November 6, 2023 • 30 mins
In this episode, Kristi shares a fresh perspective on self-care, and tips on how to level-up your overall well-being. Plus, thoughts about having more fun in life and how it's good for your overall health.
Mentioned in this episode:
www.jointhejoyschool.com
https://kristilingspencer.com/11-habits-of-the-happiest-people-masterclass/
Mentioned in this episode:
www.jointhejoyschool.com
https://kristilingspencer.com/11-habits-of-the-happiest-people-masterclass/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Welcome to the Joyschool podcast. Realtalk about what it takes to create your
happiest, healthiest and most dynamic life. And now here's your host, transformational
life coach, happiness strategist and bestselling author, Christy Ling Spencer. Well,
hello, amazing friends, thanks forbeing back with me again for another
(00:25):
episode of the Joy School Podcast.So grateful to be here with you.
If you missed last week's show,my conversation with publisher Linda Joy, please
go back and check that one out. It was such an inspiring conversation.
She is wonderful and that show wasreally all about resilience and getting through life's
(00:49):
curveballs. And you know, Ialways like to say on this show that
no matter how much we focus onour happiness and our joy and our well
being, we're going to get curveballsin life. Reality is going to happen.
Life is going to happen. Andlearning to navigate those things with more
ease and grace and even more joyin some situations makes such a difference.
(01:12):
So if you missed last week's show, please go back and check that out.
And I'm very excited for this week'sshow. I'm actually going to share
a little bit of personal information withyou. But it really inspired me for
the topic that we're going to discussthis week, and that is about more
love for yourselves, more love forthe inside of your physical body. And
(01:38):
Jim Rohan said, take care ofyour body. It's the only place you
have to live in. I lovethat quote and it's a little cheeky,
but it is also so true.And I'm going to share with you a
little epiphany that I had this weekand I was like, wow, it
was such a big thought to me. And then my next thought after it
(01:59):
was, that's a podcast, soI have to share this with you.
So recently, I had an overallcheckup with my doctor, one of my
annual checkups. I try to bereally diligent about all my screenings and blood
work and going in annually for acheckup, and that is part of my
self care. And I am alsovery health and wellness focused. I geek
(02:21):
out on reading scientific studies and statistics, and I really do put a lot
of effort into caring for my healthand well being overall. But this epiphany
I had that was kind of followedby a diagnosis, a little bit of
a wake up diagnosis, nothing tooserious, but it opened my eyes to
realize that I needed to go nextlevel and let me just share with you.
(02:46):
First of all, I'm going toshare that diagnosis, but I'm going
to share with you this epiphany becausesome of you listening might be like,
holy cow, right, yes,it's so true. So my doctor I
discussed with her having a bone densitytest. Now I'm fairly young for that,
but my mom was adopted, wedon't really know our family history in
(03:07):
that area, but she does havean onset of some osteoporosis. And I
thought, you know, not abad idea in midlife for me to get
a baseline on where I'm at onthat. And my doctor was like,
well, since your mom has gotit and you don't know your family history,
probably a good idea to just haveit done, even though I'm not
expecting anything and you're still at ayounger age. So went and got the
(03:30):
bone density test, and lo andbehold. I was a little bit blindsided
because it did come back that Iam in a stage of what is called
osteopenia, which is basically the stagebefore osteoporosis. So it is a bone
condition where you have slightly weakened bonesa slightly increased risk of fracture, but
(03:53):
it's not quite as serious as osteoporosisyet. And this was as eye opening
for me because I exercise, Igenerally take care of my bones, but
I had never really put, like, you know, a ton of thought
and focus into it. I didall the basic things, taking my supplements,
(04:15):
and in no way did I thinkthis bone density test would come back
as anything other than normal. However, in doing some research on this,
I learned that you can, especiallyif you're at a younger midlife age,
reverse this and do some things tohelp it and strengthen your bones and actually
help to prevent it from developing intoosteoporosis. But even if you're in your
(04:41):
twenties or thirties and you're listening tothis podcast, it is so important to
think about not just your bone health, because this is a long term effort.
Right. Caring for your bones andyour brain and your heart and all
of your cells, all of yourworking parts inside of your body is a
long term investment. Could you youdon't always see immediate results, although I
(05:01):
do think that we do see someimmediate results with gut health right when we
start to do our probiotics and eatcleaner and cut back on alcohol. I
think we notice a difference in theway we feel right away. And there
are some efforts we can do withour health that increase our energy levels immediately,
and all kinds of other good things. Right, our mood can affect
(05:23):
our mood, but many things,such as bone health, it's like out
of sight, out of mind.Right. So I had this epiphany the
next morning after I got this diagnosis, and it was really kind of oh,
eating at me a little bit,like I was taken aback, and
I was like, Okay, timefor a reset, right, time to
(05:45):
look at what can I do inmy life to take better care of my
bones? And then I thought,well, what can I do in my
life to take better care of mycells, of the insides of my body
overall? And the next morning Iwas in my bathroom putting on makeup,
looking in the mirror, putting onmy face cream and getting ready for my
cosmetics and all getting ready my morningroutine, and I had this epiphany and
(06:08):
I was like, wow, Iput so much thought and intention and effort
into my outer appearance, right,and all of us do we do the
haircuts and the lotions and potions andthe anti wrinkle creams, and we brush
(06:29):
our teeth right. Everybody brushes theirteeth hopefully twice a day, some of
us more. We get haircuts.We some of us do supplements right for
skin and hair. Some of usdo botox or fillers, hair products,
skin creams, sunscreens, cosmetics.The way we dress and style ourselves,
(06:51):
we put so much thought and efforton a daily basis into how we take
care of the outside of our boxbodies and take care of our appearance,
our physical appearance. What if whatif we put that much thought and intention
and effort on a daily basis intocaring for the insides of our body,
(07:15):
for our bones, our brains,our cells, our heart, our organs
right vital organs, our blood,all the inner workings of what's on the
inside. What if we put asmuch effort and thought and research right and
homework into how to care for thoseparts of us as we do in caring
(07:36):
and putting effort into caring for ourappearance and the outside right our skin,
our hair, our nails. Iforgot to mention nails. The way we
dress anti wrinkle, this anti wrinklethat moisturize this all of the things really
think about this. This was abig epiphany for me because I was like,
wow, you know, I liketo think that I am definitely one
(07:59):
of those people that it's a lotof effort into my health and I do.
I eat very clean, I readstudies, I'm fascinated by studies.
I do exercise, although I haveto admit I could exercise more. And
something that has become very apparent tome lately, and I've talked about this
on the show before, is thatis how important two things are when it
(08:20):
comes to fitness, walking, especiallylike power walking or intense walking, and
weight bearing exercise. If you justdo those two things, you will be
on a great track for long termhealth, especially weight bearing. And that
is something that I've really opened myeyes to even more with this diagnosis.
(08:41):
Right, But so I started tothink about, Okay, my organs each
need their own unique type of care, or you know, maybe cutting something
out of my diet that might beaffecting it, or different types of supplemental
support, whatever it is. RightAnd speaking of supplement support, my doctor
(09:01):
advised me that I needed to increasemy calcium intake and I recently learned how
difficult, that is to get fromfood. And this is for guys,
but especially for women. We needa little more calcium and we are more
subject to bone conditions as we age. But here's something that I learned that
was interesting. So my doctor recommendedthat I get twelve hundred milligrams of calcium
(09:22):
per day. And I thought,well, I love cheese, and I
eat greek yogurt, organic greek yogurt, and I eat a lot of spinach.
I eat a lot of calcium richfoods. And I was taking a
supplement and I thought, oh,I'm sure I get enough calcium. Well,
when I looked it up and Iadded it all up, an entire
cup of spinach has only thirty milligrams, and I needed to get twelve hundred
(09:46):
a day. And then I lookedat the supplement I was taking and each
pill because I can't swallow large pills. I don't know about you, but
those horse pills, I can't doit. So I was taking smaller pills.
Well, the serving size on thethe one I was taking is six
pills a day. Sorry, youknow, probably going to have a hard
time doing that. And I thinkI was taking two and I was really
(10:07):
only getting about two or three hundredmilligrams out of those pills, and I'm
like, wow, I'm probably ifI added up, have only been getting
half the calcium that my body actuallyneeds at the place I'm at in my
life. That was very eye openingto me. And so there are probably
other supplements that I want to lookinto to say, how am I getting
(10:28):
this from food? Because food isusually the best way, but also what
are some other things I might beable to do to get that right?
But this isn't a show about supplements. That was just one example of something
that I'm looking at. Also,like I said, more weight bearing,
But really think about this. Socompare how intentional and how much effort you
put into on a daily basis intocaring for your appearance and the outsides of
(10:54):
your body, and then compare thatto how much thought and effort and actual
activity and taking action you do ona daily basis to care for the inside
of your body, your cells,to love your cells right, to love
your organs. And so I'm goingto give you some ideas for that.
But I really wanted to do thisepisode and get you all thinking about this,
(11:16):
and I've got something really fascinating toshare with you. And I love
facts and statistics, and this isan eye opening one. So I was
reading online about life expectancy here inthe US, and in nineteen hundred,
life expectancy was forty seven years old. Right, I already wouldn't be here
anymore if I was living back innineteen hundred, and in nineteen fifty that
(11:43):
had increased from forty seven years oldto sixty eight years old. Pretty good
increase, right, That was nineteenfifty. By twenty nineteen, life expectancy
had risen in the US. Andthis is in the US, but I
imagine this applies to many developed countriesaround the world. So by twenty nineteen,
(12:03):
life expectancy had risen to nearly seventynine years That's that's quite a difference
from nineteen fifty at sixty eight yearsold to twenty nineteen to seventy nine,
right. But in twenty twenty,life expectancy in the US fell to seventy
(12:24):
seven, and in twenty twenty oneit dropped more to seventy six. So
we are on a downward spiral onlife expectancy, and I think a lot
of this has to do with theincreased amount of time on screens, which
is taking away from so many things. It's not just taking away from our
(12:46):
physical activity, it's taking away fromour joy, it's taking away from our
brain health, it's taking away fromhaving fun in life and connecting with other
human beings and our animals, right, our dogs and cats and other pets.
How many of you have had yourdog sitting by you or bugging you
(13:09):
for attention when you're on a screen, right, and your dog is trying
to tell you something, or yourspouse or your kids or whoever's telling you,
hey, I need your attention,but yet we're on a screen.
I do think that that is partof it. I think another part of
it is that it has affected ourexercise. Right, We're not exercising as
(13:30):
much. We're also not getting outsideas much, and exposure to fresh air
and sunshine is essential for the healthof our selves. You absolutely need several
minutes of actual sunshine a day foryour body to properly produce and absorb vitamin
(13:50):
D right, and vitamin D isan essential vitamin for your heart health and
for your bone health, and yourbrain health and so many other things,
disease prevention, your immune system,and you need to get outside for that.
So I think that there are somany factors that are causing our life
expectancy to drop. But I wantto challenge everybody who listens to this show
(14:13):
to share with your friends and familythis information and this if this little epiphany
that I had resonated with you,I want you to share it far and
wide. I want everybody to reallystart thinking about putting more effort and intention
on caring for the insides of theirbody. And I believe I've said this
before on the show as well.You know, think of your body as
(14:37):
a fancy car. What kind offuels are you putting into it? How
are you taking care of it?Are you changing the tires? You know,
are you wash in the windshield?And all of the things, Because
as Jim Rome said, your bodyis the only place you have to live
and really health it is so true, is the ultimate way. It's not
(15:01):
how much money you have, andit's not how many things you have,
and it's not how successful you arein your business. At the end of
the day, the true wealth isactually your physical health. There is nothing
more important. And taking care ofyour body and your mind and your spirit
and your soul is your greatest andgrandest responsibility. And so this diagnosis that
(15:26):
I had, followed by that littleepiphany the next morning while I was putting
on face creams and makeup in thebathroom, has really inspired me to look
at my life, which I alreadylive a very healthy lifestyle. Is you
know most of you who listen tothe show or follow me, No,
But am I perfect? Absolutely not? Could I step it up and get
better in some areas one hundred percent? And so that is my intention going
(15:52):
forward, and I'm making some prettybig changes actually starting by I just ordered
a new set of weights, andI am weight training more. I'm actually
going to start working with a personaltrainer to show me some specific exercises I
can do for lower back health becausethat was one of the areas that was
the weakest in my bone density test, but also just overall strength, right,
(16:15):
because if I'm being honest with myself, I would like to feel stronger.
And some of you might remember onan earlier episode, I talked about
the fall that I had a fewmonths ago down an escalator. Oh my
gosh, Not only was it mortifyingbecause dozens of people were watching this happen
as I was flailing around, butit was so scary, and you know,
(16:38):
knowing this information that I know now, I look back and I think,
wow, I don't want anything likethat to happen again. And also
if it does happen to happen again, I don't want to be at a
higher risk of a fracture or break. I don't want to be in a
place in my life where I haveto be afraid that if I fall on
the stairs or a tree in thekitchen, that I'm going to break a
(17:02):
bone, right, and so reallybeing more intentional about this stuff. So
that was what I wanted to sharewith you all today. And that information
about life expectancy going down. Wow, Like, if that isn't an eye
opener, I'm not sure what is. There are so many contributing factors to
that, but the ones I mentionedI think are big. Also obesity,
(17:25):
right, that's a big one.A couple of years ago, I worked
very hard and made some lifestyle changesand I actually lost twenty pounds and I've
been able to keep it off withoutreally any effort, just by better habits
and cleaner eating and better lifestyle changes, right, and exercising a bit more.
Well, now I'm going to stepit up even more. But I'm
also increasing my protein through more plantbased protein sources because we need that.
(17:49):
In fact, in the last fewyears, and I believe I've talked about
this on the show as well,but they've discovered that we need more protein
than they ever thought. So thereare many things playing into these factors.
But if we do our homework,and you know, part of doing our
homework is listening to podcasts like this, I can't tell you how many great
podcasts I listen to. I lovepodcasts, and I love the world of
(18:12):
podcasting. It opens up so manyvoices and so much great information. And
I also love that information like thisinformation on the life expectancy facts, right,
can be that I can do allthis research for you all, and
I can drill it down and putit into a twenty or thirty minute show
that is a very digestible and actionable. Right. I love that so much,
(18:36):
so I think on a future episode, I'm going to share with you
some of my favorite podcasts and givesome shout outs to them so that you
can go see if they might besomething you would enjoy. But doing our
homework, doing our research and thenputting it into action with intention and It
doesn't have to be drastic changes,it can be small steps. It's if
(18:56):
you haven't read Darren Hardy's book TheCompound Effect, I highly recommend that because
it really is all about how smallthings and things that you don't always see
immediate results from can add up overtime to big payoffs. And I really
think that that significantly applies when itcomes to taking care of our health,
especially our invisible health, which isour cells and our organs and the insides
(19:21):
of our body, our heart health, our brain health, the health of
our liver and kidneys, and ourgut health especially which more and more they're
finding how that is linked to mentalhealth, right, linked to emotional health,
linked to heart health, linked tothings like depression and anxiety. So
that's another big one. I encourageyou all to go and do some homework
(19:42):
in these areas and see what mightwork for you, because everybody's different,
and maybe you are one of thosepeople that takes optimum prime health of every
area of your body in life.And if that is you, you are
goals. And I want to giveyou all a shout out. But most
of us are on some sort ofa scale right of a one to ten,
(20:03):
So take a minute now and giveyourself an honest number on a one
to ten on how well overall youreally put thought and effort and action and
habits into caring for yourself and yourphysical body. And this can be also
your mental health. And this cango ahead and include your outer health and
(20:25):
your appearance in that, because Iactually do think that that is part of
healthcare and that it does also affectour joy, our happiness, and our
mental health. So include it alland give yourself a number on a one
to ten. If I'm being honestwith myself, I would say I fluctuate
somewhere between a seven and an eightpoint five. And that took me years
(20:48):
to get to that place, andall of this research that I share with
you, right and everything I sharedin my book, and all the habits
I've created, And if I'm stillbeing honest and I'm not perfect, I'm
right about in that range. Andso if you're not even to a six
or a seven, that's okay,that's okay, it's not too late.
There are so many healing habits,healing information and things you can do to
(21:11):
increase it. And as we startto head into twenty twenty four, think
about the goals you want to havefor yourself, right, and I'm going
to be talking a lot more aboutthat on future episodes. I just love
the new year, I love afresh start. I have so many positive
intentions that I want to share withyou all in upcoming episodes and in programs
I'm developing. So give yourself thatscore, and then don't judge yourself for
(21:36):
it. Just make it honest information. It's really just information and feedback for
you to use as a baseline goingforward. And then maybe journal or make
a list of things that you'd liketo do in your life to take better
care of yourselves and increase your ownpersonal life expectancy. Right, all right,
So with that, this is thepart of the show called the Joyschool
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Habits where we talk about a smallintention or action that you can take or
a small habit you can create thatwill have some big payoff. And I
love this one for this week andit does kind of tie into the topic
for the show today, But thisone is to start prioritizing fun with more
(22:18):
intention. So look at ways inyour life to be more silly, to
have more laughter, to have morefun like you did when you were a
kid. So I remember several yearsback, I went to Hawaii and there
was a guy there that had thissign that people were taking pictures with on
the beach, and it was afun meter and it had an arrow on
(22:41):
it that you could move, andyou can move the fun meter as to
how much fun you were having.That really got me thinking about, Wow,
you know, I don't think Ihave as much fun in my life
as I really should be. AndI have to tell you, there are
scientific studies and lots of information thatshows that that real, actual authentic fun
(23:03):
is so good for your health insideand emotional health, so good for you.
But most of us really like,yes, we're being entertained, or
we're spending time with friends and family, or maybe we have some hobbies that
bring us joy right and help increaseour happiness and well being, But how
much actual fun are we having?So last fall, the American Psychological Association
(23:29):
surveyed a group of adults and foundthat seventy seven percent of them said that
stress from things going on in theworld like politics and cultural tensions and violence
and inflation were affecting their health andthey were having headaches and exhaustion and disrupted
sleep and nervousness and anxiety and depressionand all of these things. Right,
(23:52):
more fun can absolutely help alleviate that. But yet we don't prioritize it.
We minimize it in fact as trivial. Right, But the truth is fun
is essential for our joy and ourhappiness and our health and our mental health,
and for sure it is part ofwhat we talk about on this show.
(24:15):
This show is all about creating morehappiness and well being enjoy in our
life, and fun is a bigpart of that. And what fun is
is different for everyone. It canbe a hobby that you love that brings
you laughter and joy. It canbe time with friends who lift you up
and make you laugh that you canbe silly with. Right. My best
(24:36):
friend, my BFF since I wasseven years old, loves to prioritize silliness.
In fact, a few years agoafter she had gone through a divorce,
when she was single and she waslooking for a new partner in her
life, which she has found alovely, lovely partner at this point,
but I remember her saying to me, you know, I just want to
find somebody I can be more sillywith and have fun with. And I
(24:56):
loved that because really that is thetruth. And so, like I said,
most of us have our hobbies andour time with friends, and we're
entertained, and you know, wedo things that are that are kind of
fun. But what's the level offun? What's your fun meter at?
Right? And here's another area wherewe can do a scale of one to
ten. So think about your lastweek, or your last two weeks,
(25:18):
or your last month on a scaleof one to ten, how much actual
fun have you had? Where whenyou were done with an experience or a
day or an evening or whatever itwas, you're like, that was so
much fun. And if we're nothaving fun everybody, why are we here?
Right? It Really life is aboutfun and it's okay to prioritize it.
(25:41):
So I just want to for thisweek's Joy School Habit, shift the
way you look at fun a littlebit and invite you and challenge you to
start prioritizing fun with more intention.And like I said, it's different for
everybody, but I will say thatfor the most part, it does not
involve screens. It involves things thatmake you feel like a kid again,
(26:03):
or that invite fun memories which youcan use to create more fun memories.
Now, it might be visiting anamusement park. It might be going to
a play or a comedy club,something outside of your regular bubble. Right,
it might be time with your dog. To me, going to the
dog park throwing a ball or watchingthe dogs run around. That's actual fun.
(26:26):
And so recently I watched the movieHaunted Mansion just before Halloween, and
I have to say, I wouldn'tcategorize many movies as fun, but this
one was kind of fun. Butwhat I found fun about it was that
it brought up fun memories from whenI was growing up, and I used
to love that ride at Disneyland.The Haunted Mansion was one of my absolute
(26:48):
favorites. I was mesmerized by theholograms of the ghosts that sat next to
you in the chair, and allof the whimsy and the magic around it.
Right, And really, if youthink about it, fun involves a
lot of whimsy and magic and actuallymarveling at things and laughter. How much
actual laughter are you experiencing in yourlife? For me, when I think
(27:11):
about how many days go by whereI didn't really laugh even one time,
it kind of makes me sad.So that's one area that I'm looking at
increasing fun in my life? Ishow can I increase laughter? More laughter?
Right? It's so good for you, and there are studies on that
as well, So really be thinkingabout this. And I always like to
(27:33):
talk about making over your mornings andsetting your intentions in the mornings right and
setting yourself up for a great day. So maybe part for all of us,
right, part of our morning routinecan just be taking a minute or
two to putting some thought into howam I going to have some fun today
and experience some laughter and then doingthat with intention. All right, my
(27:55):
friends, if you enjoyed this episode, if you had fun with me today,
I would be I'm so grateful ifyou would leave a review over on
Apple Podcasts. This is how youcan help the show reach more people who
might also enjoy it. And Ido read them all and I can't tell
you enough. This is a greatway to support the podcasters that bring some
(28:15):
kind of value to your life.Those reviews do mean a lot and they
do help the algorithm. So pleasejump over there if you'd like to support
the show, and be sure toconnect with me on Facebook and Instagram.
Those are my two biggest communities,and I invite you to also visit my
website at Christylinkspencer dot com, whereyou can access my free video masterclass eleven
(28:37):
Habits of the Happiest People, andyou can find some other supportive resources there
as well, as well as allof the information on my new program,
the Joy School, my new signaturemembership program. Oh you all, this
is launching this coming week and I'mso excited about it. In fact,
you can learn all about it jointhjoyschooldot com. But this is a monthly
(29:02):
membership program where I do live coachingand a new class video class every month,
and workbooks and worksheets and bonus classesand all kinds of things to level
up our life. So if youliked everything we talked about in the show
today, that is a great inexpensiveresource for you to have ongoing support in
your life to do all of thesethings. More fun, more health,
(29:26):
more happiness, more joy. It'sall in there, and I'm so excited
about it. It's everything I envisionedit would be, and it's launching gosh
like, literally, I'm doing thetests of all the tech today. So
it's going to be launching within thenext week, maybe even by the time
you listen to this episode, sofind out all about it at jointhjoyschool dot
(29:48):
com. It's going to be afantastic community of like minded people and so
many great resources. All right,much love to you all, Thank you
so much for being with me foranother episode. Can't wait to be with
you again soon. Have a fantasticweek, my beautiful friends, and remember
you've got what it takes to createmore amazing days, and more amazing days
(30:11):
make up a pretty amazing life.Much love and I will be with you soon.
Welcome to the Joyschool podcast. Realtalk about what it takes to create your
happiest, healthiest and most dynamic life. And now here's your host, transformational
life coach, happiness strategist and bestselling author, Christy Ling Spencer. Well,
hello, amazing friends, thanks forbeing back with me again for another
(00:25):
episode of the Joy School Podcast.So grateful to be here with you.
If you missed last week's show,my conversation with publisher Linda Joy, please
go back and check that one out. It was such an inspiring conversation.
She is wonderful and that show wasreally all about resilience and getting through life's
(00:49):
curveballs. And you know, Ialways like to say on this show that
no matter how much we focus onour happiness and our joy and our well
being, we're going to get curveballsin life. Reality is going to happen.
Life is going to happen. Andlearning to navigate those things with more
ease and grace and even more joyin some situations makes such a difference.
(01:12):
So if you missed last week's show, please go back and check that out.
And I'm very excited for this week'sshow. I'm actually going to share
a little bit of personal information withyou. But it really inspired me for
the topic that we're going to discussthis week, and that is about more
love for yourselves, more love forthe inside of your physical body. And
(01:38):
Jim Rohan said, take care ofyour body. It's the only place you
have to live in. I lovethat quote and it's a little cheeky,
but it is also so true.And I'm going to share with you a
little epiphany that I had this weekand I was like, wow, it
was such a big thought to me. And then my next thought after it
(01:59):
was, that's a podcast, soI have to share this with you.
So recently, I had an overallcheckup with my doctor, one of my
annual checkups. I try to bereally diligent about all my screenings and blood
work and going in annually for acheckup, and that is part of my
self care. And I am alsovery health and wellness focused. I geek
(02:21):
out on reading scientific studies and statistics, and I really do put a lot
of effort into caring for my healthand well being overall. But this epiphany
I had that was kind of followedby a diagnosis, a little bit of
a wake up diagnosis, nothing tooserious, but it opened my eyes to
realize that I needed to go nextlevel and let me just share with you.
(02:46):
First of all, I'm going toshare that diagnosis, but I'm going
to share with you this epiphany becausesome of you listening might be like,
holy cow, right, yes,it's so true. So my doctor I
discussed with her having a bone densitytest. Now I'm fairly young for that,
but my mom was adopted, wedon't really know our family history in
(03:07):
that area, but she does havean onset of some osteoporosis. And I
thought, you know, not abad idea in midlife for me to get
a baseline on where I'm at onthat. And my doctor was like,
well, since your mom has gotit and you don't know your family history,
probably a good idea to just haveit done, even though I'm not
expecting anything and you're still at ayounger age. So went and got the
(03:30):
bone density test, and lo andbehold. I was a little bit blindsided
because it did come back that Iam in a stage of what is called
osteopenia, which is basically the stagebefore osteoporosis. So it is a bone
condition where you have slightly weakened bonesa slightly increased risk of fracture, but
(03:53):
it's not quite as serious as osteoporosisyet. And this was as eye opening
for me because I exercise, Igenerally take care of my bones, but
I had never really put, like, you know, a ton of thought
and focus into it. I didall the basic things, taking my supplements,
(04:15):
and in no way did I thinkthis bone density test would come back
as anything other than normal. However, in doing some research on this,
I learned that you can, especiallyif you're at a younger midlife age,
reverse this and do some things tohelp it and strengthen your bones and actually
help to prevent it from developing intoosteoporosis. But even if you're in your
(04:41):
twenties or thirties and you're listening tothis podcast, it is so important to
think about not just your bone health, because this is a long term effort.
Right. Caring for your bones andyour brain and your heart and all
of your cells, all of yourworking parts inside of your body is a
long term investment. Could you youdon't always see immediate results, although I
(05:01):
do think that we do see someimmediate results with gut health right when we
start to do our probiotics and eatcleaner and cut back on alcohol. I
think we notice a difference in theway we feel right away. And there
are some efforts we can do withour health that increase our energy levels immediately,
and all kinds of other good things. Right, our mood can affect
(05:23):
our mood, but many things,such as bone health, it's like out
of sight, out of mind.Right. So I had this epiphany the
next morning after I got this diagnosis, and it was really kind of oh,
eating at me a little bit,like I was taken aback, and
I was like, Okay, timefor a reset, right, time to
(05:45):
look at what can I do inmy life to take better care of my
bones? And then I thought,well, what can I do in my
life to take better care of mycells, of the insides of my body
overall? And the next morning Iwas in my bathroom putting on makeup,
looking in the mirror, putting onmy face cream and getting ready for my
cosmetics and all getting ready my morningroutine, and I had this epiphany and
(06:08):
I was like, wow, Iput so much thought and intention and effort
into my outer appearance, right,and all of us do we do the
haircuts and the lotions and potions andthe anti wrinkle creams, and we brush
(06:29):
our teeth right. Everybody brushes theirteeth hopefully twice a day, some of
us more. We get haircuts.We some of us do supplements right for
skin and hair. Some of usdo botox or fillers, hair products,
skin creams, sunscreens, cosmetics.The way we dress and style ourselves,
(06:51):
we put so much thought and efforton a daily basis into how we take
care of the outside of our boxbodies and take care of our appearance,
our physical appearance. What if whatif we put that much thought and intention
and effort on a daily basis intocaring for the insides of our body,
(07:15):
for our bones, our brains,our cells, our heart, our organs
right vital organs, our blood,all the inner workings of what's on the
inside. What if we put asmuch effort and thought and research right and
homework into how to care for thoseparts of us as we do in caring
(07:36):
and putting effort into caring for ourappearance and the outside right our skin,
our hair, our nails. Iforgot to mention nails. The way we
dress anti wrinkle, this anti wrinklethat moisturize this all of the things really
think about this. This was abig epiphany for me because I was like,
wow, you know, I liketo think that I am definitely one
(07:59):
of those people that it's a lotof effort into my health and I do.
I eat very clean, I readstudies, I'm fascinated by studies.
I do exercise, although I haveto admit I could exercise more. And
something that has become very apparent tome lately, and I've talked about this
on the show before, is thatis how important two things are when it
(08:20):
comes to fitness, walking, especiallylike power walking or intense walking, and
weight bearing exercise. If you justdo those two things, you will be
on a great track for long termhealth, especially weight bearing. And that
is something that I've really opened myeyes to even more with this diagnosis.
(08:41):
Right, But so I started tothink about, Okay, my organs each
need their own unique type of care, or you know, maybe cutting something
out of my diet that might beaffecting it, or different types of supplemental
support, whatever it is. RightAnd speaking of supplement support, my doctor
(09:01):
advised me that I needed to increasemy calcium intake and I recently learned how
difficult, that is to get fromfood. And this is for guys,
but especially for women. We needa little more calcium and we are more
subject to bone conditions as we age. But here's something that I learned that
was interesting. So my doctor recommendedthat I get twelve hundred milligrams of calcium
(09:22):
per day. And I thought,well, I love cheese, and I
eat greek yogurt, organic greek yogurt, and I eat a lot of spinach.
I eat a lot of calcium richfoods. And I was taking a
supplement and I thought, oh,I'm sure I get enough calcium. Well,
when I looked it up and Iadded it all up, an entire
cup of spinach has only thirty milligrams, and I needed to get twelve hundred
(09:46):
a day. And then I lookedat the supplement I was taking and each
pill because I can't swallow large pills. I don't know about you, but
those horse pills, I can't doit. So I was taking smaller pills.
Well, the serving size on thethe one I was taking is six
pills a day. Sorry, youknow, probably going to have a hard
time doing that. And I thinkI was taking two and I was really
(10:07):
only getting about two or three hundredmilligrams out of those pills, and I'm
like, wow, I'm probably ifI added up, have only been getting
half the calcium that my body actuallyneeds at the place I'm at in my
life. That was very eye openingto me. And so there are probably
other supplements that I want to lookinto to say, how am I getting
(10:28):
this from food? Because food isusually the best way, but also what
are some other things I might beable to do to get that right?
But this isn't a show about supplements. That was just one example of something
that I'm looking at. Also,like I said, more weight bearing,
But really think about this. Socompare how intentional and how much effort you
put into on a daily basis intocaring for your appearance and the outsides of
(10:54):
your body, and then compare thatto how much thought and effort and actual
activity and taking action you do ona daily basis to care for the inside
of your body, your cells,to love your cells right, to love
your organs. And so I'm goingto give you some ideas for that.
But I really wanted to do thisepisode and get you all thinking about this,
(11:16):
and I've got something really fascinating toshare with you. And I love
facts and statistics, and this isan eye opening one. So I was
reading online about life expectancy here inthe US, and in nineteen hundred,
life expectancy was forty seven years old. Right, I already wouldn't be here
anymore if I was living back innineteen hundred, and in nineteen fifty that
(11:43):
had increased from forty seven years oldto sixty eight years old. Pretty good
increase, right, That was nineteenfifty. By twenty nineteen, life expectancy
had risen in the US. Andthis is in the US, but I
imagine this applies to many developed countriesaround the world. So by twenty nineteen,
(12:03):
life expectancy had risen to nearly seventynine years That's that's quite a difference
from nineteen fifty at sixty eight yearsold to twenty nineteen to seventy nine,
right. But in twenty twenty,life expectancy in the US fell to seventy
(12:24):
seven, and in twenty twenty oneit dropped more to seventy six. So
we are on a downward spiral onlife expectancy, and I think a lot
of this has to do with theincreased amount of time on screens, which
is taking away from so many things. It's not just taking away from our
(12:46):
physical activity, it's taking away fromour joy, it's taking away from our
brain health, it's taking away fromhaving fun in life and connecting with other
human beings and our animals, right, our dogs and cats and other pets.
How many of you have had yourdog sitting by you or bugging you
(13:09):
for attention when you're on a screen, right, and your dog is trying
to tell you something, or yourspouse or your kids or whoever's telling you,
hey, I need your attention,but yet we're on a screen.
I do think that that is partof it. I think another part of
it is that it has affected ourexercise. Right, We're not exercising as
(13:30):
much. We're also not getting outsideas much, and exposure to fresh air
and sunshine is essential for the healthof our selves. You absolutely need several
minutes of actual sunshine a day foryour body to properly produce and absorb vitamin
(13:50):
D right, and vitamin D isan essential vitamin for your heart health and
for your bone health, and yourbrain health and so many other things,
disease prevention, your immune system,and you need to get outside for that.
So I think that there are somany factors that are causing our life
expectancy to drop. But I wantto challenge everybody who listens to this show
(14:13):
to share with your friends and familythis information and this if this little epiphany
that I had resonated with you,I want you to share it far and
wide. I want everybody to reallystart thinking about putting more effort and intention
on caring for the insides of theirbody. And I believe I've said this
before on the show as well.You know, think of your body as
(14:37):
a fancy car. What kind offuels are you putting into it? How
are you taking care of it?Are you changing the tires? You know,
are you wash in the windshield?And all of the things, Because
as Jim Rome said, your bodyis the only place you have to live
and really health it is so true, is the ultimate way. It's not
(15:01):
how much money you have, andit's not how many things you have,
and it's not how successful you arein your business. At the end of
the day, the true wealth isactually your physical health. There is nothing
more important. And taking care ofyour body and your mind and your spirit
and your soul is your greatest andgrandest responsibility. And so this diagnosis that
(15:26):
I had, followed by that littleepiphany the next morning while I was putting
on face creams and makeup in thebathroom, has really inspired me to look
at my life, which I alreadylive a very healthy lifestyle. Is you
know most of you who listen tothe show or follow me, No,
But am I perfect? Absolutely not? Could I step it up and get
better in some areas one hundred percent? And so that is my intention going
(15:52):
forward, and I'm making some prettybig changes actually starting by I just ordered
a new set of weights, andI am weight training more. I'm actually
going to start working with a personaltrainer to show me some specific exercises I
can do for lower back health becausethat was one of the areas that was
the weakest in my bone density test, but also just overall strength, right,
(16:15):
because if I'm being honest with myself, I would like to feel stronger.
And some of you might remember onan earlier episode, I talked about
the fall that I had a fewmonths ago down an escalator. Oh my
gosh, Not only was it mortifyingbecause dozens of people were watching this happen
as I was flailing around, butit was so scary, and you know,
(16:38):
knowing this information that I know now, I look back and I think,
wow, I don't want anything likethat to happen again. And also
if it does happen to happen again, I don't want to be at a
higher risk of a fracture or break. I don't want to be in a
place in my life where I haveto be afraid that if I fall on
the stairs or a tree in thekitchen, that I'm going to break a
(17:02):
bone, right, and so reallybeing more intentional about this stuff. So
that was what I wanted to sharewith you all today. And that information
about life expectancy going down. Wow, Like, if that isn't an eye
opener, I'm not sure what is. There are so many contributing factors to
that, but the ones I mentionedI think are big. Also obesity,
(17:25):
right, that's a big one.A couple of years ago, I worked
very hard and made some lifestyle changesand I actually lost twenty pounds and I've
been able to keep it off withoutreally any effort, just by better habits
and cleaner eating and better lifestyle changes, right, and exercising a bit more.
Well, now I'm going to stepit up even more. But I'm
also increasing my protein through more plantbased protein sources because we need that.
(17:49):
In fact, in the last fewyears, and I believe I've talked about
this on the show as well,but they've discovered that we need more protein
than they ever thought. So thereare many things playing into these factors.
But if we do our homework,and you know, part of doing our
homework is listening to podcasts like this, I can't tell you how many great
podcasts I listen to. I lovepodcasts, and I love the world of
(18:12):
podcasting. It opens up so manyvoices and so much great information. And
I also love that information like thisinformation on the life expectancy facts, right,
can be that I can do allthis research for you all, and
I can drill it down and putit into a twenty or thirty minute show
that is a very digestible and actionable. Right. I love that so much,
(18:36):
so I think on a future episode, I'm going to share with you
some of my favorite podcasts and givesome shout outs to them so that you
can go see if they might besomething you would enjoy. But doing our
homework, doing our research and thenputting it into action with intention and It
doesn't have to be drastic changes,it can be small steps. It's if
(18:56):
you haven't read Darren Hardy's book TheCompound Effect, I highly recommend that because
it really is all about how smallthings and things that you don't always see
immediate results from can add up overtime to big payoffs. And I really
think that that significantly applies when itcomes to taking care of our health,
especially our invisible health, which isour cells and our organs and the insides
(19:21):
of our body, our heart health, our brain health, the health of
our liver and kidneys, and ourgut health especially which more and more they're
finding how that is linked to mentalhealth, right, linked to emotional health,
linked to heart health, linked tothings like depression and anxiety. So
that's another big one. I encourageyou all to go and do some homework
(19:42):
in these areas and see what mightwork for you, because everybody's different,
and maybe you are one of thosepeople that takes optimum prime health of every
area of your body in life.And if that is you, you are
goals. And I want to giveyou all a shout out. But most
of us are on some sort ofa scale right of a one to ten,
(20:03):
So take a minute now and giveyourself an honest number on a one
to ten on how well overall youreally put thought and effort and action and
habits into caring for yourself and yourphysical body. And this can be also
your mental health. And this cango ahead and include your outer health and
(20:25):
your appearance in that, because Iactually do think that that is part of
healthcare and that it does also affectour joy, our happiness, and our
mental health. So include it alland give yourself a number on a one
to ten. If I'm being honestwith myself, I would say I fluctuate
somewhere between a seven and an eightpoint five. And that took me years
(20:48):
to get to that place, andall of this research that I share with
you, right and everything I sharedin my book, and all the habits
I've created, And if I'm stillbeing honest and I'm not perfect, I'm
right about in that range. Andso if you're not even to a six
or a seven, that's okay,that's okay, it's not too late.
There are so many healing habits,healing information and things you can do to
(21:11):
increase it. And as we startto head into twenty twenty four, think
about the goals you want to havefor yourself, right, and I'm going
to be talking a lot more aboutthat on future episodes. I just love
the new year, I love afresh start. I have so many positive
intentions that I want to share withyou all in upcoming episodes and in programs
I'm developing. So give yourself thatscore, and then don't judge yourself for
(21:36):
it. Just make it honest information. It's really just information and feedback for
you to use as a baseline goingforward. And then maybe journal or make
a list of things that you'd liketo do in your life to take better
care of yourselves and increase your ownpersonal life expectancy. Right, all right,
So with that, this is thepart of the show called the Joyschool
(21:57):
Habits where we talk about a smallintention or action that you can take or
a small habit you can create thatwill have some big payoff. And I
love this one for this week andit does kind of tie into the topic
for the show today, But thisone is to start prioritizing fun with more
(22:18):
intention. So look at ways inyour life to be more silly, to
have more laughter, to have morefun like you did when you were a
kid. So I remember several yearsback, I went to Hawaii and there
was a guy there that had thissign that people were taking pictures with on
the beach, and it was afun meter and it had an arrow on
(22:41):
it that you could move, andyou can move the fun meter as to
how much fun you were having.That really got me thinking about, Wow,
you know, I don't think Ihave as much fun in my life
as I really should be. AndI have to tell you, there are
scientific studies and lots of information thatshows that that real, actual authentic fun
(23:03):
is so good for your health insideand emotional health, so good for you.
But most of us really like,yes, we're being entertained, or
we're spending time with friends and family, or maybe we have some hobbies that
bring us joy right and help increaseour happiness and well being, But how
much actual fun are we having?So last fall, the American Psychological Association
(23:29):
surveyed a group of adults and foundthat seventy seven percent of them said that
stress from things going on in theworld like politics and cultural tensions and violence
and inflation were affecting their health andthey were having headaches and exhaustion and disrupted
sleep and nervousness and anxiety and depressionand all of these things. Right,
(23:52):
more fun can absolutely help alleviate that. But yet we don't prioritize it.
We minimize it in fact as trivial. Right, But the truth is fun
is essential for our joy and ourhappiness and our health and our mental health,
and for sure it is part ofwhat we talk about on this show.
(24:15):
This show is all about creating morehappiness and well being enjoy in our
life, and fun is a bigpart of that. And what fun is
is different for everyone. It canbe a hobby that you love that brings
you laughter and joy. It canbe time with friends who lift you up
and make you laugh that you canbe silly with. Right. My best
(24:36):
friend, my BFF since I wasseven years old, loves to prioritize silliness.
In fact, a few years agoafter she had gone through a divorce,
when she was single and she waslooking for a new partner in her
life, which she has found alovely, lovely partner at this point,
but I remember her saying to me, you know, I just want to
find somebody I can be more sillywith and have fun with. And I
(24:56):
loved that because really that is thetruth. And so, like I said,
most of us have our hobbies andour time with friends, and we're
entertained, and you know, wedo things that are that are kind of
fun. But what's the level offun? What's your fun meter at?
Right? And here's another area wherewe can do a scale of one to
ten. So think about your lastweek, or your last two weeks,
(25:18):
or your last month on a scaleof one to ten, how much actual
fun have you had? Where whenyou were done with an experience or a
day or an evening or whatever itwas, you're like, that was so
much fun. And if we're nothaving fun everybody, why are we here?
Right? It Really life is aboutfun and it's okay to prioritize it.
(25:41):
So I just want to for thisweek's Joy School Habit, shift the
way you look at fun a littlebit and invite you and challenge you to
start prioritizing fun with more intention.And like I said, it's different for
everybody, but I will say thatfor the most part, it does not
involve screens. It involves things thatmake you feel like a kid again,
(26:03):
or that invite fun memories which youcan use to create more fun memories.
Now, it might be visiting anamusement park. It might be going to
a play or a comedy club,something outside of your regular bubble. Right,
it might be time with your dog. To me, going to the
dog park throwing a ball or watchingthe dogs run around. That's actual fun.
(26:26):
And so recently I watched the movieHaunted Mansion just before Halloween, and
I have to say, I wouldn'tcategorize many movies as fun, but this
one was kind of fun. Butwhat I found fun about it was that
it brought up fun memories from whenI was growing up, and I used
to love that ride at Disneyland.The Haunted Mansion was one of my absolute
(26:48):
favorites. I was mesmerized by theholograms of the ghosts that sat next to
you in the chair, and allof the whimsy and the magic around it.
Right, And really, if youthink about it, fun involves a
lot of whimsy and magic and actuallymarveling at things and laughter. How much
actual laughter are you experiencing in yourlife? For me, when I think
(27:11):
about how many days go by whereI didn't really laugh even one time,
it kind of makes me sad.So that's one area that I'm looking at
increasing fun in my life? Ishow can I increase laughter? More laughter?
Right? It's so good for you, and there are studies on that
as well, So really be thinkingabout this. And I always like to
(27:33):
talk about making over your mornings andsetting your intentions in the mornings right and
setting yourself up for a great day. So maybe part for all of us,
right, part of our morning routinecan just be taking a minute or
two to putting some thought into howam I going to have some fun today
and experience some laughter and then doingthat with intention. All right, my
(27:55):
friends, if you enjoyed this episode, if you had fun with me today,
I would be I'm so grateful ifyou would leave a review over on
Apple Podcasts. This is how youcan help the show reach more people who
might also enjoy it. And Ido read them all and I can't tell
you enough. This is a greatway to support the podcasters that bring some
(28:15):
kind of value to your life.Those reviews do mean a lot and they
do help the algorithm. So pleasejump over there if you'd like to support
the show, and be sure toconnect with me on Facebook and Instagram.
Those are my two biggest communities,and I invite you to also visit my
website at Christylinkspencer dot com, whereyou can access my free video masterclass eleven
(28:37):
Habits of the Happiest People, andyou can find some other supportive resources there
as well, as well as allof the information on my new program,
the Joy School, my new signaturemembership program. Oh you all, this
is launching this coming week and I'mso excited about it. In fact,
you can learn all about it jointhjoyschooldot com. But this is a monthly
(29:02):
membership program where I do live coachingand a new class video class every month,
and workbooks and worksheets and bonus classesand all kinds of things to level
up our life. So if youliked everything we talked about in the show
today, that is a great inexpensiveresource for you to have ongoing support in
your life to do all of thesethings. More fun, more health,
(29:26):
more happiness, more joy. It'sall in there, and I'm so excited
about it. It's everything I envisionedit would be, and it's launching gosh
like, literally, I'm doing thetests of all the tech today. So
it's going to be launching within thenext week, maybe even by the time
you listen to this episode, sofind out all about it at jointhjoyschool dot
(29:48):
com. It's going to be afantastic community of like minded people and so
many great resources. All right,much love to you all, Thank you
so much for being with me foranother episode. Can't wait to be with
you again soon. Have a fantasticweek, my beautiful friends, and remember
you've got what it takes to createmore amazing days, and more amazing days
(30:11):
make up a pretty amazing life.Much love and I will be with you soon.
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