A Lesson in Longevity from Teachers

I grew up in a family where illness was common. My mother suffered from several life threatening illnesses while I was growing up. My father had trouble breathing due to his history of smoking. I vowed to do whatever I could to avoid their fate. I subscribed to Organic Gardening from Rodale Press and planted fruit trees, grapes, berries and a huge vegetable garden. I reduced the amount of red meat I ate and eventually eliminated it entirely, as I did with soda. I’ve eaten healthy my entire adult life.

My next step was to subscribe to Prevention magazine and join a gym. I’ve worked out three to four days a week from the time I was twenty-five until now. I’m at my high school weight (which is appropriate to my height). I’m not working out as much as I did when I was younger, but have never given it up for more than a brief period of time. I walk daily, although to be frank, not as much as I did when I taught high school. Then, sitting down during the day was a rarity.

I’ve bought and read all the Blue Zones books, I even give them as gifts. The Blue Zones® was founded by Dan Buettner, explorer, researcher and fantastic best-selling author. I’ve tweaked my Mediterranean diet to be more like those eaten by the people in the Blue Zones Solution and made a few other changes to my lifestyle. A long healthy, happy life is my goal.

Recently, my copy of the “Retiree Advocate” by CTA/NEA-Retired arrived. There’s an article in the newsletter entitled, “It’s About Us”.  Here I read longevity statistics for retired teachers. Studies show we live longer than any other group of working people in the U.S. This made me curious because I had heard the opposite. I looked online and found my previous belief was a well debunked myth. Teachers who reach 60 can expect to live 30 more years. This was great news.

The longevity of teachers has been credited to our healthy living. We eat the right foods, like those I mentioned earlier. We’re physically active, go to the gym, walk, hike, etc. We sleep enough; probably making up for all those nights we stayed up correcting papers. Finally, we were and still are social creatures. Even in retirement, teachers have a lesson to teach. Live like we do, and you may extend your happy, healthy retirement years too.

In addition to working out, traveling (as you see in the photo above), eating healthy and socializing, I've spent some of my retirement from classroom teaching researching and writing my new book, Free College. It contains lots of helpful tips on how to avoid college loans. It's for families of Pre-K through High School students. If you want to learn the secrets of successful scholarship winners, you'll find them in Free College, (Click Here to Buy). 

You are reading from the blog: http://www.roadtofreecollege.com

Photo Credit: Photo taken by me, Elizabeth Wallace

Lower Stress, Higher Grades = More Scholarship $, Pt. 1

Lower stress has been proven to improve learning and memory. Decreasing stress, therefore, may lead to higher grades and more scholarship money for college. There are three simple things which students can do to reduce the stress in their lives.

The first strategy is to meditate at least five minutes twice a day. This is easier than you may think. Pick two convenient times during the day. For me, it’s usually late in the morning and early in the evening. I sit in a comfortable position on the floor and let my mind go blank. Okay, that’s not so easy. I know there are millions of people who can do this. I can’t. So I found three other ways to accomplish the same thing.

1.   I focus on a pleasant memory. I lived in Cape Town, South Africa several years ago. One day, I sat on the beach at Camps Bay and just watched as the waves crashed against big dark rocks in the water. When I want to meditate, I go back to that time and place in my memory and relive the relaxation. Everything else drains from my mind. That’s meditation.

2.   I focus on something physical. I do this while walking in my neighborhood. The sidewalks are uneven, so I have to look at them in order to avoid tripping. I feel the breeze on my face and the warmth of the sun on my body, while concentrating on the pavement. Everything else drains from my mind. That’s meditation too.

  

3.   I focus on the colors as I fill in a lovely design in an adult coloring book. I sit in a comfortable chair at the dining room table, and color. There are no distractions, nothing to “figure out” or problems to solve. I feel the pencil as it moves back and forth and watch the design come to life. Everything else drains from my mind. That is also meditation.

I’m sure all students as well as their parents and teachers could use a little break from stress. Everyone can find something that doesn't require mental gymnastics, is pleasant and creates a sense of mindfulness. Meditating five minutes (or more if you prefer) twice a day is enough to make a positive difference, help grades improve and could result in more free cash for college.

You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.

 

For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE . It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.

 

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