Welcome to Healthy Living.
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I'm your host Margot Marshall.
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Life is very precious and
when someone lives to be 100,
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the question people always
ask is: "What's your secret?"
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Well today we'll be
sharing proven and vital secrets
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of living a longer, healthier
life - come and join us!
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With me in the studio
today is Jenifer Skues, a health
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psychologist and Dr. John Clark.
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Welcome Jenifer and
welcome John! Thank you!
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Nice to have you with us
again, and John, you've got a
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bunch of stories for us today.
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And we're talking about
longevity - living longer,
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and so that's something I think
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we're all a little bit
interested in - especially
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as the years go by.
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So let's hear your first story.
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You know people who live
longer have become known as
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living in the blue zone. Okay.
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It's been a popular thing,
I think "National Geographic"
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sort of started that off
and a lot of information has
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come out of what's called
"The Adventist Health Study."
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And the Adventist Health
Study was done back in the
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60s and 70s, at least
the initial one, and so they
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became known as
people who live longer.
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Well, the National
Geographic in looking for people
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who live longer,
tapped into that study for
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the Southern California
Adventists but they also found
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that the Sardinians
over in Italy and the
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Okinawans over in Japan,
all with lots of centenarians,
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people who live to
100 in their people group.
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Well one of the things
they noted when they went and
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viewed these people in
person was they thought that
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they were going to lose
their longevity edge because
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because their great
grandchildren were eating more
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food from crinkly bags; more
refined foods; more foods that
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wouldn't have as
good a nutrition.
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And this sort of brings
me to an experience I had.
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When I decided to go off
to college my goal was to
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work my way through college
without debt and I called up
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the college and said,
"Is there anywhere I can live
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that will be less expensive?"
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They directed me to a lady who
had kept students in her home
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for the last number of years and
she was nearly 100 years old.
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Good on her. On
taking in borders.
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Taking in borders! Oh wow.
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And so I told her my story and
she said, "Well come on out."
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I was in Oklahoma, I was
going up to Massachusetts
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to go to school - she
said, "Come on out, I've never
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done this before but
you're so far away, I can't
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interview you before you
get here and you have to have a
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place to land."
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So I went out there and
this lady was, as we say,
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"sharp as a tack." Okay.
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She was mentally there and
we had quite a conversation,
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and come to find out she
had taught my grandmother
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English in college! Laughter.
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And here she is feeding you and
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looking after you.
That's incredible. Okay.
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And she was in charge of the
alumni at the college for alumni
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that had graduated between
50 and 60 years previously!
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Graduated! Well she was active.
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Very active!
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Well what was
interesting about her is she ate
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a very simple diet.
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I mean, oftentimes, she'd have
something like black-eyed peas,
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cook carrots and peas
and beans or some kind of
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little salad or something.
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She ate very little
and she ate very simply,
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and she ate good food. Okay!
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Well then the cafeteria
decided to her a great favor.
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Let's save her the trouble
of preparing her own foods,
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let's send her over a
tray of food every day.
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How old was she when
they did that? About 99.
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Oh wow! Ninety-nine years old!
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And so every day somebody
from the cafeteria would
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come over and knock on
the door and sometimes I would
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open the door and they would
bring in this tray of food.
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Lots of refined foods, always
a dessert, sometimes a juice
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which is a refined
food and she would eat it.
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Within in a year, she
didn't know who she was;
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her brain was gone; she
couldn't take care of herself;
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they had to have somebody
come in and take care of her
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that was paid by the university,
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and within 3
years at 103, she died.
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That was massive deterioration
rapidly with seemed to be
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change in diet. That's right.
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That's very sad
really, isn't it? (It is.)
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To think that happened.
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Tell us another
story, tell us another one.
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You've got a bunch there
and I want to hear another one.
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Well she had the
longevity and her
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diet was a
principle factor. Yes.
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Yes, she changed her
diet and didn't realize
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the change of diet
was going to impact her.
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Simple whole plant
foods, not too much either.
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That's small
amounts, yes. No overeating.
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And the big things here
that would happen in changing
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to a diet from the canteen,
is more of these prepared
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foods would have ingredients
that would affect the brain.
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Ahh. Yes. Okay.
Sugars, fats, refined
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foods - things that clog.
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They make the brain very
cloudy and mixtures combinations
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I know, do that - like you
put milk and eggs and sugar
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together and it just
really affects the brain.
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And your certain seasonings
like "natural flavors,"
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excitotoxins -
stuff that makes the brain
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so it doesn't
function properly. Right.
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Very, very sad and so that
usually happens to a lot of
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people a lot sooner than
100 even if they make it to 100.
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Most people start with
that and then get better
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because they go the
other way if they change this.
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Yeah, let's talk about
one that went the other way.
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We happen to be
staying with a gentleman now
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and his wife, who, when he was
in his 70s, wasn't that healthy.
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He got readmitted to the
hospital after an infection,
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and the family didn't
think he was going to make it.
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Actually, he was single at
the time, his wife passed away
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and he married into a
family of people who took health
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seriously.
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And they started putting
him on a much better lifestyle.
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And today, he's 97
and will be 98 very soon.
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He drives his own
tractor; he splits his own wood.
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He's as sharp as a tack.
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You ask him about the history,
I mean any history - history of
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England - he'll tell you which
king came before which king,
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what happened in the
Reformation during that time,
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just as sharp as a tack.
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See, the brain can grow
cells, diet is important,
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but what we do in
our attitude is called
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"neuroplasticity." Yes.
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And "neuroplasticity" is like
the actual neurons and cells,
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particularly in the brain are
like plasticine and they could
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be molded and grow.
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And there are two main
areas in the brain where they
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store memory - emotional
memory and visual memory,
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but it's always
stored in the five senses.
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So that means things are
activated by the five senses,
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but they find that the
particular area of the brain
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where like those visual
memories are about history
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or what we do, it's called
the "hippocampus," it actually
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enlarged as you grow it and
things like exercise, attitude,
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certainly I believe good
food and that would do it,
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will enlarge that part
of the brain and that's what
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he was doing.
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And I certainly
believe diet can actually
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impact the brain on that level.
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So, yeah, we all need
to grow our brain because
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we will reach, you know,
and that's part of the longevity
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factor - is growing the
brain and having lots of memory
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cells, so even
if we get impacted,
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we've still got a lot to use.
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What I find interesting
here is that this man
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not only was looking like
he wasn't going to make it,
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as you say, he was close
to death, but he was at an
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age when most people, if
they haven't already died
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in their 70s,
they're going to expect it.
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You expect it.
You might expect that,
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that's not an uncommon
thing, but here was someone who
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not only turned their
health around as we've
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heard your stories on
other programs by being able
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to turn their health
around, but he was someone who
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was close to the age when you
might expect that - well, it's
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time to go anyway.
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And so from the 70s and now
in his late 90s and doing well.
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Splitting his own wood and
driving a tractor and whatever,
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and so, to me, that
makes it all remarkable!
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All the more remarkable
because it shows that health
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can be turned around and
can do it at any age. Yes.
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Am I allowed to tell
a little story? Oh sure!
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Because I've had a lady
come to one of our intensive
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health programs one time
and she was 87 at the time.
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She had a really bad
heart condition with angina.
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She couldn't make it to
the letter box without stopping
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a couple of times.
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When she went to the
shopping center, she had to be
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taken in a wheelchair because
she just couldn't walk around,
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and she had the
pain there and so on,
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and she had a few
other things going on.
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Well with that one, we took
over five weeks and by then,
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She was walking 40 minutes
a day and she was able to do
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her own gardening again.
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She had had a carer;
she couldn't do anything.
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She couldn't clean out
her cupboards; she couldn't
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look after the place;
she couldn't do the garden;
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and she loved the
garden and she had to have a
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carer to look after her.
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And, not straightaway, I
just can't remember actually
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how much later this was, but
subsequent to doing that course,
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she was actually a carer
for a very sick cancer patient
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in her home. Oh!
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So if coming from being
cared or, she became the carer
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and we got a letter from
her the other day and I'm just
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trying to figure it out,
I think she must be in her
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mid 90s now, so
just absolutely amazing!
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Interesting thing about
that lady is she was already
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a vegetarian but she was
what they call a "lacto-ovo
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vegetarian," that's using milk,
you know, dairy products, eggs,
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and things like that -
ice cream and whatever.
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And so she just eliminated
all of those animal products,
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drank the water and did
the exercise and even at 87,
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she was able to turn her health
around; she had no angina,
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pain and so on and
she was a beautiful
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person, absolutely beautiful!
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So it is amazing and I
just would encourage anyone
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tuning in - whatever
age you are and however sick
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you might be, you can turn
that around and I hope that
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you will, I hope that you
will be encouraged to do that.
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We must never think it's
too late or we're too old.
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I think that I'm
too old, I'm too set
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in my ways and that's not true.
00:11:42.60\00:11:43.93
You can change
anything you want to. Yes!
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You just need to know
what it is and how to change,
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and that's the sort
of thing John and I do.
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We help people look at that.
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That's right and I
think that's fantastic.
00:11:51.37\00:11:53.17
And I think it's lovely
too, Jeni, the way you let
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people, you know, move
forward at their own pace. Yes.
00:11:56.75\00:12:00.72
Because that's important.
00:12:00.75\00:12:02.08
Everyone is an individual,
we're individual personalities,
00:12:02.12\00:12:05.35
and we're all unique,
fortunately, and that means
00:12:05.39\00:12:09.46
you need to learn and
read the person and help them
00:12:09.49\00:12:11.76
use their
uniqueness to make these steps
00:12:11.79\00:12:14.36
in the right direction. Yes.
00:12:14.40\00:12:16.00
I mean these two people
we're talking about are likely
00:12:16.03\00:12:18.37
to reach the 100 mark and
I've often read stories about
00:12:18.40\00:12:22.37
people who reach that
100 mark or above and usually
00:12:22.40\00:12:27.38
they have a very bright
mind because they have kept
00:12:27.41\00:12:30.08
their mind focused bright
and stress is a huge factor
00:12:30.11\00:12:33.95
so they don't carry the stress
factor - they tend to have a
00:12:33.98\00:12:36.82
good attitude or belief
system that helps them deal
00:12:36.85\00:12:39.79
with stress or deal with
things that are happening,
00:12:39.82\00:12:41.92
and they just have a
good attitude, you know,
00:12:41.96\00:12:44.33
and sort of positive
which makes a huge difference.
00:12:44.36\00:12:47.13
Yes, and that lady was
able to draw on her spiritual
00:12:47.16\00:12:49.96
resources which is huge and
00:12:50.00\00:12:51.47
her daughter
was very supportive.
00:12:52.33\00:12:55.40
So that's all important, the
social, the mental, physical,
00:12:55.44\00:12:58.07
spiritual,
social - they all play a
00:12:58.11\00:12:59.97
role in making us well
or feeling neglected or
00:13:00.01\00:13:03.21
if they're not going
well, they can undermine, like
00:13:03.24\00:13:06.08
you were talking about
stress, Jeni, that's the mind,
00:13:06.11\00:13:09.12
what's going on here
that's affecting what's going on
00:13:09.15\00:13:12.39
in the body and you
said it goes both ways.
00:13:12.42\00:13:14.62
Well the moment we get stress,
00:13:14.96\00:13:16.49
we lose our focus in
the present and what happens
00:13:16.52\00:13:19.33
when we focus on the past
and go over and over the past,
00:13:19.36\00:13:22.36
it feeds depression and
when we focus on the future,
00:13:22.40\00:13:25.83
and we start
fearing, it feeds anxiety.
00:13:25.87\00:13:28.44
So all the disorders I see are
focused on the past or future,
00:13:28.47\00:13:33.48
and their depression and
anxiety and they'll switch.
00:13:33.51\00:13:36.71
They can go - instead
of being in the present,
00:13:36.75\00:13:39.05
they'll go back to the past and
they'll feed the future again.
00:13:39.08\00:13:41.78
Yeah, this happened
then, therefore I'm going to -
00:13:41.82\00:13:43.35
you know, they worry about that
00:13:43.39\00:13:44.72
and I call it, "the
worrywart syndrome."
00:13:44.75\00:13:46.45
We can all do that but I
find what a lot of what I do
00:13:46.49\00:13:51.09
is get people to them focus
in the present and instead of
00:13:51.13\00:13:53.93
worrying about the
future, solve the problem now.
00:13:53.96\00:13:56.13
If that happens,
let's work on it now.
00:13:56.16\00:13:57.93
So they're simple things
but they're very powerful
00:13:57.97\00:14:00.57
in getting the brain to be here.
00:14:00.60\00:14:02.50
And these people with
longevity are like that,
00:14:02.54\00:14:06.27
they're very focused in
the present and they really
00:14:06.31\00:14:08.31
work in the present
and enjoy the moment. Okay.
00:14:08.34\00:14:10.98
And that's why, like
the spiritual focus and the
00:14:11.01\00:14:13.01
social supports and, you
know, a good attitude - it all
00:14:13.05\00:14:16.35
combines to keep
them here. Very powerful.
00:14:16.38\00:14:18.95
I remember speaking to
you a week or two ago and
00:14:18.99\00:14:22.16
saying something about, you
know, are you getting excited
00:14:22.19\00:14:24.56
about doing this program
and you said, "Oh no, I live in
00:14:24.59\00:14:27.56
the present, I
practice what I preach."
00:14:27.60\00:14:29.46
And I thought, "Oh, okay!"
00:14:29.50\00:14:32.30
I'll wait till I get
there then ... what's the point.
00:14:32.33\00:14:36.44
It's something that I've
learned because I used to be
00:14:37.84\00:14:39.47
very anxious - I had
a very anxious mother
00:14:39.51\00:14:41.61
because we can learn
those habits and so I've had
00:14:41.64\00:14:44.71
to work on this;
hence, what I've learned,
00:14:44.75\00:14:47.05
I can now teach others.
00:14:47.08\00:14:48.42
Yes, so did that take you very
00:14:48.45\00:14:49.85
long to actually
be able to do that?
00:14:49.88\00:14:52.69
It took a long time
because I didn't know the skills
00:14:52.72\00:14:55.36
because I'm going back
like through the 60s and the 70s
00:14:55.39\00:14:58.23
and there wasn't a lot around.
00:14:58.26\00:14:59.59
You didn't go and see a
professional person or a
00:14:59.63\00:15:01.73
psychologist, you just bumbled
your way through life literally,
00:15:01.76\00:15:05.23
and it wasn't until I started
to study more and I found some
00:15:05.27\00:15:08.94
books to read and that's
when I went into psychology.
00:15:08.97\00:15:12.37
And I learned a lot
there and that was where I was
00:15:12.41\00:15:14.98
able to help myself
because I started to understand
00:15:15.01\00:15:17.65
how my brain works and why I'm
stressed and why I'm anxious.
00:15:17.68\00:15:20.92
You know, so it's
really reprogramming,
00:15:20.95\00:15:23.08
rewiring the brain.
00:15:23.12\00:15:24.45
Hm, and you just
have to make a start.
00:15:24.49\00:15:26.39
Yes, and you have to
keep doing it. Oh, okay.
00:15:26.42\00:15:29.66
So I help the person to
keep doing it, so not get them
00:15:29.69\00:15:33.93
to give up or if they have
a bit of a relapse or what I
00:15:33.96\00:15:37.27
call a lapse,... courage
and so it doesn't matter.
00:15:37.30\00:15:40.14
You know, you're doing
really well, let's get back
00:15:40.17\00:15:42.77
on the horse
basically and ride again because
00:15:42.80\00:15:45.01
as soon as they do
that, they strengthen that new
00:15:45.04\00:15:46.91
pathway in the brain. Yes. Yes.
00:15:46.94\00:15:48.81
So it's getting them to
never give up and not be
00:15:48.84\00:15:51.38
discouraged if
they make a mistake.
00:15:51.41\00:15:53.08
And we all do. Oh we do!
00:15:53.11\00:15:54.88
We all do, it just
happens and one of things I say
00:15:54.92\00:15:58.79
to myself and I would
actually say it to the people
00:15:58.82\00:16:01.32
tuning in - this is
what I say to myself,
00:16:01.36\00:16:03.63
"Today is the first day of the
rest of my life." That's right.
00:16:03.66\00:16:06.70
So whatever, you know,
I haven't got thing right
00:16:06.73\00:16:10.07
today in one way or another,
I just think, "Well, that's past
00:16:10.10\00:16:13.23
can't change it, move on,
move forward, pick it up!"
00:16:13.27\00:16:16.77
Pick up the threads where
we are and just move forward.
00:16:16.81\00:16:18.91
This is where when you
keep your brain well-tuned,
00:16:18.94\00:16:22.31
and have a good attitude, you're
likely to follow a better diet,
00:16:22.74\00:16:25.61
you're looking after
your body more and it reduces
00:16:25.65\00:16:28.32
the stress factor. Yes.
00:16:28.35\00:16:29.68
Stress is about the
past and the future,
00:16:29.72\00:16:31.52
not just about
the present. Okay.
00:16:31.55\00:16:34.12
So you said, "One was about the
past, one was about the future.
00:16:34.16\00:16:37.63
If you look on the past,
you're looking at depressed,
00:16:37.66\00:16:41.26
and if you look at the future...
00:16:41.33\00:16:42.66
You get anxious
and you worry about it.
00:16:42.70\00:16:44.97
But also, the brain function
changes; the left brain is
00:16:45.00\00:16:48.70
too active when we get
depressed and the right brain
00:16:48.74\00:16:51.51
is too active when we get
anxious and the right brain
00:16:51.54\00:16:54.61
is the connection to
the emotional brain which is
00:16:54.64\00:16:56.48
the fear and the anxiety. Okay.
00:16:56.51\00:16:58.18
So when we get hypervigilant,
we've got an imbalance
00:16:58.21\00:17:01.12
and that's that anxiety
and when we get depressed
00:17:01.15\00:17:03.22
we have another
imbalance because of the
00:17:03.25\00:17:04.89
left brain as being compromised.
00:17:04.92\00:17:06.25
Do you know, I read a study
where prayer actually helps
00:17:06.29\00:17:09.56
to coordinate the two
hemispheres of the brain.
00:17:09.59\00:17:12.09
That's because you're
focused in the present. Yes.
00:17:12.13\00:17:13.66
So whatever we do in
a positive way focused
00:17:13.70\00:17:15.70
in the present balances,
brain function - that means the
00:17:15.73\00:17:18.83
whole brain is now in
balance and that means
00:17:18.87\00:17:21.54
we'll digest our food;
we'll make better choices;
00:17:21.57\00:17:24.57
better decisions - you see how.
00:17:24.61\00:17:26.37
And we're more alert in
the present, therefore, we're
00:17:26.41\00:17:28.41
going to pick up on
things. Thank you for that.
00:17:28.44\00:17:29.78
I think it's time
for another story.
00:17:30.58\00:17:32.38
You know folks,
discussion here reminds me
00:17:32.41\00:17:35.52
of the gentleman I
told you about just before
00:17:35.55\00:17:40.12
we got into this
discussion, that in his 70s,
00:17:40.16\00:17:43.36
he was about to die.
00:17:43.39\00:17:45.69
He had this time when his social
group, that he was a part of,
00:17:45.73\00:17:49.90
sort of rejected he
and his wife. OH! WOW!
00:17:49.93\00:17:53.13
Traumatic!
00:17:53.17\00:17:55.00
And his wife took it very,
very hard and she actually died.
00:17:55.04\00:18:00.08
But he said, when he reflected
on it, "Well I sort of liked
00:18:00.11\00:18:03.88
the fight and I
sort of enjoyed it!"
00:18:03.91\00:18:07.35
Same situation but
different reactions
00:18:09.92\00:18:12.25
to exactly the same
thing, isn't that interesting?
00:18:12.29\00:18:15.96
And so for people who
have a superior longevity,
00:18:15.99\00:18:19.33
one of the hallmarks is a lot
of good social connections. Yes.
00:18:19.36\00:18:23.53
And a good attitude, being
more robust - so if someone
00:18:23.57\00:18:25.87
isn't right socially or
doesn't like you, you don't
00:18:25.90\00:18:28.90
go down with it, you can
bounce off of it all or sort it.
00:18:28.94\00:18:32.27
Maybe you don't personalize.
00:18:32.31\00:18:33.64
Yes, you don't or
contextualize it or make it the
00:18:33.68\00:18:36.38
focus of everything.
00:18:36.41\00:18:38.41
Yes and another -
when I was in grade school,
00:18:38.45\00:18:41.68
I was interested to
find in the local newspaper,
00:18:41.72\00:18:45.82
a story about a lady they
had found that claimed to be
00:18:45.85\00:18:49.86
135 years old! Wow! That's old!
00:18:49.89\00:18:54.26
And the newspaper reporters
went to her with the question,
00:18:54.30\00:18:57.23
"WHY do you think
you've lived so long?"
00:18:57.27\00:19:00.90
Her answer was this, "I
chew my food until I can
00:19:00.94\00:19:05.74
swish it through my
teeth and swallow it!"
00:19:05.77\00:19:09.04
Laughter. Oh come on!
00:19:09.08\00:19:10.58
You know what? That's
something kids do that
00:19:10.61\00:19:13.05
I cannot picture - I cannot
picture someone who is over
00:19:13.08\00:19:17.72
100 doing what
I've seen kids do.
00:19:17.75\00:19:20.76
Well, maybe you could practice
it and get the hang of it too.
00:19:20.79\00:19:23.26
Oh, I don't think so!
You could get to 130 too.
00:19:23.29\00:19:25.33
Well, uh no, I'm sorry Jeni,
the other things I'm fine with,
00:19:25.36\00:19:29.33
but I just don't
feel like doing that.
00:19:29.36\00:19:32.77
But you know
something, now I think about it,
00:19:32.80\00:19:36.84
I think she must have actually
still had her own natural teeth
00:19:36.87\00:19:39.87
because I don't think you
can do that with dentures.
00:19:39.91\00:19:42.78
So, I mean we could probably say
that's likely to be the case.
00:19:42.81\00:19:47.82
But this chewing of the food,
do you think that could have
00:19:47.85\00:19:51.79
played a role - I
mean that was her belief.
00:19:51.82\00:19:53.72
Is there any support for
that belief that she had?
00:19:53.76\00:19:56.56
There certainly is - there have
been studies done on chewing
00:19:56.59\00:19:59.76
your food well.
00:19:59.79\00:20:01.13
They often compare
15 chews to 40 chews,
00:20:01.16\00:20:06.03
and when they compare the
difference, those who chew
00:20:06.07\00:20:08.77
their food 40 times, eat less
food, have better satisfaction
00:20:08.80\00:20:14.68
with their food, end up
with better hormonal results
00:20:14.71\00:20:19.31
with their digestive
system, the hormones are better.
00:20:19.35\00:20:22.98
And so it actually makes for
a much healthier person. Wow.
00:20:23.02\00:20:27.12
Now, and you're
actually getting your nutrition.
00:20:27.16\00:20:29.42
I mean, we fed our dog a
bunch of raw peanuts one time
00:20:29.46\00:20:33.83
and then we went around the
yard and picked up the stools
00:20:33.86\00:20:36.16
that had raw peanuts in it.
00:20:36.20\00:20:37.63
Yeah, he wasn't chewing them.
00:20:37.67\00:20:39.07
He wasn't chewing them.
He Just gulped them down!
00:20:39.10\00:20:40.80
Yeah, you think he got any
nutrition out of those peanuts?
00:20:40.84\00:20:43.24
Well guess what - when you're
stressed, you gulp your food,
00:20:43.30\00:20:45.57
and you don't
chew it, you see. Yes.
00:20:45.61\00:20:47.84
So one of the things for
de-stressing is to chew your
00:20:47.88\00:20:50.75
food, taste the foods, smell
the foods, activate the senses.
00:20:50.78\00:20:54.08
A recent study I read
showed that if you chewed food
00:20:54.12\00:20:57.32
or got food that required
chewing, it actually had
00:20:57.35\00:21:01.96
some substance to it,
that it reduced depression.
00:21:01.99\00:21:05.23
Well it would! Yes.
00:21:05.26\00:21:07.06
So we're looking at things
like apples that we found out
00:21:07.10\00:21:09.26
were good for
the lungs and so on.
00:21:09.30\00:21:11.53
Apples, almonds,
granola, carrot sticks.
00:21:11.57\00:21:15.00
I've got a good little
story here - this happened to me
00:21:15.04\00:21:17.21
when I was very
young, I remember I was at my
00:21:17.24\00:21:19.77
grandmother's and she
gave me a banana and she said,
00:21:19.81\00:21:22.44
"You need to chew your
food, every mouthful 32 times.
00:21:22.48\00:21:26.35
Well, have you ever tried
to chew a banana 32 times,
00:21:26.38\00:21:29.98
that's very squishy
and I really couldn't.
00:21:30.02\00:21:32.99
I think, "Well, I can't do
it," and that's that principle,
00:21:33.02\00:21:36.16
bananas are a bit soft for that.
00:21:36.19\00:21:38.43
John, you've got to
reassure me about one thing,
00:21:38.46\00:21:41.43
there haven't been any
studies that say that squishing
00:21:41.46\00:21:45.07
your food through your
teeth has any benefit, can you?
00:21:45.10\00:21:48.54
There are studies that
show when you chew your food
00:21:48.57\00:21:51.11
really well and break it
down to very small parts,
00:21:51.14\00:21:55.18
it goes into the
cells a lot easier.
00:21:55.21\00:21:57.25
Oh, I could believe all of that.
00:21:57.28\00:21:58.75
So that's what the
squishing of foods is.
00:21:58.78\00:22:00.45
Oh yeah, I know, I was shocked,
00:22:00.48\00:22:02.18
I just couldn't
help saying that.
00:22:02.22\00:22:04.19
Well that's incredible,
so we've got a few different
00:22:04.22\00:22:06.96
things going on
here - in that story
00:22:06.99\00:22:09.76
it was chewing really thoroughly
00:22:09.79\00:22:12.49
and the other story you told was
your attitude towards an event.
00:22:12.53\00:22:17.13
Two people with
a different thing.
00:22:17.17\00:22:19.27
So that's really more
in your department Jeni.
00:22:19.30\00:22:21.84
What's going on in
the mind is affecting
00:22:21.87\00:22:24.11
literally to the point of death.
00:22:24.14\00:22:25.77
Well yes, it can.
00:22:25.81\00:22:27.24
Because I looked at the
same thing - they looked exactly
00:22:27.28\00:22:30.75
the same event that was
happening to both of them
00:22:30.78\00:22:32.65
and one took it really hard and
the other actually enjoyed it.
00:22:32.68\00:22:36.75
Yeah, I mean it's sad that
one passed away but she had an
00:22:36.79\00:22:41.12
attitude that was very negative
and that's for every thought
00:22:41.16\00:22:44.89
you have it goes straight
to every cell of the body.
00:22:44.93\00:22:47.30
Say that again Jeni.
00:22:48.03\00:22:49.36
Every cell is impacted
by every thought we have.
00:22:49.40\00:22:52.73
So when I have a thought
and we have our nervous system,
00:22:52.77\00:22:55.44
the central nervous system
runs from the back of the spine
00:22:55.47\00:22:58.31
down, yeah the head
down to the spine and then
00:22:58.34\00:23:01.14
we've got radiating
nerves, peripheral nerves.
00:23:01.18\00:23:03.75
We've got an autonomic nervous
system like telegraph wires
00:23:03.78\00:23:07.22
that go through our body.
00:23:07.25\00:23:08.58
Whenever I have one
thought, it goes to every cell.
00:23:08.62\00:23:11.29
Every cell is impacted, so
you have one negative thought,
00:23:11.32\00:23:14.72
for example - people who
are depressed, "I'll never get
00:23:14.76\00:23:17.89
over it," how do they feel?
00:23:17.93\00:23:19.56
Their whole body is
sagging down, you see.
00:23:19.59\00:23:22.60
Think about the things
you think, you can feel
00:23:22.63\00:23:24.90
your body responding
to that thought. Okay.
00:23:24.93\00:23:28.14
Actually, what about self-talk?
00:23:28.17\00:23:32.37
Have you got a few
thoughts on that because this is
00:23:32.41\00:23:34.64
something we're doing all
the time, not even aware of it
00:23:34.68\00:23:37.35
mostly, but we've talked about
thinking about what we think.
00:23:37.38\00:23:40.05
We don't know totally the
source of thought, okay, but
00:23:40.08\00:23:44.69
we always think and even when
we think, we're not thinking
00:23:44.72\00:23:47.66
we're thinking! We're
thinking, we're not thinking.
00:23:47.69\00:23:49.52
Okay, I won't get
you to say that again.
00:23:50.29\00:23:51.63
But when we calm the thoughts,
we feel at peace and calm for
00:23:51.66\00:23:56.33
it's very low level, gentle sort
of thinking and it's usually
00:23:56.36\00:24:00.37
in the present, alright.
00:24:00.40\00:24:01.74
When we're
stressed, we have a lot of
00:24:01.77\00:24:03.67
thinking and it's very negative.
00:24:03.71\00:24:05.34
So it's like a chatterbox in
my brain can bring me unstuck,
00:24:05.37\00:24:09.98
so if I don't think I can
do something and say I'm given
00:24:10.01\00:24:13.55
something to do and I go,
"Oh I don't know if I can do
00:24:13.58\00:24:15.38
that, it's too hard and I
remember before my brain is
00:24:15.42\00:24:18.22
doing another time, I
won't do it, I'll sabotage it
00:24:18.25\00:24:20.36
or I won't be able to do it."
00:24:20.39\00:24:21.92
Whereas if I go, "No, I
did that once before and it's
00:24:21.96\00:24:24.06
okay and, you know, I'll
just give it a go and if I'm not
00:24:24.09\00:24:26.90
I'll get some help to do it."
That makes a huge difference.
00:24:26.93\00:24:29.56
So you can see how we
talk to ourself and we do a lot
00:24:29.60\00:24:33.37
of that - we have to listen
to what we're telling ourself.
00:24:33.40\00:24:36.97
That's right. That's right.
00:24:37.01\00:24:38.34
We all catch
ourselves out. Yeah.
00:24:38.37\00:24:41.48
And we do give
ourselves good advice,
00:24:41.51\00:24:43.41
but we don't always
listen to it. Laughter.
00:24:43.45\00:24:45.85
And this is where on longevity,
a lot of people give themselves
00:24:45.88\00:24:49.82
self-talk, "Well I'm
getting old; I'm going to be on
00:24:49.85\00:24:51.69
medications; I'm going
to die; I'm gonna..." Yes
00:24:51.72\00:24:53.92
"My days are
nearly numbered." Yeah.
00:24:53.96\00:24:56.89
I met a woman who
believed she was going to die at
00:24:56.93\00:24:59.49
something like 65 and every
day she'd tell herself she was
00:24:59.53\00:25:02.70
going to die at 65- I did not
follow it up, but I can imagine
00:25:02.73\00:25:06.63
that her health would have
deteriorated and it's highly
00:25:06.67\00:25:08.74
likely it was a self-fulfilling
prophecy because she believed
00:25:08.77\00:25:11.94
it and she said it
and she thought it.
00:25:11.97\00:25:13.91
Every cell of the
body is responding.
00:25:13.94\00:25:16.04
And this whole attitude thing,
I met a gentleman that did
00:25:16.08\00:25:18.45
research himself in the
community near his school
00:25:18.48\00:25:22.02
where he went through
from house-to-house and did a
00:25:22.05\00:25:25.12
survey and he got to know
the people and did the survey,
00:25:25.15\00:25:29.22
and some people just kicked
him off the porch and "Get out
00:25:29.26\00:25:31.86
of here, don't bother me."
00:25:31.89\00:25:33.43
Ten years later he came
back and did a survey again,
00:25:33.46\00:25:36.87
and those people who
had kicked him off the
00:25:36.90\00:25:38.63
porch were no longer alive.
00:25:38.67\00:25:40.84
Isn't that interesting! Ohh.
00:25:40.87\00:25:43.81
The people with the anger...
00:25:43.84\00:25:45.27
Attitude - yeah. Anger is huge,
that is such a stress factor.
00:25:45.31\00:25:49.31
We should never maintain
our anger and yet we have a
00:25:49.34\00:25:51.58
lot of angry people out there.
00:25:51.61\00:25:53.11
Longevity - you
cannot have a longevity
00:25:54.02\00:25:56.02
when you're angry all the time.
00:25:56.62\00:25:58.72
And the blood pressure we
know, the heart is impacted,
00:25:58.75\00:26:01.82
the breath is impacted.
00:26:01.86\00:26:03.19
So it's very powerful, isn't
it, the effect that our mind,
00:26:03.22\00:26:05.89
our thinking has on our body
00:26:05.93\00:26:07.40
and it works the other
way around, as you've said.
00:26:07.43\00:26:11.73
I was going to say,
self-talk, what we think is what
00:26:11.77\00:26:14.47
we feel and what we
feel is how we behave.
00:26:14.50\00:26:16.84
So if I think I can't, I
feel down, I feel discouraged,
00:26:16.87\00:26:21.94
then I won't do it. Alright?
00:26:21.98\00:26:23.65
And we can actually
work from any angle,
00:26:23.68\00:26:25.35
I can say, "Well hang on,
I'm not doing very well with
00:26:25.38\00:26:27.45
what I'm doing and then
what am I thinking and feeling?"
00:26:27.48\00:26:30.25
Or we can go on
thinking this, therefore
00:26:30.29\00:26:32.25
I'm going to stop doing it.
00:26:32.29\00:26:33.72
So we can actually
pickup at any point.
00:26:33.76\00:26:35.92
So it's fascinating isn't it?
00:26:35.96\00:26:37.46
You've talked about, you
know, the foods and so on,
00:26:37.49\00:26:40.10
and I don't know whether
you talked about activities
00:26:40.13\00:26:42.30
today, did we?
00:26:42.33\00:26:44.63
Well the guy that runs his
tractor and splits his wood.
00:26:44.67\00:26:47.67
Oh yes, yes, yes!
So being physically
00:26:47.70\00:26:50.31
active is very
important and then our thoughts,
00:26:50.34\00:26:54.61
and the spiritual
resources that play a role,
00:26:54.64\00:26:58.25
and social support. Yeah.
00:26:58.28\00:27:00.32
This is a big thing - you
don't find isolated people
00:27:00.35\00:27:03.89
living to old ages generally.
00:27:03.92\00:27:06.59
And this is the sad reality
of older people who end up
00:27:06.62\00:27:09.02
in a home and no one
visits them and I know I often
00:27:09.06\00:27:11.69
visited elderly people
or I go when I had my mom
00:27:11.73\00:27:14.26
there, I'd go and visit
someone and no one would
00:27:14.30\00:27:16.06
ever visit them and the
joy they would get, you see.
00:27:16.10\00:27:18.77
So social structure
is so vital. Yes, yes.
00:27:18.80\00:27:22.14
It's all of those things,
all of those parts that make up
00:27:22.17\00:27:25.97
the human being - the mental,
physical, spiritual, social,
00:27:26.01\00:27:29.04
they all impact
one way or the other.
00:27:29.08\00:27:32.68
If they're neglected,
they will impact negatively,
00:27:32.71\00:27:35.72
but they can all be utilized.
00:27:35.75\00:27:37.29
And when they're all
coming together, there's that
00:27:37.32\00:27:39.75
synergy effect that's even
greater than the sum of the
00:27:39.79\00:27:42.56
parts, so it's very, very
helpful to utilize them all.
00:27:42.59\00:27:47.26
I think we need to
remember that we can do anything
00:27:47.30\00:27:49.26
we want to with the right
attitude, the right beliefs,
00:27:49.30\00:27:52.33
the right actions and
staying focused in the present
00:27:52.37\00:27:55.30
and actioning and
having a good life. Yes, yes.
00:27:55.34\00:27:58.31
One of the things I
find so focused people
00:27:58.34\00:28:00.91
don't live as long
as people who focused...
00:28:00.94\00:28:03.55
Thank you for that.
00:28:03.58\00:28:05.15
Well, I don't know whether
we answered all your questions,
00:28:05.18\00:28:07.85
but if not, you can contact
John or Jenifer by emailing:
00:28:07.88\00:28:12.42
healthyliving@3ABNaustralia.org
.au
00:28:12.45\00:28:16.83
If you want to watch
our programs on demand
00:28:16.86\00:28:18.99
or download our fact sheets,
visit: 3abnaustralia.org.au
00:28:19.03\00:28:23.47
and click on the watch
button, and remember...
00:28:23.50\00:28:25.80
"Today is the first day
of the rest of your life!"
00:28:25.83\00:28:28.94