Forever Strong promotes mental strength
Happy Friday, everyone! What a great week we have had here…so let’s keep going and discuss that Forever Strong promotes mental strength.
I personally need a pep talk which promotes mental strength…and I will explain the opening picture in a moment.
For those who may be new, for now, I am beginning Book Review Fridays.
Last week, we began to look at the book FOREVER STRONG: A NEW SCIENCE-BASED STRATEGY FOR AGING WELL. by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, who practices Muscle Centric Medicine.
My opening review was FOREVER STRONG BOOK REVIEW: PART 1.
I am not going to write about every chapter of this book, and I was pleased to see how many of you ordered the book.
However, I do want to talk about the need to have mental strength in order to change our exercise and eating patterns.
I am the one who too often has set the bicycle down against the tree…rather than ride it!
I have made changes over 50…in hindsight, I wish that mental strength had happened a lot sooner…but I also know the importance of someone who promotes mental strength.
FOREVER STRONG PROMOTES MENTAL STRENGTH
Dr. Lyon tells the story on page 108 of Brian, a military man who was injured back at home in a motorcycle accident.
Brian’s mental strength developed in the military saw him threw recovery.
“Brian never made excuses or said, ‘I can’t.’ Recognizing that adopting a victim mindset would only pull him farther from his goals, he moved forward with his plan, geared toward muscle growth and protection without getting caught up in a narrative that would hold him back.”
It is incredible how the military promotes mental strength for most members. I recognize that some still struggle…as we all do at some point.
But, it would be a retired Marine that developed my husband into a trail runner. The Marine became a critical coach, friend and support to Mr. B definitely one who promotes mental strength.
The Marine allows no excuses and recognizes when the mental clutter is beginning to shut him down. He is a major reason my husband ran the 47 mile race called The Lake this past year in England.
Yesterday, we talked about self-worth. Do we see ourselves as someone who walks away from the bike on the tree, or as someone enjoying the bike like this lady?
Dr. Lyon writes, “what you say to yourself in the undercurrents will ultimately manifest in both how you feel about yourself and how you treat yourself. Self worth becomes the director of your action. How you feel about yourself determines your ability to control your behavior.”
She describes three of the most devastating conversations you can have with yourself…the pessimist, frozen with fear, and poor me (a conversation I know oh too well. (To fill in all of the gaps here, you will need to read the book)
The results are that thoughts like these “run a loop because the brain is good at repeating what it has practiced.
“The three main results I see from negative thought patterns are depression, anxiety, and difficulties in physical health.”
Of course, there is more in the book…but I do want to ask you, HOW IS YOUR SELF TALK? Dr. Lyon recommends that we set standards and not goals…DO WE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?
FOREVER STRONG PROMOTES MENTAL STRENGTH: MY UPDATE
It would be so easy right now to allow “poor me” talk to sit me down.
But I have set a standard for myself to be mentally, physically, and emotionally strong.
So, while I await for the boot to come off….I am in training.
I officially began the free chair yoga offerings on Youtube last week.
I tried a few, but decided the series I like the best ( which combines yoga and pilates) is SENIOR SHAPE WITH LAUREN. I subscribed and have done a couple of different offerings in her chair versions.
However, after three days, I knew my body was not right.
Many of you know that I support therapeutic massage, so I scheduled an 80 minute session…and so, so glad I did.
My therapist was experienced in Physical Therapy and she literally made me a new woman.
The side of my body with the boot had issues where hip was pinching my lower back…it was a painful massage, but worth it all to endure.
Both thighs had knots, and my neck and shoulders had carried the stress of sleeping on a couch for a month.
After the massage, the swelling in my foot went away and is still gone.
I decided at that point to sign up for a membership and go monthly for this next year…since it is a year about STRENGTH.
There was a distinct difference in the chair workout the next day. Flexibility is so much better.
Youtube is a great resource for work out videos when the weather is bad and you cannot go outside.
I am going to do one more Friday post from Forever Strong, and I do encourage you to read the book. It is helping me to have the mental strength I need.
Any questions or comments? I love the way that we are beginning a year focused on strength with a couple of discussions about our self worth!
Hope to see you tomorrow and until then…..
STAY STRONG & KEEP SMILING!!
By Pamela Lutrell
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Good morning. Pam. I was happy to hear the discussion of the book is not going to be chapter by chapter. I am not really a ‘book club’ person because I always have several books going at once. I flit back and forth. I have them in different parts of the house. That book is on my sunporch and I haven’t cracked it open yet since there is another book sitting on top of it. Now that I see your method, I will look at it this weekend. I know I will find salient parts that speak to me. I am so happy that you mentioned a good (and free) chair workout. I will start that. I do walk daily for my mental health as well as physical. I have to admit that I have never had a massage. My husband has used them (he is also a runner) but I have always been reluctant. I am happy that you have worked out the issues that the boot is causing and that you have seen results. Yesterday was a great discussion that I missed. I am definitely team overdressed. I am sure we will touch on that again. Dressing well is key to my confidence. Have a great day.
I feel that I have always been mentally strong throughout my life. My oldest grandson says he tells people I am the strongest woman he knows because of my major health problems of polio and lung cancer surgery. My foot surgery is minor compared to those as is my hip replacement. Funny that you told us about going for a massage because last night I was “walking” without my walker or scooter and realized how it was affecting my back and hips so I mentally told myself to use my devices whether I want to or not. I’ve never been one to say “ why me”, but rather thought “ because I’m strong, that’s why”.
Pam, you are such an inspiration! What you have endured reminds me daily of how very strong many women are. I mean mentally as well as physically. Thank you for being here!
I remember when I was skeptical of massage as well, Deborah. Once I had a therapeutic massage and got over the initial pain from a body that was locked up, I was hooked. Massage has helped me so much and now I look forward to going. I also do the same with books…I plan to give you a taste of books in my stack right now in order to help those who do not have time to sit and read the entire book. Hope it helps.
You are an example to all of us, Celia, of going through so much with strength. Continue to share that with us that we may be encouraged as well.
And thank you for being here. But after reading Celia’s comment, I realize how little I have been through. All of us have mental challenges that arise each day, and may we all be encouraged to go through those challenges with strength.
Strength is so important as we age! I took up golf at 68, four years ago. I can’t believe the benefits I have received from mentally learning a new sport to physically using new muscles. Emotionally I have met so many other women my age who play and the friendships we’ve developed are priceless. My focus when exercising is building upper body strength which in turn will improve my game and my body overall. Living in an active, resort type community has kept me moving and I’m thankful we made the right decision 5 years ago to move from NY to CA to be closer to the grandkids. Physical activity plays a big part in our overall wellbeing as we age and if we fall into the poor me hole we need to be able to pull ourselves up and out. I think it’s great you will be discussing this topic in more posts. I ordered the book!
I did not buy the book because I push plant protein, not meat. Yet, it seems there is a lot more to the book that I could gain from. I am going to order it. I love book discussions. May I offer a quote from Glennon Doyle that I am currently writing down each day, “I have met myself and I am going to care for her fiercely.”
Great quote!! Thank you for sharing Linlee! I am going to also write it down!
Thanks for sharing Linda! Love your new journey with golf!
Thank you so much, Pamela, for sharing the chair yoga stretch video. On bad weather days when I don’t walk my little dog or want to drive to a gym, this video is perfect to get my body moving. In 2023, I had a knee replacement AND then a hip replacement 2 months later. Yes, there were physical challenges, but mental strength was the muscle I had to flex often and deliberately. Your positive attitude is serving you so well, and I’m cheering you on! You’ve got this, Pam!
Thanks Tina! Hope you enjoy it!
Oh, I LOVE the quote Linlee just shared! Reminds me of the old L’Oreal hair color commercials – “…because I’m worth it!” We ARE all worth it, and worth caring for ourselves fiercely. You and Celia, and many of my friends, are all an inspiration, and so are the Marines and other service members among us. I understand the character you are referencing, as my father and husband are each Marines. Mentally resilient, absolutely.
I love the concept of mental strength and the book sounds great – I just downloaded a sample. I have double hip and knee replacements and have had two additional revision surgeries on one hip, so I can no longer get down on the floor without difficulty. However, in addition to walking daily and working with free weights for my upper body strength, I have two go-to DVD’s that we do almost every day: Ageless Yoga with John Schlorholtz that is all standing or seated in a chair (the DVD is available on Amazon but he also has several “sample” videos on youtube), and Zumba Gold with Beto Perez and Joy Prouty. Denise Austin also has some great videos for us on youtube (I’ve added doing squats to my routine on her recommendation). Thank you for bringing us such great content every day, Pamela!
Around my house, Connie, we say “everyone needs a Marine!”
Thanks for sharing Niki!
I’ve been reminded recently of the value of massage. After a very stressful period dealing with health issues & worrying about a close family member, stress had gotten the best of me and I needed help. It was a long time since I’d had a massage and she had to work hard on overly tight muscles, especially in my neck and shoulders where I tend to carry stress. I was a little sore afterward, but oh, it was so worth it!
Yes it is, Elaine! So glad you did that for yourself!
I haven’t ordered this book yet but plan to asap. It is something I need to read
Thanks for sharing this book . Cant wait to read it Pam .. i live by the words a hypnotherapist said to me “ the body hears what the mind says “ and i know positive mental attitude or visualization has kept me from anxiety and depression or taking drugs to sleep after a cancer diagnosis.
Heres to all of us aging with good health mentally strong !
This is a really good discussion — love the Glennon Doyle quote. One thing I am concerned about, though, is unrealistic expectations. Mental strength is great, but it is also okay to grieve and experience challenges. We can agree that drowning in pity is not useful because it doesn’t promote a way forward, but sadness or frustration is okay in my book as long as they don’t become habitual. We want to pick ourselves up when we fall, not never fall at all. I’ll find out when I read the book, but there seems to be the tiniest whiff of moral superiority. Saying “balanced blood sugar” and achieving balanced blood sugar are completely different things. I, for example, lost almost 20 pounds during the pandemic by exercise, eating a salad for lunch every day, eating meals at the same time every day, and making ALL my own meals for more than a year. But the flip side, for which I take no credit, is that I have always been petite and slim: it’s the way I came out of the box. I do almost no added sugar because I don’t like sweet food. I cut out rice and pasta to cut starch, but I don’t miss them much. I also had to cut out apples, though, and I miss them a lot. I eat organic for everything, but I can afford it, and it makes me happy. But I also have more than my “fair share” of medical issues — again, just the way it happens. Anyway, looking forward to reading the book.
Nothing like a massage with a great massage therapist. I joke that my massage therapist is my primary care professional. She’s fabulous and a monthly massage keeps me in good shape. I hope you find benefits from the chair yoga. I’ve practiced yoga for over 30 years. I began my practice to address a shoulder injury. It cured the condition the doctors were unable to successfully treat. After reading about the focus on mental strength I downloaded the book tonight.
I’m late to this party, but will be locating this book (hopefully through my local library) and checking out the free YouTube videos. I foolishly subscribed to the “GoYoga” app the day after Christmas, but cancelled it in just a few days because I could find better guidance at no cost on-line, and it doesn’t allow you to repeat a previous session. I know you won’t be surprised to hear that they are charging me for additional time even after I have cancelled, and that I’m now battling with their so-called “customer service” team to prove I cancelled well in advance of the deadline for non-renewal. My favorite yoga source online is a young lady named Adrienne who is based in Austin. I love her “Yoga For Complete Beginners,” on YouTube, which is more my speed and allows me to grow into a yoga practice at my own speed. I have stopped and started it several times since COVID but am feeling inspired to keep it up this year. I recognize that strength and flexibility are two areas I need to improve if I’m going to remain as active as I hope to be. Thanks to you and your readers for all the good suggestions!
Thanks for sharing about your yoga, Lorri!