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Welcome to the 115th edition of the Have Lifelong Wellbeing monthly newsletter! Thank you for being a loyal subscriber.

If you are a new reader, please know it is my life's passion to erase pain from the world and empower lives to age with strength, truth, wisdom, and joy. I am humbled by your trust in me to provide content of value and I will continue to strive to that end.
- Eileen

UPCOMING EVENTS

If you have been reading my content for any period of time, you are quite familiar with how passionate I am about providing information that is not wellknown but SHOULD be. I hope you enjoy this month's topic...

What have you been told?

Before I begin I want to thank all who attended the first ever Move Without Pain 3 Day MINI Challenge last week. The emails have been pouring in with your positive results of less pain, some from just the first day😊! 

This is the reason I do what I do. Thank you! If you missed it, you can still view the recordings through this Saturday. Click HERE for access

Now, onto the topic...

Last month I began educating with the question, “Where are you?” 

I hope you took some time to answer this question. I know this approach differs from my usual movement or health topics; however, it has equal, if not superior importance, and impact for your future. 

This month I am continuing with another question that begs an answer that just may give you pause…

“What have you been told?” Or put another way, “Who are you listening to?”

Many of you reading this newsletter could provide reams of information you have gathered over the years about topics that matter to you. Much of that information would be in agreement, some might conflict, but all would be from mostly well-known ‘experts.’

I put the word experts in quotes for a reason. Just because someone has a degree or letters after their name, or even wrote a best-selling book, does not mean they are consummate experts that restore health and resolve pain in the lives of others. To me, real experts are those who have spent decades in the field, working intimately with people in a face-to-face environment. Real experts are those who have sought the truth and applied it to their respective fields; those who have countless successes to share as well as some (hopefully few and far between) failures.

I will be blunt here. The ability to spout research does not an expert make. How many people have they helped and how long they have been doing that is what matters most.

So, the question, “what have you been told?” could be translated “who have you been listening to?”. I know proper English would state it, “to whom have you been listening?” but most people aren’t used to reading or using the word whom any more😊.

Last month I mentioned a couple of resources that provide information about heart disease and diabetes that many people have no idea exists. This is because they have only heard conventional medical treatment advice. Take this medication. Have this procedure. Schedule this surgery.

I reported last month that medications commonly prescribed for high cholesterol or high blood pressure do not prevent heart attacks or strokes. They simply manipulate blood biomarkers and lower the risk of events by a very small margin. Data reports less than 3% risk reduction overall for statins. I am NOT telling you to discount what your healthcare practitioner prescribes or advises. I am telling you…

If the only tool someone owns is a hammer, everyone looks like a nail.

But what if it's the wrong tool for the job?

The truth of the matter is that people, no matter how educated or expert in their field, can only teach, advise, and provide what they know. People can only share what they have been taught. They can’t teach, or recommend, what they don’t know.

So, I will now expand the question asked at the beginning of this newsletter to better provide a frame of reference.

What have you been told about...

·       physical fitness training?

·       pain treatment and resolution?

·       health and wellness?

·       aging?

“What have you been told about physical fitness training?”

Physical fitness training is a very large topic as it encompasses body building to cardiovascular health and everything in between. Your goals will and should determine the type of training you perform. 

I just did a Friday Value Video series on this topic, so I won’t repeat it here. I will state you don’t want to get your information or advice from an acquaintance at the local gym. Just because someone has been exercising for years and looks fit does not make them a joint biomechanics expert. Unfortunately, even certified athletic trainers and licensed physical therapists can lack knowledge of 3 plane authentic human movement. People can’t teach what they don’t know and what they don’t know can breed failure or injury.

Teaching what they know, if it's limited to mainstream knowledge, can lead to less-than-optimal success and even potential harm as time goes on. By this I mean teaching movements that isolate and performing motions that the body is not designed to do repetitively against resistance. Your body will do its best to compensate during these motions leading to a risk of aggravating another body part or a risk of tendonitis as those compensatory mechanisms break down.

“What have you been told about pain issues?”

Pain treatment and resolution are not words you normally see written together. Typically, you will see the words pain management. 

Managing pain is no one’s goal ever. Resolving pain is what you desire. Am I right? Treating pain symptoms with pills, injections, procedures, and surgeries will often fail to address the cause of the pain.

I am saddened that so many have not learned just how important it is to address the body as a whole entity and not just as a body part that walks through the door. Training an isolated muscle will ALWAYS fail to fix the cause of your pain. Let me provide an example.

Strengthening the external rotator of your rotator cuff will NOT restore authentic function to your shoulder. Your shoulder has 18 muscles that directly impact shoulder function, only 4 of which make up your rotator cuff. The entire rest of your body indirectly impacts shoulder function. Since your shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body, the rotator cuff’s primary purpose is to stabilize your humeral bone in your glenoid fossa.

Simply put, those 4 muscles are supposed to keep your shoulder joint from dislocating while being used. They are NOT there to provide power and strength when lifting, pushing, pulling, throwing, and swinging. Those tasks are accomplished by everything else as your rotator cuff keeps your joint aligned throughout the movement.

Here’s an important question. What if the muscles that are supposed to provide the power and strength aren’t working well? What if the muscles that are supposed to move and control your body throughout the physical task are lacking? What if you have major body parts impaired in their function that are required for healthy shoulder action? How will performing external rotation with a band address that?! How will an injection fix that?!

You can apply this same question to multiple body areas: low back, neck, knee, etc. YOU ARE A WHOLE BODY AND EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED TO EVERYTHING ELSE.

“What have you been told about health and wellness?”

Health and wellness are something that, I believe, are a right to have throughout life. The problem is all the inaccurate information and all the wrong beliefs have caused absolute chaos in many minds when it comes to what actions really matter most. I have often heard people state it doesn’t matter what you do because someone will tell them it is bad for them one day and good for them the next. 

One expert says this, and the other expert says that. If the experts can’t agree, how is someone who hasn’t spent decades of their life studying biostatistics supposed to know what to do???

Many have heard of the person who seemed to do everything right and they got sick or died suddenly of a heart attack. Of course, we have no idea what really went on in their life and these instances are quite few and far between. Most people who seem to do everything right live long, healthy lives.

Many have heard of that ONE person who seemed to do all the wrong things and they lived a quality life to a ripe old age. Please allow me to be blunt here. There are people who survive hitting a brick wall at high speed, but I wouldn’t want to try it, would you? Just because Uncle so and so or Aunt so and so smoked, drank, and ate bacon all their lives didn’t die young doesn’t mean you can do the same and have the same outcome. Spinning that roulette wheel does not a wise decision make.

The main point here is to set yourself up for success as best you can. This means following what is taught by those who have a long, successful track record of helping people restore their health, resolve pain, and eliminate the need for medications. Yes, there are many experienced and skillful people who have done just that for decades. Their track record speaks for itself. 

The question to ask when someone is giving you advice is "how long have they been doing that and how many people have they helped?"

“What have you been told about aging?”

Aging is a subject very near and dear to my heart and not just because I will be 66 my next birthday😊! I have always loved connecting with those in their 80’s, 90’s and beyond. The depth of life they’ve experienced and the knowledge they hold can be quite remarkable. If you have never conversed with someone who is ‘long in years’ you have missed something special. 

That said, it seems the world tells us that aging is supposed to be a decline into a life of near misery. Losing strength, stability, mobility, memory, and control of bodily fluids is almost expected to happen if we stay above ground long enough. 

I want to state emphatically right here and now that 

this is a lie from the pit of hell! 

All the dire and dark ‘prophecies’ about aging are not really about age-related issues at all. They are really time-related issues. What I mean is your body responds to the actions you take over time. 

It is not your age, it is how long you have been sitting and not exercising. It is how many fast food meals you’ve eaten and how many veggies you haven’t eaten over the years. I hope you are getting the point? 

It’s not your age, it’s your actions that you take based on your beliefs. This is the reason Question #2 matters so much. You will base your actions on the answer to “what have you been told?”

Hmmm….I do hope you are now seeing why your answer matters so much. This also brings me to Question #3. The answer to that question pretty much declares where the rubber meets the road when it comes to moving without pain and aging well. 

I look forward to next month when I provide that final questions and I conclude this three-part series😊. If you don’t want to wait until next month to learn Question #3 it is not too late to check out the free Move Without Pain 3 Day MINI Challenge that concluded last week. The recordings are available to access through this coming Saturday. 

You can click the button below to not only learn what the 3 questions are, but discover the answers that set you up for success.

May's Newsletter: Question #3

This recipe is inspired by a Vitamix recipe. I modified the dressing to be oil free and eliminated the dairy. See hint below to save steps with the dressing if desired.
Enjoy😊!
                                           
Servings: 4                                                                         

Salad

• 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) maple syrup
• 1½ cups (200 g) red grapes
• 5 ounces (145 g) arugula
• 1 cup (175 g) pickled red onion (raw is just as good in this recipe)
• 1 cup (125 g) walnuts, toasted
• ½ cup (120 ml) Lemon Maple Vinaigrette (below)

•   2 lemons, peeled
• ½ cup (120 ml) maple syrup
• ½ cup (120 ml) apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, optional
• 1½ cup (360 ml) oil substitute (below)

Oil Substitute

• 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder

• 2 cups water

Directions for salad

Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
Toss the grapes with the maple syrup and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Place in preheated oven and bake for 15–20 minutes or until just tender. Let cool completely.

To assemble:
Toss the arugula with vinaigrette and plate in desired dish. Top with the roasted grapes, pickled onion, and walnuts.

Directions for dressing (see hint below)

With a peeler or paring knife, remove the peel and white pith from the fruit, leaving just the flesh. Place lemons, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and salt into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed. Blend for 15 seconds.

Decrease speed to Variable 3. Remove the lid plug and add extra virgin olive oil through the lid plug opening. Secure the lid plug and increase blender to its highest speed, blending for an additional 10 seconds.

Directions for oil substitute

Mix arrowroot and water together and heat over medium heat until thickened. Cool and use as oil substitute.

Hint

Use lemon flavored white balsamic vinegar and simply add 1/4 cup maple syrup to 1/2 cup vinegar and 1 1/4 cup oil substitute for 2 cups dressing. Flavored balsamics are naturally lower in acid so you won't need as much syrup .Adjust to personal taste. 

Want peace & joy instead of fear & stress?