Mr. Lee's Tai Chi For Life: February 2011

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

The hospital class says goodbye

I finished up at HealthPark Medical Center on Tuesday after being there for over a year. My Monday 10am class, who call themselves the "Yearlings" because they've been there with Doc and I for over a year, gave me some nice going-away gifts. They have made some tremendous progress and it's been a pleasure to work with them. One lady, Maryanne, told me we did more for here than all her therapies combined (she'd had polio and a stroke). That means tons to me.
I'm going to miss them but Marc Rowe will take good care of them. I have him and Teresa Frank at the hospital to thank for re-starting the program. Marc told me I should get it going again in 2009 and Teresa was all for it when I called her. It's been a huge benefit to many and I'm glad Marc will keep it going.
Group shot sent by Dr. Jim Reid.

Chi kung book

Dr. Rowe loaned me a pretty good book on the chi kung we do. It's titled The Way of Energy and it's by Lam Kam Chuen. If you need a book to go with your DVD, this one is recommended. $15.95 and the ISBN is 0-671-73645-0

Monday, February 21, 2011

The new DVD is here!

I have finally gotten the DVD you have been asking for over the years. I know it took quite some time but I'm sure you'll be happy with the product. It's a 55 minute disc with the warm-ups, basic postures, eight chi-kung exercises and the Four Corners set. It's professionally shot and edited by Spearman Resource Group in Ft. Myers. The cost is $25 and you can get one direct from me at a class or order online at http://www.leewedlake.com/ in the store. A follow-up DVD with the short form is in the works, too. And it won't take years to get done!

Friday, February 11, 2011

A Life Handbook

HANDBOOK
Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books.
8. Sit in silence for at least 30 minutes each day
9. Sleep for at least 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts. Know what you cannot control. Let go and invest energy in positive present events and a plan.
13. Don't over do. Know and express your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time being angry with anyone.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Life is school and we are here to learn. Problems are simply a part of the curriculum. Lessons learned will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more..
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...
Society:

25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your relatives and some friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come..
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Regular Walking Enhances Brain Circuit Connections

Sent in by Doc Rowe. Exercise is a key.

Posted on 2010-09-10 06:00:00 in Brain and Mental Performance | Exercise |
http://www.worldhealth.net/list/news/brain-and-mental-performance/

The default mode network (DMN) is a brain circuit which dominates brain activity when a person is least engaged with the outside world (such as being a passive observer). Previous studies have found that a loss of coordination in the DMN is a common symptom of aging and in extreme cases can be a marker of disease, and data has suggested that older adults who are more fit tend to have better connectivity in specific regions of the DMN than their sedentary peers. Arthur Kramer, from the University of Illinois (Illinois, USA), and colleagues followed 65 adults, ages 59 to 80 years, who were sedentary (two or fewer episodes of physical activity lasting 30 minutes or more in the previous six months), who joined a walking group or stretching and toning group for a year. The researchers measured participants’ brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tasks at the beginning of the study, at six months and after a year of either walking or toning and stretching. The team employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine whether aerobic activity increased connectivity in the DMN or other brain networks. At the end of the year, DMN connectivity was significantly improved in the brains of the older walkers, but not in the stretching and toning group. Additionally, the walkers also had increased connectivity in parts of the fronto-executive network, which aids in the performance of complex tasks; and they performed significantly better on cognitive tests than their toning and stretching peers. The researchers write that: “The study provides the first evidence for exercise-induced functional plasticity in large-scale brain systems in the aging brain … and offers new insight into the role of aerobic fitness in attenuating age-related brain dysfunction.