The New Face of Fitness is getting older.




Harrison Ford Age 65



I have been working out at my fitness club on an almost daily basis. I love the spinning class especially with my 60+ year old trainer. He actually has a day job and teaches spinning three evening a week. I did two Pilate's classes last week with much younger instructors and felt they did not really understand my needs. I do push myself but I know my body and I don't mind "feeling the burn" but I do not want to be totally disabled for days after a class. Sometimes while I am trying to do the exercise as demonstrated by the 30+, 10% body fat, flexible instructor, I am thinking "just wait" you will be old some day. According to the article in Living Well, 37% of health club members are 55 or older. I don't want to enroll in a "senior only" center but I do want a trainer that has some experience working with the more mature client. Today I was a bit sore from Sundays grueling Pilate's class so I took it easy and did a brisk walk with my best friend. We walked fast enough to build up a light sweat but not so fast that we could not talk. I am looking forward to my spinnng class tomorrow and maybe I'll give Pilate's another chance.

Link to article: http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/07/27/senior.fitness/index.html

Vintage Sunglasses

What do my best friend and Nicole Richie have in common? I played "hookie" with my best friend the other day. I was suppose to be studying for a certificate I need to have to start back to work in September. I took the wrapper off the CD and book and promptly called by best friend to see if she wanted to go for coffee. Her husband answered the phone and said she was at the local salon having a M&P. I drove over there (I usually walk, but wanted to hijack her for a quick trip to the local Macy's) to pick her up. Before we went shopping she wanted to walk down the boulevard to drop off a gift for a friend (and dry her nails). She is trying to lose weight and exercise more. So instead of jumping into my car I joined her in the 1/2 mile walk. I am trying to be her support person in her effort to lose extra poundage. As we left the salon I noticed she put on an over-sized pair of sunglasses. (Just like the sun glasses I had just seen on a picture of Nicole in the Calendar section of the LA Times.) Wow, I said you are so in-style. Yes she replied these old things they have finally come back into style. I remember my mom saying that: "If you keep something long enough it will come back into style." Yikes, we are turning into our moms!

Retiring Early!

A hot topic at boomer gatherings is when to retire. Looking at the stock market today (July 27, 2007) we may be working a lot longer than we planned on. If you are one of the earlier boomers the retirement age is fast approaching. But what is that age 55, 65, 70? With longevity increasing (I have an aunt that died of natural causes in her 90s). My mom and dad are in their early 80s and both reasonably healthy.

Tips from the experts:

1. Calculate your needs
2. Adjust your portfolio
3. Stay Busy

Calculate your needs - When the experts tell you to calculate your needs what is your target age. If you retire to early the money may run out - if you wait to long you may not get to enjoy the fruits of your labor. With Social Security on the brink of running out of money and health care cost spiraling we may need to depend on our own resources to survive comfortably on our own.

Adjust your portfolio - easier said than done. Most experts say 60% in stocks and 35% in equities. I guess that leaves 5% stuffed under the mattress. If your are able I would suggest putting as much into any any retirement plan you are eligible for. At least put away the maximum amount you are allowed into a personal IRA account.

Stay busy - I am Lucky that in my profession I am off summers. I worked summers when my children were in school but when my daughter graduated (and got a job) I decided to take the summer off. I have employed more women who have the "empty nest syndrome" and have shifted from hospital nursing to teaching. They are a great group of women, energetic and full of life experiences. 2 years ago I started donating time in my daughter-in-laws first grade classroom. It is fun to work with the kids.

Go back to school - my suggestion - This year I have a student who wanted to know if she could keep her cell phone on during class. She was awaiting the birth of her first grandchild. When asked why she came back to college at her age, her reply: "It is something I have always wanted to do." During one of my graduate class a few years ago there was a cluster of us 50+ with one age 59. For those of you who are not academically inclined take an art class, ceramics, or computer class. Learn to BLOG!

The Smart Money Path to Retiring Early:


http://www.smartmoney.com/cover/index.cfm?story=april2007&pgnum=2

Back-combing, Teasing and Ratting - The Art of Tangling Hair

Boy does this take my "back in time". I remember "ratting" my hair back in college It I look back at my college graduation pickture I could serve as the poster child for the "Hairspray" movie. I have noticed my dabugter "teasing" her hair to give her hair more lift. Maybe the "Beehive" will be back in style soon. I don't think my children can picture me with a beehive hair do, babydoll dress, and bright blue eye shadow with black underliner and fake eyelashes. Now you can go one-line to view a movie on how to properly back-comb your hair. How things have changed - or have they?

For review of the hit movie "Hairspray" go to http://www.missmovies.com/

To learn how to "tease" your hair go to:

http://lifestyle.msn.com/stylestudio/default.aspx?tab=episodes&section=weekend&contentid=54&GT1=10182

Study Finds Obesity Loves Company

This week I have been followoing an article about obesity and friendship. Today the article was on the front page of the LA Times. "Obesity can spread among a group of friends like a contagious disease, moving from one person to another in an epidemic of fat." WOW! I have heard of measles, chickenpox, mumps etc spreading from person to person but not fat. "The trend has been linked to inexpensive fast food, a sedentary lifestyle and genetic factors." I do not eat fast food, lead a pretty active life (spinning 2-3 times a week) and am very lucky to have a good genetic background. (six siblings and no one obese). Now I have to choose my friends by their BMI and eating habits! This seems a bit absurd. According to the article: "A person who becomes obese increases the odds of obesity in about 100 people connected to one another through family or friendship." YIPES! Can you catch obesity! Is there an immunization against obesity - like immunizations against most communicable diseases? I guess the mortal of the story is to promote exercise and better diet among your friends and you will prevent the spread of obesity. Replace the morning donut with fruit and low fat yogurt. Omit sugar from your coffee and use non-fat cream or take it black. Drink WATER! When you feel like putting something in your mouth......move away from the food.....every bite does count.

Read the full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/25/AR2007072501353.html

Vitamin Water

Are there any benefits from high cost vitamin waters. I purchased one each of the more popular brands and did a very unscientific study. I put the bottles of water on my kitchen table and asked various people which would be their favorite and why.

Glaceau Vitamin Water (C+ Calcium). The container has 2.5 serving with 50 calries per serving, zero sodium and 70 mg of potassium plus Vit A, E, B3,6,5,12,and folic acid. My rationale for drinking this tasty fluid is that I use it as a replacment for orange juice. When I am working I take a bottle as part of my "on the road breakfast." I no longer use it as a supstitiute for water while exercising due to the 150 calories per bottle.

My daughter likes Smart Water by Glaceau . It has zero calories, zero sodium, and trace electrolytes. She will drink Vitamin Water (C + Calcium) for the same reasons I do - as a substitute for orange juice.

My husband and daughters guy friend chose Gatorade. Gatorade has 50 calories per ounce, 110 mg of sodium and 30 mg of potassium (electolytes). Both do drink tap water but will drink Gatorade when doing more strenuous exercise or outdoor sports.

My middle son said: "What is wrong with plain old tap water?"

I found a genertic quote used by a few sources:

"Any benefit, other than the water, in such a drink is questionable. If a person wants to supplement vitamins, either a multi-vitamin daily or selected megadoses are usually more convenient and less expensive. The best source of vitamins is always food."

So we seem to be overpaying for conveniece and questionable benefit. For those of you who are calorie counting you need to watch the calorie content per bottle. You may just undo any potential calorie loss with exercise by drinking the same amount in you favorite sport drink.

Hot Flashes: minimize discomfort during menopause.

For all you under 50 readers you can have a good laugh over this but it will happen to you in time. In 2000 HRT (hormone replacement therapy) came under attack to due to potential side effects. Millions of women who were on drugs to control the side effects were suddenly encouraged to try more natural methods to control their symptoms. Today Wyeth has just gotten an "approval letter" from the FDA (Federal Drug Administration). The drug Pristiq is the first nonhormonal treatment for hot flashes. I just had "the talk" with my gyn doc and he did not have a lot of answers. (When you are waiting on the phone to make an appointment there is some statement about "cutting edge treatment of menopausal symptoms.) I till cling to my hormone patch with low doses of estadiol to help control the "fuzzy brain" syndrome, hot flashes, and sleep disorder. Get with a group of women in their 50s and this is a big topic of converstation. Some dietary supplements suggested include: black cohash, Soy and red clover and Vitamin E. I actually tried every type of supplement before going on the patch.

In my internet search this am I found some very factual information from Mayo Clinic:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/

I found an absolutely hilarious site called Minnie Pauz with some great cartoons and funny videos: This one is titled: "If you don't get it, you ain't there yet." (I was laughing so hard watching this video, my husband stopped munching on his "Golden Flax" cereal to see what I was watching.) http://www.minniepauz.com/menopause-video.html

The site itself is quite fun to read:

http://www.minniepauz.com/

The TiVo Digital Video Recorder

What do monk and TiVo have in common? I never used a TiVo prior to last year. In my maddness I totally gutter a former family room (old fireplace, bookshelfs, and cabinets) to put in a big screen and surround sound. With the in house entertainment center came a TiVo. It took me a few tries to figure out how to play the recorded programs. My children refused to help me they said: "You will never learn to use the device if we do it for you." Boy that echoes of what I told them when they were trying to learn a new skill. Monk started the sixth season on July13th. My husband and I both enjoy the show. We had our newly remodeled hourse painted based on colors used in his house. (ok, laugh - our house was cottage white in every room - so adding color was a leap for me) My husband has been mourning the loss of Sharona for the last few years and finally has come to accept Natalie as Monks new assistant. On Friday we totally forgot about the show being on; but since we have entered the hightech era were were able to watch the episode on Saturday. Now I see the beauty of TiVo. Ok I am not quite efficient at using new technology - I have not learned to select the programs to be recorded.

I even went on line to view the Monk official site: http://www.usanetwork.com/series/monk/

I am looking forward to viewing next weeks episode "Monk and the Naked Man".

Got Junk

Last week while working out I was watching the bank of TV monitors and happened to see Big Ideas. They were interviewing Brian Scudamore. He is the founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK. This Saturday I saw one of his very districtive trucks pull into the neighbors driveway. I went across the street to my neighbor and inquired how much it cost to hall away her junk. She gave me the price and proceeded to tell me how considerate and polite they were even calling her to tell her they would be 1/2 hour late. I ambled across the lawn to my two car garage and thought how great it would be to park a car inside. My story is a little different in that my son stores his 1964 Chevy Malibu in the garage plus enough car parts to make a second car. I told him the story about the Got Junk people. A little later that day he was busy pulling car parts out of the garage. He made a pile of parts he wanted to sell. By the end of the day he had sold 2 items for a total of $325.00 and had an inquiry into a third item for $200.00. (He had posted them on the iternet and had the buyers pay on paypal before he shipped them out). On his wedding license when asked what he did for a living my son said: entrepreneur. The clerk could not quite understand what he meant so my son said: empire builder. On the form the clerk filled in for occupation "builder". As boomers, we told our kids to reach for the stars so when they do we have to believe in them.

Entrepreneur Success Story: http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/casestudies/a/1800gotjunk.htm

Big Ideas by Donny Duetsch:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/15838512/

More than just a cup of coffee.

This morning I made an early morning run to Starbucks. My husband nicely asked me to do the morning coffee run by adding you always run into someone you know and end up having conversation. With the recent wedding and new graduate in the house (with a job) there is a lot talk about. This morning I went to the Starbucks on the other side of town. I wanted a bagel (sorry Bucks your bagels are not the same as Goldsteins Bagels). I purchased a few bagels and walked across the parking lot to the Starbucks. A gentleman (of late boomer age) was behind me at the bagel store and than re-appeared behind me in line for coffee. The lady in front us was busy ordering 3 iced drinks, 2 hot drinks and an assortment of breakfast items, so we struck up a conversation. We both agreed that Sunday coffee buyers are more patient than the weekday crowd. We chuckled over the fact that we both purchased our bagels across the street and our coffee here. When our coffee came we picked them up and left the building wishing each other a pleasant Sunday. Two boomers out for morning coffee, no iPods stuck in our ears blocking conversation. When I returned home my husband thanked me for the coffee and asked if I ran into anyone on my coffee run. I smiled and said yes remembering the pleasant conversation. I heard a comment on the radio a few weeks ago about a world traveler who looks for the familiar Starbucks sign in every country just to feel at home. For some maybe Starbucks has become the place to converse and meet and just hang out reading the paper on a Sunday morning.

Baby Suri Cruise and bottle at 15-months old.

Katie does look happy and seems to be pulling her life and career together but what about baby Suri. She is 15 months old and drinking a bottle. Haven'tTom and Katie read any baby books lately. The recommended age for weaning an infant off the bottle is around 12 to 18 months of age.

"The longer children use a bottle, the greater the chances of being overweight. For each month of bottle use after age 15 months, the risk of obesity increased by 3%. "

If Katie and Tom want little Suri to be trim and fit as mom they should think about weaning her from the bottle in the next few months. Not to mention what milk can do to promote tooth decay in babies.

A good resource for the Cruise family would be:

http://www.homeandfamilynetwork.com/baby/bottlefeeding.html

Cup Cakes

Now I know I am getting old when cup cakes are a hot bakery item. Yesteday my daughter-in-law made a batch of the delicious (high calories - 3 cups of confectioners sugar + 1/2 cup unsalted butter for the frosting alone) cupcakes. Needless to say they were delicious. I remember when cupcakes made from a box of cake mix + ready make frosting were a quick way to fullfill the birthday party in the classroom request. (Apparently due to the rise in obesity in children, children can no longer bring or consume treats in the classroom.) I did eat 2 of the delicious, high calorie little cakes. The last lonely cupcake is sitting on the counter calling me. I think that one cupcake calories count = 1 hour of spinning.

Of course there is a blog site for cupcakes - enjoy!

http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/

Manicure / Pedicure or M&P

Feeling stresses or just want to pamper yourself. Get an M&P. I did not apply nail polish to my nails until about 10 years ago. Somehow with my hands and feet seemed like the last thing in the world I thought about. In the past 4 years (when the last child went to college) I have gone weekly. Nails weekly and toes once a month especially in the summer. I feel this 1/2 hour a week is needed therapy. I have gotten to know my manicurist very well and we share stories about our children, families and mutual friends. People talk about "ME" time and this truly is me time. I walk the 1/2 mile to the salon and usually walk around my little community after the manicure to dry the nails. I stop in the local shops to look around and talk to the shop owners and clerks. Rarely do I use my car to get to an appointment. You see it is a time to do something for myself and meditate a little while I enjoy the outdoors. When my daughter would call me from college all stressed out often my comment was "It sounds like time for an M&M." How can one not relax while having the hands and feet rubbed and having a sinful color of polish applied. It is cheaper than psychotherapy!

Blame it on Mr. Rogers

What a controversial statement. I found numerous blog sites responding to this statement. Being a mother of 3 who grew up in the Mr. Rogers era and teaching college age students, the subjectof "entitlement epidemic" perked my interest. Jeffrey Zaslow, the author of the origninal article, has added a few other potential causes of the roots of the entitlement problem: Indulgent parents (maybe I was one of them), Consumer Culture (Most the time my kids had to earn what they wanted or do a power point presentation to my husband with spread sheet when applicable if they wanted something) and the self-esteem movement in California (every one is a winner). On the last statement my kids were into sports and always knew who the winner was even if score was not being kept. As a teacher of college age students I see a group of young people who study hard, ask a lot of questions, want postive feed-back (Good Job), and like to live balanced lives. Maybe they have ssen their boomer parents work to hard?

Two good web-sites I found:

Blog site with some interesting comments on the subject:

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2007/07/05/sense-of-entitlement-blame-mr-rogers.aspx

Read the original article by Mr. Zaslow from the Wall Street Journalhttp://www.careerjournal.com/columnists/movingon/20070711-movingon.html

Vintage Betty Crocker

Ok, how many of you boomers have one of the origninal Betty Crocker Cook Books on a shelf in your kitchen. Probably got it as a shower gift when you were married years ago. Well it is time to get into the 21st century. Even Betty Crocker is on line. http://www.bettycrocker.com/

I have found myself watching Rachael Ray, reading her cookbooks and her montly magazine. One of my favorite bloggers. http://nutritiousjunk.com/ reviewed the magazine on her blog. Nutritious junk sounds a little far out but the LA Hungry Waif does look at nutritional value of many processed foods. Right now I am trying new recipes but in September when I am working again and cannot devote my day to cooking I will be using some quick pre-made meals.

My new daugher-in-law has been learning to cook from Rachael Ray and she has cooked up quite a few scruptious dinners.

Spining Shoes

I did buy a pair of shoes for spinning. I was told that if there was one item that would help me it would be the shoes. I payed $49.00 (some of the shoes for bikers can go up to hundreds of dollars). I did purchase the little clip (SPD Cleat SM-SH51 with nut) for $19.00. A few blogs ago I told you I had the salesperson at the sports store to put the clips on. Ok, the next embarrasing moment was getting the clip to fit into the clip on the bike pedal. I have learned to go into class early and let the instructor know I am new to the class. Yesterday, class 4, I was able to put the clips in the holder in under a minute. Last night I went to a level 2-3 class because I like the instructor. There were about 20 people in the class and almost 1/2 appeared to be boomers. All I can say is I finished the class. My spin rate may have been a little less than the others but I fnished. The teacher does encourage us to get to know one another. (no ipods blocking conversation in this group) So even if you are a little reluctant to get out and spin remember everyone in class attended the first class a little clueless, just like me.

Ratatouille Recipe

My husband emailed me this recipe the other day. Remember I said that as a couple (married 30 years) we are re-focusing on physical fitness and eating better.

Ingredients
-
1 large eggplant, or several smaller ones
-
2 medium zucchini
-
1 onion
-
1 pepper
-
2 tomatoes (more if small)
-
2 cloves garlic
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2 tablespoons chopped basil, oregano or marjoram (or a mix)
-
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
-
4 tablespoons olive oil
-
salt





Ratatouille
Prep Time: 30 minutesContainer: large skillet with coverServings: 4

Ratatouille is essentally a vegetable stew, and as with most stews, the quantities and proportions are variable. Ratatouille is good served over pasta, rice or couscous; or as a vegetable side dish.


Directions
Cut eggplant, zucchini, pepper and onion into cubes of about 1/2 inch. Mince or press the garlic. Finely chop the tomatoes, retaining seeds and juice.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the eggplant until it begins to brown a little. Remove eggplant, add to the pan the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onions, zucchini and peppers. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
Add garlic and tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Add the browned eggplant and the chopped herbs and cook until all vegetables are tender - 10 to 15 minutes.
Add salt to taste and serve hot or at room temperature.

What do Chinese teens want? Interesting article on http://www.msn.com/ today. The group is composed of teens and 20s who by 2015 will be 500 million strong. This is close to double the US popoulation and will make up 36% of the population of China. "This is the 'have' generation, the single children who carry the expectations of their whole family - groomed from an early age to compete and win." Marketers are still figuering out what makes them tick. What does this have to do with me you may ask? I would follow the trends of this group to direct how I might invest in the future.
Read more:
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/StockInvestingTrading/ChineseTeens_SeriesHome.aspx

Li Yuchun was voted winner of "Super Girl" and American Idol like competiton. She received 3.5 million votes to win the title. She has been called "Mongolian Cow Sour Yougurt Supergirl."

Read more: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/27/content_472662.htm

On The Lot

I must say I am totally involved with this show. So far I have been pretty good about picking out the film makers who will be dismissed. After this evening 2 more film makers will be eliminated. I have to say I go with the judges that Sweet by Jason and Zero2Sixty by Andrew were the best films. The weakest short film was Skaters by Kenny. It is a toss up for the other two: Key Witness by Sam and Catch by Mateen. My new daughter-in-law agreed with me. She writes movie reviews on http://www.hitormissmovies.com/ so she has a pretty good eye for what is good and what is not. I have not voted yet, but there is always a first time.

Work-out machinery

The Equinox has a variety of work-out machines to help with the work-out. My ability to complete a spinning class without absolutely collapsing probably has to do with my previous years of doing a 45 to 60 minute work-out on an elliptical trainer.

Wikapedia defininition: A stationary exercise machine used to stimulate walking or running without causing excessive pressure to the joints, hence decreasing the riskof impact injuries.

It differs from the spinning class in that you can go at your own pace and no one is motivating you to push yourself.

In case you have never been on an elliptical trainer I found a short little video to show you how. I personally life to use the arm piece to get a full work-out. Remember you need to start somewhere.

http://www.sports-db.com/cardio/instructions/indoor/crosstrainer.html

Spinning 101

The term spinning has a total different definition to workout enthusiasts. Spinning is an aerobic exercise that takes place on a specially designed stationary bike. Never in my dreams did I think I would become addicted to the sport. I have been to three spining classes and love it. The fact that it burns about 450 calories in 45 minutes is a real draw.

After the first day I did purchase the special shoes: $49.99, clips $19.99 ( I did have the sales person put the clips on the shoes - it did require a screw driver) and $29.99 for a pair of spandex pants. Total: $99.97 How you feel after a spinning class: PRICELESS

If you can't afford a pricey work out place I found a web side with work out advice and videos: http://diet.ivillage.com/workouts/wcardio/topics/0,,4s53,00.html

Personal Trainer

My new health club membership came with 2 sessions with a personal trainer. The first visit involved a little chat with the trainer, filling out a questionaire, weight, BMI, fat measurement and analysis of flexibility and of course my personal fitness goals. (Over the past few weeks I have been asked to write goals for work, health, finanacial, and now fitness.)

The weight part was fairly easy just stand on a scale. The BMI is a calculation that can be done manually or with the help the web site http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/.

The body fat analysis involved putting my hands on this little machine. I have no idea how it works. How can one measure fat content from holding a little machine for a few minutes?

The last section involved testing my flexibility and strength. I did pretty good for a boomer. He seemed to be pretty impressed that I could touch my toes and bend in most directions. I was quite reluctant to meet with the trainer but I came out of my comfort zone and put together a work-out program to meet my needs. Now I have fitness GOALS.

Bill Gates (1977)

I love it. I found this picture of Bill Gates in 1977 when he was booked in New Mexico when he ran a red light. He does have on a sweater. I wonder if he still has in tucked away in some drawer.

YAWNS

Even Wikapedia does not have the new definition of YAWNS posted. According to the Wealth Report in The Wall Street Journal Friday, July 13, 2007 Bill Gates is a YAWNS. Yawns are young and wealthy but normal. "They are mainly in their 30s and 40s who have become mulimillionaires and billionaires during the wealth boom on the past decade." Paris Hilton will never fit in this catagorie even though she claims she is a different person since being released from LA County Jail. I did a photo search of Bill Gates and looking at his photo I wondered if he purchased a pile of sweaters in multiple colors and just rotates through them daily. It makes dressing simple. I have a son that wears the same shirts daily (washed of course) but he will wear them until they are so thin one can see through them. A few weeks ago he was looking for his favorite shirt and even went into the rag bag to see that it had not recycled there. I have learned in my family as soon as I "donate a male piece of clothing", the owner will ask for it a week later. I just cleaned out my husbands closet (with his permission) and will keep the pile of used clothing in a pile for a few weeks to make sure he does not miss that favorite shirt.

My work-out club closed its door the end of June. I had been a member for almost 20 years and was a loyal attendee. There was a core group of us working out until the last minute. I like the club since was low key and most members were boomers or older. My crieteria for a new club had mainly to do with hours and geographic location. My search led to a club called the Equinox. We were taken on a tour by a nice gentleman who pointed out all the great features of the fitness club. It was clean, open and had a variety of machines and two areas for floor exercises. The music was pulsing and stimulating. The tour guide did point out that there was a second area that was quiter for those who wanted a quiter work-out. There are TV's mounted throughout the gym for easy viewing. The mean age was a bit younger than we were accustomed to. When it came down to signing the contract there was an initial fee and a 12 month contract. With the membership came a gift certificate, a fitness evaluation and session with a personal trainer. I have been going amost daily for 2 weeks and have enjoyed it. In future blogs I will talk about the personal trainer, spining, hard bodies etc.

While on-line this morning I found a fun video on youtube about the equinox that I found quite entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj3L4Yqe0Bc

iPod

I do not have an iPod. I like music but somehow having little wires hanging out of my ears all day is not my idea of fun. My three kids and husband all have iPods. Everyone at the gym has an iPod. I find that they essentially block any attempt to socialize. Sometimes I will try to get eye contact with the person with the iPod in their ears and mouth the words Hi. Now there is another reason not to walk around with the iPod in your ears. From Health News on the MSN web site: iPod helped lightening jolt jogger. Apparently your chances of getting hit by lightening is increased when you have and iPod in your ears while walking outside during a thunderstorm. There is a reported case in Vancouver of a 37-year-old man who is in the hosptial with burns and blown-out ear drums and fractured jaw from being stuck by lightening while jogging with his iPod. In another case a young girl in London was struck by lightening while talking on her cell phone. Now we have another thing to warn our kids about. Do not go out in a rain storm while using your iPod or cellphone. What happened with the simple instructions: Put you jacket on or you'll cath pneumonia.

To see the full article go to:
http://health.msn.com/healthnews/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100166338&GT1=10212

Lady Bird Johnson died yesterday. The younger generation would not know about her. I asked my daughter if she knew who she was and she stated "a first lady who did a lot of good for the country." (sounds like a sound bite to me) Most boomers (at least the older ones) will remember exactly what they were doing on the day JKF was assassinated . I was home from school that day and the program we were watching was interrupted to bring the news that the president of the United Sates John Kennedy was shot. He was the first president I can remember. I collected photos of JFK and his lovely wife Jackie and adorable children Caroline and John Jr. I still have the newpaper clippings of that day. My mom had gone shopping and I remember running up to meet her at the bus stop to ask her if she had heard the news. Of course she had, the news was everywhere. I remember as a family sitting and watching the events onfold on our little black and white TV set. I vividly remember Lady Bird Johnson standing behind her husband as he took the oath of office aboard Airforce One with a stunned Jackie Kennedy standing next to him.
I see her as the reluctant first lady. She never really wanted the role but was thrust into the limelight on that fateful day.

Two web sites I browsed today were:
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/photogal.htm Photo Gallery of the events of the days following the assassination.

The second web site is to the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library with a tribute to Lady Bird Johnson
http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/


It was interesting to bring a little history to life with my daughter this morning. It was one of those times in history where is you were alive you rememeber exactly what you were doing. For the new generation it is like watching the news on 9/11.

I can't text message. I am quite computer literate but actually like to talk to people from time to time. It was bad enough when my children text messaged each other (I forbid my college students to do it in class). But now my husband has joined the texting generation and I feel quite left out. It all started a few weeks ago while we were traveling through Europe and he would text my daughter. At least when they talked I could overhear what they were saying. Now I am completely left out of the loop. Sure enough at breakfast this am the little "bong" went off and I knew he received a text message from someone. I patiently waited while he answered the text, put his blue tooth device down and continued eating his breakfast. What was that about I asked. He gave me a little smile and said it was our daughter. And I said, what did she want? When she use to call I felt part of the conversation. Now, I am totally in the dark. I actually looked at the ipod phone over the weekend with my husband and son. Maybe I just need to go out and buy one (take a lesson in texting) and show them I too can be part of the new generation of communicaters.

As boomers watching their waist and weight my husband and I are looking for simple recipes that are health, nutritious and easy to make. We are trying to walk up to the local farmers market on Saturday mornings to get fresh fruits and vegetables. My little garden with 2 tomato plants is going crazy right now with delicious fresh tomatoes. I do miss the home grown I was accustomed to eating from my uncles farm. I am harvesting 3-4 tomatoes per day. I often make gazpacho soup this time of year. I do think it is a little odd that he has nothing more to do at work than send me. Oh well I will try the recipie he made me and let you know.

Here is a rescipe I am trying from a health nutrition site.

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthykitchenrecipes/a/Gazpacho.htm

One of my goals this year is to prepare more nutitious meals with less meat. I am not overweight with a BMI of 24 I am far from obese but not as slender as I was in my younger years. You can go to http://www.cdc.gov/ and calculate your BMI by just entering you height and weight. Talk to anyone in their 50% and they will swear that they eat less and weight more. I am not a huge eater and in my early years I could eat most anything and stay the same weight. At age fifty my metabolism just seemed to stop. I try to walk or exercise daily. Two years ago when a blood test revealed my cholesterol to be at 200, my MD wanted to put me on statins to manage the borderline high level. I balked at the suggestion and said I could do it myself. Non-fat latties for me. No more blueberry muffins at Starbucks. Nothing processed. But much to my surprized after one year I did not budge the numbers. So to my dismay I went on the statin Lipitor. (5 mg or 1/2 tablet daily) Two months after I started the drug my total cholesterol was down to 138 and the HDL (or the happy lipidproteins) up to 64. I teach pharmacology so I have little hints for my students to remember which cholesterol is good and which are bad. The "bad" cholesterol or LDL should be below 200 mg/dl and the "happy" HDL should be above 35 mg / dl the best being 64 mg/dl. I did question my siblings (4 brothers and 2 sisters) and overall their health is very good but 3 other siblings have high cholesterol and the other three did not know what their levels were. So I thnk some of my high cholesterol may be related to genetic disposition. I am due for my yearly physical in a few weeks and will talk to my MD about maybe doing a short trial off the drug to see if I can keep it within a good range with just life-style management. No one likes medications even me but when I weigh the benefits I keep on taking the 1/2 tablet nightly along wth my 81 mg of aspirin. I prescribed to a new magazine Health and it has rescipes, beauty hints for all ages, and exercises for different parts of the body. I have tried numerous new rescipies and will post some of my favorites. It it very hard to prepare nutritous meals but I am trying. With the abundance of summer berries and fruits I try to keep a supply washed and sliced in the refrigerator. My husband and I have started a breakfast of 1/4 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt, with a tablespoon or two of Trader Joes apple or mango granola and a sprinkle of berries or fresh fruit.

A quick glance at the LA times for the days news is typical LA. Our mayor is filling "pot holes" and fencing questions about his recent affair; we have a chance of rain (with our lowest ever rain amount for 2007) this is a welcome statement; a house in in Beverly Hills is on sale for $165,000,000 (qualified buyers only). Oh well. Yesterday we (my husband and two sons) attended a benefit golf tournament for a schoolmate of our sons. I do not golf but always offer to "man the tables" to check in the golfers and set up the tables for dinner. We are raising funds for liver cancer research. You see their young friend died of primary liver cancer at age 23. They are looking for a marker to identify cancer of the liver in the earliest stage. It was fun seeing men and women who had taken the day off to honor him and to donate to a good cause. The dinner and silent auction brought out a new crowd. Many of his classmates came to the dinner event. It was fun to talk to the now 26 and 27 years olds about what they are currently doing. Some are going back to graduate school, one is a reporter in DC, one an airline pilot, another doing a residencey, a few are trying to determine what direction they wanted to go in. I talked to one former students mom who talked about her daughter going back to school to become a nurse. YES! This is my field and love to see bright young people taking this career path. One point was perfectly clear none were into life long job at one place with life long benefits. My son and new wife were honored at the dinner for their donation to the fund. At their wedding two weeks ago they did the "money dance" with a spin. The money went to cancer research in honor of their friend. My thanks to all the relatives and friends who stepped up and donate just under $1,000 dollars. After the event we sat in the jacuzzi with the newly weds reflecting on the days events. You see their friend will always be 23. It makes me appreciate life a little more.

The reluctant boomer defines myself and many of my friends and acquaintences. We as a group do not want to admit that we are getting older and there is a whole new generation poised to take over a postion that we as a group have dominiated since WWII According to Wikipedia, a boomer is person born post WWII between 1946 to 1964. I personally have 4 brothers and 2 sisters and the oldest was born in 1946 and the youngest in 1962. We were all together for the first time in 3 years. The reason for the reunion was my son's wedding to the charming young lady he has been dating since college days at USC. (5 years+) My sons wedding and my youngest daughters graduation from college and entry into the work force has led me to begin my blog. I know there have got to be millions of you out there struggling with the same issues I am. I will celebrate my 30th wedding anniversary with my husband in September, I have signed a 5 year contract at the University I work at, and my 3 kids are all college graduates and in the word force. I do not want to admit that I am getting older (just better) and I am setting some new goals in my life. I hope to talk about nutrition, beauty aids, investing, physical fitness, health issues, when and where to retire. I suspect I will be adding opinions from my husband and probably my kids and our friends and their friends.