Monthly Archives: June 2010

My Mini Middle Age Workouts

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Earlier this week, I moved my Cheesecake Factory Teddy Bear  (who is dressed in a pink workout outfit I might add) off my stationery bicycle (which I had not used in almost six months or longer) and I started a new exercise regiment. which features a 15 minute morning workout.  I set my weekday alarm for 6:00 a.m. instead of 6:15 a.m. and I get up and start to do what I call my “mini middle age workout.”

Of course, I  have to practically throw my body out of bed each morning when the alarm goes off as it did this past week.  But, I told myself, “it’s so good for you Judi, just get up and keep it up.”

What prompted this sudden burst of morning energy, you may ask?

Well, well, well…it happened after I read an article in last week’s New York Times, Magazine, called A Workout for Your Bloodstream, about the molecular effects of exercise. The article featured the results of research done by Dr. Gregory Lewis, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Lewis’ study gauged the metabolic effects of exercise. The results found that  “after only 10 minutes of exercise, even the least fit showed evidence that their bodies were burning fat; the more fit, the more metabolic evidence of fat burning.”

I immediately took a liking to Dr. Lewis and to his study.  I had been frustrated of late because I was having a tough time fitting exercise into my busy schedule. But now I decided, if even 10 minutes of exercise can possibly make a difference to my long term health, I have no more excuses.   And, if I add several 10 minute workouts throughout the day, perhaps it can also help me better maintain my weight.

It’s been a fun challenge.  On Tuesday, I felt totally full after dining out with some colleagues from work.  It’s time for another mini middle age workout, I said to myself as I drove home. You ate that mini key lime pie, now go take 10 or 15 minutes and go work it off.

Off to the gym I went.  I had never worked out at 9:00 p.m. before.  But, if it was only going to last for 10 – 15 minutes, I was definitely game.  Zip, zip, zip – I lifted my weights and I was outta there and back home by 9:30 p.m. Ooh, aah.  Ooh, aah.  I’m starting to like these mini middle age workouts more and more.

What other mini middle age workouts can I do?

- 10 minutes of jumping jacks (Can I do that?)
- 10 minutes of push ups (Will I get Michelle Obama’s arms like my yoga teacher always says when she puts us in plank position?)
- 10 minutes of sit ups (Wonder how many sit ups I can do in 10 minutes?)
- 10 minute walk at lunchtime (I’ll be moving morning, noon and night!)

I sure hope I can keep this incremental exercise regimen going this coming week?  Tomorrow is Monday morning. I just set the alarm for 6:00 a.m.  My Cheesecake Factory Teddy Bear is sitting on the pillow right next to my face.  I have no choice.  If I turn to my left – there’s the alarm clock.  If I turn to my right – there’s Teddy. 

Will I do it?  Won’t I do it?  If I keep up my mini middle age workouts for a month maybe I will build up some momentum and promise myself a special treat like a new pair of New Balance workout shoes, or a new yoga outfit from my favorite Lucy store? 

Oh, no. Oh, no.

Another  study that was published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association says that “Women at a normal weight who consume a normal diet can beat middle-age weight gain by working out intensely for 30 minutes a day, whether by running, cycling, swimming laps or working out at a gym. Weight gain can also be prevented with 60 minutes of moderate activity, such as walking, a leisurely bike ride or playing catch.”

Better get some rest so I can get up early and start working out.  I may need to max out my mini middle age workouts to keep my middle-age middle in check.

Judi

Like A Tattoo

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Today was my late husband’ Ms birthday.  He would have been 59 today. I was handling things okay, especially with Father’s Day coming up this weekend.  I went to my condo on the corner at the shore and it was a glorious day.  The sun was shining and I sat on the beach and listened as the water rode in on the waves.  It was so peaceful.

So much has happened in the past three years since that terrible, terrible June day when the clot took hold in M’s leg.  It was a June day I will never forget  because it changed my life forever.

I thought about M this week as I began to clear out the clutter in my garage in preparations for putting my house up for sale.  I attempted to throw out the orange cones that have been sitting in the corner of my garage for the past eight plus years.

I remember the day M stole the two orange cones from a workmen’s site during the spring of 2003 when our daughter A was learning how to drive.  M used the cones to teach A how to parallel park.  He would take A and the two orange cones to the local high school, place the cones a car’s distance apart, and have A back up the car between the two cones.  He taught her well.  She passed her driving test with perfect parallels.

I used the orange cones four years later when it was time to teach my son D how to parallel park.  M was sick at the time, but his orange cones were put to good use.  Only this time, I had to teach D how to drive. Thankfully, he passed his driving test and continues to be a good driver.

I say I attempted to get rid of the orange cones this week, but the garbage men left them on my driveway.  I guess they were not in garbage bags and the garbage men refused to take them.  I will have to sneak out and put them back on a workmen’s site around my neighborhood.  Or perhaps I will leave them at the high school so another new student driver can learn to parallel park.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,” said the Honda General Manager on the voicemail as I checked the phone message when I arrived home this afternoon.  Two small tears fell from my eyes.  Don’t they know M isn’t driving his Honda Accord anymore?  But then again, how would they know if I hadn’t told them.

I am going to spread grass seed on M’s gravesite this weekend to honor the great Father that he was. I think he loved his lawn as much as his two kids so I want his gravesite to be full of grass . He would be proud of how nicely I am keeping up his lawn and managing as a single parent too. The lawn is still green and both kids are doing well.

Yes, M has been on my mind these past two weeks of June as I clear out the clutter and start to think more about moving on to a new home.  Hopefully, a new townhome that doesn’t require lawncare.  But, the memories of M and his lawn and his two orange cones will always remain.  Like the words of the song “Tattoo” that played on my radio today blared out:

You’re still a part of everything I do
You’re on my heart just like a tattoo
Just like a tattoo

You’re still a part of everything I do
You’re on my heart just like a tattoo
Just like a tattoo

Judi

Happiness and Aging

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I knew there was something good about being 50+ and it was confirmed by a recent article I read in the New York Times Health section last week.  The article was about a 2008 Gallup poll that “found that by almost any measure, people get happier as they get older.” 

According to the article Gallup surveyed more than 340,000 people nationwide between the ages of 18 and 85 (quite a large generational span), asking them questions about “global well-being,”  They also asked six other questions that relate to a person’s immediate well-being.

Since Gallup did not invite me to take the survey, I thought I would take it myself.  Here’s the questions…you take it too and let me know how you fair:

Did you experience the following feelings during a large part of the day yesterday?

1. Enjoyment (Yes, I was feeling a sense of enjoyment yesterday, despite the rainy weather that caused my hair to frizz. I think I was still feeling the positive feelings from the two prior days when the weather was sunny, there was very low humidity in the air and my hair was absolutely perfect with highlights, color and lots of body.  I wonder if I move to San Diego if I would enjoy life all the time? The weather there is always sunny, 70, with low humidity. I could have great hair days every day.)

2. Happiness (Yes, I was feeling a sense of happiness yesterday.  I was happy because my contractor finally showed up to put the new glass in my kitchen windows. “Our screens look pretty dirty,” said my son D, “especially with the new clear glass in the kitchen windows.”  “I guess we will have to clean the screens now,” I said to my son D. Bright clean kitchen windows, a dry basement, no raccoons, I was very happy.)

3. Stress (No, I was not feeling too stressed out yesterday.  I was pretty mellow.  I had done yoga the day before and I think my meditative state had lingered. My yoga teacher N showed me how to open my heart in yoga class on Tuesday night.  I was excited to learn how to push out my energy through my heart.  Om,om,om…yoga is truly the best way to relax my mind, body and soul.)

4. Worry (No, I was not feeling worried yesterday.  My yoga practice helped me “live in the moment.” When I “live in the moment” I always seem to worry less.)

5. Anger (No, I was not feeling angry yesterday. Ooh, maybe a little angry, but I shed the anger quickly.  I decided I was not going to let my son’s spending habits make me angry anymore. Ooh, maybe not anymore…but I’m learning to release the anger more quickly.)

6. Sadness (No, I was not feeling sad yesterday.  The day before I was sad after talking to a former colleague who recently lost her husband after a brief illness. However, I did feel happy that I was able to help comfort her by sharing my story of how I managed after losing my spouse.)

So, how did I stack up to the Gallup results?  According to the article, I was pretty in sync with my fellow fiftysomethings and the news gets better with age. Listen to this – it’s good, it’s good:

“On a global measure, people start out at age 18 feeling pretty good about themselves, and then, life begins to throw curve balls.” (Yes, this is true, I’ve had quite a few curve balls thrown at me and I haven’t always been good with the catcher’s mitt.)

But, guess what? Guess what? Guess what?

“They feel worse and worse until they hit 50. At that point, there is a sharp reversal, and people keep getting happier as they age.” 

Ah ha, ah ha, ah ha, la de da, la de da, and as my father would say “I’ll have cocktails for two.”

Wait, wait, wait…the news gets even better.

“By the time they are 85, they are even more satisfied with themselves than they were at 18.”

The more I read this article, the happier I got.

“Researchers found that stress declines from age 22 onward, reaching its lowest point at 85.  Worry stays fairly steady until 50, then sharply drops off. Anger decreases steadily from 18 on, and sadness rises to a peak at 50, declines to 73, then rises again to 85.  Enjoyment and happiness have similar curves: they both decrease gradually until we hit 50, rise steadily for the next 25 years, and then decline very slightly at the end, but they never reach the low point of our early 50s.”

Well, that doesn’t sound so bad.  If I’m currently at the lowest point of my enjoyment and happiness, there is only one direction for it to go as I continue to age and it is up, up, up. 

But, how can I continue to move my happiness up, up, up?

Maybe I will read Dan Baker’s book, What Happy Women Know, to learn some tips. Dan says ” Happy women know that with each phase of life, they give up something, but they also get something in return.” 

How true. How true.

Judi

 

Springing into Fashion

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Soon it will be summer and I haven’t even “geared up” for the spring fashion season yet.  I need to back track on my InStyle and Vogue magazines and see what I need to buy…or pull out of my closet from years past when the same fashion trends were trendy.

According to the InStyle trendsetters, here’s what I should be wearing (and you should too, if you want to be a trendy boomer woman):

- Animal prints: I remember wearing animal prints a few years ago.  Styles always return, that’s why I do save my accessories.  I would like to get a trendy cheetah print skirt, a-lined so it is more form fitting for my 50+ body.  I also have a few leopard print scarves that I can pull out of my closet.  Ah yes, and I have a leopard print bracelet too.  It is so old, but luckily I never threw it out.

- Leather: Leather is in style for spring.  With the temperature already hitting over 80 degrees and my hot flashes starting to kick in, I don’t know that leather pants or a leather jacket is the best thing to wear.  What were these trendsetters thinking?  Oh, wait.  I know. I know. If I do wear leather pants in this hot weather I will definitely sweat off some excess pounds and be ready for this summer’s bathing suit season.

- Prairie: Prairie prints are trendy.  I’m not much of a cowgirl and don’t really care for the prairie look.  I think I’ll have to skip the plaid shirts.  My daughter A was wearing a plaid shirt when I saw her the other weekend.  She is so trendy.  I think this trend will have to stay with my younger girlfriends.

- Ruffles: I’m not much for ruffles either.  However, I did buy a purple dress with some ruffles around the neckline.  They were tiny ruffles.  I don’t consider myself a ruffle-type person.  Plain and simple round necks are more my style.

- Rocker: Hmm, biker vests and studded tops?  Metal grommets and spiked flats?  Chunky rings too. No, no, no…not for me.

No wonder I was so frustrated this morning when I opened my closet and had nothing to wear – the spring trends are working against me.

Hold on.  Wait.  I just turned another page in my April InStyle issue.  There are a few more trends from Fashion Director Cindy Weber Cleary.  Thank you Cindy! Cindy says that “the season’s new looks have a kind of classic appeal.”  I think I like Cindy’s advice better than the previous recommendations. 

Let’s see what Cindy suggests for a trendy spring wardrobe:

- Polka dots: I love polka dots.  I would love to get a pair of espadrilles with polka dot fabric.Cindy says to “put the spots where you want the spotlight.”  She says to “watch how you wear polka dots to avoid the clown factor.” 

- Shorts: No, no, no.  No more shorts on this body, unless I am on the beach and using them as a beach coverup.  Bermuda shorts are the shortest shorts I will wear and I prefer capris. Glad Cindy agrees.  She says that “if you are young, wear shorts wherever you want to.  But, if you are older, wear them to the pool or on the patio but not to town – or out on the town.” 

- Draping: I think a nicely draped top or dress is so elegant.  Cindy says that draping is “all about the body and graceful carriage.”

- Pearls: Cindy says “even a single pearl makes a statement, but it should be a big one, like drop earrings.”  I do like classic pearls.  I will have to go hunting for the perfect pearl earrings this spring.

Wait, there’s more about accessories for the apring season:

- Bright wedges: I have an few pair of wedges, but they are quite uncomfortable on my 50+ feet and I cannot fit my arch inserts into my wedges.  I think I am going to have to stick with my less tendy Easy Spirit sandals for my aging feet.  They are so much more comfortable.

- Two-Tone Frames: I need to wear prescription sunglasses, so doubt I will go out and purchase a trendy pair this spring.

- Lace-Up Heels:  Ha, ha, ha.  Have you seen the heels on some of the lace-up shoes?  How am I (or anyone else 50+) supposed to walk in those heels?

- Boho Clutches: I do not have any boho print bags in my closet.  May have to get a boho.

-  Summer Boots: Now why exactly would I want to wear boots during the summer?  I’m not going to wear prairie shirts anyway, so I guess there is no need for me to get a pair of summer boots to go with them.

- Grecian Sandals: Isn’t this an old trend?  I seem to remember that Grecian sandals were in style last summer.  I didn’t buy a pair then and I don’t know if I will buy a pair this summer. 

- Doctor Bags: Am I going to have to break down and buy a Louis Vuitton. No, no, no.  Maybe my daughter A will let me take her Louis Vuitton doctor bag out one spring or summer weekend.

“Layered chains, ornate earrings, tusks and teeth” are the InStyle editors trendy picks for this spring’s jewelry wearers.

Wait there’s more trends from my 528 page April issue of Vogue: minimalism, military, romantic, clamorous colors, primitive prints, funky accessories, armloads of beads, feathers and blossoms.

What’s that you say?  April is over and so is May.  These trends are not longer trendy. OMG!  I missed an entire season. I better get to my June mags which just arrived a week ago.  I don’t want to be two seasons behind come September.

Judi