A Birthday Prayer—On Facing Old Age

By Julie Morris

Dear Lord,

Let this day be the positive beginning of the final chapter of my life—an open door to the oft-dreaded, much-feared thing called old age. Let me not only be a positive example to others of growing old gracefully, but a delight to you, as I grow older with joy…. relying on your grace…. seeking your face.

As I think about aging in light of “The Serenity Prayer,” which has made such an impact on my life, these words pour from my spirit: Help me to let go of things that don’t matter in the long run, focus on things that do, and rejoice in your ever-present wisdom that shows me which is which.

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Are You Playing The Game That No One Wins?

By Julie Morris

If you knew a game was impossible to win, would you play it?

Millions of people are playing–and losing at this game–without even knowing it. Maybe you’re one of them.

I’m talking about the Blame Game. You know, the one that says when someone else is “it,” you’re excused from all responsibility.

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Psalm 139 Can Help You To Lose Weight

By Julie Morris, RN

Psalm 139 has been an awesome help in my weight-loss journey and it can help you too. Read each verse, followed by the thoughts I wrote years ago in my personal journal. Then try writing your own thoughts.

“O LORD, you have searched me and you know me….you are familiar with all my ways….You have laid your hand upon me.” (Lord, you know me. You know all about me, all of my negative thoughts and bad choices. You are always with me, reaching out to me, holding me—when I let you.)

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Stop the Cycle of Shame

By Julie Morris, RN

“Congratulations!” she said cheerfully, not realizing that her words would send me spiraling into shame.

She continued, loud enough for the other nurses and even some of the patients in the ICU to hear, “Congratulations on your pregnancy!” Suddenly seeing the horrified look on my face, she changed her tone and said quietly, “You are pregnant, aren’t you?”

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Are You Out-Running Old Age or Allowing It to Catch Up with You?

By Julie Morris, R.N. –

I always said that exercising helped me to out-run old age, but now I am beginning to understand why!

News came out recently of a study by Dr. Beth Levine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. She is studying the health benefits of exercise on mice and discovered this important fact: exercising increases the body’s ability to get rid of trash.

All of us have trash caused by broken-down cells that needs to be removed. This trash-removal process is called autophagy (aw-TAH-fa-gee). Autophagy may also help protect us against cancer, infection and other diseases.

Just as your car gets dings and the tires wear out, the structures inside of our cells wear out and need to be replaced. Autophagy collects these worn-out pieces and wraps them in a membrane. Then it carries them to a tiny spot inside the cell, called a lysosome, where there are recycled and digested into reusable products. Bottom line: out with the old–on with the new.

Dr. Levine’s studies have concentrated on autophagy in mice, but it’s a good bet that this process is the same in humans. Let’s look at one of her test results.

She discovered that mice that were fed high-fat diets to create diabetes associated with obesity were able to reverse their diabetes when they exercised daily for eight weeks. She found that mice that exercised for 30 minutes on a treadmill increased their autophagy 40-50 percent. Those that ran 80 minutes increased their autophagy 100 percent. Those that didn’t exercise were not able to induce autophagy and were unable to reverse their diabetes.

Dr. Levine and other researchers feel that these results have implications beyond the effect of exercise on diabetes. They speculate that autophagy may represent a cellular mechanism that prolongs life and protects against disease.

If spending 30 minutes or more a day will make me healthier and help me to out-run old age, I’m going to do it! How about you?

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