Dream big–that’s what I have been doing for the past few months as I have embarked on a journey to reinvent myself. And out of those dreams came a new site for inspirations and insights into aging with enthusiasm.

Flourish Over 50 is a place for women to connect, share and get support as they rediscover themselves in the best time of their lives. Check it out, join the community, and share the site with friends. I look forward to seeing you there!

I’m always on the lookout for good information on wellness and brain power, as I want to do everything I can to defeat a withering mind before it starts. Recently I heard John Tesh talking about this on the radio, and I just had to share it with you. Another reason to keep moving and keep that excess weight off!

From John Tesh:  New research shows that if you’re overweight, you’re literally frying your brain. Here are the details from The Los Angeles Times: Scientists from UCLA and the University of Pittsburgh gave MRIs to a group of volunteers to measure the size of their brains. When they compared the results to the person’s weight, they found some disturbing connections:

• People who were overweight had 4% less brain tissue than those who were at a normal weight.
• The heavier someone was, the greater the damage. Obese participants were missing more than 8% of their brain tissue.

The majority of the loss occurred in the areas that coordinate movement, but regions associated with decision making, long-term memory, and attention span also took a hit. Unfortunately, it gets worse. Carrying extra weight also aged the brain prematurely. The brains of the overweight people looked eight years older than normal, and the brains of obese people looked 16 years older! What does that mean? That fat is bad for your brain.

A study from the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research found that those with the fattest arms between the ages of 40 and 45 were 59% more likely to have dementia later in life. Another study found that obese people with large bellies were a shocking 260% more likely to develop dementia. Study author Rachel Witmer says the biggest risk is the fat that hangs over your belly, most likely because of the hormones and inflammatory factors it produces. There is some good news. A follow-up study found that exercise will slow or even reverse the brain damage – provided you eat right. So make sure you stick to healthy, whole foods, for your brain’s sake!

I’ve been looking for some good information on using herbal supplements to treat the symptoms of menopause. I finally found two real, honest-to-goodness clinical studies that yielded some pretty good results. Not the “miracle” I was looking for, but definitely good to know.

The two studies were conducted by the University of Illinois  and Northwestern University, both in Chicago. The first study included 89 women who were experiencing moderate to severe hot flashes, at least 35 per week. The women were divided into random groups, and they kept diaries for 12 months detailing the number and severity of the hot flashes and night sweats.

One group of women was given a black cohosh botanical supplements, a second received  red clover, a third group was given hormone therapy, and the final group received a placebo. What was really interesting is that the number of hot flashes per week decreased over time across all groups- black cohosh 34%, red clover 57%, placebo 63% and hormone therapy 94%. What this showed is that the only real results come from hormone therapy, and just thinking you’re getting treatment will bring you some relief.

The second study focused on verbal memory and cognitive skills along with the hot flashes. (Now here’s where I’m hoping for a miracle–can anyone relate to the fuzzy mind?) A sub-group of 66 women in the four sectors from the first study agreed to participate in an extension of the investigation while their hot flashes were being studied.  During that time, they had periodic evaluations to measure recollection of words and short stories. They also wore monitors that measured skin temperature during hot flashes. Again, there was no difference between those who took the herbal supplements and those who didn’t when it came to improving cognitive functions. Those who took the hormone therapy actually had a slight decrease in memory during the trial.

So what does all this tell us? Those herbal supplements that claim to be the miraculous answer to our symptoms of menopause don’t work any better than a baby aspirin. Hormone replacement therapy works, but can decrease memory, and also increases the risks of breast cancer, strokes and heart attacks.

Bottom line, imagine yourself feeling cooler–it’s now a proven remedy, and has no side effects!

Read the entire study from Medical News Today.

I just celebrated my 53rd birthday, and I am loving life! I’ve entered a time of “rediscovery,” confident in the freedom I have to explore new opportunities and create new goals for myself. I have a new wellness plan–I’m exercising more and really paying attention to having a truly balanced diet–and I am getting out and meeting some of the most fascinating people as I conceptualize a new network of Women Over 50 in Austin and beyond. I have raised three of the most incredible children, and I have been married almost 30 years, creating a “traditional” family environment that has reaped huge rewards. I am energetic, and excited about the future, not at all like our mothers felt when they were our age. If we lived in the 1950′s, here’s what we’d be expected to do.

Taken from a 1950′s American High School Home Economics textbook, the essay is entitled “How to be a Good Wife.” It reads in part:

Have dinner ready. Prepare yourself. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. Clear away the clutter — run a dust cloth over the tables.

Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces, comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are God’s creatures and he would like to see them playing the part.

Minimize all noise…eliminate the noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

Some Don’ts: Don’t greet him with problems or complaints. Don’t complain if he is late for dinner. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice.

Listen to him: You may have dozens of things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first. Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or other pleasant entertainments.

The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

I am excited that it’s ME who gets to renew herself in body and spirit! I can enjoy cooking, entertaining, and being the best wife and mother I can be. But thank goodness for the freedom to live life for myself now. And enriching my own life will make me a much better wife and friend.

So here’s to birthdays, and the promise they bring of an even more fulfilling life ahead!

Find Calm

Did you ever hear “what your body is craving is what it needs?” Do you use food to comfort you when you’re stressed, tired, depressed or bored? What you eat really does affect your mood, and your snacks can supplement the nutritional deficiencies that are contributing to your fatigue and frazzled brain. Pay attention to your emotions and eat the right things to give yourself a boost when you aren’t achieving your fullest potential. Here are some great tips from WebMd Women’s Health.

• Oatmeal: Ah, the joys of carbs. In just 20 minutes (the time it takes to digest a bowl of oatmeal) they can have you grinning like you’ve popped a Valium. When you eat a carbohydrate, your body sends an amino acid called tryptophan into the brain to trigger the manufacture of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel tranquil and better able to cope. Without carbs, your brain actually can’t produce serotonin. That may be why dieters who swear off starches tend to get angry, tense, and depressed after just two weeks.
• Pistachios: A handful is all you need to tame stress. Pistachios contain fiber, antioxidants, and unsaturated fatty acids, all of which have been linked to lower blood pressure in studies.
• Milk: There’s a reason your grandma touted warm milk as a sleepy-time beverage. Whey, the protein in milk, has been shown to decrease anxiety and frustration. The calcium in dairy has also been shown to calm muscles and help keep blood pressure in check, though these effects can take up to a couple of weeks to kick in.
• Avocado: Not only is its thick, creamy texture inherently luxurious but avocado is also high in monounsaturated fat and potassium, both of which help lower blood pressure, Getting too few calories from fat makes people very grouchy.
• Wine: Go ahead and indulge in a drink (or two) with your dinner. In addition to offering disease-fighting antioxidants, a glass of wine acts as a central nervous system depressant; it initially relaxes us and lowers blood pressure.

Get Sharp

• Whole-grain toast: Researchers from Lund University in Sweden have found that eating whole grains at breakfast can keep blood sugar stable for up to 10 hours — improving alertness, concentration, and memory. For best results, top your whole-grain toast with a bit of protein, such as almond butter or a slice of low-fat cheese, to further slow digestion and, in turn, extend your energy.
• Turkey: Protein makes you a lean, mean thinking machine. Animal proteins — such as milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, poultry, and lean meats — pack the smartest punch because they contain the seven essential amino acids in the amounts the body needs for good health.
  
• Coffee: It’s not bad for you —Researchers from Innsbruck Medical University in Austria found that 100 mg of caffeine (about two cups of coffee) improved subjects’ reaction times and working memory (what you’d use to recall a number you’d just found in the phone book, for example.)
• Eggs: No more egg-white-only omelets — or anything else! Egg yolk is rich in choline, a fat-like B-complex vitamin, and in chemical compounds called phospholipids — both of which are linked to recall. Choline and phospholipids have been shown to enhance memory in college-age men. If you tend to stick to the whites because the yolks are high in cholesterol, know that if you don’t already have high cholesterol, there’s no health downside to eating a full egg a day.

Rev Up

• Pineapple: Pineapple, like all carbohydrates, breaks down quickly into sugar to give you an energy boost. But unlike simple carbs such as plain bagels or white rice, pineapples pack enough fiber — nearly 10 percent of your daily value — and other nutrients to slow down its digestion and prevent the dreaded post-carb crash.
• Almonds: Consider them energy pellets. Not only do almonds contain healthy fat and lots of fiber but they’re also packed with magnesium, which helps to convert carbs, protein, and fat into energy. A study from the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center in North Dakota found that women with low magnesium levels tired out faster than women with higher levels when doing everyday activities.

Bliss Out

• Chocolate: The euphoria you feel when you eat it is real. Chocolate has a mild temporary stimulating effect owing to the emotional response it evokes (think velvety mouth-feel, decadent aroma, and all the good memories attached to it) as well as the bit of caffeine it has. Add to that its sugar content, which triggers the feel-good hormone serotonin, and the fat and phenylethylamine it contains, which lead to endorphin release, and it’s no wonder experts say this sweet treat leads to “ultimate brain happiness.” And just a square or so of dark chocolate a day can boost your health too, lowering both your blood pressure and your risk of stroke.
• Walnuts: Turn to these nuts when you’re feeling blue. The secret is in their high content of omega-3 essential fatty acids. In one study, people with lower levels of omega-3 in their blood were more likely to report symptoms of depression and a more negative outlook, whereas people with higher levels tended to be more agreeable.
• Spinach: Okay, so veggies aren’t necessarily the first thing you crave when you’re in a funk. Stick with us: Spinach is rich in folate (or vitamin B₉), which helps maintain normal levels of mood-boosting serotonin. A study in the Journal of Nutrition showed that people who consumed the least folate were a whopping 67 percent more likely to suffer from depression than those who took in the most. Spinach is one of the best sources of folate there is, with 262 micrograms per cup. The recommended dietary allowance of folate is 400 micrograms daily, so add other folate-rich foods like asparagus, broccoli, and beans to your diet too.

Bad-Mood Foods

Avoid these nutritional downers if you want to stay in good spirits:

• Doughnuts, cookies, and other high-sugar treats. They cause a quick rush, then a crash. These sweets lack the fiber and other nutrients to slow digestion. Choose foods that take longer to break down, or those considered low on the glycemic load scale .
• Bacon. Foods high in saturated fats (we’re also talking cream sauces, fries, and other types of oily goodness) are digested very slowly, diverting blood from your brain to your stomach, which can put you in a fog. They can also raise your LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol — the bad kind. Whenever possible, stick to heart-healthy unsaturated fats such as nuts, and olive, canola, and nut oils.
• Big portions. Lunches of 1,000-plus calories bring on that afternoon malaise because their long digestion time means less blood for your brain and muscles. For sustained energy, graze five to six times a day (three main meals of no more than 400 to 600 calories each, plus two 200- to 300-calorie snacks).
• Excess caffeine and alcohol. A drink or two of each may have health benefits, but don’t go over your limit: Too much caffeine can make you nauseous. Too much booze can put you at greater risk for cancers, high blood pressure, stroke, and heart failure — and, more immediately, mess with your sleep cycle, leaving you tired and blue.

Source: Web Md Women, Happy Meals

Clothing for the "mature" woman

Why is it such a challenge to find great clothes when you’re over 50? I still want to look stylish, with a sophisticated flair. I still want to wear jeans, the “real” kind, not the ones with elastic waistbands. I want to have jeans that cover my rear when I sit down, and don’t allow my sagging tummy to flop out when I zip up a little 3″ rise.

I don’t want to look “mature” or “frumpy” like the sites I was pointed to when I googled “fashion for women over 50,” online stores like the Fashion Specialists, Bedford Fair or the Tog Shop that have denim or knit pantsuits and plaid jumpers. So what if my body now has a few more curves than it did when I was 30? Why not celebrate them, not cover them up with a baggy top and elastic-waisted pants?

I tried searching “clothing for women over 50″ and found a listing for articles on becomegorgeous.com.  Sounded like a great website, but my list included tips from Nicole Richie, Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry. They are NOT over 50, and even when they are, they will not look normal.

So far, the only “expert” I can find for fashion tips is Stacy London of What Not to Wear fame, in an interview she did on the Today Show a couple of years ago. Her tips included buying the nicest quality clothing you can afford, wearing “soft neutrals” for day and saving black and white for evening, steering clear of primary colors and opting for jewel tones instead, wearing skirts just below knee-length, keeping jewelry to a minimum, and choosing conservative suits. I think she was talking to my mother, not me. Her piece was actually called Age Appropriate: Fashion tips for baby boomers. TLC’s Stacy London shares smart styles for mature, successful women.

While I am a Baby Boomer, why do I not want to be included in the “mature women” category? I do not want to wear soft neutrals in the daytime, and I love wearing black and white all day long. I love color–that primary color blue is my best–and I am a jewelry-aholic.

I am not 75! I am 53, and I still want to look elegant, modern, sometimes sexy, and always put-together. So I guess I’ll just have to stick to my own style, and hope that some retailers come along who can identify our unique style and sell us clothing and accessories that fit our mindset, not our age.

Recently, Oprah had Cookie Johnson, wife of NBA star Magic Johnson, on her show. Cookie experienced the same frustration finding a decent pair of jeans, so she did what we all wish we could do—she designed her own. Now, she has an entire line of jeans, with various designs to fit the curvy bodies of the over-50 crowd with style and comfort. Though a bit pricey for most, they are a giant step toward celebrating the beauty of the woman who is aging, and who still wants to look and feel her best. You can find CJ Jeans at Nordstrom, and see them here, as presented on Oprah.  CJ Jeans on Oprah

In my never-ending quest to defy the effects of menopause, I have continued doing research on “fitness over 50,” and have stumbled upon some interesting facts that help explain just why, for so many of us, aging equals weight gain. And why, in spite of living practically the same live I’ve led for years, my body has morphed into something that frustrates me. I have discovered that:

• Beginning at around age 25, we naturally replace 1/2 to 1 pound of muscle with fat every year, without changing anything at all about our diets. So even if I am consuming the same number of calories now that I ate 15 years ago, I’m still gaining weight.
• Most women will gain about 10 to 15 pounds during their menopausal years.  At this stage, women develop “insulin resistance” making their bodies store fat, rather than burn calories. This “insulin resistance” changes how our bodies handle the foods we eat. For example, if you ate 1,000 calories before menopause, you would burn 700 of them and store around 300. After menopause, your body will store 700 and burn only 300! This is a big difference, and the result is weight gain! Even a modest weight gain can result in a change of dress size. Source: Menopause and weight gain.
• Muscle tissue burns  eight times more calories than fat tissue.
• Fat takes up five times as much space as muscle. Fat is lumpy, muscle is sleek– it’s that simple. Just seeing this picture from onemorebite.com reminds me of what I don’t want hanging out of my swimsuit or bulging out of my jeans. Ugh.
  

  5 lbs Fat vs. 5 lbs. muscle

• I should not be horrified, or feel discouraged, when I step on the scales and I haven’t lost but a half a pound in a week, in spite of exercising more and carefully recording my calorie intake. I need to be more concerned about body composition, and less concerned about what the scales say. If I tone up, lose inches, and don’t lose a lot of weight, I’ll still look and feel better. And that’s what wellness is all about.
• Thinner doesn’t always mean better. From Alive: Thinner does not always mean healthier, either. Extremely thin people often have a lower-than-desired lean mass percentage. When we do not ingest enough calories, not only do we lose a percentage of our fat, we also diminish the percentage of lean mass. Starvation studies have indicated that parallel losses of lean mass and fatty tissue left subjects with the same percentage of body fat after weeks of starvation.
  
• Sleep deprivation has been linked to weight gain. Middle-aged women who sleep five hours or less every night weigh an average of 5.5 pounds more than those who sleep more, and are 32% more likely to experience major weight gain, 33 pounds or more, compared to those who slept 7 hours a night.  Source: American Thoracic Society
  

I think I’ll go take a nap.

One recent Saturday,  my husband prepared breakfast for me–eggs (real, not Egg Beaters!) and biscuits. Then we went outside to do yard work, which included trimming limbs and dragging them down the hill to be mulched later, and moving rocks from a large area of the yard to a pile in another  (more projects?). I told my husband that I felt like I was doing prison inmate work. What did I do to deserve being on the rock crew?

He must felt really appreciative of my help, because while he was out running errands later, he went by the grocery store and purchased something for dinner–two live lobsters! Yikes! He was in charge of the preparation (I never looked them in their faces) and I indulged in one of my favorite meals. I soon overlooked my chain gang experience.

Later that evening, it came time to update my food journal. Imagine my surprise when I found that the biscuit I had for breakfast had more calories than the lobster I had for dinner! Plus the lobster was a good source of protein, while the biscuit was full of “empty calories” as my mother used to say.

From this I can only draw one conclusion. It is better to have lobster for breakfast than biscuits. Now THAT’s something to celebrate!

Have you seen that ad on TV for the contraption that is supposed to miraculously make your double chin go away? I just about burst out laughing every time I see it. It’s for the “Neckline Slimmer” and here’s what their website says:

The Neckline Slimmer is a resistance toning system for the chin, neck and face muscles. It will help you appear years younger, giving you younger looking firmer skin without pain or surgery. All in just 2 minutes a day!!!

Helps eliminate sagging skin and helps drastically reduce the look of a double chin or neck fold. It does for your neckline what exercise does for your body – helps you look younger!

Again, I have burst out laughing. There is this little spring-loaded pump that you put between your chin and your clavicle. Then you nod your head up and down, while the resistance of the Slimmer contraption works on your neck flab. There are actually three springs so you can increase the resistance as your neck is regaining its youth. About all I can see that it does is to make your neck and jaw so sore that you can’t eat, thus reducing your calorie intake which in turn reduces your flab.

There are other “miracle products” out there to make us look our best. How about the Shape Changer, an industrial looking sling that goes under our bras to give us a major push-up. Not only does it increase our bust size, but it will improve our posture as well. Talk about uncomfortable! I can’t believe anyone would actually buy this thing.

Then there is the Veloform Chin Wrap, in case the Neckline Slimmer doesn’t work. According to their website, here’s what we do with the Veloform:

Apply the reaffirming reducer gel all over the chin including part of the neck. Then position the Velform chin reaffirmer, adjusting the size using its simple adapters. You will feel how it raises and fixes, enabling the Velform gel to work quickly and effectively.

The cells and the hanging skin unite while the gel shrinks the skin. At the same time, the Velform system gives the skin a micro-massage making the gel penetrate the hanging skin. This way, the amount of fat is reduced and the hanging skin is reaffirmed. Velform chin should be applied twice a day, once in the morning for 10 minutes when you get up and then at night for 20 minutes before going to bed. My husband would get a kick out of this one.

And there’s the Slimmer Belt. Again, from the website: The Slimmer Belt maximizes the benefits of your personal fitness program. The Slimmer Belt’s sauna-action retains moist warmth, so you shed excess water as you exercise. Snug zipper fit slims and trims appearance around your middle instantly, while helping to flatten and shape your abs. I am a 50+ woman experiencing menopause, who lives in Texas where it was over 100 degrees most every day this past summer. Even if it would shape my abs and make me look like Jennifer Aniston, I sweat enough without this thing.

I am not making this stuff up. You can see them for yourself here.  As Seen on TV

All these remind me of the time when I was a college sophomore wanting to look my best to attract a handsome guy. Remember those ads in the back of the magazines for the Mark Eden Bust Developer? Well, a friend and I pooled our funds and ordered one, sure that we would be voluptuous young coeds after using whatever-it-was that would magically transform our bodies in just minutes a day. When the package arrived, we burst out laughing (hmmm…there is a pattern here) when we saw a pink spring-loaded clamshell-shaped contraption that was molded to fit comfortably in our hands. Our bustlines were to be enhanced several sizes by doing exercises in various positions, bending over at the waist, raising our hands over our heads, etc. while squeezing the clamshell shut in 8-rep sets. Needless to say, it didn’t work, maybe because we didn’t stick with the program. I got a handsome guy anyway, with the body that God gave me to begin with.

So what do we learn from all these “miracle products?” Women are desperate for a quick fix to look good, slim down and be beautiful, all in just minutes a day. I’m taking the slower approach, working with a wellness coach to address the “total me.” Whether I look any different on the outside, I’ll definitely feel better on the inside. After all, inner beauty is what is really important. No slimmers, shapers or wraps needed here.

I’m sitting at a “meet-up group.” Three weeks ago I would have had no earthly idea what that was, but now I’m here at Whole Foods with a diverse group of people who have one common interest–Wordpress blogs. We have:

• a realtor, who is blogging “At Home Around Austin” showcasing fun things to do around town
• an eating coach-it’s all about knowing WHAT to eat
• a “reverse auction-eer” – it’s the reverse of EBay, the lowest bidder wins
• “The Heart Listener” who works with Over-50 Women who have been so busy with their careers and find themselves now desiring soul mates
• a “time management coach” who teaches people how to gain control of their daily schedules
• an “energy transformation” facilitator – remove your “negative blocks”
• the meet-up coordinators who teach people like me how to market themselves through online marketing

Wow! Talk about fascinating! That’s what having freedom-after-50 has given me. I can connect with people who have like interests–everything from blogging to learning Italian to learning how to eat right when I eat out. It’s all about going beyond my “comfort circle,” which energizes me every time I venture out.

Austin has over 900 groups to choose from, and if you don’t find your particular interest, you can start your own! Hundreds of cities all around the world have their own meet-up directories. Just plug in your zip code and start meeting up!

Austin Meet-ups

Find one in your area