Monthly Archives: July 2008

Financial Check up

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Now that I’ve had my cardio check up, I thought it was time to have a financial check up. I had always thought about getting a financial check up and after I became a widow, I thought it was time to find myself a real live financial advisor to examine the state of my financial affairs. My hubby was always very good at looking out for our financial future. I miss not having him around to keep track of our pennies…and my spending too.

I’m resourceful. I told myself. I can find a good financial advisor. And so I did. Then I went about doing my homework (boy, did it take time to compile all my assets and boy, did it take even longer time to compile all my spending…before I had a financial advisor I never bothered adding up all of my spending…it was a shocking experience).

This afternoon, I had a chance to sit down with my financial advisor and hear what he had to say…I was nervous…I was scared…actually almost frightened to hear what he had to say about my future financial status.

Will I be able to get my facials when I retire?

Will I be able to afford to buy my Activa yogurt when I retire…the yogurt that keeps getting more expensive every time I go to the grocery store? And what about the occasional bag of peanut M&Ms that I like? (I know I’m not supposed to eat these high fat treats since I have to watch my cholesterol and fat content…but they are treats.)

Will I be able to keep my ‘condo on the corner’ at the shore when I retire?

So many ‘will I’ questions to think about…or worry about. (“Practice using mindfulness,” I said to myself. “Stop worrying about the future…stay in the present.”)

I sat and listened intently as my financial advisor mapped out a variety of scenarios…if I retire at 55…if I don’t…if I retire at 60…if I don’t…if I save more money…if I work after my retirement…if I buy long term care insurance…if I don’t…if I manage my 40lK properly…if I buy tax-free bonds…if I consider the impact of inflation…the list just kept getting longer and longer as he turned each page in my portfolio.

“Oh my, oh my,” I started to gasp as my menopausal hot flashes started to soar.

This financial checkup was weighing heavy on my heart after the two hours were up. I felt like I had just done a cardio workout in addition to a financial check up.(I wonder if this check up will help me lower the level of plaque build up in my arteries).

“Look over everything and call me with any questions,” said my financial advisor.

“Yes, yes, I will,” I replied as I headed out the door. I had hardly eaten all day and was in great need of a large dose of protein to satisfy my empty stomach and a good massage to relax my body and shore up my soul.

I ate my tasty Kashi turnover that was full of fiber and full of protein…I put on my exercise gear and I went straight to see my friend D to get a massage. I’m so glad D is learning to be a massage therapist. She worked wonders on my body. She said that the muscles in the left side of my back are more tense than the right side. D said that it may be a result of always carrying my heavy handbag on my left shoulder.

When she was done with the massage, D put some soothing ‘tea tree oil’ on all my mosquito bites…my mosquito bites from the Vietnamese mosquitos that bit me the other day when I was in my backyard with my landscaper. I don’t like these mosquitos. I never knew my backyard mosquitos were so diverse…to think they flew all the way from Vietnam. Guess they had to bite me multiple times on both legs and both arms to make the trip worth their while. I may have to purchase some of this organic medicinal ‘tea tree oil’ for myself if my visiting mosquitos don’t go back to where they came from soon.

What a tiring day…I’m looking forward to retiring to my super duper beach chair tomorrow at my condo on the corner…that’s the only retiring I’m going to be contemplating this weekend.

Judi

Cardio Lite

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My cardiologist called me this week. “Why is Dr. P calling me?,” I wondered, “why is she calling me?” “Your CAT angiogram came back and you know that plaque build up that I thought I saw on your Stress Test a few weeks ago…well, it showed up on the CAT Scan…you have about a 30-40 percent build up of plaque in one of your arteries.”

“OMG…OMG…what am I going to do?,” I don’t want to have a heart attack at 50 years old. I thought I was in great shape. I do my weight circuit at the gym and I go on the treadmill too (well, most of the time I go on the treadmill at least 20 -30 minutes…but I walk…I don’t run). I watch my diet most of the time (okay, I do cheat sometimes. I do enjoy my desserts…pies are my favorite, especially strawberry rhubarb pie and what is a pie without the fattening crust. I like a juicy burger occasionally too. Will I have to become a vegan now?). And I’m doing yoga now too, to help me de-stress.

As my mind calmed down, I sat back and listened to what Dr. P had to say.

“It’s nothing to worry about right now. We usually don’t do anything unless the build up is close to 70 percent,” said Dr. P. “You can always do a catherization to really check how bad it is, but I wouldn’t advise it right now. Keep up with your cholesterol medication, keep exercising, and see me in four to six months.”

“Great,” I thought, “now what do I do…I worry.” Am I a walking time bomb? Is one of the arteries leading to my heart ticking away? I really better watch my diet now. I better start exercising more. But how do I do this?

Should I stop sleeping so I have more time to exercise? No. Should I stop eating so I have more time to exercise? No. Should I stop blogging so I have more time to exercise? Absolutely not. My smart friend who counsels patients on ways to improve their health says I should do more cardio exercise to help get rid of the plaque. That sounds like a good idea.

So…tonight, I went to the gym at the hotel I am staying at. I went straight to the treadmill and I pushed the button to ‘cardio’ workout. I was ready to build up a sweat.

“I can do this,” I said to myself as the elevation started to rise.

“Yes, I can do this,” I told myself as the elevation continued to rise even more.

“I think I can…I think I can do this,” I cried as the elevation seemed to be rising as high as Mt. Everest…or at least it felt that high to my 50 year old knees as I tried to keep pace.

“Nope, this isn’t going to work,” I thought as my feet started sliding backwards instead of forwards. “Nope, this cardio workout is not for me.”

I tried to push the button to change the workout back to my cardio lite pace…but the button got stuck. I pushed and pushed until finally the treadmill slowed down. If it didn’t slow down I decided I would just jump off…I would just jump off that cardio treadmill. Thankfully, after the third try the incline went back to zero…and I went back to finishing my 30 minute walk.

No, I don’t think these cardio workouts are going to work for me. I’ll have to get rid of my plaque another way. Maybe I should read the book I saw mentioned in a recent Seniors Resource Guide called “The Heart Repair Manual:The Philadelphia Formula for Preventing and Reversing Atherosclerosis” written by Dr. Nicholas L. DePace.

Dr. DePace says that “Running for one hour or more per week, is an extremely good level of intensity to get a cardio-protective effect. If one rows one hour per week, takes brisk walks for 30 minutes a day, or lifts weights for 30 minutes or more a week, they can reduce their risk of heart disease by about 20 percent, which is still significant, although not as much as the more active running program.”

I will keep up my yoga so I can handle my stress better. I will keep eating my lowfat Activa yogurt so my digestive system stays healthy. I will keep up my strength training so my muscles stay strong. I will promise to take my cholesterol medication every day. But, the cardio workouts will have to wait for a while. My knees need some tender loving care before I start running again.

Judi

Yoga Time

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Now that I’m done with my “Mindfulness” Meditation Stress Management class I’m a bit less stressed. And since I don’t have to race to get to my Tuesday evening class anymore, I decided I would continue my relaxation therapy with some yoga…vinyasa yoga to be exact.

“I wonder what exactly vinyasa yoga is,” I thought to myself as I dressed in my Lucy yoga attire in preparation for the 75 minute class. The description said it “reduces stress, increases flexibility, enhances your overall feeling of wellness and provides quality reflection time for your busy life.” What could be better…this had my name written all over it.

According to Wikipedia, “Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga is a system of yoga that has its origins (allegedly) in an ancient manuscript known as the Yoga Korunta, compiled by the sage Vamana Rishi. Its current form was developed at the Mysore Palace in Mysore India and is commonly attributed to Sri K. Pattabhi Jois by way of his Satguru, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.” (Wow, what a mouthful…now I really, really do feel a sense of responsibility taking on this ancient form of relaxation.)

I entered the class…there were about seven or so people there…the lights were low…the teacher welcomed everyone…we sat on our yoga mats and blankets for our bottoms. Then the teacher had us close our eyes and breathe. (I can do that I said to myself…I can breathe…this is easy.) Then the teacher told us to stretch like a cat and stretch like a dog and then things got really complicated and we were told to stretch like a camel…yes, like a camel.

I was so proud of myself…I did the doggy stretch. (although the teacher did yell at me to get my hips lower and strengthen my center…I tried so hard to keep my center stiff…but it just gave way and after a few seconds I was flat on the mat…just like we were supposed to be only I got there sooner than all my other yoga mates.)

I was so proud of myself…I did the cat stretch. (this one was easy…I liked stretching like a cat …but then we had to move our legs out to the back and stretch one over the other like a pretzel that was about to break…I tried so hard to keep my balance…I really tried…oh no…oh no…here I go…and before I knew it I was flat on the mat again.)

Then it was time to do the camel. I can bend like a camel. Yes, I can do this stretch…it’s easy, I said to myself. I sat up on my knees and started to bend my body back and started to stretch my hands back until they touched my heels…I did it…yes…I did it…and then I proceeded to fall slowly to the side…but for a few seconds I was a camel.

As the class came to a close, it was time to lie down flat on my back…flat on my back on my flat yoga mat. It was time to do a bodyscan. Ooh, I was so excited. I had learned to do bodyscans at my mindfulness class…so I felt like a pro. I relaxed each part of my body from my toes to the tip of my fingers…from my eyes to the soles of my feet…I tried to melt away all the stress of the day just like the teacher said to do…almost all the stress…my knees were throbbing from all the yoga stretches I had just done…next time I’ll have to use two mats I decided…two mats are better than one.

I left the class feeling calmer than when I had arrived…the day’s stresses had melted away.

I can’t wait until Tuesday for my next vinyasa yoga class…I’m ready to get my center strengthened …maybe I’ll even get good enough so I can go to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health .

Eating yogurt for my digestion and practicing yoga for my mind, body and spirit…what a wellness combo. Now if I could just get rid of some of the external stresses, I’d be all set.

Judi

Boomer Beauty Days

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Every so often I have my so called boomer beauty days. I go to a store like Ulta and I buy some beauty treats for myself…to me it’s more fun than chocolate and less fattening (although I know a few friends of mine would disagree).

I take all my beauty ads that I’ve collected and I purchase some of the many products that have extolled their promise of quick wrinkle remedies and quick fixes for my face or other part of my body. And I purchase these products and I take them home and have a baby boomer beautiful afternoon or evening as I try them out. Sometimes these beauty afternoons and evenings last for days…depending on the steps required by the product.

Yesterday, was one of those days. I went to Ulta to purchase my Olay Regenerist cream that I had used down to the very last drop. (These facial creams that are a few ounces are so expensive that I actually open up the squirt pump and shake out every last bit of cream before purchasing a new bottle).

When I arrived in the face cream aisle, I could not just purchase one cream. I had to look at all the other new creams that were on the shelf…such as new creams that promised to take away my wrinkles or give me a tan or provide a quick face lift or treat my brown spots.

Ka-ching went the cash register…ka-ching, ka-ching. And before I knew it I had succumbed to a few additional at-home remedies in the hopes of making my fifty-something face more youthful.

First, I bought the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream. It says that this intracellular hydration volume and shape across skin’s 10 million surface cells (ooh – do I have 10 million surface cells – wow), progressively lift and micro-sculpt to help: firm sagging – prone areas, even the jaw line (I do have a sagging jaw line), smooth skin’s surface, and restore elasticity (I wouldn’t mind if my face was smoother and was more like a rubberband so it could snap back into shape…especially after my many sleepless menopausal nights). This product came with a step by step brochure to teach me how to use the cream to massage my face and neck.

Next, I bought Olay Total Effects 7-in-1 Anti-Aging Moisturizer. While I was surprised to find out when I arrived home that one important ingredient called SPF was missing from this super duper moisturizer, there were seven other important ingredient attributes…so I figured it was worth the price. Yes, this new cream for mature skin therapy (as the package said) would provide me with younger-looking skin even with the aging effects of menopause (ugh, aging effects and menopause in one sentence…say no more…I was sold.) Line Minimization, intense moisturization, tone enhancement, gentle exfoliation, pore refinement, free radical defense (got to love those free radicals), and subtle lifting (okay, I’ll take the subtle effects, but my face could really use some substantial lifting).

Now that my face was taken care of I decided that I wanted to have shiny hair…the same shine that I get when the hairdresser washes, cuts and styles my hair at the salon (don’t you always wish you could style your hair like the beautician does…my hair never looks as good as the day I get it cut…now that would be a good marketing campaign for a new shampoo or conditioner…”look like you came out of a salon every day”).

“What can I use to shine my hair,” I asked the sales woman, “What hair product do you have to give me some shine?” I said. “We have many,” she said, “the one I would recommend is Redken’s Vinyl Glam 02, a mega shine spray.” I had the sales woman tell me exactly how to use it and exactly what to do so my hair would shine. In the basket it went and I went to check out…enough beautification for one day.

As I got to the counter I noticed a sign that said “Free Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara with any Olay purchase. Ooh,ahh, ooh, ahh…it was my lucky day…another new product to try…and it wasn’t even another face cream…this beauty product was going to max out each and every lash leaving me with the ultimate big lash look as the package proposed…and it said it was hypo-allergenic too.

Ooh, ahh, ooh, ahh…I slid my credit card through the checkout…the sales person put my items in a bag and I headed home. I couldn’t wait to massage my skin, fix up my menopausal face and neck and boost up my eyelashes. Enough beauty products for one day…the new OPI nail polish colors would just have to wait for my next boomer beauty day. This day was focused on the face…next time I’ll have to move to the nails and hands…so many aging body parts to take care of…so many body parts.

Judi

Also, be sure to check out my recent post on the 50 Something Moms – A Flash of Midlife Madness blog:Mama Bear’s Beach Chair