The Anti-aging Bullet

Have you noticed that most of the Spring issue magazines are featuring anti-aging articles, or if not, it’s “being beach ready by Memorial Day”?  Not to mention the hundreds of books that are now out on those same topics.  There’s everything from anti-aging products such as nutrition, physical fitness, skin care, hormone replacements, vitamins, supplements and herbs. It is a lucrative global industry (and one that I wish I had stocks in)!

What’s wrong with being the age you are if you are over 60?  OK, we do have our aches and pains but on the plus side we have the experiences of life.  That can’t be packaged into a pill and given at doses a couple of times a day. My role models are Dame Helen Merrin, Dame Judi Dench and Suzanne Lumley.  All of whom are beautiful over 60 and loving life just as they are! (is it me or are all of the lovely let me all hang out 60+ ladies British?)

We should all have a list of things that we want to accomplish, whether or not we call it our “bucket list”.  What we want to accomplish in our lives is completely free and based on who we are.  What makes each of us special is what we desire and our determination to see it flourish.

I have to admit that I’m a “self-help junkie” and I’m constantly reading books on how to improve myself.  Those of you who know me know that I’m not sure any of them have really worked but I’m considering myself a “work in progress”. When I lived in the UK, I was lucky enough to meet the most wonderful lady, Pippa Davies, who is a marketing guru, as well as speech coach and author.  She’s a psychologist who helps people communicate.  We immediately hit it off and I threw myself into reading all of her books.  She’s an amazing lady of “our age” who has coached Prime Ministers and several cabinet ministers as well as CEO’s and board directors of blue chip companies and has presented on BBC.  She has also had the tremendous pleasure of coaching an Oscar winner.  She’s a formidable lady but I love her to bits and really miss her and our lunches. She’s also a confessed self-help junkie and we’d often discuss what the most current self-help articles and books had to offer. I’d really just like to be able to sit down with her and ask if it’s so terrible to be 60+ and why do we have to buy into all of this anti-aging hype.

We have to face the fact that no cream, supplement or any other devise is going to reverse the aging symptoms, regardless of the advertising hype.  We have to realize that it’s not fatal to have a few wrinkles and aches and pains – it’s a right of passage into the “golden age”. And we can take the advertising blurb from the hair commercial – “We’re worth it!!” and know that whatever we want in life, it’s worth going after.  It might not be the bikini on the beach or some other 30-something dream but it’s real life, as we are living it in our 60’s!

Not Just Another Resolution!

Happy New Year! It’s that time again when a majority of us have made our resolutions. According to my Internet search, the usual ones include lose weight, spend more time with family, eat healthy, save money, etc. After considerable thought the heading for my list is Goals for 2012. I’ve decided to choose the word “goals” rather than resolutions because resolutions doesn’t leave me with the same feeling of commitment and those who know me know that I’m pretty goal oriented. That little change in the heading of my written goals (yes, I do write them down) seemed appropriate.

Topping my list is to do everything that I can to make certain my heart is healthy and to encourage everyone whom I know to do the same. Both of my parents died from heart related illnesses at a very early age so I probably have a bigger incentive than most of my friends but I do feel that it is important for everyone – women especially.

We are constantly bombarded through TV and magazine ads making us aware of breast cancer. Yet Dr. Oz said on his TV show last year,

“More than one in four women die from heart disease, nearly triple the number of breast and lung cancer combined.”

(If you missed Dr. Oz’s shows on heart health, you can access them on his website.) Breast cancer awareness and research has had very good PR and survivors can talk about how important it is to have routine exams. Since fewer women survive heart attacks, they aren’t around to encourage us to live a healthy lifestyle and get our blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly. Also, the symptoms for women are often drastically different than for men and women wait longer to call 911 or see their doctor. Frequently it’s not in the forefront of doctor’s minds so it’s up to us to be on top of this issue.

So, how can we take care of the ones we love as well as ourselves? Be informed -- know how to take the steps to prevent and control heart attacks and strokes and tell everyone you can to do the same. There are now so many wonderful web sites that give us the facts that we need. A really great one that I love for describing symptoms and providing a downloadable checklist to take to your doctor is www.womenshealth.gov/heartattacks. If you haven’t already, find out what your family history is and let your doctor know if any of your family members have high blood pressure, heart disease or strokes.

It’s up to you. Decide now to get a healthier lifestyle. This means eating more vegetables and fruit and less meat. It also means getting some exercise every day. Just remember, you won’t see your blood pressure and cholesterol drop overnight but making these changes will mean less risk of future heart problems and you will be feeling better and enjoying the life that you were meant to live.

Another great way to spread the word to your friends and family is to support the Go Red day on February 3rd this year. Provide your support not just for the one day, but the whole month of February. There are several methods for giving support. Check out the American Heart Association website for ways you can give both locally and nationally. For my friends outside of the US, check the Internet for a similar organization for your country. You can get all kinds of Go Red products with all proceeds benefiting the American Heart and American Stroke Associations.

Even though I knew about my family history of heart related illnesses, I’d not kept track of my blood pressure or cholesterol. One fate-filled day while at work, I spent my lunch and break time having both checked out. Thank goodness I did because I found out that both were sky high and I was a potential stroke or heart attack sufferer! Now I want to be sure that I encourage others to have both checked regularly. It only takes a few minutes and you could be saving your life.

I’m the same as everyone else, if I don’t take my goals (resolutions) seriously and stay on track, I’ll backslide. If I can get as many of you as possible to adopt this goal, we can support each other and get the word out to others that a lifestyle change is important for a healthier and longer life.

To keep the body in good health is a duty. . . otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
Buddha
Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.
Jim Rohn