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Trendy Boomers and How to Improve by Tom Matt

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Trendy Boomers and How to Improve by Tom Matt

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”Tom Matt’s “Boomers Rock” Radio Talk Show’ is heard every Monday at 6:00pm EST on the Variety channel right here on VoiceAmerica. Please like our Facebook fan page, ‘Boomers Rock’, or follow us on Twitter, ‘Boomers_Rock’ and post any questions comments reactions and suggestions to help us deliver the best content to all ‘MiddleLiving’ adults. You can email Tom- tom@boomersrock.us as well as join the family and collective at Boomers Rocks.

I have this thought on a series of articles about the thought and actions of “Looking Forward or Back”.

I talk about this on the talk show, and in my book, “Maximize Your Quality of Life”, so I thought what a great idea, a series of quick hitters.

So many of our quality of life issues revolve around a myriad of topics, so in building on how to look forward with positive energy let’s talk about different issues, today I want to cover some issues that can help our eating plans and taking back our future, here you go.

Think about these for a second:

Do you think people over-eat junk food because they didn’t get the letter about sugar?

Or we continue to eat foods that pack on the belly fat not because we don’t know how bad those foods are, but because we can’t resist them – and that’s by design.

Nobody smokes cigarettes because they didn’t get the note about lung cancer.

You see, there are powerful forces that are seemingly outside of our control that conspire to not just make us fat, but also to make us sick, tired and even depressed.

I call these forces “Life’s Small Troublemakers” and they inflict havoc on our ability to control our cravings, combat urges and avoid temptation and result in stretched waistlines, failed diets and drained energy.

But there is a series of simple steps you can take to send life’ small troublemakers scampering, take back control of your life and your waistline.

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Let me explain.
Life’s small troublemakers #1: Addictive Food

Big Food has learned how to layer their products with just the right, scientifically determined amounts of salt, fat and sugar to produce what they call “super-palatable” food – or what you and I would simple call “addictive”.

Brain studies have shown that these foods are just as addictive as drugs, alcohol and gambling are. It’s no accident that “you can’t eat just one”.

For example, your brain remembers the sensation of eating fresh baked bread; I know I love the smell, our neurons secrete a brain chemical called dopamine which virtually insures that when the basket at the restaurant is put in front of you magically in empties and the server is smiling and asking “need more bread”?

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“Uhm sure!”

The next time you feel yourself being hypnotically pulled to eat a particular food, just know that there is some mad food scientist smiling somewhere, eager to line his pockets at your expense, so turn the other way and don’t give him the contentment!

Life’s small troublemakers #2: Food Labeling Tricks

Manufacturers have to list ingredients used in greatest amounts listed first.

So when manufacturers don’t want you to know that the main ingredient is sugar, they deceive you by using a dozen different forms of sugar so they can list each one further down.

Underhanded, well what do you think?

For example, all of the following are sugar in disguise: agave nectar, barley malt syrup, dehydrated cane juice, dextrose, corn syrup, brown rice syrup, raw sugar, turbinado sugar, sucrose, maltodextrin.

You can avoid succumbing to food labeling tricks by, well, avoiding foods that have labels in the first place!

Shop around the perimeter of your grocery story and eat fresh, whole, real foods focusing on leafy green vegetables and grass-fed, pasture-raised or organic meats.

Life’s small troublemakers #3: The Gremlin in your Brain

The reward pathways in our brains are powerful motivators, and they will trick your conscious mind every single time. Personally I believe that my dopamine is the cause of my personal problems with being semi-OCD, it is ok to be differant, we all are. Frankly my children think I am a freak, so I am used to the feeling.

Whenever you hear yourself saying, “Aw, just one won’t kill me”, “I just don’t have time to cook” or “I can start my diet tomorrow”, you can be sure that’s the big fat ugly “gremlin” in your brain, doing the bidding of your dopamine reward system.

These voices can sabotage your willpower, but there is a way to turn the table: next time you hear this voice, think of it as coming from someone – or something else, like a gremlin.

By externalizing this voice, you’ll then realize something “else” is trying to manipulate you and you can train yourself to ignore these voices.

Life’s small troublemakers #4: Chronic Stress

Chronic stress may begin in your brain—but it ends up packing on packing on fat, especially around your belly.

When you’re stressed, one way body responds is by churning out a big dose of cortisol.

Cortisol “instructs” the body to preserve fat around the middle, stimulates insulin – the primary hormone responsible for storing the food you eat as fat – and it also breaks down muscle, slowing your metabolic rate and making fat storage certain.

And cortisol sends a signal to the brain to “refuel” for an emergency, usually with foods highest in fat, salt and sugar. The result? You walk around stressed and starving and you’ll eat anything in sight, particularly the stuff that makes you fat and sick.

Because it’s so hard to resist temptation when you are stressed, the #1 way to combat the effects of stress you can do is to take an inventory of your life, and figure out how to minimize stress as much as possible. Also consider doing some form of active relaxation, whether meditation, yoga, deep breathing or something similar.

Life’s small troublemakers #5: Cheap Food Available 24×7

The previous 4 life’s small troublemakers wouldn’t make much of a difference if the food that makes us fat and sick weren’t available.

But it is. Everywhere. And that’s little demon #5.

Hunting and gathering? Forget that noise!

Just go to the nearest drive through or pick up the phone.

Make that a double-double with extra double please.

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The easiest way to combat this toxic food environment is to remove temptation from your immediate environment so it’s NOT convenient.

For example, at home, get rid of all the sugary junk food that will tempt you when your defenses are
down. If an urge comes, you’ll have created a practical barrier that’s large enough to give you enough time for that urge to pass.

What to Do Next…

These 5 of Life’s small troublemakers conspire to make us sick and fat – but that does NOT mean we are all doomed.

Simply by reading this article and becoming aware of these life’s small troublemakers that silently influence you to get fat, you’ve taken the first step toward building a mental defense to withstand their assault.

More next time, looking forward as usual to your comments 🙂

Peace,
T

Try these thoughts, in your own way, and like I said if in one month you don’t see a change, you don’t feel a little bit better about things, send me an email to
Tom@boomersrock.us or see much more content at Boomers Rock

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Tom Matt is the host of the weekly talk show “Boomers Rock”, heard on WGHN 1370 AM Saturday mornings at 9:00 in Grand Haven, Michigan, and syndicated on the Internet here at VoiceAmerica. His show is also heard on the Spartan Sports network SSN/247. This is where he brings experts in to discuss all issues that enhance our quality of life.

Tom welcomes comments and feedback, on his site www.boomersrock.us, please join our family and change the world! Visit our website, sign up and become part of the solution, its free and always welcoming/

All aboard! –

Kirk Spano ‘Booming Financial Times’ by Tom Matt

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Variety
Kirk Spano ‘Booming Financial Times’ by Tom Matt

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”Tom Matt’s “Boomers Rock” Radio Talk Show’ is heard every Monday at 6:00pm EST on the Variety channel right here on VoiceAmerica. Please like our Facebook fan page, ‘Boomers Rock’, or follow us on Twitter, ‘Boomers_Rock’ and post any questions comments reactions and suggestions to help us deliver the best content to all ‘MiddleLiving’ adults.

You can email Tom- tom@boomersrock.us as well as join the family and collective at Boomers Rock

The talk show “Boomers Rock” has always needed a financial fitness segment, I mean one of the most debilitating thoughts for anyone, let alone boomers, is the stress that accompanies financial pressure. Heck it is no wonder with the way markets bounce, 401k, 403b, investment portfolio, stocks, bonds, real estate, just to name a few, I find it overwhelming and I am sure many others do as well. I just knew that finding a knowledgeable person in finance, someone with passion and energy would be a huge asset to our conduit of great information pipeline (the talk show).

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But alas I recruited, asked and tried to sell it to several people over the last year and a half no one would step up, basically they thought it would be too much work or something like that, however I was not to be denied!

As Will McAvoy of the HBO television show “Newsroom” (a new family fave) said:
“Americas darkest days are followed by its finest hours.”

Into our talk show came our guy from Milwaukee, Kirk Spano, and halleluiah! Finally someone who really gets our collective mindset of our extended family and sharing the knowledge. Finally someone who buys into our “Refirement Zone-Ignite Your Life” mentality. Finally, all I can say is welcome to the collective.

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Kirk owns Bluemound Asset Management, in Milwaukee and is regularly published on Marketwatch.com of the Wall Street Journal Network and Motley Fool Personal Finance, the 1st and 3rd largest financial publishers in America. Kirk has appeared on Fox Business News Network, speaks at public and private events on all of the aspects of investing and now he is the go to guy for the “Boomers Rock” radio show financial fitness segment.

Some of Kirk’s blogs for Market Watch have been specifically targeted for information geared toward us, the boomers. Here is a quick synopsis of one of his articles and why we need to listen to our new brotha of finance, check this out, I personally fall into every one of these attributes, ugh!

Early in life, few boomers started an IRA (uhm, I did’nt even know what an IRA was, kinda thought it was an army in Ireland, whoops)

In young adulthood, many boomers overspent on cars (yep, been there done that for sure)
In mid-life, many boomers overspent on homes (but we are conditioned that they always appreciate in value and it is a great investment, whoops again)

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In general, most boomers overspent and under-invested for most of their lives (I wrote a whole chapter on this one, just read the chapter on the lost decade in “Maximize Your Quality of Life-The 200% Solution)

Getting the point here, I probably need his knowledge more than anyone, hence the segment, you see the method to my talk show madness.

Kirk sees the vision, he is there with us everyone and his input and energy will not only make the talk show better, it will help us all understand the nuances of the financial jungle, did I say HALLELUIAH. On Wednesday 9/5/2012 Kirk made his reentry into our orbit, (below is the podcast link), and here is a synopsis of our talk.

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We now live in a “Transitional Economy

What is “Asset Allocation”

If you are just a few years from your “Refirement” time maybe you should think about reducing financial risk.

Why “rates of return” is something we need to understand.

Get the whole story and lesson from our new “Brotha” in the podcast, and be aware that we have a new sheriff on the financial fitness segment of “Boomers Rock” and his name is Captain Kirk!

Until next time-

Peace,
T

peace,

Try these thoughts, in your own way, and like I said if in one month you don’t see a change, you don’t feel a little bit better about things, send me an email to
Tom@boomersrock.us or see much more content at www.boomersrock.us

Tom Matt is the host of the weekly talk show “Boomers Rock”, heard on WGHN 1370 AM Saturday mornings at 9:00 in Grand Haven, Michigan, and syndicated on the Internet here at VoiceAmerica. His show is also heard on the Spartan Sports network SSN/247. This is where he brings experts in to discuss all issues that enhance our quality of life.

Tom welcomes comments and feedback, on his site Boomers Rock, please join our family and change the world! Visit our website, sign up and become part of the solution, its free and always welcoming/

All aboard! –

Medicare Goes Bankrupt! by Tom Matt

Posted by Editor on
0
Variety
Medicare Goes Bankrupt! by Tom Matt

Matt-player-wide

”Tom Matt’s “Boomers Rock” Radio Talk Show’ is heard every Monday at 6:00pm EST on the Variety channel right here on VoiceAmerica. Please like our Facebook fan page, ‘Boomers Rock’, or follow us on Twitter, ‘Boomers_Rock’ and post any questions comments reactions and suggestions to help us deliver the best content to all ‘MiddleLiving’ adults.

You can email Tom- tom@boomersrock.us as well as join the family and collective at Boomers Rock.

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Not to be Mr. Doomsday-er or anything, but I interviewed my mentor Dr. George Bartzokis (I received permission to refer to him as my mentor) for the fourth time since we started my radio show, “Boomers Rock”. If you are not aware, Dr. Bartzokis (aka Dr. G) is an eminent neuroscientist and Professor at UCLA dealing primarily with brain health, specifically Alzheimer’s. Our conversations revolve around these topics and it is really interesting to hear his perspective on how the breakdown of Myelin is, in his opinion, based on the breakdown of this fatty substance that surrounds and protects the axons.

Myelin gives insulation to our nerves so the transmission of electrical impulses, from our muscles to our brain, works like a symphony in perfect tune. Really anything that has to do with cognitive (thinking) is determined by these impulses, so you could say it is pretty important timing.

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Dr. G refers to the following factoids as the “impending tsunami”:

The total estimated worldwide costs of dementia were $604 billion in 2010, according to the newly released World Alzheimer Report 2010: The Global Economic Impact of Dementia from Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), which is a London-based, nonprofit, international federation of 73 national Alzheimer organizations including the Alzheimer’s Association (U.S.). Released on World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21st, the Report found that:

Dementia care costs around 1% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).
If dementia care were a country, it would be the world’s 18th largest economy (ranking between Turkey and Indonesia).

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If dementia care was a company, it would be the world’s largest by annual revenue, exceeding Wal-Mart ($414 billion) and Exxon Mobil ($311 billion).

By 2030, worldwide societal costs will increase by 85% (a very conservative estimate considering only increases in the number of people with dementia).
Worldwide, the costs of dementia are set to soar.

The Report finds that costs in low and middle income countries are likely to rise much faster than in high income countries because, with economic development, costs will increase towards levels seen in high income countries, and because increases in numbers of people with dementia will be much sharper in those regions.

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“Repairing our brain is the name of the game,” as Dr G stated. Since there is no cure and Alzheimer’s (and dementia) are age related conditions, the ½ trillion dollars that it will take to care for the patients in the future will bankrupt Medicare. The time is now for action.

Here is my action plan:

Incorporate the “Fantastic Five Percent” mindset.

Understand the benefit of movement and exercise in brain health.

Lose weight because excess body fat, as Dr. Bartzokis stated, is toxic.

Eat less red meat and sugar; eat more fruits and vegetables.

Know your three key numbers: cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglycerides.

Do brain healthy activities, dancing, reading, socializing. The bottom line: stay active and busy.

Give ourselves better odds to live a longer, higher-quality life
Weaken the approaching tsunami by reducing the number of individuals suffering dementia

And remember, please e-mail me if you have a question about my “Fantastic Five Percent” plan of action.

tom@boomersrock.us
Peace
T

Try these thoughts, in your own way, and like I said if in one month you don’t see a change, you don’t feel a little bit better about things, send me an email to
Tom@boomersrock.us or see much more content at Boomers Rock

Tom Matt is the host of the weekly talk show “Boomers Rock”, heard on WGHN 1370 AM Saturday mornings at 9:00 in Grand Haven, Michigan, and syndicated on the Internet here at VoiceAmerica. His show is also heard on the Spartan Sports network SSN/247. This is where he brings experts in to discuss all issues that enhance our quality of life.

He welcomes comments and feedback, on his site Boomers rock, please join our family and change the world! Visit our website, sign up and become part of the solution, its free and always welcoming/

All aboard! –

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