate that I had the chance to experience life and be happy for me when I pass on and not be sad, if anyone’s left that is. Sometimes I wonder if it’s easier to die than to live.

Have you ever heard of Reiki ? It’s a Japanese type of spiritual practice also used for stress reduction and relaxation. It is a technique that helps promote healing either for self or for other people. It is characterized as a practice of “laying on of hands .”Getting to know what Reiki is may help people not only become a healing channel but also a tool to promote peace among other people.

The healing powers of the technique are based on the idea that there is an unseen “life force energy” that flows through each person. This life force is said to be the reason why people are alive. When one’s life force energy is low, then people are likely to get sick or feel weak. If the life force is high, people fell healthy and happy.

Reiki is also a form of meditation used as a type of therapy for treating physical, emotional, and mental diseases. The name Reiki is taken from two Japanese characters that describe energy itself. The word “rei”, which means “unseen” or “spiritual” and “ki” which means “energy” or “life force” is combined to become Reiki. In English, its meaning is usually given as “universal life energy”.

It was Mikao Usui who was known to have developed Reiki in 20th century Japan.  Story has it that Usui received the ability of healing after going through three weeks of fasting and meditating on top of Mount Kurama. Practitioners of Reiki use a technique similar to that of the laying on of hands.

This action is said to promote the channeling of “healing energy” to another person. The energy flows through the palms and brings along with it healing powers that can be used for self-treatment as well as for treating others.

Reiki is a simple, natural as well as safe method of dispensing spiritual healing and self-improvement. It is said to be effective in providing alternative treatment for virtually every known illness and malady. Not only that, Reiki also helps create an added beneficial effect, that of spiritual healing. This method is also said to work well when combined with other medical or therapeutic techniques to help relieve side effects and promote recovery.

Reiki, although seen as a very powerful healing technique, is reported to be amazingly simple to learn. Reiki and the ability to use it effectively cannot be taught in the usual sense. The skill is said to be “transferred” to the student during a Reiki class.

This ability is not merely learned but is passed on by a Reiki master to the student during a gathering known as “attunement”. After the skill has been passed on, it allows the student to tap into an unlimited supply of “life force energy” that can then be used to improve one’s health and enhance the one’s quality of life.

Although the practice of Reiki may be spiritual in nature, it is not considered as a religion. There are no set of beliefs that one should learn about before learning to practice the technique known as Reiki. The practice does not depend on any form of dogma.

It will work whether the student believes it or not. But it is said that the practice of Reiki helps people to keep in touch of their spiritual selves rather than the intellectual concept that it provides.

The practice of Reiki also aims to develop and promote living in harmony with others. Aside from practicing Reiki and its principles, the founder of the Reiki system, Mikao Usui also recommends the practice of simple ethical ideals that can lead to peace and harmony among people.