Are we old yet?

Ok - the birthday came and went. Do I feel different? Nope. A friend I have known for 43 years called to wish me a happy birthday and asked how old I was. I told her I have no more birthday numbers except for those with a 5 or a 0. She could easily figure out how old I am but the question I think is prompted by the fact that we met when I was a new graduate student and she was a new professor - and we have been friends ever since. She has a big birthday coming up this Spring - one that ends with a 5. We laughed about a lot of dumb things we said and did over the 43 years and as always we saying "How is it that our kids keep getting older and we still seem the same ages as when we met?" That's a question many ask.

If you are aging in a healthy fashion it seems that not much changes in you - just in those around you who are still counting - like kids and grandkids : ). Yes I have noticed changes and I am not always happy about them.

When driving cross country for this latest move, I knew I could not drive day and night like I did in the past. In fact even tho my son did most of the driving we laugh that I could not even be a passenger for hours and hours anymore either. I insisted we stop at night to let me sleep stretched out in a bed. I added that the cat needed to be out of her travel box as well - she being older than I : - ). [The dog got to have a break when we stopped for gas and food. ]

When I was a college student in NYC - the fun part of the day started at 10 PM. New York was a 24 hour a day city and we took advantage of it. Not sure how we made it through on so little sleep. Now 10 is real night time and it''s been ages since I was up as late as 1 or 2 AM.

So there are changes. Are they bad? good? Nope - they are just changes. Some we need to be aware of but can do little about - and many we are aware of and should be doing a lot about.

Til next time : o )

Birthdays

I have a birthday coming up this month...funny, but birthdays have no real meaning anymore. I think once you hit a certain age - and I am not sure which it is - only birthdays with 5's or 0's at the end seem to have meaning..

Does that mean we think in 5 years cycles as we age? Or is it that "others" use those number markers to keep track of where we are. I'm an age now I once thought was "old" but that's true of most ages. When I was really young I thought 25 or 30 was ancient. When a friend was here recently and were we skiing - I asked if we would still be skiing when we were old. Neither of us thought that was an odd question :)

Growing older better may mean we forget about the number we are and keep on keeping on - doing what we do!

So - keep on keeping on!!!

One week into January

Are you still resolute?

Did you make goals for the year?

There are some [usually younger] who would wonder why we "old" people make resolutions or goals. I always remember a Lifespan class I taught many years ago in Boston. It was within a university unit which allowed those over 65 to take classes for free and my class included a man who had retired to Boston. [That alone seemed odd to many of the younger members of the class.]

One of our projects consisted of students interviewing people of different ages on topics such as work, family, future plans and death. Some of the younger members of the class were very uncomfortable with the idea of asking people in their 60's, 70's or older about a future or death. The 65-year-old man thought that was interesting. He told them that most his age would have no trouble answering those questions.

"After all," he added, "some of you will die long before I do." A long silence ensued and then we had a very lively discussion of life expectancy, risk taking and health...I still remember that particular class and I am guessing most in the class do as well.

We who are now older don't mind discussing the future or our own plans and goals for it. Who knows how long we will live...but no matter how long it is - we need goals and plans. I have written mine - I have serious income producing plans for my business for this and future years..




Excelsior! [ I am a native New Yorker :)]

Make 2006 YOUR year

We are all going to have another birthday this year! Let's make it a healthier one than the last one and let's keep up the healthier routine into 2007 and on..

Welcome to the group known as baby boomers. Starting yesterday, the 78 million of you began to turn 60. We in the pre-baby boom years say "welcome" and "it's great being older."

Because we are who we are and survived or did not get the diseases that killed and hurt others born when we were born, we are already among the healthier. But you need to protect that health and it's never too late to start.

Make your new year's resolutions and stick to them - exercise, eat well [supplement better], and enjoy life. Prepare for a more expensive full retirement with a Plan B. Or for some, start on plan A right now! Social Security won't allow you to live as you want - you'll need much more than that. Financial worries are dangerous to your health so you need to ensure that you have more than enough so you CAN grow older better...

Here's a fitness resolution plan:

Make a contract with yourself - yes in writing - and state that you will do the following:

1. Lose 4 pounds per month for a total of xx pounds by [fill in date]
2. Work out 3 times per week/30 minutes per session from January thru March. [In April as you see how well it works, add another day.]

How to work out? and lose weight?

Resistance exercises - free weights or weight machines
Cardio exercises - tread mills, spinning, elliptical machines
Flexibility - pilates, yoga, tai chi

Check with your health care provider before embarking on a new program and most importantly, have fun. I have started playing squash again and yikes- after a 10 year hiatus, I am sucking air between points :)

For weight/nutrition information - learn about the glycemic index here

For info on patented supplements go here

Happy healthy 2006