Hi there,

Wow what a weekend.  I am a nanna for the 2nd time.  Thank you to Dion and Kristy for our grandson, Jax, we are just so proud of you!  What a great feeling it is to be a grandmother and this brings me to what I want to talk about today.

Here at Viva Fitness we are continually educating you on nutrition and fitness, through our PUSH seminars, workshops, class sessions etc.  I have always been actively involved in fitness from the age of 8, from team sports to dancing and aerobics.  I have gone through the obsessions and all the fads here at Viva for nearly 30 years and have loved them all.   During last 4 years I have been researching anything from diseases, to good health choices to the secrets of long lifers, with a special interest in longevity.  Now that I am a grandmother, I really want to be around for them and hopefully their children as well.  Don’t you?  There are just so many books and information out there it can be overwhelming but I thought I might share a good one with you.

Written by Dr Judy Ford, a well known Adelaide scientist who has specialized in the field of genetics and has done so for decades, the book is called G-L-O-W, Principals of Healthy Ageing.  “G” for Genes, “L” for Lifestyle, “O” for Omnivorousness and “W” for water.  Yes “omnivorousness” and our teeth actually dictate what we should eat, that being from a wide range of both animals and plants.  Interesting!

Anyway what really caught my attention was the section on genes, particularly cell division and changes that occur with age and disturbances of physiology, lifestyle and environment.  What we do and what happens in our life e.g. infections, injuries, tobacco, alcohol consumption, drugs, toxins, operations etc. can have an effect and damage our cells.  In our lifetime our cells are only capable of dividing for a certain number of divisions.  Say, for example, we were designed to live to 100 years, then in perfect conditions (inherited good genes, no sickness or injuries and living the best lifestyle with good food and nutrition) we would have enough cell divisions to live to this ripe old age.  The number of injuries, infections and wrong lifestyle choices can shorten our lifespan.  Haven’t you wondered why some people live well into their 90’s and are fit and agile, while others are old and incapacitated at 65?  Why “Joe Bloggs” around the corner was “fit as a fiddle” but dropped dead at 62.  There are alot of other factors that determine this other than nutrition and fitness. As Dr ford states in her book “Marathon runners and triathalon participants damage their bodies, as do those who push their bodies to the physical limits.  They usually die early.  There are a lot of fit, older people on golf courses”.  In other words you should not over-exercise, moderation is the key.  I have only lightly touched on this subject but it is food for thought!

G-L-O-W is not just for the over 50’s, it is for everyone especially the younger generation, as it all starts there.  All you young mothers with young families, I only wish I had some of this information when I was your age.

If I have wet your appetite, then this book is for you?

Don’t “cell yourself short”!

Yours in good health