Winning Your 4th Quarter: Recent Episodes
Michael Wright
If you’ve ever been on Ancestory.com, you know how easy it is to start poking around, discovering this, attaching that, and before you know it, most of the day has blown by.
A DNA test can also be a real eye-opener. Turns out I’m not as white as I thought I was.
It’s all fun, informative, and can be an important part of the legacy we’ll eventually leave behind to our family members.
My ancestry includes heroes, explorers, warriors, and more than a few scoundrels.
In Episode 15, I’ll talk about DNA, famous relatives and neighbors, and attempt to recreate a speech from one of my family’s heroes, Patrick Henry.
It seems fitting for my country’s upcoming Independence Day this July 4th.
Time will tell which category I’ll fall into when my ancestors are digging into their family history decades from now.
Legacy - it's a work in progress.
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Imagine retiring at 65 from a job pumping gas after a lifetime of failures, then jumping into your '46 Ford with your $105 Social Security check, a chicken recipe, and a dream.
That's the story of Colonel Harlan Sanders of KFC fame.
No matter your age, no matter your failures, no matter where you're starting from... YOU are ready for your own "Harlan Sanders" success story.
It's Never Too Late, and YOU are not too old.
That's what we'll talk about in Episode 014.
Links -
Adam Grant Ted Talk
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According to a study by the CDC, we are in a sleeplessness epidemic...
With more than a third of American adults are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis.
And we're killing ourselves because of it. Short sleep equals shorter life. It's that simple.
Alzheimer's, dementia, obesity, heart disease, diabetes 2, cholesterol, brain fog...
There's not a single part of your body or your brain that doesn't suffer when you're not sleeping 7-9 hours a night on a regular basis.
I know, I know; you're too busy or you don't have time or you don't need that much sleep. But here's the deal...
You are going to pay the price for your sleepless nights eventually, guaranteed. If you or a loved one suffers from sleeplessness, you better listen to Episode 013.
Helpful Links- CDC Report on Sleeplessness Dr. Rhonda Patrick Dr. Matthew Walker Why We Sleep book 10 Tips To Beat Insomnia Obesity and Sleep Heart Failure and Insomnia Sleep and Dementia
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
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We’re living longer than our ancestors did, no question.
But at what cost?
Especially in the States, we’re sicker and fatter than we’ve ever been.
Cancers, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity…
Is the stuff we’re shoveling onto our plates killing us? Maybe.
And we can’t trust the government to monitor what’s allowed on the grocery shelves.
In episode 12 of Winning Your 4th Quarter, we’ll talk about some of the food additives allowed in the US that are banned in much of the rest of the world.
We’re also going to touch on the FDA’s allowable “defects” in our food.
My Dad used to describe disgusting stuff with, “That’ll gag a maggot!”
And believe it or not, according to the FDA guidelines, maggots are allowable in some cases, but only a few.
(Here’s where you say, “OOH MY GAWD!”)
You're unknowingly putting crap in your mouth that you wouldn’t feed your pets.
Let’s try to fix that in this episode.
Links... Eat This Not That Article Yoga Mat Bread FDA Code Title 21 FDA Defect Handbook
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
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Park the Roomba and get out the ol' Hoover.
Not only are simple chores around the house good for your body and your mind, but they're also cheaper than that gym membership (Remember that gym you joined and went to twice? Yeah, that one.)
In this episode, we'll talk about vacuuming the carpet, washing the dishes, and scrubbing your bathroom.
Not the sexiest topic, I realize, but the health benefits of putting in some elbow grease around the house are real.
Science says, "clean your house!"
(Our house gets really clean when we're expecting company.)
Links - McMaster University study Calories Burned by Housework Cluttered Kitchen Overeating study
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Business failure, job loss, divorce, death of a loved one...
Life can be full of events that kick your butt.
Maybe YOU are in the middle of a shitstorm right now...
And when it happens in your so-called "golden years,' it can be devastating. So how do some people seem to shake it off, regroup, and go on to bigger and better things? My Grandma would say, "When life gives you lemons make lemonade."
I lean more towards turning them into margaritas...
Or freezing the lemons and throwing them at the culprit's face.
Surviving Life's Shitstorms is an important episode. (Margaritas not included)
Links-
UH article
NIH article
Al Michaels' call
Photo by Jhefferson Santos from Pexels
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Japan and The UK appointed “Ministers of Loneliness” in an attempt to reduce loneliness, social isolation, and rising suicide rates.
In Canada, loneliness has proven to be a “silent killer,” particularly for seniors who have the highest suicide rate in the country.
Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and South Korea now recognize the costs to society of isolation, friendlessness, and loneliness.
In the US, studies show that more than three in five are lonely, with more and more people feeling like they are left out, lacking companionship, and lonesome.
Retirement, “empty nests,” the deaths of friends or a spouse, and now the Covid pandemic are taking an especially hard toll on older folks.
We’ve never been lonelier.
Maybe that’s you. Maybe it’s someone you know.
And it affects more than simply your emotional health. It’s killing us.
In this episode of Winning Your 4th Quarter, we’ll talk about what you can do about loneliness…
For yourself and others.
This is important. Please, don’t miss this episode.
Links… Oxford report Health Resources & Services Administration article Washington Post article on European Isolation NPR article Campaign To End Loneliness The Blue Zones book
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In 2012, throughout the world, more than twice as many people died from diabetes than from wars and crime.
We like sugar and that ain't good.
200 years ago, the average American ate 2 pounds of sugar per year. Now, we're up to about 152 pounds.
On average, that's roughly 42.5 teaspoons of sugar per person daily.
If you're serious about your health and maybe sticking around for a few more years, put the slice of pecan pie down for a few minutes and catch this episode.
We'll also go into what the FDA is NOT doing about it.
Sugar is an addiction. But we can beat it!
Link...
Dept. of Health & Human Services sugar info
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If you read the ingredient labels at the grocery store, (and you dang sure should be,) you'll often see something called natural flavoring listed.
"Cool! It's healthier than artificial flavors, right?"
Umm, not really. In fact, "natural flavors" are anything but natural, and can be downright disgusting!
Our friends at the FDA have given food manufacturers a big loophole that enables them to throw in just about anything they want to save time and money while enhancing the flavor.
Seriously, most of us wouldn't feed our pets the crap we're unknowingly stuffing in our mouths. Don't miss this episode!
Links...
Here's the official definition of "natural flavors"CFR Code of Federal Regulations Title 21
And don't forget to do a Google search for "Castoreum!"
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I’m dying.
My last breath could be days or even hours away now.
Or perhaps any minute.
It’s hard to say, impossible to know. The doctors can’t be sure.
But there’s no getting around it, the end for me could come at any moment.
Before you click the “sad face” on Facebook and before my children start texting with, “Dad, WTF?!?!” …
I should let you off the hook and assure you that as I type this, I’m feeling fine.
I’m not struggling to breathe, I have no major aches and pains (other than the normal ‘getting old’ type,) and I have NOT been diagnosed with any illness, disease, or condition that might be considered “fatal.”
I’m reasonably healthy, doing pretty good for a man in his 60s, and I’m still buying green bananas.
But here’s the thing…
I AM dying.
And so are YOU.
The last time I looked at stats the mortality rate hovered right at 100%. Yeah, that’s all of us.
Sure, we CAN sometimes put off the inevitable, buy ourselves a few more months or even years perhaps, but YOU are not going to talk your way out of this one, Mister, I don’t care how good your BS skills are.
I don’t know how, I don’t know when, I don’t know if it’ll be painful and sudden or peaceful and serene…
What I DO know is somewhere, somehow, at some time in the future, near or distant…
You and I, ALL OF US, will take one more breath and pass away.
Sheesh! What a depressing thing to talk about, right?
By reminding readers that even THEY are mortal, that our days are numbered, that eventually…
YOU won’t be around anymore.
Makes you stop and think, doesn’t it?
It should.
I mean, if it all ended for you tomorrow, are you good with how things stand in your life today?
Is THIS where you want to leave things when it’s all said and done, when YOU’RE all done?
Seriously, so far, has life been everything you thought it would be?
Has it been what you hoped for?
Has it been as good as it should have or could have been?
When you close your eyes for the final time, will your last thoughts be…
“I wish I would have (fill in your own deathbed regrets here)” …
Or will you smile one more time at your loved ones, let your eyes peacefully rest, and think to yourself…
“Ah, so this is it! I had a great life! Thank you, Lord! Can’t wait to meet You!”
This book isn’t about dying; it’s about living...
Living, loving, laughing, and your legacy.
“But I’ve still got time to do the things I want to do! I’m only 63 and still healthy!”
The thing is, we usually have no idea about how much living we’ve got left to do.
Will you get T-boned on the drive home tonight?
Are you going to suffer a debilitating stroke getting dressed in the morning?
Is that spot on your back going to turn into something terminal next month?
Or will you grow happily older over the next 20 or 40 years and pass away in your sleep one night?
We don’t have a lot of say-so over when our lives end, but we do have EVERYTHING to say about how we live before the end; before we die.
That’s why this podcast is about living… today. It’s about loving… today. It’s about laughing… today. It’s about your legacy… after you’re gone.
Occasionally, usually, when you’re by yourself at the end of a rough day when there’s nothing between you and what’s churning between your ears, you let yourself “go there” for just a moment.
“What the hell? THIS is my life until I die?” No, it’s not. At least it doesn’t have to be.
Buddy, you’re not too old and it’s not too late to fix this, to make the kind of life for yourself and your loved ones that you really want.
If you’ve got a pulse, you can make a difference in how the rest of your days play out, whether it’s another week or another 40 years.
It is up to you. Yeah, it can be good, even great!
It’s going to take some changes though, a few small ones.
I know; I hate change too.
And at this point in our lives, maybe we deserve to be a little “settled in our ways.”
But if what’s going on now in your life isn’t cutting it for you…
If you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired…
If you’d like to laugh and live and be that older guy in the family others love to be around today…
The grandpa they’ll smile about years after you’re gone…
Look, we've determined that you're still alive.
So why not keep on living? You’ve got this.
You can do this. This is easy stuff.
It’s NEVER too late! “It’s not the things we do in life we regret on our death bed, it is the things we do not.” Dr. Randy Pausch - The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
I could easily be a "couch potato," living on breakfast tacos, frozen pizzas, Netflix, and the NFL. Throw in a good book and a pot of coffee...
"Yeah, baby! Paradise!"
My wife has a different idea of fun, thankfully.
She's the one in our house that encourages trying new things, traveling to exotic locations, and eating and drinking strange concoctions. It's all great for your brain and your attitude, and a lot more exciting than the couch.
Studies of people who get out of their comfort zones and force themselves to experience "life with a twist" show that they are not only having a good time, they literally are growing new brain cells through a process called neurogenesis.
(Having grown up in the 60s and 70s, sacrificing brain cells on Saturday nights was routine. So this is good news!)
A decline in cognitive functions later in life does not have to the norm. In this episode, we'll talk about new experiences, new brain cells, and morning beers in the jungle!
Links...
Harvard Medical School study Rev Up Your Thinking Skills
Seriously, put Yelapa, Mexico on your bucket list Mexico's Hidden Jungle Oasis
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One of my life's missions is to be living proof that old dogs can learn new tricks. Sometimes that requires unlearning some old tricks that have become part of my daily routine. And that gets tough.
Yeah, good habits are easier to let slide than bad ones.
The year I lived in Dallas, Texas I got into the habit of eating a bowl of Blue Belle ice cream every night. A spoonful of Blue Belle is dang near like a taste of heaven going into your mouth. One bite and I was hooked.
Of course, that delicious habit turned into an additional 12 pounds in a matter of months. (Maybe the other Texas cuisine like brisket tacos, queso, and pitchers of margaritas added a little poundage too.)
In my defense, James Clear's book, Atomic Habits hadn't been released yet. It might have helped.
In this episode, we'll talk in-depth about the NY Times bestseller, Atomic Habits. It really is a must-read.
To paraphrase a quote from Gandhi... Your actions become your habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.
My current destiny is to continue attempting to shrink my Texas-sized girth due to Blue Belle. (It's sooooo dang good though!)
You can download a free chapter of Atomic Habits at here the author's website James Clear And be sure to subscribe to Thinkr.org to get a "heads up" on some great books.
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Are you worried about getting older?
Wheeling around a nursing home, sick and decrepit, lonely and sad, is not how I care to spend my "golden years." I'll be damned if the highlight of my day is a chocolate pudding cup and Golden Girls reruns.
I mean, I want to GET older, I just don't want to BE old!
So I'm on a mission to make the REST of my life the BEST of my life.
Are you up for it?
Can you feel that thumping in your wrist? That's your pulse. And as long as that's still beating, you've got time.
It's never too late and YOU are never too old!
Hunter Thompson wrote, "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming: 'Wow! What a ride!'" Let's go for that ride!
*Here's a link to my book, 101 Secrets For Living To Be 247
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I'm dying. And so are you.
I checked the most recent mortality statistics and they're hovering at right around 100%.
But there are some things we can do to perhaps stick around for a little longer, maybe even healthier and happier.
Your body, your brain, your heart, and your hands.
We've got to take care of them. And it doesn't have to be difficult, complicated, time-consuming, or costly.
A simple thing like drinking enough water can be life-changing, perhaps even life-saving!
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"It's the little things that are vital. Little things make big things happen." Coach John Wooden
In the mid-1980s, I found myself sitting next to the legendary coach John Wooden. It almost scared the pants off me. But he couldn't have been nicer or more down-to-earth.
There's a reason why this man is considered to be the best coach ever, in any sport, at any level. And I got an inside peek at how The Coach worked that day.
We'll talk about The Coach, Kaizen, and have a quick tip for taking care of your body, your brain, your heart, and your hands.
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Lord knows there's enough going on in the world to keep you pissed-off most of the time. But you know what? Being cranky and grumpy could kill you before your time!
In this episode, let's talk about some studies that show how happier people actually live longer!
There are serious health hazards, physically and emotionally, when you're in a constant pissed-off state. (FYI- I'm talking about the American version of "pissed" not the UK version. Theirs involves alcohol, ours includes swearing.)
And we'll share some quick, easy tips on how to bring that smile back to your face!
Like the Sgt. in the movie, Stripes said, "Lighten up, Francis." It's good for you!
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Your brain... are you using it or losing it?
When life's odometer starts stacking up the miles, one place we often notice the "wear and tear" is between our ears.
"Senior moments" and "brain farts" happen more often, and can be embarrassing. We'll laugh it off and call it normal aging, but it's not "normal."
And YOU don't have to live with it.
In this episode, we'll talk about the advantages of exercising your brain, like a better memory, improved multi-tasking abilities, and better recall with words and names.
Brain "workouts" can even put you in a better mood!
To give your brain some "exercise," check out these sites... Lumosity.com Duolingo.com
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