Loving Relationships Promote Longevity

I can personally attest to the power of a loving relationship through the marriage of my parents who recently celebrated their 74th wedding anniversary.  Their love and respect for each other is steadfast, tender and inspiring.  

I can recall how every Valentine’s Day my father would make dozens of hearts and little notes and post them all around the house.  Even now, every year he makes my Mom a birthday card celebrating a new year with his bride.

They have been together since the age of 15, which makes 80 years, as my Mother turns 95 in September.  That’s correct, 95, and my Father is only months behind her.  Happily, they are both still physically strong and mentally sharp.

My parent’s have shared many adventures in their lives, including living in an Artist’s Colony in Mexico City before starting a family, world traveling, raising 3 kids, my Mom receiving her PhD in Art Education, my Dad and brother building a 32 ft. sailboat and then my parents sailing and living on it for 10 years throughout their 60’s, not to mention that both of them have written novels that are currently for sale on Amazon.  

But above all, they have shared a partnership that has spanned 80 years and is rooted in Love, Trust and Respect.  Having love and companionship in our life as we age has been shown to promote longevity and good health.  

This is in part because loving relationships foster feelings of love, trust, respect, gratitude and positivity. These emotions elicit the release of “feel good” hormones and neurotransmitters like endorphins, serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin.  These chemicals boot our mood, help us focus, ward off the negative effects of stress, anxiety and depression, and improve sleep.

Furthermore, these de-stressing biochemicals and emotions put us in the parasympathetic (rest and recovery) branch of the nervous system, which strengthens the immune system, and slows the aging process.

Loving relationships have also been shown to improve heart health both physically and energetically.  Even some nursing homes bring in pets to help improve the mood and health of their residents.  Bonding between humans and animals alike feeds our heart energy center and helps balance the energy flow throughout the body.

Not only is a positive attitude healthy for a loving couple, but it also benefits those around them.  Family and friends are influenced by, and learn loving behaviors by being around loving relationships.  

I know that the love my sons shower on their daughters is a direct reflection of the flow of love that still comes from my parents to me, on to them, and through them to their children.  

Loving relationships, whether it be with a romantic partner, a dear friend, or a pet, will keep us young and healthy as we age.  

Conversely, unhappy relationships foster feelings of depression and loneliness.  The damage those feelings cause, affect us physically, mentally and spiritually.

It may be true that misery loves company, but happiness also loves company, and it is much better company.  

For guidance and support on your journey to well being, contact me for a free 15 minute consultation at nina.lynn@me.com.

Recharge Your Batteries

We all understand the concept of needing to charge our electrical technology, but when it comes to recharging our body mind and spirit, we don’t want to be bothered.  Sleeping less than 7-8 hours a night, or running all day without any breaks, is like only partially charging your phone or computer’s battery. 

Sleep is our opportunity  to recharge our “batteries”.  When we skimp on sleep we run ourselves into the ground, literally.  What do we say when our phone battery runs out?  “My phone died”, or “my phone just went dead”.  It works pretty much the same for us, it’s just a slower process. 

When your  phone or computer displays the “low battery” warning, do you  plug your device in, or do you hit “dismiss” and keep right on going? 

Unfortunately, our bodies don’t have a visual “low battery” warning.  Our signals are fatigue, brain fog and illness, which many of us ignore, or worse, think is “normal”.  Feeling “normal” should mean being alert, motivated, energetic and vital.  When was the last time you felt like that? 

When you get enough sleep (7-9 hours, yes that much), your immune system is strong enough to keep you from catching the flu that everyone around you has,  your brain is able to function because your neurotransmitters regenerate and your brain is able to detoxify,  your blood sugar and hormones have a chance to regulate so you are not constantly craving sweets, while biting everyone’s head off, and that lovely growth hormone that comes out at night can keep you young and vital. 

And what happens when you don’t get enough sleep?  Fat around the belly, aging in fast forward, mood swings, food cravings, fatigue and even insulin resistance. 

The good news is, every night is a new chance to get the sleep your body needs.  Meanwhile, you can take short breaks during the day to recharge and help make up for your lack of sleep the night before.   

Here are five 5 minute recharges, that are well worth making time for. 

1. Sit quietly, close your eyes, place your hand over your heart, and visualize a loving memory.

2. Try a little Qi Gong.  Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width, knees relaxed, arms to your sides.  Take a deep slow breath into your belly while slowly raising your arms to shoulder height.  Slowly exhale and shift your weight to your right leg while bringing your left foot in to meet the right (95% of weight on the right foot, 5% on ball of the left foot), while lowering your arms.  Slowly inhale and open the left foot back to where it started, while floating  your arms back up--weight on both feet.  Repeat to the left side.  Inhale arms float up, feet open, exhale arms float down, weight on one foot.  Move as in slow motion, work up to 5 minutes.  This will not only calm your system, it will infuse you with life force energy.

3. Stand barefoot on the earth.  Grass, sand or dirt will all help to ground you and literally fill you with healing energy from Mother Earth. 

4. Drink 8 ounces of clean filtered water with a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt or Himalayan salt to mineralize it and you.

5. Do something that you love to do.  Play, laugh and re-charge.  

We all need to recharge on a regular basis.  Let me guide you to better health and energy.  Contact me for a free 15 minute consultation at nina.lynn@me.com.