Meet an “AMAZING!” who glories in her life-affirming strength!

WILLIE MURPHY, 79, started weight lifting at 73, and a mere 4 years later could deadlift 215 lbs! That’s more than twice her own 105 pounds. She’s proud to be able to carry her grand-kids, shovel snow, and push her car when it gets stuck!

Are you an Amazing? Do you know an Amazing?
Tell us about it!! At http://bit.ly/1TWJzmN
For more, go to MeetTheAmazings.com

Want to Stay Young? Get Busy!

Photo: Anaya Sam

I’m endlessly fascinated by children in airports. As I sit, waiting patiently (sort of) at the gate for my flight, I watch children – in particular the 3 to 5 year olds – run, stumble, and climb over, through, and around anything stationary: people, suitcases, seats, recycling bins. They won’t sit still for more than a second. I’m exhausted just watching them, and in complete admiration of the parents who chase, snag, grab, clutch, hug, feed, and amuse their squirming, happy, perpetually-in-motion kids.

But here’s the thing: what if that very busyness is a key to the fountain of youth? What if being busy, staying very active, is a way to stay young?

A ground-breaking study from The Dallas Lifespan Brain Study of 300 older individuals between the ages of 50 and 89, found that the brains of people who were busy, worked better—regardless of their age. In geek speak: “Living a busy lifestyle appears beneficial for mental function.” Busier people could reason better (as in use their brains better), had better working memory (as in better short-term memory), better vocabulary, and had better ability to remember specific events from the past.

Since mental decline is something many of us fear as we go from 50 to 60 to 70 and beyond, this is extremely valuable information! Get busy, and you can keep those brains humming along just fine.

In practical terms, what does that mean? Well, you don’t have to imitate the 3 – 5 year olds and jungle-gym your way through airports—fortunately. I don’t know about you, but I’d look real funny doing that. But what it does mean is taking a second look at retirement: maybe the fantasy of sitting on a beach sipping pina coladas for those 20 or 30 or 40 years post-retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe you’d be better off sipping said pina coladas on an occasional Friday afternoon, and finding a number of different activities to enjoy the rest of your week.

There is so much to do, to enjoy, to share. There are umpteen organizations in need of volunteers, from library literacy programs to Habitat for Humanity to the Red Cross to your local hospital to international assistance programs and many more. There are volunteer organizations to fit every conceivable interest, there are even online volunteer matching organizations that help you find the best volunteer fit for you.

Then there’s all those hobbies you never had time for: fishing, hiking, learning a language, building a miniature railroad track, joining a choir, experimenting with crafts. Perhaps there’s a small business you’d like to start, or a novel you want to write, or a painting you’d love to learn how to paint, or a garden you so want to plant.

And then there’s physical activity: golf, dance, tennis, Pilates, yoga, running, softball, horseback riding, ping-pong, martial arts, the list is endless. No, not watching it from the cushy depths of your couch, but engaging in it.

A mix of these activities--some creative, some physical, some giving back, some just plain fun—can be a wonderful approach to a busy lifestyle. Not busyness for the sake of busyness, but having a variety of activities which, as the Dallas Lifespan Brain Study points out, give us more opportunities to learn as we find ourselves in more new situations, and put us in contact with different people, all of which help to stimulate our brains.

Stimulate your brain! Get busy! And have as much fun as possible while you’re at it. After all, isn’t that what those kids are doing with all their running around?

New Book Happy Healthy…Dead Reveals the Key to Successful Aging

Here's info on my new book!

When asked, “Do you want to live a long, happy life?” our answer is universally “Yes!” But if asked, “Do you want to grow old?” The answer is a resounding “No!”

The new book, Happy Healthy…Dead: Why What You Think You Know About Aging Is Wrong and How To Get It RIght (MindLab Publishing) by Dr. Noelle Nelson, is for those who want to leave this life kicking and screaming. Nelson looks at what individuals can do to enjoy their later years to the fullest instead of bemoaning each waking day.

“You really can’t hope to experience a long, happy life without growing older. It’s a fact of life,” says Nelson. “But here’s the problem: our mental picture of life over 75 is pathetic. And over 80, 90, 100--even worse. We like the idea of living a long, happy life, but no one wants to grow old. Old age scares the heck out of us.”

Nelson, a psychologist and author of over a dozen books, wrote Happy Healthy…Dead to show readers how to live life starting now, in a way that supports happiness and healthy longevity through their 50s and 60s to their 90s and beyond.

Happy Healthy…Dead explains what sets apart those who are enjoying life in their later years from those who complain about every ache and pain. It tells how to retain the exuberance and energy of youth while harnessing wisdom gleaned from experience. It includes extensive scientific research proving how vital our current thoughts, emotions and attitudes are to our ability to live a long, healthy future.

“You may think being happy, optimistic, grateful and appreciative are nice ways to feel, pleasant ways to go about life, but they go far beyond momentary feel-goods,” says Nelson. “They have tremendous consequences for your physical well-being including stress levels, cardiovascular health and longevity. Positive thoughts and emotions may be, in fact, the missing link between you today and a happy, healthy you tomorrow—and tomorrow, and tomorrow.”

Nelson contends that we all have the capacity to live happier and healthy lives as we age. She provides a roadmap through an assortment of tips, tools and techniques for everyday life situations.

Happy Healthy…Dead also contains real life, inspiring examples of seniors doing great things including these centenarians:

            --George Blevins has been bowling regularly for 93 years and won the National Senior Games singles tournaments for the over 75 age group at age 100.

            --Lillian Weber celebrated her 100 birthday by surpassing her goal of sewing 1,000 dresses for needy children--she sewed 1,051, all handmade, all personalized.

            --Astrid Thoenig celebrated her 100 birthday by going to work, as she has for the last 30 years, at an insurance company in New Jersey.

"Our time on Earth may be finite,” says Nelson, “but nowhere is it written that our last 10, 20 or 30 years must be spent in decline and misery. Why not make sure you’re on the right path, right now, that will bring you the most happiness, health and longevity?”

Happy Healthy…Dead is available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle. To learn more, watch a YouTube presentation by Nelson at https://youtu.be/7xcgq4TbGgA.

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Follow: @drnoellenelson, #HappyHealthyDead, www.facebook.com/Dr.NoelleNelson, www.noellenelson.com, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/noelle-nelson

Book Details           

    Print Length: 215 pages

    Publisher: MindLab Publishing

    Publication Date: November 2015

    Sold by: Amazon, Amazon Kindle

    ISBN-10: 1517008972

    ISBN-13: 978-1517008970

    ASIN: B018KFBE92