Hi Everyone,
It's been awhile since I've written a post, and it feels good to get back to it. As you can see by the title, I've reached a turning point in my life--a new decade, my sixties. That happened almost two weeks ago, and thank goodness there was a fun party to help me get through it.
Actually, I shouldn't say, "Get through it," because I'm taking The Fit Optimist approach, trying to embrace the future. So, today I'm sharing my insight on the topic. Hopefully it will help some of you when it's your turn to become a sexagenarian. Oh, I like that word!
*This is the final 1/3rd of my life, (give or take probably a handful of years), so it's time to make the most of whatever I do. To me that means, travel more, spend more time with loved ones, try new things, and volunteer when I can.
*I hope to continue to exercise often and with intensity. Remember the title of my first post? Exercise is Your Top Age Eraser. I really believe in that quote, mostly because of the amount of energy I have in comparison to people who exercise moderately, or not at all. Sometimes people won't exercise because of past injuries or surgeries. There's always going to be a type of activity and/or a modification that can work for a person. With my hip replacements and back fusions, I can still swim, cycle, lift weights, do Pilates, hike and play ping pong. Yes, I wish I could run, but that's just something I have to realize I can no longer enjoy. Rather than feeling sad about it, I need to be the optimist that looks for new and enjoyable activities to explore. And, there's also the fact that when you have variety in workouts, you are using a variety of different muscle groups, therefore improving tone and calorie burning potential.
*I want to take a more holistic approach to wellness, concentrating all all six areas of maturity: personal, emotional, physical, social, intellectual and ethical. For example, I do many things to improve my personal, social and physical wellness, but could certainly boost my efforts in other areas. Boosting intellectual wellness would be a good place to start. I hope to read more, and delve into some topics, like history, that I could stand to learn more about. Emotionally, why not try meditation? Journal nightly about my feelings? Ethically, I bet there's the perfect volunteer opportunity out there with my name on it.
*Fashionwise, I'm gonna wear whatever I want to wear, and not worry about whether or not it's too young or too old for me. If I like it, that's all that matters. And, while I'm on the topic, why don't the magazines, even the ones I love, have more articles geared for people over fifty? Just a pet peeve of mine. I guess the editors figure we'll just read our AARP magazines and be happy we have a magazine written just for us.
Those are my thoughts. I didn't have to write much to cover the huge gamut of what I hope to embrace in the future. I'd love to hear your thoughts on aging. If you have trouble posting a comment, you can always send an email to: maryrich5@comcast.net.
Wishing you wellness!
Mary
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
A Few Ideas to Share
Hi Everyone,
Well, did you ask anyone about their passion? I did. I asked my doctor the other day during an office visit! It took her by surprise, but I think she enjoyed talking about herself for a change. It only took a little time away from the business at hand. And just think, maybe she'll ask someone about her passion, and then
that person will ask someone else about his, and so on and so forth. Spreading wellness. I love it.
I just have a few ideas to share about what has helped me in my strive for improved wellness:
*When you make muffins, use the mini-muffin tin that makes 24 muffins! I eat two or three of these, instead of 2 of the normal-sized muffins. Notice the oatmeal that I thew on top of the muffins before baking them. It makes them look so much healthier! I found the tin at Kohl's, in their "Food Network" display.
*When it's time to bump up the cardio, I'm sure there are many textbook formulas of how to go about it, but I just come up with little mind games to play. For example, I breathe every four stroke while swimming freestyle, so I make myself do three fast strokes, and then a slower stroke for the breath. Or, I'll have two fast strokes, and then two at normal speed. Another way I've mixed it up is to sprint every third lap. When on any cardio piece of equipment, I'll make myelf work at a higher pace throughout the entire commercal segment. Or, I'll make myself work harder every other minute. If I'm listening to music, I'll make myself keep pace with the faster songs.
*Mixing strength training with cardio can be a unique workout to try as well. At my gym, there's a spinning
room right next to the weights. I'll spin at a fast pace for two minutes, then go through a set on the weights, rotating that practice for a total of 30 minutes of cycling, and obviously several sets of lifting. It keeps the heart rate up for sure!
*I just had to take a picture of this fun breakfast treat I made myself the other day. It's angel food cake with
raspberries, strawberries,blackberries, and fat-free whipped topping. It certainly wasn't my usual breakfast that always includes a fair amount of protein, but it was fun to feel like I was splurging a little.
Do you have any ideas to share? I'd love to hear about them. Hope these are helpful to you. Wishing you wellness!
Mary R.
PS It's weird how the text is spaced on the posts. I don't type with those spaces, they just show up. If you're a techie, I'd love to learn about how to avoid this problem.
Well, did you ask anyone about their passion? I did. I asked my doctor the other day during an office visit! It took her by surprise, but I think she enjoyed talking about herself for a change. It only took a little time away from the business at hand. And just think, maybe she'll ask someone about her passion, and then
that person will ask someone else about his, and so on and so forth. Spreading wellness. I love it.
I just have a few ideas to share about what has helped me in my strive for improved wellness:
*When you make muffins, use the mini-muffin tin that makes 24 muffins! I eat two or three of these, instead of 2 of the normal-sized muffins. Notice the oatmeal that I thew on top of the muffins before baking them. It makes them look so much healthier! I found the tin at Kohl's, in their "Food Network" display.
*Mixing strength training with cardio can be a unique workout to try as well. At my gym, there's a spinning
room right next to the weights. I'll spin at a fast pace for two minutes, then go through a set on the weights, rotating that practice for a total of 30 minutes of cycling, and obviously several sets of lifting. It keeps the heart rate up for sure!
*I just had to take a picture of this fun breakfast treat I made myself the other day. It's angel food cake with
raspberries, strawberries,blackberries, and fat-free whipped topping. It certainly wasn't my usual breakfast that always includes a fair amount of protein, but it was fun to feel like I was splurging a little.
Do you have any ideas to share? I'd love to hear about them. Hope these are helpful to you. Wishing you wellness!
Mary R.
PS It's weird how the text is spaced on the posts. I don't type with those spaces, they just show up. If you're a techie, I'd love to learn about how to avoid this problem.
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