Darn Near 50: Time to stop shaving?
Did you know that it never occurred to us to shave our armpits until 1915? And that is only because Harper’s Bazaar magazine said we should. We did not start shaving our legs until Betty Grable showed off her smooth gams in her famous WWII pin-up shot. We did not start shaving our pubic hair until the 1980s, when the porn industry went mainstream, so to speak.
You are probably wondering why I looked this trivia up. It’s because at Darn Near 50 I am starting to resent the amount of time I spend denuding my body of hair.
Seriously, it is quite a time investment when you consider the following areas I shave on an almost daily basis:
- legs from ankles to hips
- full Brazilian down there
- armpits
Now let’s add plucking on at least a weekly basis:
- eyebrows
- that single hair on my chin
- the hair around my nipples
- the random hairs that sprout on my chest above the bra line
- the errant hairs that pop up on my belly above the panties line
Granted, some of that hair is hidden from the general population, and I could get away with not shaving and plucking there. Some of it is a conscious chose, like my pubic hair. I do this for me. Not my husband. Me. It simply makes me feel fresher and touch is more sensual. But, the hair around my nipples, on my breast, and belly does make me feel uncomfortably similar to my primate chimpanzee cousin.
I am also way too indoctrinated into North American societal norms to stop shaving my legs and armpits, and plucking my eyebrows and facial hair.
But do I really want to keep this up for another darn near fifty years? Will I still be shaving my legs and armpits at eighty? At ninety will I even be able to see the hair on my face? Won’t hairy nipples and chest be the least of my worries once gravity stretches and flattens my breasts? And while I plan on having sex for a good long time yet, at some point the effort of shaving off pubic hair really isn’t going to balance out against the increase in sensual sensitivity.
And really, why I am doing this in the first place?
Because a fashion magazine, a pin up model, and the porn industry said I should. Really? I am buying into this?
Apparently, I am.
At least for a little while longer.
Be part of my book Darn Near 50!
Your valuable feedback will be used indirectly in the content of the book, or directly as quotes. Before the book is published, I will contact contributors to verify if they want to be anonymous, or if their real names can be used.
Ready?
- As you age, are you finding hairs sprouting in unexpected places?
- Are you diligent about shaving and plucking, or are you letting places go au naturel?
- What do you think about North America’s obsession with hair removal?
You can provide your thoughts
- right here in the comment section
- email me directly at eliza@silverandgrace.com
- by using this convenient form
5 Strategies for Finding Sleep in a Stressful World
Sleep is an important part of graceful aging. It allows you to think clearly. It helps you focus on what’s really important to you. It keeps you in the best mood possible and it reduces the impact of unwanted life events.
But sleep can be difficult to come by, because as life move forward there are often persistent causes of stress and anxiety that get in the way of a restful night’s sleep. Resting for eight hours is perhaps the most important part of a 24 hour day, and yet stress has a tendency to creep into one’s life and make it difficult to get the sleep you need.
Creative Coping for Stress
The most important strategy for falling asleep is to simply go to bed. When you feel that stress may keep you awake, don’t accept it. Lie down in a quiet and restful area and see what happens. Often the stress is not enough to overcome your tiredness as long as you don’t allow the stress to take control of your behaviors. But if you still have trouble sleeping, try these creative stress coping strategies that are known to help increase your ability to sleep.
1. Stress Thought Journal
The first strategy that every woman should try is a thought journal. These journals should be used to write down any and all stressful (or non-stressful) thoughts that you simply cannot get out of your head. The mind has a tendency to dwell on thoughts it doesn’t want to forget, but it allows you to rest if it knows the thoughts will be remembered, because they’ve been written in a permanent place.
2. Romantic Time
If you have a partner, making love is a great stress reliever. Not that you needed an excuse, but if as you’ve aged you find yourself engaging each other a little less often, you should see what you can do to increase the frequency. If you don’t have problems sleeping and you’re reading this article anyway, feel free and use “relieving stress to go to sleep” as your excuse for a little bit more lovemaking.
3. Elaborate Pre-Sleep Routine
The mind works in mysterious ways. It has a tendency to make associations based on your life experiences. For example, if you always listen to a certain song when you’re sad, then any time you hear that song you’ll feel sad, even if it wasn’t your original mood.
You can use this to your advantage by creating an elaborate pre-sleep routine. The routine should be sleep related – no TV, no technology, no loud music or physical activities – and you should perform this routine, in order, every time you’re preparing to sleep. Doing so will “train” your brain to know that the routine means that it’s sleep time now, and none of the stresses you experienced throughout the day are relevant anymore.
4. Morning Exercise
Exercise is already important. Exercise improves your mood, helps you regulate your hormones, and reduces the stress of life on your body. Exercising in the morning can also be helpful for sleep. Your mind and body only have a specific amount of energy allocated for the day. If you use much of it up in the morning, the evening tiredness will be more overwhelming, and your body will still be too exhausted from your morning workout to cause you to experience anxiety symptoms.
5. Positive Affirmations
The reason that “counting sheep” was considered so useful was because it focused your mind on something boring – something that was not going to keep you awake. You can take this a step further by repeating positive affirmations. By focusing your mind on the positive things you will achieve in your life, you’ll not only take your mind off your stresses – you’ll also improve your positive outlook.
These are just a few of the potential ways that you can reduce the effect that life stress has on your sleep patterns. Sleep is too important to living a happy and healthy life, and with these strategies and your own determination to get a good night’s sleep, you’ll find that you are able to get the rest that you need.
Ryan Rivera lived through ample sleep problems when he suffered from stress and anxiety in his past, and he writes about these conditions at www.calmclinic.com.
Products For Women By Women
Looking for more resources on becoming your fun, sexy, intelligent and real self? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women by women. They are available on Amazon.
Going Gray, Looking Great!: The Modern Woman’s Guide to Unfading Glory
The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams
Discover Your Psychic Type: Developing and Using Your Natural Intuition
Darn Near 50: Do you recognize your own face?
I actually wrote this article and scrapped it to start again when I received this incredible feedback to last week’s article from Mary B.:
I looked in the mirror like I have never looked in the mirror before and did not like what I saw. The mortality thing really struck at that point. I am more at peace with myself and like what I see now. It was such a transition at the time. Always feeling and looking young for my age and then to see the ravages of time that came upon me seemingly overnight!
Seriously, this is exactly what I experienced recently. I looked in the mirror and my jaw literally dropped in shock.
“Who are you?” I gasped in horror.
Someone had taken the youthful image of myself and run it through aging software. Only they forgot to show the progression of time. They just jumped from twenty-eight to …OLD!
Forehead furrows, droopy eyelids, sallow skin, non existent lips. When did this happen? Like Mary’s experience, this seemed to have transpired overnight!
Where was the smooth forehead? The bright hazel eyes? The beautifully freckled skin? The full pink lips?
I immediately grabbed for my make-up and straight ironed my bangs across my forehead. Whew! There I was. How wicked of me to pull that nasty aging trick. For shame.
And off I contently went about my business, my vibrant youthful self.
Until bed time, when I washed the paint off my face and revealing the crone once again. I then had to crawl into bed next to my super hot French husband, with horrendous thoughts running through my head. What on earth must he be thinking? Will he be repulsed? I mean fair enough, I was!
Of course, what he was thinking was he couldn’t wait to get his hands on the woman he loves and adores.
The crone in the mirror and I are getting to know each other. Like all new relationships this takes time, but I am starting to see that her eyes are full of wisdom, her face has the most amazing laugh lines, and her lips can burst into the most graceful smile.
No longer strangers, I would say we have moved into acquaintance territory. However, given time I know we can become the best of friends.
Be part of my book Darn Near 50!
Your valuable feedback will be used indirectly in the content of the book, or directly as quotes. Before the book is published, I will contact contributers to verify if they want to be anonymous, or if their real names can be used.
Ready?
- If you went through the same shock looking in the mirror as Mary and I have, I would love for describe your experience.
- When you look in the mirror right now do you see a stranger, acquaintance or friend?
- How does your self-image impact your sensuality and sexuality?
You can provide your thoughts
- right here in the comment section
- email me directly at eliza@silverandgrace.com
- by using this convenient form
I Get Ignited! – Week One
As an intuitive mentor, one of things I am constantly on the look out for are other resources for my clients. I help them care for their inner selves. However, truly embracing our fun, sexy, intelligent and real selves involves so much more. Like our physical health!
Enter Jeanne Andrus from Ignite! Running Adventures for Women. When she asked if I would like to work through her twelve week running coaching program I was thrilled. Here was an opportunity to explore another resource for my clients, and get fit to boot!
Right off the start, Jeanne’s program intrigued me. I have run in the past, so I know that I prefer to run alone. Running groups, therefore, don’t thrill me. But, I also know from experience, I lose motivation. A virtual running coach is an awesome solution. I get to be alone, yet not …. as you will see.
Over the next twelve weeks, Jeanne is going to train me to run a 5K straight through. I have run a 5K and 10K race, and power-walked a half-marathon, but haven’t consistently trained in over two years. So, I figure I am right back to being a newbie.
Today, I got my first coaching package emailed to me. It was full of the following goodies.
Roadmap to Running Readiness eBook
A fantastic little book on Jeanne’s personal background and what led her to running. Then five very important things to think about before you even lace up your first pair of runners. What really impressed me was Jeanne’s coverage of the realities of fitting in a running schedule, including people in your life who just might not like the new health conscious you.
Introduction Video and Transcript
A twenty minute video with Jeanne explaining how the program will work and how to properly run. I have read a lot of running books and articles, but this is the first time someone has ever demonstrated exactly what it means by “run so you can talk comfortably.”
Shoes Video and Transcript
An in depth explanation of finding the proper shoes. In my case, I am sworn ‘barefoot’ runner and love my Vibrams
Stretching Video
A demonstration of warm up and cool down exercises.
Jeanne Talking
Three MP3 files, one for each run, of Jeanne talking me through the paces. I don’t have to worry about looking at my watch. Jeanne is going to tell me when to walk, when to run, and when to stretch.
Walking Schedule
Should I want to walk on the days I am not running, I also got a walking schedule. And just in case I want to go totally crazy, the schedule includes some toning exercises.
I will be posting weekly on my Ignite! virtual coaching experience. I invite you to follow along as I run my way to health … with Jeanne’s help.
Let’s motivate each other!
If you are working on your own health and/or fitness goal I would love for you to share your experiences as well. We can cheer each other on.
Embracing the fun, sexy, intelligent and real you
Most of the time, getting physically fit requires looking at more than food and exercise. To quote Jeanne “I realized I could take the mess my life was in and USE it to challenge myself to become the best I could be!” Your life might not be a mess, but there sure might be some glitches blocking your path to health and fitness. Let’s work together to remove those roadblocks and get you tearing off down the road to the fun, sexy, intelligent and real you. For details check out Eliza’s Mentoring.
Products For Women By Women: Between A Rock And A Hot Place
I have just finished reading Between a Rock and a Hot Place – Why Fifty is the New Fifty in a record – even for me – one day. To say that I enjoyed the book would be an understatement. Searingly honest and ‘wickedly’ humourous, the author, Tracey Jackson leads us through what life at fifty is really like and she doesn’t hold back any punches.
From Menopause, Sex, Dating, Careers, Death and more, Tracy gives funny and honest accounts of her own life experiences. It is a slightly more caustic ‘Eat, Pray,Love’…a book I count among my favourites and it includes many laugh out loud passages.
One of the book’s surprises in the universality of the topics and the associated emotional responses. In the chapter on sex, I actually read several paragraphs to my husband and said, “See….this is EXACTLY how I feel”.
Would I recommend this book to friends? Absolutely, in fact I have a section marked to read to a friend on online dating, another section marked for another friend on cosmetic surgery and yet another passage marked to read to a friend on money.
Maybe it is because I AM fifty that I felt such a connection with the topics but Jackson is superb in showing us that we are more alike than different, and she does it in an unaffected manner.
In the words of her doctor, “At fifty, shit happens” and it makes it all the more bearable knowing that we aren’t alone.
Jill Graves is a Silver & Grace Book Reviewer. Jilly-Bean is Eliza’s go to gal when she needs reassurance that men, children, bosses, co-workers, and pets are all insane; whereas, Eliza is clearly not. Every woman needs a friend like that.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sponsoring this review.
Products For Women By Women
Between A Rock And A Hot Place has the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as an excellent book for women. It is available on Amazon.
Between a Rock and a Hot Place: Why Fifty Is the New Fifty
You might also enjoy
Shmirshky: the pursuit of hormone happiness
It’s Not That I’m Bitter . . .: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Yoga and Healing
In my previous article, I talked about yoga: yoga and religion, yoga and its 8 limbs which are a path to spiritual growth and enlightenment, and the various schools of yoga. In this article, I want to touch on the healing aspect of yoga.
What is healing?
Our western medical approach is to address symptoms. We have been trained to be happy when our symptoms are under control. But there is more to life than controlling symptoms. Our symptoms are in fact pieces of the puzzle that guide us on our personal spiritual path. For instance, we easily take an Aspirin or Tylenol for a headache. But headaches are symptoms of inner conflicts or resistance. To make the headache go away is like saying to the spiritual master that you don’t need her help on your path.
I’ll share with you a personal story to explain this last point with something more acute than a headache. One night I woke up with a terrible pain in my chest. It felt as though a sword was going through my chest. I knew it was not a heart attack because I did not have the other symptoms. I tried to sleep it away, but I could not sleep for two hours. I told myself that the next time it happened I would see a doctor. So I did. I waited two hours in the emergency room. When I finally saw the doctor, he asked me about my pain and when I talked about it in the past, he told me he could not help me if I did not feel at the time of my visit. I told him I was in pain but it left after two hours of waiting in the emergency room. I had to come when I felt it. I still had to pay the co-pay. So I told myself I would not do that again and I decided to deal with it on my own. I did not know how until it happened again. I was home and I decided to lie on my couch and feel all the sensations associated with the pain. I did this while letting go of all fears of possible outcome, no judgments, completely curious about what was going on. This time pain left in 20 minutes and at the end I had a flash of my last meeting with my advisor (I was doing a PhD in biostatistics) which was filled with tension. I saw how I had contributed to the tension; I was not taking responsibility for my difficulties and waited for him to rescue me without saying it. From then on I chose to take responsibility for my work and there never was tension between us. And I never had that pain again. This was over 20 years ago.
Symptoms are indications that it is time to learn something. And healing is not limited to the elimination of symptoms. It is about learning was wants to be learned. This ailment may not be inside the person having the symptoms. It could be in someone else, or it could be a societal dysfunction.
An example of symptoms displayed by someone else than the one with the problem occurs when children misbehave. The misbehavior of the children is often just their way of moving with an unexpressed tense energy by an adult around them. Another example happened in my life when I went through a divorce and a friend who I was talking with about how I was handling my situation had to excuse herself and went to the bathroom to throw up. I know her throwing up had to do with me because that very morning I had written a fiction story that had predicted the throwing up by a third party.
Now, a disclaimer: Since some physical issues are meant to be for others around us to learn something, healing is not simply about eliminating a disease or a dysfunction in ourselves. We may die and that is still the healing way to go. We may have to die so others can take a responsibility they had been avoiding, or for other reason. This happens at a social level, for instance when Christ, Gandhi, or Martin Luther King were killed. We just have to make peace with what is.
Yoga and Healing
We don’t have to wait for symptoms in order to learn about the next step on our path. We can practice yoga instead. Practicing yoga means practicing the exercises (asanas) and feeling what happens in our body while doing these. As we release tensions, as we relax into the postures, we allow the energy to flow more easily in our body. The freer the energy flows in our body, through all of our chakras, the closer we get to enlightenment, the more in tune with life we are. Another aspect of practicing yoga is to practice each of the limbs of yoga I mentioned in the previous article.
For instance yama, the first limb, is about our social behavior, not stealing, not lying, etc. It is important to practice these limbs because they guide us away from ego where we can see more and more clearly the truth in everything, where we can feel universal love without our ego filters.
Every style of yoga can bring healing if one brings awareness to the practice. If you feel less stressed after a yoga class, you have allowed healing in your life. Iyengar yoga can be extremely beneficial with physical difficulties such as back problems. The body knowledge of an experienced Iyengar yoga instructor can guide your steps toward correcting a scoliosis for instance.
My experience with various yoga styles led me to also experience kundalini yoga. After my first class in kundalini yoga I knew I had experienced something different. Not only did I release stress during the class, I also felt a bliss I had rarely experienced before. Something about kundalini yoga reached deeper inside of me and released deeper patterns that I was not aware of. It was not just stress reduction; it was getting to experience the core of me, my essence.
Kundalini yoga is about awareness. It is about getting to know oneself, as we truly are. It is built around sequences of postures. A particular sequence may be to help heal one’s back, or to increase one’s intuition, to help heal one’s liver, or to open one’s heart. In order to achieve that, postures, breathing patterns, chanting, meditations and relaxations have to be practiced in a given sequence, and for a certain number of days in a row.
I met students who told me that within six months of practicing kundalini yoga they no longer needed their anti-depressant drugs. I had students who felt relieved of anxiety within a few months of practicing kundalini yoga.
The reason why yoga is so effective is that our deepest issues are stored in the fibers of our physical body: in our muscles, in our bones, and in our nervous systems. And therefore until you release the painful patterns through your body, energetically, you may not release them completely. Psychotherapy that does not address the body experience can take years with little progress.
Anything you set your heart to heal within you, you can heal with yoga, that is, with a practice of awareness and cleansing yourself from negative habits and patterns.
Luc Watelet is a passionate Kundalini yoga teacher and Life mentor. He welcomes your questions. He does passion-based counseling, working from people’s love and passion first and then strengths, rather than strengths alone or fixing pathology, to help them on their path. You can find him at: InnerWearth Blog or on his facebook page by searching Luc Watelet. Please send him a message first to let him know who you are and how you know him before asking for a friend request!
Silver & Grace Approved Books
Looking for books on spirituality? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They are available through Amazon.
The Source of Miracles: 7 Steps to Transforming Your Life through the Lord’s Prayer
Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth
The Message: A Guide to Being Human
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Embracing the fun, sexy, intelligent and real you
Life so busy you have lost touch with your spiritual self? Draining, isn’t it? But how do you even start the journey back to you? With a helping hand, that’s how! To learn how my intuitive mentoring can help you quickly get back in touch with your pure essence check out Eliza’s Mentoring?
Yoga: A Quick Overview
There are many styles of yoga and therefore the benefits of practicing yoga will vary depending on the style you practice, on the instructor, and on your dedication to your practice. I have practiced several styles of yoga and have been practicing and teaching Kundalini yoga for almost 17 years but I am definitely not an expert in yoga in general. In this blog, I will briefly describe what yoga is. In my next blog, I will talk more specifically about the spiritual and physical benefits of Kundalini yoga.
The first thing many people ask is: Is yoga a religion? The quick answer is ‘No.’ I think the question really asks: “Am I going to be led into some beliefs that are not me?” The answer to that question is clearly ‘No!’ I feel the need to be clearer. Most yoga practices originated from Hinduism. The Kundalini yoga lineage I follow comes from Sikhism. So yoga practices are related to religions. To understand one needs to get a sense of the difference between Eastern religions and Western religions. In India, at least before western influences, there was no separation between one’s religion and one’s spiritual path or one’s lifestyle. Every moment of one’s life is orchestrated around sacred rhythms. Yoga is an aspect of that. So even though yoga is not a religion in and of itself – and those who brought yoga to the West made sure to remove all connection to spirituality at first as to not turn us off, and made it a physical practice – yoga is originally a practice to connect us to universal consciousness.
Yoga literally means yoke, or what unites things together. The practice of yoga is therefore a practice to experience unity or oneness. Oneness happens by being one with universal consciousness.
When people talk about yoga, they refer to the practice of certain exercises (asanas), breaths (pranayamas), meditations (dhyana), and relaxation, but that’s only one aspect of the practice. Yoga is so much more!
Yoga can simply be translated as being mindful, being in a state of meditation, or if one is not there yet, every moment consciously letting go of distractions and welcoming what is. For instance you can be practicing yoga while gardening, doing the dishes or cleaning up your house, paying attention to everything that happens around you and within you as you do your work. This is called karma yoga. Or you can be practicing yoga while having fun being creative, playing with your kids, or swimming. The yoga of relationships with yourself and others is called White Tantra. It can be done with exercises and meditations or by living it. The yoga of sexuality is Red Tantra. This can be used and abused. To be yoga it needs to be done respectfully, sacredly, with devotion and therefore from the heart, and your entire being (all your chakras as one), not just from the sexual centers.
Patanjali was a physician who became a sage some time between 200 BC and 200 AD. He left us with a treatise on yoga that is still considered the fundamental text on the system of yoga. In it he describes the eight-fold path (or eight limbs) or yoga: Yama (social behavior), Niyama (inner discipline), Asana (posture), Pranayama (life force), Pratyahara (Going within letting go of distractions), Dharana (mind stillness, focus), Dhyana (meditation), Samadhi (Bliss, Unity). Only a few yoga styles are complete in the sense that they include all of these limbs.
Hatha yoga is a style of yoga that is the most popular in North America. Hatha yoga is not complete as it is for the most part limited to postures and relaxations, and includes very little breath work and meditations, although this depends on the instructor. Different schools have come from Hatha yoga: Iyengar yoga (precise alignment oriented, a class is run posture after posture, with instructions and corrections), Anusara yoga (derived from Iyengar but with elements of Hindu spirituality), Kripalu yoga (flowing, often with meditative music and sometimes with incense ), Bikram (Hot yoga, classes are scripted), Sivananda, Integral and restorative yoga. And this list is not exhaustive!
Kriya yoga is a yoga of devotion and was introduced in the US by Yogananda. I recommend his book: Autobigraphy of a Yogi because it is rare that yogis write their own biography and because it is a great source for understanding life directly through the eyes and experience of a spiritual master, not through one of his students. In it he describes his life from before his spiritual awakening and his quest to meet with the saints and gurus or his time.
Ashtanga yoga (literally eight limbs of yoga), or power yoga, is complete and is taught a little at a time through series.
Kundalini yoga is also a complete yoga. It is called the mother of all yogas. It focuses on awareness more than on alignment. It uses everything about yoga even for beginning classes: postures; finger, eye and tongue postures; breath work; mantras; meditations; and relaxation. Kundalini yoga is not taught by instructors but by teachers.
All yoga styles have a common guideline to experience a posture and use the breath to ease into postures. It is this practice that connects us to our body and helps release stress. Iyengar yoga goes at it by asking students to perfect their alignment and stay in postures with the help of props until ultimately the use of props is no longer necessary. Kundalini yoga goes at it the opposite way, less interested in perfecting postures, it is interested in awareness. It is awareness that guides one to perfecting one’s own posture.
Luc Watelet is a passionate Kundalini yoga teacher and Life mentor. He welcomes your questions. He does passion-based counseling, working from people’s love and passion first and then strengths, rather than strengths alone or fixing pathology, to help them on their path. You can find him at: InnerWearth Blog or on his facebook page by searching Luc Watelet. Please send him a message first to let him know who you are and how you know him before asking for a friend request!
Silver & Grace Approved Books
Looking for books on spirituality? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They are available through Amazon.
The Source of Miracles: 7 Steps to Transforming Your Life through the Lord’s Prayer
Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth
The Message: A Guide to Being Human
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Embracing the fun, sexy, intelligent and real you
Life so busy you have lost touch with your spiritual self? Draining, isn’t it? But how do you even start the journey back to you? With a helping hand, that’s how! To learn how my intuitive mentoring can help you quickly get back in touch with your pure essence check out Eliza’s Mentoring?
Stress, Balance & the Holidays
Each year like clockwork around the holidays we see patients suffering from health issues, including back pain, gastrointestinal problems, gallbladder attacks and depression. Many of these ailments are related to patterns of eating and lack of exercise.
For many people, overeating and under-exercising are year-round problems that are amplified over the holidays. For instance, we often see patients suffering from back pain triggered by stress this time of year. Stress affects the adrenal gland, triggering excess adrenaline that can weaken ligaments in the lower back that hold bones in place.
We also see a link between depression and increased sugar intake; and between gallbladder attacks and overindulgence in high-fat foods over the holidays. I have had patients who have gone to the emergency room with pain and tightness between the shoulder blades thinking they were having a heart attack. When, in fact, they were having an acute gall bladder attack. Gallbladder attacks can mimic heart attacks.
The holidays are a time when many of us get away from regular eating and exercise routines and overindulge in rich, fattening and sweet foods. It is also a time when people tend to eat foods that are not part of their regular diet and mix them in combinations that can cause digestive and other problems. For instance, mixing proteins and starches and in large quantities can cause severe indigestion. Enzymes released in the mouth to break down starches like breads and pastas can neutralize stomach acids responsible for digesting meat and other proteins. Food that cannot be digested completely literally rots in the stomach, releasing toxins and causing pain, bloating, and other symptoms.
Following are some tips for changing holiday habits to help people feel healthier and more energetic, relieve stress and avoid painful episodes of back pain and gastrointestinal distress:
- Try not to mix many different kinds of foods, particularly carbs and proteins, at one sitting. Try eating one type of food, such as meat, then taking and break for an hour or so before eating another type, such as sweets and other carbs. The European style of eating small portions in courses is a good model.
- Make regular exercise part of your daily routine. Getting up in time to work out in the morning can greatly relieve stress. Make it a point to walk, move and stretch frequently throughout the day, especially when you are going from party to party or meal to meal. A brisk walk and a couple of yoga moves can do wonders to help you manage stress, stay flexible and digest your food through the holidays.
- Choose foods that promote health, such a fresh fruits, vegetables and yogurt, and avoid eating too much sugar and rich, high fat foods all at once. The stomach is responsible for 70 percent of the immune system and requires 1 trillion bacteria to properly digest food. Keep that in mind to help you eat a healthy balance of foods.
- Slow down and chew food thoroughly.
- Drink lots of water to aid digestion.
- Avoid bombarding your system with unfamiliar foods. Over the holidays we visit the homes of friends, family and neighbors and eat foods that are outside of our normal eating patterns. Eating too many unfamiliar foods at once can cause all kinds of digestive problems, so take it easy and eat small quantities.
- As you make exercise part of your routine, whether it is walking, running, yoga, Pilates or another form, pay attention to your posture and gait (walk). One of the ways stress manifests itself is through poor posture and improper movement. Improper gait makes exercise and even simple movements inefficient, and increases risks of injury.
After overindulging over the holidays, many people resolve to exercise more and eat healthier. Why not resolve to eat better and exercise going into the holidays, and keep it up in the New Year? It will be a huge step toward staying healthy all year.
Dr. John L. Lombardozzi is an expert in functional health and inventor of The Chi Rope, a patented exercise device to help improve balance and energy and correct uneven gait associated with pain, stress and fatigue. A lifelong athlete and inventor, Dr. Lombardozzi studied yoga, Pilates and martial arts while building custom motorcycles. Following a back injury, he became a chiropractic physician specializing in kinesiology and biomechanical movement. Dr. Lombardozzi earned a degree from Life Chiropractic College and has practiced chiropractic medicine for 14 years. For more information, visit www.ChiRope.com.
Silver & Grace Approved Books
Looking for books on being healthy? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They are available through Amazon.
When You Need A Timeout
The MindBody FX Lifestyle: Mastering The Mind-Body Connection For Permanent Weight Loss
The Hormone Survival Guide for Perimenopause: Balance Your Hormones Naturally
For more books with the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Fabulous at 40: Tweak your Chic
Winter is here and with the change in season comes the reinvention of the fashion world. As designers reveal their work on catwalks worldwide, new trends ignite and the high street becomes a hot bed of key pieces that will transform your style and give life to your wardrobe.
Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it? Well it should do but with change comes fear for us women, particularly those of us whom have passed the ‘40 milestone’. We don’t know where to start in trying to replicate the trends that drape effortlessly on young models. Often we fall into the trap of looking like we’ve selected our outfit from the floor of an adolescent’s bedroom in the dark with no sense of cut or style.
Well ladies I have a secret for you; taking inspiration from bygone decades, this seasons trends are so chic and sophisticated it’s like they have been designed especially for us.
Marvellous midi
Length is the ultimate blessing for us more mature ladies this season. From Armani to Zara the fashion houses have axed the unforgiving micro minis of yesterday to make way for the flattering and fantastically refined midi.
Coming in either a scrumptiously straight cut or an amazing A-line, this knee skimming delight adds shape and elegance whilst creating a leg lengthening illusion that dazzles, defines, and hides a multitude of sins.
Tantalising texture
Texture is such an important element in creating the perfect outfit this winter and it is almost essential that you include fabrics that scream to be gazed at, envied and touched. Most notably it was Louis Vuitton, Paul Smith and Prada that all added depth to their collections with the use of natural fibres and delicate flourishes such as tweed, shearling and embroidered knits.
Whilst you may not feel comfortable in a mismatch of grains it’s quite easy to incorporate the trend with at least one element of your ensemble. It could be a miracle midi skirt, a bold Bottega Veneta styled ¾ length fitted coat or a beautiful Fendi-esque jumper. Whatever you wearing make sure it encompasses and celebrates the delicious coarseness of the trend.
Bye bye black
It’s so easy to fall back to black in times of fashion uncertainty; reliable and forgiving a black outfit is a safe option for us older ladies when we are lacking creativity and confidence. The unfortunate truth is that a completely black outfit can be too harsh for us softer ladies, as well as being a macabre look. Thankfully this season it’s nowhere to be seen.
But if black is a staple for you, don’t start panicking just yet; there are some older boys back in town that are here to spare your blushes. Offering all the protection of black, the smouldering hues of burgundy, brown, navy and bottle green are being seen everywhere from Yves Saint Laurent to Dior. Adding a flattering and complimentary change, the autumnal colours present grown up glamour with sophistication and elegance.
Splendid sleeves
Taking inspiration from ‘40s fashion; sleeves are an absolute must this winter. Whether on a chic blouse or a stylish shift, long sleeves will add a feminine retro style to your look.
Not only do floaty sleeves keep us covered up this season, they also have wonderful slimming properties. By making your shoulders and chest seem larger, the sleeves increase upper body proportion thus shrinking everything which is below the bust. Banishing bingo wings, long sleeves are a miracle worker that like Miu Miu, we ladies should embrace passionately.
It is important that we older ladies are comfortable and confident in what we are wearing. Unlike the younger generation, we have had decades to discover what clothes look and feel best on our bodies. We just need to avoid getting stuck in a faux pas fashion rut.
This post is contributed by Lauren Powell, a fashion writer for CaféLaModa.co.uk. You don’t have to be dressed head to toe in Chloe to be fashionable, by taking elements of the season’s key fashion trends from Café La Moda and matching them up with our own familiar style we can create an exquisite ensemble that will leave us feeling and looking fabulous.
Silver & Grace Approved Books
Looking for resources on feeling and looking great? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources. They are available through Amazon.
The Beauty Blueprint: 8 Steps to Building the Life and Look of Your Dreams
The MindBody FX Lifestyle: Mastering The Mind-Body Connection For Permanent Weight Loss
For more Silver & Grace Approved Books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
Menopausal Diabetics
One of the more profound changes that occur in women is all about menopause. This involves major lifestyle as well as hormonal changes for the woman as they age over time. When the woman is a diagnosed diabetic, this involves many more issues that need to be mastered.
There are many changes that occur in women when menopause sets in. Some of these changes are as follows:
Changes in Blood Sugar Levels. Estrogen and progesterone affects the body’s response to another hormone, insulin. Estrogen and progesterone are hormones that effect the menstrual cycle of the woman while insulin affects how the cells are able to metabolize blood sugar. Once menopause sets in, hormonal changes occur that affects one’s ability to metabolize blood sugar. As a result, blood sugar levels become more erratic thus leading to increased risk of developing diabetes complications.
Weight Gain. Many women gain weight when menopause sets in. This weight gain though can result in problems regarding diabetes management. When a diabetic increases in weight, they would require an increased intake of insulin or oral diabetes medication. Some women though lose weight during menopause and this may require also an increased intake of diabetes medication.
Infection. Diabetes can result in many urinary tract infections even before diabetes. With the lower levels of estrogen at menopause, the risk of increased yeast infections in the vaginal region can increase tremendously. This put together can place a great problem regarding infections and with the slow recovery rates with diabetics, this is a problem that seriously needs attention by a gynecologist.
These issues are not without solutions available. As a menopausal diabetic, here are some ways that the problems mentioned above can be properly managed.
Blood Check Ups. As a diabetic, it would be part of your daily routine. Thus when menopause sets in, blood sugar check ups must become more routinary because of the double health issues the woman undergoes. This would also help your doctor to adjust your diabetes medication plan to address all the issues associated with diabetes and menopause.
Coordination. Because menopause itself provides its own set of medical issues, it is important that the regimen for the menopause must go hand in hand with the diabetes regimen. This is to prevent counter reactions as well as negations of medications and treatments when these two conditions meet up in a woman.
As can be seen, a menopausal diabetic has their work cut out for them. Individually, diabetes and menopause presents many health concerns for the woman. Thus, blood sugar changes, weight gain and infections can be exacerbated with either or both conditions. To lower the main issues, it would be best to coordinate the medications and do regular blood sugar check ups to help your doctor properly manage both health conditions in the long run.
For a more comprehensive discussion on diabetes, do visit us at Yes There Are Diabetics Who Suffer No Complications and please visit the Marc Castro’s site The Diabetes Forum
