John Aaron Wellness

‘You've got to live in the present.’ Doesn't that phrase just sound a little pretentious or preachy? In fact, sometimes just hearing that phrase would get me downright pissed off. What does that phrase mean, anyway?!?! Of course I am living in the present; in the here now! Where the heck else would I be? It just so happens that my ‘here & now’ is jam-crammed full of unresolved issues and the responsibilities of determining how my life is going to pay off the future promises that my bigmouth and ambitions committed me to in the past. My reaction when I hear that phrase is to say, “Don't tell me to live in the here and now when you haven't sat in my driver's seat. You haven't peered through my rear-view mirror, seen where I've come from, nor looked toward the long miles of road I have before me. I am absolutely in the here and now - you can't tell me otherwise.” I now realize that I have stumbled upon my own understanding of the 'here and no...

I often wondered about the ads I’ve seen in magazines and billboards advertising the youthful benefits of Human Growth Hormone (HGH). I know that this particular hormone is produced by the pituitary gland to fuel childhood growth and help maintain tissues and organs throughout life. So, why is it so important that companies have unleashed a barrage of ads? Two words: Baby Boomers. It seems that, around the age of forty, the pituitary gland begins a process of early retirement by slowly reducing the amount of growth hormone it produces. Although this is a perfectly natural transition, the volume of Baby Boomers that have reached this stage is a market to big for supplement and pharmaceutical companies to ignore. And this, has prompted an "on mass" interest in the use of synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) to stave off the realities of old age. But before you rush out to the 'flavor of the day' clinic or demand synthetic HGH from your personal physician, consider...

As if you didn’t already know, right? Well, now it seems that science has discovered a cellular link to the process of aging. They have discovered that the tips of chromosomes have a cap-like structure that resembles the plastic caps of shoelaces. Called Telomeres, these structures respond to stress, and if you are chronically stressed, they can cut your life span short. Here’s why; in young cells, these telomeres appear to be very long. In the cells of old people, however, they are nothing more than mere nubs. It seems telomeres do play a part in the aging process because further research indicates that every time cells divide, the duplicate cells have shorter telomeres. This process is repeated until the telomeres become less than nubs, and cell division stops. What’s worse is that chronic stress can speed up this process by shriveling the tips of the telomere bundles of genes inside cells, thereby shortening their life span and accelerating bodily deterioration. There is hope,...

I’m on a self imposed diet: a technology diet. I don’t know what we ever did before cell-phones, text messages, email and GPS or how we ever survived before we were able to instantly contact each other! However, I suspect we had an easier way of taking charge of our lives and resting our brains. We were able to “disconnect.” Today we practically sleep with our technology. I know at least one person who never goes to bed without taking his iPhone with him. Perhaps you do the same? Is it no wonder why we can feel drained of energy and rapt with stress? It’s Pavlovian the way we MUST respond every time the phone dings, rings or vibrates! I’ve decided: not me. I’ve at least decided to turn off my phone before going to bed. What about emergencies you ask? Well, emergencies always happen and most of the time there is nothing you can do about it at the time – except worry. Besides, I am much better at handling a crisis when I’m well rested. As for email, I’ve decided to stop letti...

Let it be said that you can beat the odds and maintain a healthy figure throughout middle age. Gaining weight during middle age is only natural, right? Wrong... If you dread the pounds of midlife, cheer up! With the right attitude and an appropriate diet and exercise regiment, you may be able to keep your youthful figure and good health for a healthy start to your silver and golden years. It's a matter of weighing your responsibility. Midlife weight gain is unfortunately very common. There are definite factors working against you as you age. Besides fluctuating hormone levels, your metabolism begins to slow down. This means it takes more work to burn the calories you consume. Another problem is that most adults lose between 30 and 50 percent a pounds of muscle each year. The smaller your muscles are, the fewer the calories you are able to burn. Weight gain during your midlife is also a danger to your health as it increases your risks for a range of serious medical conditio...

If one is the loneliest number, "No" is the loneliest word. However, if you're going to exist on planet Earth, you've got to learn how to use this tiny word - even when the person asking the question is your friend. Here's how to get a better handle on "No." Nip it in the bud. Good ol' Barney Fife was onto something when he coined this classic phrase. Giving an immediate "No," when you know the answer is "No" is the best way to go about giving a negative response. You're nipping the question in the bud. Promising that you may be able to catch a movie or have time to play softball after work - when you know you can't - only makes the "No" seem that much worse. So as soon as you know your answer will be "No," let it out! Reserve it for rare, special occasions . If you're truly someone's friend, this one should be a no-brainer. You enjoy spending time with your friends and helping them ou...

Like most things in medicine, the amount of liquid you should drink seems to be constantly changing. So just how much do you need to drink on a daily basis for optimal health? You're about to find out that the scientific world has determined about your drinking needs. So turn on the tap and get ready to find out how full you should fill your glass. Only a few years ago, the medical community had a nice, one-size-fits-all answer to the liquid question. According to the experts, adults needed about eight glasses of water each day. This equaled out to approximately 64 ounces of water. While this acted as a good goal for most adults, it was a goal that was rarely met due to people simply being too busy to remember to down their daily regimen of water. Today, the old answer is no longer the only answer. Granted, it is still an accepted answer that helps many people remember to keep their lips to a glass of water, but researchers spent plenty of time studying just how much water a pe...

It's becoming more than a movement. It's a way of life. What is "slow" food? It's learning to cook your own food using fresh ingredients. It's knowing where the vegetables, meats, and fruits you eat come from, and meeting your local farmers if you can. It sounds like some sort of Utopian view of eating, and maybe it is. Known as the Slow Food Movement, this new view of an old way of life is garnering lots of attention from food lovers across the globe. But is there something you can learn from this slow-and-steady approach to mealtime? Well, the main "take away' is that good things take time. While the Slow Food Movement may have only recently become a household name, it's been around for quite some time. In fact, according to the web site for Slow Food International (slowfood.com), it all started in 1989. Just remember this the next time you're frustrated with the amount of time it takes to cook a meal the old-fashioned way. Or when you...

When you were a kid, you only ate when you were hungry. Everyone said you ate like a bird until you became a teenager. Then you couldn't eat enough. By the time you hit your 30s you stopped listening to your stomach and started listening to your eyes. But you were working out enough to keep off unwanted pounds. But now you're starting to see the effects of eating too many calories. So how can you avoid age-related weight gain? By keeping these three age-appropriate tips in mind the next time you decide to grab your favorite fattening treat. 1. Age Changes Everything You may feel like a teenager, but when you're out of your teens and into your 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond, your body tells a different story. Whether you'll admit it or not, you realize that you can't move quite as quick in your 50s as you could in your 20s. Likewise, your body can't burn through calories like it could a few years ago. With that in mind, the need to curb your calorie intake as ...