Striking A New Anti-Aging Skin Care Regimen

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Judi

You know I am always on the lookout for a new skin care regimen. So when the senior marketing manager of “Striking,” an anti-aging skin care with SmartPeptide technology contacted me and asked me if I would like to try their line, I said “absolutely, send it along.”

I’ve been using it for about a week now. It is a four step regimen, so it takes a little extra time in the morning and evening to put all this stuff on my face. But, I really like the products, especially the Striking Multi-Vitamin Creme Cleanser. I feel like I am giving myself a facial twice a day. The Restorative Moisture Cream is nice too and not greasy, like some other anti-wrinkle creams I’ve tried.

According to the Striking website, these products were the result of years of scientific research in developing peptides so precise, that they target the concerns of a more mature skin such as fine lines (I have them all over my face, especially on my forehead), wrinkles (got those too), loss of firmness (will this regimen prevent my neck from turning into a turkey-neck…I hope so) and diminished barrier function (oh my, that sounds scary).

The materials I received say that individuals who used Striking for 8 weeks saw visible results. I have many more weeks to go and will likely have to purchase some more of these products from the Striking website. The products are similar in price to other skin care regimens.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
I hope Striking skin care will make me have the fairest and youngest looking face of all!

Judi

Setting Limits On My "To Do" List

Posted on February 21, 2010 by Judi

I’m proud of myself today. I got up early and went to yoga class. It is a level 2-3 class, not the basic class. The instructor J is so great. She said we should honor our body and our mind every day. J said we should focus on the things we do, versus the things we are not able to accomplish each day.

I’ve been trying to do just that. Trying to set more manageable daily goals. Yes, I still have my four page “to do” list that I put together on my way back from Flo-ree-da this past week. However, I’ve been trying to break my “to do” list into chunks. I’ve been trying to start each day with a list of three or four things I plan to accomplish. At the end of each day I check my list (sometimes do a mental check) to see if I kept to my plan.

Needless to say, this has been a challenge for me. That’s because I am a multi-tasker. Did I say I was a multi-tasker? Actually, I’m a multi-multi-multi-tasker. My astrology reading a few weeks ago confirmed this part of my personality.

“You like to expand, grow, see the world,” said Astrologer Carolyn Crawford during my astrology session at the Miraval Spa. “You over do things, yet you balance it with discipline. You accept responsibility, are good at executing things and very organized. However, you are very hard on yourself.”

Taking Time To Take Care of My Plants
“Your flowering plant is so beautiful,” I said to my boyfriend L when I arrived at his home yesterday. I think he has a green-thumb. (I, on the other hand, do not. In fact, I don’t remember any particular green color or green-thumb mentioned as one of my strengths or as any part of my personality during my astrology reading.)

“My flowering plant, the same flowering plant that I gave to you, is very sad looking. The plant’s leaves are all dried up,” I added. (Here I go, being hard on myself.)

“You have to give it some loving care,” said L. “You are too busy.”

L is right, I am too busy. I have to continue to set limits on my daily “to do” list so the flowers on my flowering plant will bloom again.

Slowing Down In Flo-ree-da

I practiced setting limits in Flo-ree-da during my visit with my mom. It’s always good to slow down with my mom. She walks slow with her walker, she eats slowly, she takes her time and doesn’t over plan her day. Each activity is more enjoyable that way.

I loved spending Valentine’s Day weekend with my mom. (Astrologer Carolyn said that my mom had a stronger influence on me while I was growing up….more so than my dad. That is SO TRUE. I wonder how astrologers know these things? It’s amazing!)

We took things nice and slow. My mom has no internet access in her Flo-ree-da condo, so I left my computer and my iPod in shutdown mode. (What a sense of freedom that created. Ahhhhh! By the way, that also is why I was unable to blog and tell you all about my Flo-ree-da weekend.)

On Saturday evening, we went to Panera Bread for dinner. We each had soup and salad. But, when it was time for dessert, there was nothing left in the display case, but a few lonely cookies.

“I’m really in the mood for dessert,” said my mom. “Let’s go get some dessert at the market.” (This is why I love my mom. This is why she was and continues to be a great influence in my life.)

“Absolutely,” I agreed as I drove to Publix supermarket and picked out a special dessert in honor of Valentine’s Day. I bought a tiny cherry pie and a container of Haagen Dazs Dulce de Leche frozen yogurt.

“What did you buy for dessert?” asked my mom when I returned to the car. “I bought a tiny cherry pie from the bakery and Haagen Dazs frozen yogurt,” I replied.

“That’s great, we’re living it up,” said mom. (This is why I love my mom. This is why she was and continues to be a great influence in my life.)

We enjoyed our cherry pie and frozen yogurt that night and finished off the pie the following night. (Night Two included my mom’s favorite meal which she makes for me during my visits. Can you guess? If you guessed ‘veal and peppers’ you guessed right.)

We took things nice and slow the rest of the weekend.

On Sunday, we went to the movies. We left an hour in advance so we had plenty of time to get lost and still get to the theatre in time for the show. (You know what? We didn’t get lost. This was the first time ever that we DID NOT GET LOST.)

On Monday, we went shopping to Dillards and then we went out to dinner. Can you guess where we went to dinner? I’ll give you two choices – The Olive Garden or the Chinese restaurant. If you guessed The Olive Garden, you guessed right. We did not go to the Chinese restaurant because it was past 6:00 pm and after 6:00 pm everything is ala carte, so the Chinese restaurant was off the list during this visit. “I will go have Chinese food when your sister visits next week,” said mom.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with my mom and was sad when I had to leave Flo-ree-da. I was pleased with my accomplishments each day and savored the time I spent with my mom. We set limits and we kept to them. We didn’t make our daily “to do” list too long and we accomplished the two or three things we set out to do each day.

“Do you have any Listerine?” I asked my mom one night.

“Yes, look on the shelf in the bathroom,” said mom.

I looked and looked, but could not find the bottle.

“It’s there,” said my mom, “look for the glass bottle with the black top.”

“Oh, yes, now I see it,” I said. I didn’t notice the bottle of Listerine because it was a glass bottle. (According to Wikipedia, Listerine was packaged in a glass bottle inside a corrugated cardboard tube for nearly 80 years before the first revamps were made to the brand. In 1994, the brand was introduced in plastic bottles. That means that the bottle of Listerine my mom has is at least 16 years old, and likely older than that.)

“Do you think the Listerine in the bottle can go bad?” I asked mom.

“Why would Listerine go bad?” said mom. “Try it and see.” (This is why I love my mom. This is why she was and continues to be a great influence in my life.)

I tried it and I’m still alive. What a risk-taker I’ve become at 52 years of age!

Note for my limited “to do” list for my next visit to mom: Get a new plastic bottle of Listerine for mom. Take old glass bottle to antique shop and see if it is worth anything.

Judi

Eating Healthy

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Judi

I just love the new Kashi cereal that I was able to try for free with my RecycleBank points. It’s called Kashi U and is made with 7 Whole Grain Flakes & Granola with Black Currants & Walnuts. It contains lots of Vitamins and Minerals and Protein and Fiber. I could eat an entire box at one sitting, but that wouldn’t be too healthy. I may have to spend the $4.95 that it costs to buy one of these boxes. Maybe I will.

Judi

50 Going on 16

Posted on February 10, 2010 by Judi

As I sit here looking out my window at the snow falling and as I prepare for our second major snow storm of the week, I wish, oh how I wish, I was still in Tucson.

I wish I was still at the Miraval Spa. I wish I was getting ready for my Abhyanga massage with P, the massage therapist. P massaged warm herb-infused oils into my skin to get rid of all the toxins and impurities that were in my body. It was so wonderful.

I wish I was still at the Miraval Spa. I wish I was getting ready for my CranioSacral massage with N, the cranial massage therapist. N gently manipulated the surrounding tissue and bones in my head, spine and sacrum/tail bone areas to free up muscular and energetic blockages that were restricting the flow of cerebral spinal fluid. It was so relaxing.

I wish I was still at the Miraval Spa. I wish I was sitting down to have my Chamomile Calming manicure with G, the fabulous manicurist. First G bathed my hands and then she gently exfoliated them with a chamomile scrub that was rich in botanicals, which provided much needed moisture to my dry sensitive skin. Then G gave me a perfect, I mean p-e-r-f-e-c-t (not one smudge or extra spot on any of my cuticles) manicure. She was a perfectionist and a really fun person to talk to.

I wish I was still at the Miraval Spa. I wish I was attending one of Evelyn Resh’s classes on Human Sexuality. Yes, I told you I would share all that I learned from Evelyn, Miraval’s Director of Sexuality. She was so entertaining that I went to both of her class offerings.

Evelyn wrote the book, “The Secret Lives of Teen Girls: What Your Mother Wouldn’t Talk about but Your Daughter Needs to Know.”(I definitely need to get a copy of this book and read it. I should get a second copy for my daughter too. After hearing Evelyn’s talk, I realized that I didn’t educate my daughter well enough.)

The first class was titled “You’re Still 16.” Evelyn said that “what occurs in adolescense continues throughout our lives.” (I remember my Sweet 16 party. However, it was all girls. There were no boys at my Sweet 16 party. I should have invited boys to my Sweet 16 party. Guess it is too late now.)

Evelyn spoke about our brains. The back of our brain is the Reptilian brain with hard wiring. The Frontal Cortex is where we get our math, writing skills. And then there’s the Limbic brain, which is the emotional center. It is highly sensitive and the seed of our sexuality. Teenagers spend more focus on the Limbic part of the brain.

Evelyn said that menopausal women (that’s me, that’s me, perk up, perk up) need to move even more into their Limbic brain. Evelyn said that “womens’ lives are lists, kids, grand kids, work, cleaning, things, more things.”

“Stop making all those lists and doing all those things,” Evelyn said. “Instead move more into that Limbic brain and create your new post-menopausal sexuality.” (Suddenly I felt more like 50 going on 16. Oh, Evelyn, thank you for all this great information. I will try to get rid of my lists. I will use music like you said to create the mood. I want my Limbic brain to be able to release more of the good stuff like oxytocin, serotonin and dopamine.)

The second class entitled “Pissed Off and Tired” was even more informative. Here’s the scoop:

Evelyn told us that the reasons we don’t have sex are because of the 3D’s – Dyspareunia (it’s painful), Dissatisfaction, and Decreased Libido. Menopausal women (that’s me, that’s me, perk up, perk up) can have vaginal dryness which causes dyspareunia. Evelyn suggested using vaginal estrogen to help with this problem. “Ovaries retire, they don’t shut down,” said Evelyn. (Evelyn is so smart and very wise. I really liked Evelyn’s advice.)

According to Evelyn, one of the reasons we have dissatisfaction with sex is because we have inhibitions about our bodies. She said that “many women have plastic surgery and try to change their bodies, even though their mates still want them just the way they are.”

Women of all ages have decreased libido. “The legacy you leave behind is how well you loved,” says Evelyn. “Did you love authentically? Did you love spiritually?” She said that “you must give your partner your undivided attention. Sex is a discipline and a devotional practice.”

Finally, it all goes back to Sweet 16. “Why don’t long-term couples not make out?” says Evelyn. “Teens can make out for two hours. Go ahead, make out for two hours.”

Oh, Evelyn, really?

Really?

Well, okay then.

Judi

It’s Complicated

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Judi

I went to see “It’s Complicated” this weekend featuring one of my favorite 50+ actresses, Meryl Streep. It was so much fun. I could totally relate to what she was going through, although I am widowed not divorced. I so want her kitchen and her food business. All baby boomer women should see this movie…and go with your girlfriends. Maybe take your boyfriend or husband or partner too. I think I might just purchase this movie to have for keeps when it comes out on DVD.

Judi