Health Kick

A healthy lifestyle is essential once we reach Fabulously40, a lesson that many of us seem to be slow in learning.

In our 20’s and 30’s, we could get away with bad food and lifestyle choices. If we didn’t get eight hours of sleep at night, it wasn’t evident (at least not right away). If we ate or drank too much for a whole week, perhaps we added a pound or two, but not much more. And when decided to go on a diet, the pounds seemed to melt away.

So I ask you, what the heck happened?

At 40+, it seems that anything we do that is not appropriate to our age category takes an immediate toll. I’ve always had a weight issue - I would eat, gain weight, diet, lose weight, and then repeat the cycle - only now it seems worse than ever. I don’t think there’s a diet I haven’t heard of, tried or attempted.

Ironically, I’ve found that they all work as long as you count your calories. Take in fewer calories than you burn each day and you will loose weight. The challenge, of course, is keeping the weight off. Had I found the answer to that age-old problem I would have been the most celebrated woman on the planet.

Let’s face it ladies, we live in a society that preaches that size 0 models are the most beautiful creatures on earth. We hear it, we live it, and worst of all, we teach it to our children. I remember preaching to my daughters to stop eating too much so they will not have my thighs, arms, or derriere.

Find What Works for You

I have finally accepted the fact that as we age, we need to take care of our bodies in a more attentive way. Like it or not, every extra piece of bread we put in our mouths will end on our thighs, arms or somewhere in between. However, that doesn’t make it any easier to say no to that freshly buttered croissant and dive into a plate of raw carrots and broccoli instead.

Recently, I came to the conclusion that although there are many ways to eat healthier and take better care of ourselves, the secret is finding out what works best for each individual. After trying countless diets and eating plans, I have discovered that Weight Watchers works best for me. All I need to do is to make it a daily routine. For me, that means going to their meetings, having a workout buddy, and being held accountable for everything that goes into my mouth.

What prompted this sudden revelation?

Every year I gain 10 pounds during the holiday season, and every year I have to deal with the extra weight after the holidays. This year, however, I managed to gain 10 pounds before the holidays even began, and it was downhill from there. Given that the pounds no longer come off as easily as they used to, the time had come to figure out what I need to do in order to stay healthy and vibrant for myself and my loved ones.

Not long ago I scolded my dad to stop smoking and start taking care of himself. When he didn’t immediately oblige, I called him selfish. I laid on the “Jewish guilt” hard and thick because, after all, if he gets sick we children have to take care of him. If he chooses to get sick by being careless, that’s selfish and unfair.

So -- I am publicly announcing that from today forward I will be very conscious of what I eat and how much I exercise. If I don’t take care of myself now, my kids will have to take care of me, which I do not find appealing. I want to be a “cool” grandma, not an old and sick one. For this to happen, I need to have a plan and stick to it.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’re probably cringing just about now. Another plan??? Just how many plans, programs and guidelines do we need to adhere to? I say as many as possible, as long as the outcome is a positive one.

I call all of you to join me as I embark on the “health kick” at this special stage in my life. I will definitely need your support getting there.

Yours in good health,

Yana

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Let's Stay Positive

Sometimes despite the fact when everything is going our way, we anticipate that something bad is about to happen. We even ask ourselves is to day the day?

If we could see into the future beforehand, our lives would be pain and worry free. But we can’t, can we?

Actually, we can, here is how:

Stop the negative thought process, just let it go.

Don’t get caught up in ‘”your reality” of daily overload.

Clear your mind that will allow you to make better choices.

It’s the easiest thing to be a victim. It’s so much harder to have a positive attitude at all times, but I assure you it can be done.

Let today be the day you start the positive thought process.



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When Angelina Jolie Lips are Not a Good Thing

When we launched Fabulously40.com, our marketing director urged me not to write any blogs, articles or postings that addressed the topic of how our bodies begin to deteriorate as we age. At 30-something, she considered it a depressing aspect of getting older, and insisted that no one wanted to hear or talk about. Reluctantly, I agreed.

When I suddenly started having “eye” issues, I said nothing. When I began soaking myself in oils and creams because my skin was too dry, I didn’t mention it. When sciatic pain began to wake me up at night, I didn’t write about it. When I began to get pink blotches on my face, I masked it with makeup and tried to ignore it. When I somehow tore my rotator cuff and the doctor suggested surgery, again I remained silent. Every time a doctor announced that another of my conditions was “chronic,” I cringed but honored my word.

Well, ladies, I will remain silent no more!

Last night I returned home from a business meeting, exhausted from driving for several hours. Skipping dinner, I decided to go straight to bed. I didn’t stress over my kids’ activities or next day’s chores, I just took a shower and fell asleep. When my husband came to bed, I woke up and noticed that my lips felt dry (another new condition I have acquired in the last few months). I applied some Chapstick and went peacefully back to sleep.

Three hours later, I awoke with the very unusual feeling of “dribbling” lips. I nodded off again and awoke an hour later, this time feeling like my lips were “all over my face.” I jumped out of bed, and turned on the light. The face I saw in the mirror was beyond my comprehension.

Good Lips Gone Bad

Sometime during the night, Ronald McDonald had taken over my body and adornedit with his enormous bright red lips. I looked like a woman whose lip injection treatments had gone really bad. I tried to recall what I had eaten during the day and what I had done the night before, thinking that perhaps I was having an allergic reaction. But I couldn’t come up with anything. At 3:00 in the morning, the only logical conclusion was that after so many years of marriage, I had become allergic to my husband.

Thinking that antihistamines would help, I woke up my daughter, who suffers from allergies, and borrowed a few pills. She was horrified by my appearance. I then applied all kinds of creams to my lips and face and went back to bed. When I awoke in the morning, I discovered that my lips had grown even larger and more grotesque. I mean, they looked like Angelina Jolie’s lips on steroids! Despite the gravity of the situation, I remember thinking, “Why couldn’t I wake up with her body?”

Unable to get any work done, I whined, moaned and complained for hours until my husband finally made me go to the doctor. To my great disappointment, this is what she said: “You have a very common condition among women your age. As women get older, they require a lot more liquids and oils. You need to drink at least 10 glasses of water a day, use lip moisturizer, get enough sleep and live a healthy life style. You should also consume plenty of flax seed and omega oils, along with a variety of other nutrients that I will write down for you.”

She ended her speech with a devastating statement: “I hate to disappoint you, but this could be a chronic condition.” At the sound of that hated word, I began laughing hysterically, while the poor young dermatologist looked at me in disbelief. She was probably wondering whether to prescribe loony pills instead of creams and oils.

Walking out of her office, I called two of my best friends and announced my new “condition.” Because both of them are fabulously40, they had no problem relating or sympathizing with me. We all agreed that lip injections were not for me, and even if I thought about them in the future, this was a clear sign that I should “never go there.” They were also happy to hear that I wasn’t allergic to my husband, so they didn’t have to endure another divorce.

We agreed to meet this weekend to go shopping, but not for the lingerie, shoes or accessories. Instead, our mission is to find organic flax seeds with a kick, omega oils that taste good, vitamins that will revive us, and a good book to get us through the night -- just in case insomnia kicks in.

But, ladies of the club, would we exchange all of our conditions, symptoms and aches for the wisdom that came with them? No way! Angelina Jolie may have lips to die for, but we can kill with our looks, symptoms and knowledge.

Health Tip

To make sure I get my good oils, I started to have a protein shake for breakfast every day. Not only do I get my good oils, I also get high quality protein, a very healthy fruit and good fats all in one meal. Here's the recipe:

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 scoop whey protein powder

4 capsules/1 tablespoon Udo's Choice Oil or Flax Seed Oil

1 - 2 cups nonfat milk (depending on how thick you like your shakes)

Simply pour into blender and mix well.

You can substitute any fruit you like, such as strawberries, apples, bananas, etc.

Using frozen fruit makes it into a slushy, which in my opinion, makes it taste better.

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