midlifejourney.com

As a boomer moving through midlife you might be surprised one morning to find yourself staring in the mirror wondering “Who the heck is this person?”

For years I have washed my face, brushed my teeth, and put on makeup in front of the same mirror but I seldom looked closely. After all, I know who I am and what I look like. But this morning I took a really close look: skin that looks soft and smooth from a distance is beginning to show small wrinkles and they’re not laugh lines anymore. We’re talking tiny but permanent wrinkles! And where did that grey hair come from? I reach for my comb and “ouch!” a new twinge in my back tells me I’m not quite the same today as I was a few years ago.

It is happening to every boomer! Even if you are an exercise fanatic, those knees that always felt fine when you were running, are beginning to send you an occasional “pop!” to let you know that they are tired of beating down the pavement every day.

So what do you do? How do you cope with the occasional ache or pain?

First, of course, you don’t ignore it. Your body is sending you a signal: “TAKE CARE OF ME!” which only you can translate for your particular circumstance. Maybe you are doing too much! Hauling furniture around your apartment by yourself might not be a great idea or running that fast on the treadmill at the gym, might be entering “overload.” So take it easy!

Maybe the signal your body is sending you is the total opposite: Maybe you aren’t doing enough. You sit at your desk all day, working at the computer (which can really send your shoulders and wrists into spasms once in a while) and then you drive home in a car with an old front seat that no longer supports your increasingly large bottom, you make dinner, or worse, you eat at the local fast food, finally get home and flop in front of the TV for three hours before heading to bed to rest up for another day of slogging along. Your body aches because you don’t use it well enough.

Only you know why your body aches. Yes, there are aspirins to take and aching muscle salves to rub in when you’ve gone over board (or “under board” as the case may be)— but better than that is prevention: a balanced approach to taking care of this body that has served you well for the first half of your life. You want it to last for the second half. Pay attention! Give your body a balanced diet, exercise and relaxation and it will repay you tenfold.

Summer is just around the corner here in the northeast and it’s time to shop for this seasons’s supply of sunblock. Today’s boomer generation foolishly spent their teenage summers on the beach or poolside, slathered in baby oil, seeking the perfect tan. Today, our skin is showing the results. And our dermatologists are warning us, if we don’t get the right skin protection there will be serious consequences.

No one wants to look older than they are. But skin, especially facial skin, can reveal your age faster than just about any other feature. You can call them “freckles” but when those brown age spots start to grow and pop… it’s time for some serious prevention.

• If the damage has already been done, you might find this online e-book helpful: Eight Years Younger: Turn Back Time By Implementing These Moisture-Infusing Techniques.

If you’re shopping for sun protection, I suggest you bypass the sunscreen and go directly to the sunblock. Sunscreen does what it says: it screens the harmful rays of the sun, but they still get through, no matter how high the number. What you want to do is BLOCK the sun’s damaging rays, and for that you need to get a product that contains ZINC, the best know blocker on the planet. Remember those lifeguards with their noses covered with white cream? The smart ones used zinc to protect their facial features. Without it, serious sun damage was inevitable. There are a number of products on the market to choose from. Here is the one I prefer.

Solbar Zinc- The Best Product Out There. Goes on light, gets absorbed quickly and feels soft and not sticky. Buy it online. Here is the Dermstore “blurb” about Solbar:

SOLBAR creates high sun protection factor (SPF) sunscreen products for dermatologists and their patients by Person & Covey, Inc., the company that pioneered development of products to protect skin from the harmful effects of UVB and UVA radiation. All Solbar products offer broad-spectrum protection with special appeal and benefits suited to an individual’s type of skin and exposure. Solbar was developed in response to dermatologists’ requests for therapeutic and cosmetic-quality products to protect patients with light or sun-damaged skin, people who live in sun-intensive areas, people who spend extended time in the sun, and those with photosensitization caused by medical conditions or medication.

Check them out at Dermstore. It’s a great product!

There is nothing quite so disheartening than dragging your boomer body out of bed on a crisp cool morning, throwing on a t shirt and an old baggy pair of shorts, pulling on a mismatched pair of socks and beat up old sneakers and heading out for the gym, only to find yourself surrounded by 20-somethings in their sleek thong-leotards and cropped tops, looking super svelt next to your lumpy body.

It’s happened to me more than once. And the whole experience has had a negative impact on my self-esteem, and motivation to exercise. Well, enough of this. You may have a lumpy body, but that’s why you’re going to the gym in the first place: to get yourself in better shape. You want to feel good as well as look good. And the fitness center is the best place to start. Here are ten tips for choosing the right fitness clothing. You can look great at the gym.

Tip #1: Do not wear oversized t-shirts. You may think you are hiding those love handles, but wearing something that is too big for you will only make you look oversized. Continue Reading »

If you truly follow your heart’s desire, you can create your dream job! Too many midlifers settle for a job we don’t like, or at best, tolerate.  We spend our days living to work, rather than the other way around, working to live.

If you love what you do, the money and the success, will follow. Things have a way of falling into place when we are clear about what we really want. They did for Jeanne White, the host of The Connect Show on Radio Network Dreamvisions7 Flag Station, WBNW 1120 AM, Boston.

She writes in her biography on the show’s new website, (www.connectwithjeannewhite.com) “I have always harbored a dream to become a radio talk show host.”

Though her heart was focused on broadcasting, Jeanne’s initial career track was in a totally different direction. After earning a Bachelor’s degree from Simmons College, Boston, a paralegal certification from Aquinas College and a Frank J. Manning Gerontology Certificate from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, she became a certified Shine Counselor, working with the elderly population helping them make educated insurance decisions. As if that were not enough, she became a Certified Yoga Teacher through the Finding Inner Peace Yoga School—a far cry from radio talk show host.

But the dream couldn’t be shaken. Her focus on helping and networking with others to solve problems led her to become an advocate of The Starlight Children’s Foundation of New England, dedicated to bringing happiness, hope and an improved quality of life to seriously ill children and their families in Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Vermont.

This commitment to helping others brought Jeanne to the attention of Candita Mamet, a regular host of the radio talk show, Healthy Living Guide.

Hearing that Jeanne had always had a longing for the radio talk show format, Candita raised the idea of Jeanne’s starting a new show. “Focus on the people chasing dreams and working at what they love.” Jeanne knew first hand how important it was to follow one’s heart’s desire and she agreed to try. With that, The Connect Show was born.

Today The Connect Show is part of the Dreamvisions7 Radio Network. Their mission: to be a holistic healing network with an eclectic group of radio hosts all with the common goal to help humankind by offering different modalities or programs combined with tools to bring awareness, joy, peace and ease to our listeners both in the local and global arena. The flagship station is WBNW 1120 AM, Boston, simulcast with WPLM 1390 AM & WESO 970 AM plus voice streaming on the Internet connecting Internationally.

On the second Saturday of the month, from 11 am – 12 noon, The Connect Show covers a wide range of topics ranging from business networking to current events. Jeanne shares the key purpose to her talk show: “My focus is to offer diverse, valuable and inspiring topics and resources. My goal with the show is to put people together….to make connections and provide networks and tools that will enhance people’s lives. My commitment is to network people with the objective of making their day to day lives a little easier and happier! As I say, ‘It’s all about connections! Get Connected!’”

Three questions to consider before making that decision.

In the United States today, the options for paying for health care are numerous. For some, their workplace pays all the bills. (That’s a company I want to work for!) For most workers, health insurance costs are split between employer and employee. And for those who work on their own, or don’t have an employer, they foot the health bills themselves. If a person can’t afford health care, or chooses not to buy it, they use hospital emergency rooms as their first line of defense. (Note: the exception is the state of Massachusetts, where every citizen must have health insurance or pay a hefty penalty come tax time.)

Health insurance is fine for ordinary expenses. But what do you do if you or a member of your family has a debilitating illness that demands long-term care? For how long does ordinary health insurance pay your medical bills? Is it smart to buy a long-term health policy now when you and your family are healthy, just in case?

Here are three questions to ask before making a decision.
1. Does your family medical history suggest that you may be genetically disposed to developing a chronic illness such as diabetes or Alzheimers?
Sadly, there are indications that certain medical conditions are genetic or likely to be so. Alzheimers in particular, is still a mystery, but as our population ages, more of our citizens are being diagnosed with this affliction. Research suggests that some strains are genetic.
2. Do you have personal assets other than your primary home that need protection in the event your medical insurance is fully depleted?
Long-term care insurance will cover some of the expenses for home care, assisted living and/or nursing home bills. If you don’t have insurance, these bills are paid directly by you. A life time of savings can be totally depleted in just a matter of months.
3. Can you afford long-term care insurance?
This last question is personal (as if the others were not) and you need to consult your financial advisor and estate planner if you have one. Consider your current age, current assets, projected life expectancy, cost of monthly premiums and determine: is it worth it for me? What would happen if I didn’t have long-term care insurance? If I or one of my family got sick, could I afford to give them the care they need and deserve, and for how long?

If you decide to carry this insurance, I strongly urge you to shop around and compare policies. Check the details of the policy. Here are just a few:
•    What are the determining factors that you need before applying for benefits?
•    How long after these determining factors “kick in” do you have to wait before you receive your first payment?
•    Are there limits to the amount the insurance company will pay each day? Each month?
•    How are payments made: direct deposit to you? Or to the nursing facility?
•    Does the company have a support hot line if you need assistance?

Long-term care insurance is not an easy topic to discuss, but one we have to face. In the meantime, eat smart, exercise and be happy. That’s the best long term health insurance plan I know.