The Body-Mind Connection, with Tracy Cromwell

*The following is the output of transcribing from an audio recording. Although the transcription is largely accurate, in some cases it is incomplete or inaccurate due to inaudible passages or transcription errors.

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It’s a lot about what are you feeding your body and and your body being your teammates, because he’s telling you things. But you know there’s this other piece that I’m really interested in and we are here again with Tracy Cromwell, who is a certified senior fitness specialist and she’s also a personal trainer. She works with family caregivers, seniors, any sort of people that are over the age of fifty five and, I’m sure younger. But this is really your specialty, Tracy, and I’m so glad you’re here because we kind of need a little boots here. And part of it, I think, is, you know, what I’m finding with a lot of my friends. I because I’m a go get her in a type A I don’t have. I had the need to get out right, but I’ve had some friends that kind of just don’t want to leave their house. They’ve been so punkered down that they’re not really wanting to get out in the world. There’s this mind thing of, you know, they’ve cocooned so long for the last year that they’re kind of in this little space of you know, I’ll just stay at home. Are you finding that with people to a little bit? Yeah, it’s interesting, however, that he’s handling that. I feel like, you know, we’re in a movie and we’re going to step out and then the sun hits us and we’re like we’re coming out into the light like we’ve never seen it before. You know, it’s just like this. You know, we’ve been isolated and time. People will are really surprised for this, but I’m pretty much I’m pretty shy and I’m pretty significant introvert, and so when this first started, that part of my mind was like yeah, I like so excited. And as it went along it was like even my introvert got lonely. My introvert wanted to get out, and so I pushed myself out. But I have a thought. If you’re if you’re you know, you’re caught in that, you’re unsure. One thing you could do is set a timer. So to set a timer for ten minutes, you know, go out ten minutes for just a nice flock and come back for a ten minutes, you know, and and and your brain will kind of be like, Oh, okay, we can live to meet survived, you know, and do it again that fiest ten minutes and well, you know, that is really a good piece of advice. In my book I talk about those types of breaks when you’re carrying for a loved one, because asolutely and ocnal trait and and even if your loved one has dementia or all timers, they still know how to push your buttons slow. It’s interesting with, you know, with when covid happened, my sister actually home from the UK to stay with my mom full time, you know, because we didn’t know what was going to happen and it was really hard on her. She’s actually flying back tomorrow to the UK, but we as a family combined ourselves around my mom, but it was hard for her to remember that came to get outside, she needed to go somewhere, she need to be somewhere, and so, as a care you know, it’s so important get outside, take a walk, and then you have to be a walk, burn calories and sing, a walk to for your bring your mind, to relax, and when it’s also just you know, in my Tony robins training you talk about a pattern interrupt. It’s like like a record that keeps, you know, moving around in the gruiser, in the record. yeause they’re gets a scratch in that record. Yeah, and all of a sudden you now I’m dating myself. Will talk about record albums. But still point is is that our brains are so trained to think in a certain pattern that obviously that pattern. It’s like if you’re if you’re feeling anxiety, you grab foods. A lot of people are emotional eaters, a lot of them. Yeah, and it’s so losing things. So in the break, you know, I asked eating. Every one of our listeners to talk about. Are you to think about? What are you telling your body? Yes, what are the things that you’re doing every day, even, you know, making my unconscious choices. I think a lot of the unconscious. Is it not treasy? Yeah, because the remember, when the brain doesn’t like change, it doesn’t and and it’s job. It thinks, Oh, you’re still alive, you woke up. So we’re wimming today. You know, as a lot of their way, it’s like we’re good to go, and then you’re like, no, I want to amp it up, and it’s like what no, I don’t want to have to change. You know, I have to give up this, I got to give up bed, I got thibout my show and it’ll go into this whole serve dietribe right, which now I laugh at and I appreciate. I say, okay, I appreciate your input, I appreciate I hear you, but we’re going to go ahead and try this and you just might like it. All right, well, you’re going to make me, you know I mean. And it’s hilarious. I think about these discussions I have negotiating with both sides of my well, well, you know they what that shows where has a little characters. It’s an animated one, depression and happiness, and it’s such a cute movie and I was like that’s in my head right now, right, but I want to do something experiment. I think we have time and everybody, go ahead. I just want to show you the difference by how your brain and reaction to how the body will respond to what you tell it. Okay, we’ll do this exercise. So I want you to look at your right hand. Just look at it and say you’re weak, but if you can’t pick up that flower, I bet you know you’re just not going to be able to do it. Just look at it and be afraid that it’s not strong enough and just think of how it feels. I think of how it feels, seeing how you might feel inside. I know I got a little anxiety. I felt sad. Know, how are you feeling and how’s your hand feel? You know, you’re me. You know and it’s like it I feel something in my hand, so now go ahead and look at it and say you’re awesome, you are strong, and I want you to squeeze and be nice and strong. You can lift that flower pot, you can pick up that grand baby, and all of a sudden, like this energy goes to those students. So I finally should myself wanting to make a fist right away, becaun, and you’re just like n okay. So what I tell people is, and then I work with people, they’re really afraid to to to challenge their body to for like, to be strong or to, you know, go a little harder there to there’s something in them. That’s just a phrase. They believe that they are not strong enough. And so what I say is, you know, when I tell people, when they’re working with me, is when you pick up a weight, you focus on and you tell your body it’s capable, it is strong. Through that, I want you to go lift something you haven’t trained for yet, just even that little five pounder whatever, and I seen people go, God, it’s kind of I could do more than that. And then this thing that is actually, you know, lifting heavyer Weiss, because they say know how to speak. They know how to use their mind to help their body perform. And so the same thing when you’re thinking about eating something out of habit. Okay, well, how am I going to feel after I eat that? So I want to feel like that, or do I want to be happy that I use my spirit and and what you’re telling me is not only important for you, but if you’re caring for loved one. I know she maybe they may have balanced issues, they may be very dependent on a walker or wheelchair because they’re afraid of falling, and it’s like those who thinks, what is the top? What is the talk that you’re giving that loved one? In other words, mom, I know you can do this. I’m here, is your coach and your helper to use this. We’re going to walk down the hall and back and I’ll be here with the Walker, but I want you to I know that you’re capable, that you can walk this. You should. Yeah, and Thatsten I think, really important that we forget about that. Yeah, and I think it what’s really important for and in this is my opinion, but your brain needs to know where your feet are. Yeah, your brain needs to you know, just another thing. You’re sitting up and listening to this. I want you to find your feet in your mind and I want you to push them into the floor. Find your feet and then squeeze your legs, squeeze, squeeze your core and you’re just solid and feel how nice and solid that feels. Well, when you’re walking, when you’re about to get out of the chair, I want you to find those feats, whingle those codes and when you get up, you know if please do this with guidance of your caregiver, if you have one, but I want you to push really nicely through those heels and push up and keep your stomach tight and lest your body help lift you. What can happen when we aren’t practicing. We make the front of the legs do all the work and we try and get up on the ball of our feet, and that’s very unstable feeling that, if you know, scoot to the end of your chair, push the feed in and then, when you’re walking, make your brain focus on where on my feet, how are they walking, versus it going probably going to fall. I think we’re going to fall. It’s busy. Oh, I chapter all, I got to do things about where my right that’s what’s going to happen. So, yeah, you know, what you’re saying really is that your mind is truly the coach of everything. You can you can tell it, you know that you’re not capable or you can do it. Like another word, whether you believe you can or you can’t, you right, and it’s just educating. And what can happen as we age and again, if you don’t. I had a really bad n injury from two thousand and five and my brain immediately basically dismiss that leg. So it automatically went ahead and start using other resources and I had to focus so hard to say no, this leg has to pull it away, it has to work. And they’re whenever you’re moving around, practice, practice on the kitchen, practice when you’re getting up anywhere, and and train your mind. And the are you practice, the faster the signal happens. And pretty single a lot more stable, you know, and and really practicing balance, and I know I’m a send here, but practicing keeping your balance will help you, you know, minimize your chance of falling, and we know that that. You know you falling is going to be one of the worst thing, you know, potential for you. And so if someone’s telling you to practice your balance. I’m telling you the thing and dicon of that. As we close up the show today, tracy is available to work with you guys, all of our listeners. Please reach out to her and you can reach her at her website, which is Tracy Cromwellcom, and that Brom like Max Walllcom. She also has a book, your personal journey with food, and you can find that on Amazon and other book stores. And you know also just realize, I think, the real great gift of all of this is that there are people out there that can help us through whatever personal mobility challenges. We made faith and the suitor that we face from life easy. There are they are to cope with. And so, Tracy, I am so glad you’re going on the show today. Thank you so much for joining answers for elders and we would love to have you back again sometimes and to each and every one of you get out and enjoy the sunshine, get yeah and spend some time doing some positive self talk and, most importantly, you do in your family who did to each other. Answers for elders radio show with Suzanne Newman hopes you found this podcast useful in your journey of navigating senior your care check out more podcasts like this to help you find qualified senior care experts and areas of financial, legal, health and wellness and living options. Learn about our radio show, receive promotional discounts and meet our experts by clicking on the banner to join the Senior Advocate Network at answers for elders, RADIOCOM. Now there is one place to find the answers for elders.