The Attitude Doc- Senior Dating & Vibrancy Articles

Information from The Mayo Clinic lists increased food intake, slowing metabolism, lack of exercise and genetic factors as causes for weight gain in mid-life. “You might be predisposed to gain weight around your stomach as you age. That means you may have to work harder to maintain your figure. Forget about squeezing into your old jeans. Concentrate, instead, on being fit and healthy.”

But in case the hard work gets the best of you, pop princess Jessica Simpson is now selling plus-size jeans, which means up to size 24 and they’re selling like hotcakes. What’s a girl to do when she’s got that genetic factor going against her size 6s that don’t get over her hips any longer?

Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., in his book, Biology of Belief, says, “When you are convinced that genes control your life and you know that you had no say in which genes you were saddled with at conception, you have a good excuse to consider yourself a victim of heredity.” The war cry then becomes, “It’s genetic.” His research states that diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, “are not the result of a single gene but of complex interactions among multiple genes and environmental factors.” This book is a fascinating read if you are patient enough to stay with the scientific jargon of a cell biologist. It is one that clearly proves when it comes to genetic control, “it’s the environment.”

More proof comes from Robert O. Young, co-author of The pH Miracle, whose research is based on cleaning the blood. He suggests that you think of your body as a fish tank receiving too much food, or the wrong kind of food. In an actual fish tank if this were to occur, the fish would be “unable to consume or digest it all, so it starts to decompose. Toxic acid wastes and chemicals build up as the food breaks down, making the water still more acidic.” The question is now, “would you treat the fish for the illnesses they would no doubt develop? No- you’d change the water.” The water is the environment in which the fish survives and is totally dependent upon.

To reiterate what Dr. Lipton said, “It’s the environment.” His studies have proven that the brain of the cell is not in the nucleus but in the membrane, which is directly influenced by its environment. And what does that environment consist of? Beliefs such as:

“I can’t do anything good enough to please anyone.”

“I don’t trust men”

“It’s not safe to be vulnerable.”

“I use my weight as a weapon to criticize myself.”

“Mother should have known not to use food for reward and punishment.”

”Dad shouldn’t have pulled away when I started to be overweight (at 3) and was teased by others.”

Just like a sponge submerged into water, beliefs such as these are absorbed during childhood directly and indirectly from our environment. The list is not unique to this case history of a 51-year old woman who, for the first time in her extensive weight loss program history, is delving into the emotional underpinnings of her condition. “I never feel full,” she confessed. Love is what this inspiring woman is looking for to “feel full.” She’s in the process of discovering, feeling and permanently dissolving, on a cellular level, the sabotaging beliefs acquired during those precious and informative years.

What are the chances you or someone you know might be using genetics as an excuse for being depressed, overweight, underweight, unsuccessful, shy, unattractive, boring, safe, unlovable? We are more than our genetics, our past memories, our body and mind. We are a powerful, spiritual being possessing free will to discipline our mind for the purpose of supporting the expression of our highest potential.

Refuse to play the blame game any longer and start now, to be willing to take total responsibility for your life. November, the month of gratitude, can be the time you own up to your reality and consciously start creating your life the way you prefer. Make the upcoming holiday season the best ever. It’s all up to you!