Category: Uncategorized (Page 34 of 40)

Where did I put that list?

03/21/2016 / Laura

Okay, enough with the ridiculous security questions when you try to register on websites.

I mean, coming up with new passwords you can remember is bad enough. But these questions….seriously?

“What was the street you lived on as a child?” (If you’ve lived in several cities, this is quite amusing.)
“What is your favorite movie?” (what day is it?)
“What is your favorite color?” (see above…or re-watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

And my current personal favorite:

“If you had to have a different first name, what would it be?”

??????????

I thought I was registering an account, not enrolling in the witness protection program.

Many days, my main challenge is remembering, in no particular order:

Where my keys are
Where my glasses are
Where my wallet is
Where my gym pass is
Where the list is I just made

And now you want me to remember what I was thinking on that special day when I registered my account online….so that things would be “easier.”

Maybe I should just start putting the same answer for every question…remember Charlie Weaver on Hollywood Squares? No matter the question, his first answer was always “Efrem Zimbalist Junior.”

(Takes you back, doesn’t it?)

It’s like that word “remind”. I love how that sounds. Like I get to have a new brain every day. Some of the synonyms of the word “remind” are “ring a bell. Strike a chord. Hark back. Jog your memory.”

Nice. Doesn’t make me feel like an idiot because I can’t remember the color of my satchel in second grade.

Scientists tell us our brains consist of approximately one billion neurons, and these neurons work together to help us remember things. The good news is our neurons keep growing throughout our lives. And there are all kinds of memories…immediate memories, working memories, long-term memories. I’ve also read the brain operates on the same amount of power as a 10-watt light bulb.

Which explains Congress.

Animals know how to remind us of things, like mealtimes. They just sit about 3 inches away from us and stare intently at us. Perhaps even with a bowl in the mouth. Regardless of changes in time or seasons. They know what’s important, and when things need to happen. Without logging in.

I get the need for security and protection. But the harder you make the questions, the more likely we have to write down our answers, which kind of defeats the purpose, right?

Enough of this, it’s wearing out my brain. And reminding—no, wait—harking back that I haven’t updated my passwords in a while.

Better get out the dictionary. And the aspirin.

“What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”

The Bridgekeeper

Fit After 50.

03/07/2016 / Laura

Let’s talk about balance.

Not the kind that we never can achieve (balance between home, work, family, sanity), but rather the type of balance that might determine whether or not we can stay independent as we age.

Whole body balance. Balance that improves as we become physically stronger. Balance that keeps us walking straight, feeling healthy and hopefully, in our own homes as long as possible.

Why is balance so important for boomers and beyond? Because by the time most of us hit 50, we’ve lost 15 to 20% of our strength.

Imagine. Just that statistic can explain why you’re having trouble carrying in the dog food. Or walking up the stairs with laundry. Or having to sit down to put on your pants.

Ouch.

But the good news is how quickly a healthy person in his or her 60s can gain muscle…as much as two to three pounds of muscle in six months to a year.

Here’s the catch: you have to actually get up and work out. That does not necessarily mean you have to become Mr. or Ms. Olympia, or walk into a hard-body gym and feel intimidated next to the 20-somethings in their spandex.

Thank heavens more and more places are springing up that cater to those of us 50 and over who want to get in shape and feel better, but don’t want the traditional gym experience.

One such place is Welcyon. There’s only a few so far in the country and already, response has been great.

What makes Welcyon so popular? It’s smaller, calmer, and feels more plush than a regular rec center or gym. The staff is small, knowledgeable, and welcoming. And the equipment is specially geared for a workout that while it feels smoother and easier, is actually more effective at building strength than the traditional heavy-plate method.

And best of all, it’s for 50+. Thank heavens. No flipping monster tires or hurling a sledgehammer or other activities that are too high risk.

Daniel Mason, owner of the Welcyon in Lakewood, Colorado, explains. “Our strength equipment uses air resistance, not clunky weight stacks. The result is a challenging workout that actually works you harder, but doesn’t stress your joints and ligaments like a traditional machine. With air resistance, you are working your body evenly…instead of your stronger side compensating and throwing you off balance.”

Cardio machines at Welcyon are also air-driven, so the motion is smooth and even.

But what really sets the technology of Welcyon apart is this: once you’ve been assessed by one of the center’s professional coaches and your routine is determined, all you have to do on your next visit is insert the card into a reader on the machine and you’re set to go. The equipment…lets says it’s the machine that works your abdomen…”recognizes” you and automatically sets to the correct number of pounds you are working. If there is a seat adjustment, it lists that information so you can do it quickly and easily. Of course you can raise or lower the intensity of your workout at any time…but how cool is that? Instead of walking in and trying to remember what you’ve been doing, or struggling with changing a setting, it’s all done for you.

I personally love that. I confess I’ve discovered Welcyon and am a member. And I love it. Why?

It’s comfortable. I like walking into an environment where mature people are focusing on feeling better and getting stronger, as opposed to competing.

It’s inviting. Welcyon gyms are smaller. There’s a soothing water feature. Everything is new and clean and purposeful. There’s a sitting area for socializing. The background music is very low, and it’s a surprisingly wonderful blend of boomer, big band, and a bit of classical.

It’s smart. Each strength machine greets you by name, sets your resistance, counts reps and adjusts your workouts, making them progressively more challenging as you improve. The ellipticals have a built-in fan (I really love that). You feel like you are making efficient use of your time when you are there.

It’s safe. Welcyon coaches know what they are doing and how to guide you, whether you’ve exercised your whole life, are just starting out, or are recovering from an injury. There’s a dedicated area for stretching after working out to help keep you from overdoing. There’s even an interesting balance “clock” on the floor that helps develop your all-important reflexes.

It’s motivating. I want to go to Welycon. I’ve worked out my whole life off and on, with personal trainers, in classes, doing just about everything…and I always liked how it made me feel, but I never particularly looked forward to going. This feels different…I like the idea of exercising around others over 50.

But this isn’t really about going to a particular gym. No matter where you live or what type of exercise experience is available, you can get stronger…it’s so important. Many recreation centers offer classes for people over 50. You could start one of your own. If nothing else, gather a few neighbors and start a brisk walking program in the neighborhood. Go by a sporting goods store and check out the free weights or kettle balls. Be careful…and start slow…but don’t just sit there…get up and get moving.

Exercise has been called the “fountain of youth” because nothing else has been proven to be as effective when it comes to enhancing our overall health and longevity. I know for me, I have fewer aches and pains when I’m regularly exercising. I sleep better. I think better. I like the feeling of being steady on my feet and knowing I can pick up something, hold my balance in Tai chi, carry a child up the stairs, etc.

You might start out saying “can I do it?”

Chances are in no time you’ll be saying “how far can I go?”

“I don’t care how old I live; I just want to be LIVING while I am alive!”

Jack LaLanne

Feeling left behind?

02/22/2016 / Laura

There’s a lot of great things about growing older.

But there’s some tough stuff as well, like losing more people every year. People in your family. A spouse. Friends. Co-workers and past acquaintances.

Whether it’s the finality of death or a phone call that tells you someone has a terminal disease.

That just can’t be.

She’s not old enough.

He was just about to retire.

We went to school together.

She’s younger than I am.

How old does that make me??

It’s natural to feel some fear when you get news like this. It’s also natural to take a hard look at yourself, and then feel guilty because it’s supposed to be about them, not you.

Yet it is about you…and me…and how strange it is to age on the outside and yet still feel 25, 35, 45 on the inside.

I had a 93-year old neighbor once who was legally blind but every bit as alive and involved as she had always been. Her smile was a welcome sight every day. Yet she confessed to me that it was getting harder and harder because she had outlived everyone…her friends, her post loves, her anchors. I didn’t get it totally then, but I’m starting to now.

It feels like we’re all in lifeboats bobbing up and down at sea, holding hands, getting through all the storms and high waves together. Then more and more of our fellow life travelers fall in the water, disappearing, and the chain is not as strong as it used to be. Hey now, hang on a minute.

We’re all supposed to get through this together. We’re supposed to make it to the other side together. Don’t leave me!

It’s even hard when famous people die, if we’ve identified with them our whole lives and they’ve become a part of how we experience each day. A singer who helped us escape the rigors of teenage angst. A sports figure that inspired us to work out harder because he or she never gave up. An author whose words pulled us through a life crisis.

Now they are gone, and we are left to fend as best we can. It can make me feel more exposed and vulnerable at times. And yet, I’m guessing what’s really happening is we are left with the essence of who we are…and sometime’s that a good thing. To “meet” ourselves without any filters or escape hatches.

All the people we have known, loved, liked, respected, or even disliked help shape who we are…and now as boomers and beyond, who we have become. But they are just part of the picture.

Depending upon your belief, you may take solace in that you will remain connected with them for eternity, that this is not a final goodbye. (That’s my belief, and in a few cases, I’m ready to really make sure they understand what they meant to me!) Knowing that can help ease the pain, and underscore how tight some bonds can be.

Here’s some nice words from the late poet A.R. Ammons:

In View of the Fact

The people of my time are passing away: my wife is baking for a funeral, a 60-year-old who

died suddenly, when the phone rings, and it’s Ruth we care so much about in intensive care:

it was once weddings that came so thick and fast, and then, first babies, such a hullabaloo:

now, it’s this that and the other and somebody else gone or on the brink: well, we never

thought we would live forever (although we did) and now it looks like we won’t: some of us

are losing a leg to diabetes, some don’t know what they went downstairs for, some know that

a hired watchful person is around, some like to touch the cane tip into something steady,

so nice: we have already lost so many, brushed the loss of ourselves ourselves: our

address books for so long a slow scramble now are palimpsests, scribbles and scratches: our

index cards for Christmases, birthdays, Halloweens drop clean away into sympathies:

at the same time we are getting used to so many leaving, we are hanging on with a grip

to the ones left: we are not giving up on the congestive heart failure or brain tumors, on

the nice old men left in empty houses or on the widows who decide to travel a lot: we

think the sun may shine someday when we’ll drink wine together and think of what used to

be: until we die we will remember every single thing, recall every word, love every

loss: then we will, as we must, leave it to others to love, love that can grow brighter

and deeper till the very end, gaining strength and getting more precious all the way. . . .

Life is precious. Grab it with all the might you have and celebrate your spirit, your soul, and your passion for living. Do it for yourself, and those who have moved on to a higher being. Rock that wrinkle!!!

“Being happy never goes out of style.”

Lilly Pulitzer

Anticipating Spring

02/15/2016 / Laura

Okay, so it’s not Spring.

But it’s not that far off.

We’re still in the midst of cold air, icy sidewalks, and shorter days. But have you noticed? The air smells a bit fresher. The light is lingering longer. And every once in a while, we are blessed with wonderfully warm days and bright sunshine that make us giddy with anticipation.

Spring is coming.

When these golden mid-winter days come, I love to fully take advantage of them. Open the windows. Clean out the car. Dry rugs outside in the sunshine. Take a big giant breath and let it out slowly, relaxing in the promise of longer days ahead. It’s good for the soul.

In the spirit of what lies ahead (and to give those of us boomers and beyond who still face several winter and spring snowstorms), here’s some thoughts from Alfred Lord Tennyson that might give you cheer:

Early Spring

by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Once more the Heavenly Power
Makes all things new,
And domes the red-plowed hills
With loving blue;
The blackbirds have their wills,
The throstles too.

Opens a door in Heaven;
From skies of glass
A Jacob’s ladder falls
On greening grass,
And o’er the mountain-walls
Young angels pass.

Before them fleets the shower,

And burst the buds,
And shine the level lands,
And flash the floods;
The stars are from their hands
Flung through the woods,

The woods with living airs
How softly fanned,
Light airs from where the deep,
All down the sand,
Is breathing in his sleep,
Heard by the land.

O, follow, leaping blood,
The season’s lure!
O heart, look down and up,
Serene, secure,
Warm as the crocus cup,
Like snow-drops, pure!

Past, Future glimpse and fade
Through some slight spell,
A gleam from yonder vale,
Some far blue fell;
And sympathies, how frail,
In sound and smell!

Till at thy chuckled note,
Thou twinkling bird,
The fairy fancies range,
And, lightly stirred,
Ring little bells of change
From word to word.

For now the Heavenly Power
Makes all things new,
And thaws the cold, and fills
The flower with dew;
The blackbirds have their wills,
The poets too.