Author: hyftechnologies

Most of us like to think of ourselves as young: young in heart at least, if not actually young in years. But is it possible to stay “forever young” in terms of health and wellness? Of course, probably no one would want to remain forever young in terms of life experience. Our experiences give us character and contribute to our growth and development as persons.

As we get older, though, gaining skills and possibly wisdom, is it really necessary to suffer physical breakdowns along the way? Holding on to youthful bloom may not be feasible in all aspects, but there are a few critical tips and tricks to retain much of that glow and vigor as we get older. We may not, in reality, stay forever young, but we sure can give meaning to the notions that “50 is the new 30” and “60 is the new 40”. Here are two key tips. They may seem obvious, but the power is in actually implementing these tips consistently over time.

Tip #1: Eat less. Each person has his or her own caloric balancing point beyond which extra food will be retained as fat. If your average daily calorie consumption is right around this critical value, all the energy in the food you eat will be used to support your physical functioning. But extra calories will not be burned up and this unused energy will be stored as fat. Over time, increasing fat stores frequently lead to chronic disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. So with respect to long-term health, it’s a very good idea to avoid overeating. Of course, we want to have fun, too, but that’s what a “free food day” is for. If you eat within your caloric range on six days of the week, the seventh can be a “free day” when you can eat whatever you want. Such a system works very well for ongoing optimal weight management (which, of course, means ongoing health and well-being, contributing to our notion of “forever young”).¹

Tip #2: Exercise more. Did you ever see a gymnast, competitive swimmer, or professional dancer who didn’t look absolutely terrific? These young men and women are in such good shape owing to the high volume of exercise they do every week. Do you know an older adult who was on a high school or college gymnastics team or was a professional dancer long ago? Isn’t that person still really healthy and fit? Such long-term fitness results from a lifelong habit of exercise. The very good news is that even if you haven’t exercised in many, many years, you can still derive benefit for years to come from starting to exercise, right now.^2,3

You get fit by doing the work. Not all at once of course, but gradually, steadily, building up strength and endurance, starting right where you are. The secret is to begin. And after not too long a time, you’ll find that your new habit of exercise is providing all kinds of surprising benefits, including deeper, more restful sleep and increased energy and exuberance. Not to mention weight loss and a slimmer waistline.

These two tips, eating less and exercising more, have been known for decades. But in order to reap the many benefits, what’s required is to actually do these things. We can be forever young, relatively literally, by taking these simple actions on our own behalf.

¹Campbell KL, et al: J Clin Oncol Reduced-Calorie Dietary Weight Loss, Exercise, and Sex Hormones in Postmenopausal Women: Randomized Controlled Trial. 2012 May 21 [Epub ahead of print]

²Umpierre D: Physical activity advice only or structured exercise training and association with HbA1c levels in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA 305(17):1790-1799, 2011

³Betof AS, et al: Effects and potential mechanisms of exercise training on cancer progression: A translational perspective. Brain Behav Immun 2012 May 17 [Epub ahead of print]

Did you know that your spinal column’s spongy intervertebral discs (IVDs) comprise 25% of this segmented structure’s entire length? Did you know that an adult’s spinal column is approximately 24-28 inches in length? A little quick math shows that the total height of your spinal discs is approximately between 6 and 7 inches. But most of us don’t get to enjoy the maximum height, springiness, or shock-absorbing capabilities of our spinal IVDs.

Why is that? Another fact known to anatomy students is that IVDs begin losing their total water content at the early age of 2. If you’re a young adult, that water-losing process has been going on for 20 years. If you’re older, tack on a couple of decades. But this is a natural process. Whether we like it or not, our body parts are not built to last forever. They are designed to keep us healthy and fit for about 150 years (another little known fact). What’s not natural is the sedentary lifestyle associated with living in an economy driven largely by the service sector.

Until very recently (75 years ago or so), most adults worked at jobs which required physical labor. Employment in agriculture and industry required actual work using one’s body. Those jobs had a built-in exercise component, all day, every day. In contrast, 21st century jobs require a lot of sitting. For many jobs, workers are sitting all day, every day. When you’re sitting or standing in an unchanging position, the relentless force of gravity bears down on your spine at a steady, never-changing rate of 32 ft/s². The long-term result on one’s spinal column is compression. Natural water-losing forces are unopposed and your spinal discs just keep getting thinner.

We need to reverse these trends. We need to find ways to pump our discs back up. We want to regain the health of our spinal discs, regain lost stature, and be able to stand up tall, achieving our full physiological height. We need to identify and engage in decompressive activities, activities that will restore fluids to our IVDs.

Fortunately, a highly decompressive set of activities is readily available and has been in use for thousands of years. Yoga is a system of exercises that provides a broad range of health benefits including spinal decompression.^1,2,3 In fact, done correctly, all yoga exercises (known as postures, poses, and asanas) result in spinal lengthening. The key is to make the yoga posture active, constantly engaging, working, and lengthening your core muscles while you’re doing the pose.

Regular yoga classes (even once a week may be sufficient) will lead to noticeable benefits, including a sense of being taller. The spinal decompression obtained through regular yoga practice will help increase your flexibility, balance, and coordination. Yoga can be done at home. The only equipment needed is a rubber mat. The long-term payoff is big, in more ways than one.

¹Jeng CM, et al: Yoga and disc degenerative disease in cervical and lumbar spine: an MR imaging-based case control study. Eur J Spine 20(3):408-413, 2011

²Williams K, et al: Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficacy of Iyengar yoga therapy on chronic low back pain. Spine 34(19):2066-2076, 2009

³Goncalves LC, et al: Flexibility, functional autonomy and quality of life (QoL) in elderly yoga practitioners. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 53(2):158-162, 2011

An adult human spine typically consists of 26 moveable segments: seven cervical vertebras, twelve thoracic vertebras, five lumbar vertebras, one sacrum, and one coccyx (tailbone). Intervertebral discs separate the segments from the second cervical vertebra down to the sacrum and a thinner disc is present between the sacrum and coccyx. Intervertebral discs comprise about 25% of the height of an adult spine. Intervertebral joints connect vertebras and these joints are lined by lubricating synovial membranes. All of these structures are designed and built to last a lifetime.

Intervertebral discs, which are gel-like colloids, begin to lose their water content at about age 2. This slow resorption is perfectly normal. Nothing lasts forever, and all living structures degrade and deteriorate over time. With this in mind, we can understand how it is that x-rays of older persons show various degrees of degeneration or arthritis of the spinal joints and intervertebral discs. These physiological changes are ominously or portentously referred to as “degenerative disc disease” by certain specialists, but it is important to remember that these structures deteriorate naturally. Degeneration or breakdown of spinal joints and intervertebral discs is not a disease, but rather a standard process that occurs over time, more rapidly in some persons than in others.

There are measures we can employ to resist the effects of spinal degenerative changes and possibly even slow the process of degeneration itself. Spinal degenerative changes are problematic as they result in loss of resilience, flexibility, and mobility of the spine as a whole. The overall result is degradation of spinal function and increased possibility for strains, sprains, and other injuries. Solutions are available, as research studies have consistently demonstrated that regular vigorous exercise and healthy nutrition provide significant benefit in maintaining spinal structure and function.

Regular vigorous exercise such as walking, running, bike riding, and strength training provide consistent weight bearing stress to spinal joints and intervertebral discs. Such mechanical stresses are required for these structures to retain their physiological integrity. For example, exercise pumps fluid back into intervertebral discs and increases lubrication of spinal joints. Healthy eating provides the nutrients required to support efficient repair and replacement of the cells and tissues of spinal structural components. Thus, by choosing to implement healthy lifestyles, we help keep our spines in peak physical condition and become better able to withstand the negative effects of natural physiological forces occurring over time.

Having a healthy spine also depends on getting regular chiropractic care. Exercise, good nutrition, and sufficient rest are the primary requirements for spinal health, but there may be limitations and restrictions in the form of spinal joint dysfunction and nerve interference. These limitations prevent your spine from achieving optimal function and may lead to stiffness, loss of mobility, ongoing pain, and even injury.

By detecting and correcting spinal joint dysfunction, regular chiropractic care helps eliminate sources of nerve interference and enables your spine to do its job, which includes handling heavy mechanical loads and moving you around during all your activities throughout the day. Regular chiropractic care partners with your other healthy lifestyle choices to help you achieve high levels of health and well-being now and into the future.

1. Geusens PP, van den Bergh JP: Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis: shared mechanisms and epidemiology. Curr Opin Rheumatol 28(2):97-103, 2016
2. Falla D, Hodges PW: Individualized Exercise Interventions for Spinal Pain. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 45(2):105-115, 2017
3. Teraguchi M, Yoshimura N, Hashizume H, et al: Metabolic Syndrome Components Are Associated with Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: The Wakayama Spine Study. PLoS One. 2016 Feb 3;11(2):e0147565. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147565. eCollection 2016

Poets throughout the centuries have helped us see that being young is a state of mind. That special state of mind impels us to take actions on our own behalf, actions that have specific consequences for our health and well-being.

But so many people believe in the power of the dollar. They spend vast sums every year on anti-aging, beauty, and cosmetic products in the false hope of being able to purchase remedies that will restore their fading youth.

Others hasten the loss of their youthful glow. Cigarettes, alcohol, and negative mental constructs such as resentment, jealousy, and anger all work to rapidly break down our health and vigor. Negative emotions are especially insidious. Even if a person is healthy in other respects – eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly – stress, fear, anguish, and ill-will relentlessly add invisible workloads to the day, sapping our strength and aging us prematurely.

People who look and feel ten years younger than the age revealed on their birth certificates have learned how to create a positive mental attitude. It’s amazing how much bounce you can add to your step when you intentionally set about having a great day. Of course, this is not merely smoke and mirrors. Those who are intending to be young inside and outside take the necessary steps. They don’t eat doughnuts (except on their free food days). They rarely consume fast food. They do eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. They do exercise regularly, some even doing some form of vigorous physical activity five or six times each week.

These young-at-heart people get sufficient rest. They are willing to give up the attitudes, positions, and annoyances that do not serve their well-being. And many of them have discovered a natural healing method and philosophy that helps them to be well and stay well – chiropractic care.

Chiropractic is a smart, efficient form of health care. Chiropractic care helps remove physiologic obstacles to good health and helps your body learn how to maintain high levels of functioning. After beginning chiropractic care many people comment that they feel as if they’ve let go of a big weight they didn’t know they’d been carrying around. People say they feel lighter and they have more energy. They sleep better. They even feel as if they’re taller.

Others comment that they’ve become more effective at work and in their personal lives. As a result of chiropractic care their bodies are expending much less energy in wasteful and unnecessary physiologic activities. The result is more available resources to do – efficiently and well – what is necessary each day out in the world.

One wonderful outcome is the ongoing recovery of the youthful appearance and outlook we always want to maintain.

¹Egger GJ, et al: The emergence of “lifestyle medicine” as a structured approach for management of chronic disease. Med J Aust 190(3):143-145, 2009
²Reinehr T, Roth CL: A new link between skeleton, obesity and insulin resistance: relationships between osteocalcin, leptin and insulin resistance in obese children before and after weight loss. Int J Obes (Lond) Epub Jan 12, 2010
³Cohen DL, et al: Cerebral blood flow effects of yoga training: preliminary evaluation of 4 cases. J Altern Complement Med 15(1):9-14, 2009

“60 is the New 40” is more than a marketing slogan. The phrase is also a metaphor for optimism, as well as a metaphor for good health.

How can 60 really be the new 40? First, there are the demographics. Forty years ago, when today’s 40-year-olds were just being born, 40 was a fairly substantial age. In the early 1970s, every 40-year-old had lived through World War II. For the Americans, many of the men fought in the Korean War and some may even have fought in the Vietnam War. In the early 1970s, most women had had their first child by age 25. Today, child-rearing years for adults frequently begin in their 30s and even late into their 40s. Life expectancy in 1970 was approximately to age 71. Today, average life expectancy is to age 79 or 80. Putting everything together, it can reasonably be stated that our “senior years” keep getting pushed further and further back.

“60 is the new 40” means there is plenty of productive life ahead. The phrase implies that, if one is ready, able, and motivated, whole new aspects of living can be explored. Whereas in 1970, 40-year-olds were often beginning to be established in middle-management roles in their white-collar companies, or were becoming shop stewards and supervisors in their factories, today men and women in their 60s are becoming entrepreneurs and launching their own businesses. Backed by a lifetime of experience, people in their 60s are going back to school to get the undergraduate or graduate degree of their dreams, or they’re setting up shop for themselves as artists, artisans, or consultants. Regardless of the particular individual choice, the point is that people in their 60s are manifesting the spirit and vision that was previously thought to be the special province of those much younger, specifically, men and women in their 20s and 30s. But it would be a stretch to say that “60 is the new 30”, so we’ll stick with “60 is the new 40”.

But these new activities and endeavors require physical resources and energy.¹ If one is not healthy, 60 may in fact not be the new 40. If one is not enjoying good health, then one’s focus is usually primarily directed toward getting well. For 60 to really be the new 40, that is, for one to be fully engaged with family, friends, and work, for one to be focusing on the present and maintaining a positive, expectant attitude toward the future, an optimum state of health is required. Such an optimum varies from person to person. What is needed is for us to be functioning at our optimum. Such maximal functioning is based upon numerous factors, including a healthy, nutritious diet,^2,3 regular vigorous exercise, and consistent, sufficient rest. Putting these lifestyle choices into place and making these elements of healthy living habitual will go far toward helping all of us make our chronological age irrelevant.

¹Caprara M, et al: Active aging promotion: results from the vital aging program. Curr Gerontol Geriatr Res 2013;2013:817813. doi: 10.1155/2013/817813. Epub 2013 Feb 7
²Dickinson JM, et al: Exercise and nutrition to target protein synthesis impairments in aging skeletal muscle. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2013 Jul 18 [Epub ahead of print]
³Levis S, Lagari VS: The role of diet in osteoporosis prevention and management. Curr Osteoporos Rep 10(4):296-302, 2012

Many people experience increasing musculoskeletal joint stiffness as they get older. Shoulders, knees, and ankles don’t seem to be as flexible as they once were. It seems more difficult to bend over and pick up a dropped object. It may be uncomfortable to turn your head around to see the car in the next lane that’s right in the center of your driver’s blind spot. The bad news is that, left unattended, your joints do get stiffer as you get older. Left on their own, your joints will likely lose full mobility. The good news is there’s plenty you can do about it. You can regain and retain much of your youthful flexibility if you are willing to be proactive.

First, some basic physiology. Joints such as the shoulder, knee, and ankle are lubricated by synovial fluid. Synovial fluid keeps joints moist, provides oxygen and nutrition, and washes away toxic end-products of normal metabolic processes. The joints in your spine are also lubricated and maintained in this way. But aging reduces the amount of available synovial fluid. Also, normal aging processes increase the viscosity of the remaining synovial fluid. You have less available lubricant and the lubricant that you do have is thicker. The result is stiffer joints, pretty much from top to bottom.

The specific countermeasure to such physiologic aging is to keep active. This is a pretty challenging prescription in a world in which most of our time is spent seated. Our bodies were designed for hard, physical work. But as we’ve transformed from an agrarian to an industrial society, and more recently from an industrial to a service-based society, the nature of our work has changed dramatically. The vast majority of our work is now done seated at a desk. When we’re not typing on a computer keyboard or reading a spreadsheet, we’re at home watching TV, playing games on our computing devices, or very rarely, reading. None of these activities involves active motion. If we want to take care of our bodies, we’re going to have to be proactive about creating the time to do so.

We’re going to be creating time for exercise. Almost any type of exercise causes synovial fluid to be more available, pumping synovial fluid into joint spaces and helping to lubricate joints.^1,2 Exercise increases your internal core temperature, which in turn decreases the viscosity of synovial fluid. The overall result is increased joint flexibility. This benefit is often experienced immediately. The benefit will be long-lasting provided that you continue to exercise regularly.

Thirty minutes of exercise per day, 5 days per week, will assist most of us in maintaining as much joint flexibility as possible. Alternating a cardiovascular exercise day with a strength training day is an optimal program.³ Yoga provides a total body workout which incorporates cardiovascular exercise, strength training, and flexibility. Ultimately, the types of exercise you do are less important than the long-term consistency. Regular, vigorous exercise, done over months and years, will provide great benefit, not only in terms of improved joint flexibility, but also in terms of overall health and well-being.

¹Seco J, et al: A long-term physical activity training program increases strength and flexibility, and improves balance in older adults. Rehabil Nurs 38(1):37-47, 2013
²Garber CE, et al: American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc 43(7):1334-1359, 2011
³Micheo W, et al: Basic principles regarding strength, flexibility, and stability exercises. PM R 4(11):805-811, 2012

The Macintosh operating system contains a subprogram called “Time Machine” that allows you to reset your status to any previously saved state. Provided that you have designated a location for backups, you can literally go back in time and recover documents, directories, and applications you may have overwritten, deleted, or otherwise lost. “Time Machine” is a marvelous productivity tool that permits us to recover from our mistakes. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a similar “Time Machine” that would enable us to recover our lost good health? The very good news is that we do.

In fact, you don’t have to be a real-life character in an H.G. Well’s fantasy tale to be able to achieve a certain degree of metaphorical time travel. You may recall the slogan, “50 is the new 30,” which spread quickly through worldwide media outlets about 10 years ago. The notion that “60 is the new 40” soon followed. Surprisingly, unlike most sound bites that propagate effortlessly along social media pipelines, these hopeful phrases actually contained meaningful content. Age 50 and age 60 could, in numerous respects, really be the new 30 and 40.

But not everyone is willing to do what it takes to either slow down time’s relentless ticking or to turn back the clock. Real time, that is, your personal time, and real effort are required to achieve the goal of prolonged good health. People age 50, 60, 70, and more-than-80 can enjoy the physical capabilities (mostly), the mental sharpness, and the appearance (within reason) that we used to think belonged only to persons 20 or more years younger. The price of admission to such a process is continuously engaging in the inner workings of the time machine that is available to each of us. We activate and maintain the operation of this “relativistic” system by eating a healthy diet, doing vigorous exercise for at least 30 minutes five times a week,^1,2 and getting sufficient rest on a regular basis, which for most of us means 7 or more hours of sleep per night.

Upon being told of these requirements for good health,³ many people will push back. “I don’t have the time” is the primary reply. Of course, one is free not to eat right. One is free not to exercise. But the results of not following-through on these action steps are profound. Heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are the primary outcomes of not engaging in health-promoting behaviors. Interestingly, many people are aware that failing to participate in healthy activities will lead to cardiovascular disease and related disorders. Obviously, mere awareness is not sufficient. What is required is an active choice. If we desire to gain the benefits of our personal time machine we must be willing to pay the price of time.

¹Phillips C, et al: Neuroprotective effects of physical activity on the brain: a closer look at trophic factor signaling. Front Cell Neurosci 8:170, 2014
²Lee JS, et al: Effects of 8-week combined training on body composition, isokinetic strength, and cardiovascular disease risk factors in older women. Aging Clin Exp Res 2014 Jul 6. [Epub ahead of print]
³Erickson KI, et al: Physical activity, fitness, and gray matter volume. Neurobiol Aging 35S2:S20-S28, 2014

Let’s imagine that today is your birthday. One of the things you might do on or around your birthday is to take a look back at what you’ve accomplished in the year gone by. You might be glad at all the things you’ve done and a little sad at all the things you didn’t get to do. You might feel proud that you’re still here and that you’ve made it successfully through another year or you might be have some concern that the ticking clock sounds just a bit louder. Of course, most of us feel a combination of all these emotions.

A very good question to ask is how to keep the birthdays coming. Regardless of how we feel about everything that’s gone on during the past 365 days, we certainly want another crack at the apple. None of us plan to roll over and give up. We want to do it again. We want to take our next best shot.

The great thing about living is that, while of course we want to make the most of each day as best we can, we get another round of 24 hours for free just by going to sleep. We want to make this day terrific and the next day, too, which now that it’s here is this day, and so on down the line, all the days of our lives.

We all have people, family and friends and co-workers and neighbors, all loved ones of one sort or another, who are no longer with us. We’d like to stay on Planet Earth as long as possible. We want to thrive in our current year and reach our next birthday happy, healthy, and well. How can we ensure this to best of our ability?

In fact, there are many things we can do, many steps we can take, to increase the probability that we’ll be healthy and well this year and into the years ahead. Of course, stuff happens, but what we’re looking for are ways to maximize our opportunities to be healthy. Ways to maximize our strength and fitness and wellness and well-being.

You already know the answers to these key questions, but surprisingly most people have too much inertia to take action on their own behalf. For those of us who are actively interested in being at the top of their game now and for a long time to come, the answers are right there in front of us.

One answer is to do regular, consistent, vigorous exercise four, five, or even six times a week.¹ For some, this could be done by walking 30 minutes a day in the fresh air. Others would incorporate more activities. It doesn’t matter. Do whatever works for you. The important thing is to do the exercise regularly and consistently.

Another answer, complementary to doing exercise, is to eat healthy food.^2,3 Eating healthy means getting five portions of fresh fruits and vegetables every day, consuming complex carbohydrates rather than simple sugars, and getting the right amount of calories rather than overeating. Eating healthy means drinking plenty of water rather than soda and other sugary beverages. Eating healthy means finding protein sources that work for you. All of this takes time and effort, but the payoff is big.

Looking back at the year we’ve just completed is worthwhile and instructive. Hopefully we’re learning a lot. We all want our new year to be the best year ever. Exercising regularly and eating a healthy diet are two main action steps to help ensure that it will be.

¹DeWeerdt Susan: Activity is the best medicine. Nature 475:816-817, 2011

²Kirkegaard H, et al: Association of adherence to lifestyle recommendations and risk of colorectal cancer: a prospective Danish cohort study. Br Med J October 26, 2010 doi: 10.1136/bmj.c5504

³Knight JA: Diseases and disorders associated with excess body weight. Ann Clin Lab Sci 41(2):107-121, 2011

Being a Change Agent

For most of us, change happens slowly, if at all. But as the recent holiday season fades into the distance, many of us wish to be increasingly proactive this year and take real action on the numerous New Year’s resolutions that we made in regard to our health and well-being.

Back in December, many of us formulated resolutions such as “I’ll start going to the gym” or “I’ll lose weight” or “I’ll go for a walk every day”. Although these are worthy aspirations, in order for us to actually make progress in the areas of health and wellness, quantifiable and measurable goals are required. By declaring what we intend to accomplish and by when, we are providing instructions to our internal goal-accomplishing mechanism that will make all the difference.

By creating specific targets such as “By February 1st, I will begin a strength-training program and workout at the gym for three 45-minutes sessions each week” or “By February 1st, I will begin a daily 2,000-calorie weight optimization program including consuming five servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day” we provide our subconscious mind with specific goals. Just as an automobile driver needs to know precise directions in order to reach the destination safely, our internal steering mechanism will assist us in fulfilling our goals, based on specific directions and instructions.

For example, once oriented toward accomplishing good health, our subconscious mind may bring to our conscious attention the healthy opportunities around us. We begin to recognize and focus on matters of importance regarding health and wellness such as new offerings at your local fitness center or specials at your nearby organic market. Without being an agent of change, this information would have never penetrated our selective perception and awareness.

As well, our renewed focus on overall health may point us in the direction of obtaining regular chiropractic care. Regular chiropractic care helps us achieve and maintain optimal functioning of our spinal column and other major components of our musculoskeletal system. By focusing on spinal wellness and optimizing performance of the nerve system, our body’s master system, regular chiropractic care helps ensure that we are reaching maximal levels of health. In this way, regular chiropractic care supports and reinforces our intentions of achieving increased health and wellness for our families and ourselves.

Sources:

1. Jackson PA, et al: Promoting brain health through exercise and diet in older adults: a physiological perspective. J Physiol 594(16):4485-4498, 2016
2. Jakicic JM, et al: Role of Physical Activity and Exercise in Treating Patients with Overweight and Obesity. Clin Chem. 2017 Nov 20. pii: clinchem.2017.272443. doi: 10.1373/clinchem.2017.272443. [Epub ahead of print]
3. Kim: Effects of yogic exercise on nonspecific neck pain in university students. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2017 Oct 14. pii: S1744-3881(17)30374-2. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2017.10.003. [Epub ahead of print]

How do you determine whether your life is going well? Whether you’re happy and fulfilled vs. merely going through the paces? Whether you’re growing and developing as a person vs. merely expressing more of the same old, same old? In short, when the alarm goes off in the morning does the prospect of a new day cause you to be filled with excited anticipation and a sense of being actively engaged? Or do you wish you could bury yourself beneath the blankets and put off your daily routine for as long as possible?

“Flourishing” is a term long-used by philosophers to describe a state of ongoing positive engagement with life.^1,2,3 When a person is flourishing she is not only interested and participating, but also widening and expanding her range and her scope. Most of us are familiar with the concept of flourishing as it relates to our plants and gardens. A flourishing tree sports many new branches, many new twigs, and many shiny new leaves. The bark of a flourishing tree has deeper and richer shades of brown. The greens of such a tree’s leaves are moister and wetter, reflecting the aqua tones of the rivers, streams, and sky. All the flourishing tree’s semi-moving parts are joyously turned toward the sun.

A flourishing human being expresses many similar phenomena. When describing the characteristics of well-balanced individuals, psychologists and sociologists have historically used the term “happiness”. But “being happy” seems a fairly passive state of affairs. It’s good to be happy, certainly, but what’s being referred to is more of an emotional, subjective state of being. You’re happy in response to a circumstance or series of events. In contrast, when you’re flourishing you’re actively taking part. You are the initiator rather than the responder. You’re in the driver’s seat. You get to say how things are going to go.

How do you achieve a state of flourishing? As always, it’s the journey, not the destination, that provides the biggest payoff – in this case, a joyous, fulfilling life. Flourishing as such is not an endpoint – it’s a moving target. We need to be proactive to replenish, reinvigorate, and revivify our continuing cycle of 24-hour allotments. We want to live, rather than merely exist. Living requires imagination, invention, interest, and action. Flourishing is an outcome of playing full out, of active participation in life.

¹Menk OL, et al: Exploring measures of whole person wellness: integrative well-being and psychological flourishing. Explore (NY) 6(6):364-370, 2010

²Bunkers SS: A focus on human flourishing. Nurs Sci Q 23(4):290-295, 2010

³Fosha D: Positive affects and the transformation of suffering into flourishing. Ann NY Acad Sci 1172:256-262, 2009