When You’re 70

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Carole

English: Bruno Mars performing in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 18, 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“When your legs don’t work like they used to before…”

One of the new Bruno Mars songs – I’ll still be loving you until we’re 70.

What do you think about that?

I was offended. What happens after 70?

Divorce?

You are too decrepit to do anything anymore?

What happens for the next 20 years?

I know, he’s young, and he thinks 70 is really old! Heck, when I was growing up we thought 30 was old.

But I’m 11 years away, and that time flies the older we get, doesn’t it? You have a whole different perspective, don’t you?

I can’t picture myself with legs that don’t work and not being able to do anything 11 short years from now. I’m next in line for Alzheimer’s, so my memory may be fading – or not. I hope not.

Like many people – I work hard to stay fit and healthy so I won’t be huddled in my rocking chair in my 70′s.

I’m sure it will be the hottest wedding song this year, and for years to come. OK, the premise of the song is sweet – I’ll love you until we’re old and gray and can’t walk anymore. But geez! Hopefully that won’t be when we’re 70!

Getting back to real life

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Carole

So, the first real week of this year has been a total loss for most of us. Dealing with mother nature can sometimes take all of our time and throw our lives into total chaos.

Now the holidays are behind us, and hopefully the worst weather is done. Its time to get back on track.

As crazy as life was last week, one thing I did do was eat better. I know that I need every bit of energy I can summon to get through times like this. One night I had a barbecued chicken sandwich, baked potato and salad. Another night – pork chop, stuffing and green beans, simple stuff.

I had cut, blanched and froze a bunch of green beans, so they were easy. I definitely will do that again! See the Freezer Preserving section for instructions. I had made a loaf of pumpkin bread the night before the weather turned bad, so I had a great grab and go morning snack.

My Christmas decorations were still up. This is the time when I do the bulk of my spring cleaning. I wash all the knick-knaks and wash the silk arrangements. I polish all the shelves and tables, since they are emptied off anyway.

The Christmas decorations are now all safely tucked away. The rest of the spring cleaning I’ll do a little at a time. We’ve got at least a couple of months before it gets warm…

It feels good to have life back in order!

How about you? Are you settled into a healthy routine?

Arghhh!

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Carole

That’s what it feels like when life is continually disrupted

You know that I am a creature of habit. I like the holidays, but this year the way they fell with weekends attached, it seemed like it would never end.

Then my daughter made a surprise visit for a week. I made her go home because the weather was due to change, and she needed to go home and they need to decide what they are going to do. They have to move by the end of the month. Are they moving together, or each going home? That is not decided yet.

Comparison of old and new values of Wind Chill at °C ( ) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Then comes a little snow, and a lot of cold. Our wind chills today were 30-35 degrees below zero.

Of course I had said that I needed to change the car battery before winter. I didn’t. UGH!

I had really 2 choices. Either let the car sit for a few days until the weather gets warmer, or get the new battery. Of course it all would have been a lot easier if I had done it before it got cold… Isn’t that what I preach all of the time? My friend Linda would say, “Doctor, heal thyself.”

We had like 2 inches of snow. How can that make a foot high snow drift in front of my car every few hours? The garbage is not going out for tomorrow morning. The cans are firmly frozen in place, and I’m not dealing with it.

I haven’t taken down my Christmas decorations. Have you?

I knock off a lot of my spring cleaning when I switch everything over, but there just hasn’t been time.

I figure about the time I get settled back into a schedule my daughter will move back in and disrupt everything again. It looks like that is the way it is going to go. They expected that life would be easier than it really is. They would play house, the sun would be out everyday, they would have plenty of time to go out, and life would be easy…

Yeah, they had things go wrong, but nothing earth shattering. Its sad, but if the relationship couldn’t survive those little upheavals, they didn’t have a chance. Don’t you agree?

I know a lot of parents have a hard time letting go of their kids. I on the other hand, had gotten into my own little life and routines. I did not expect to have my child at home ever again.

There are all kinds of mixed feelings. I’m sad for her that the relationship, and life did not worked out the way she thought it would. On the other hand, she has more opportunity and connections for her career in dog training up here. Besides, she can do all the cooking and cleaning now

Don’t get me wrong, it will be nice to have her around, and the dog. Its just another adjustment.

So, I’ve had a lot going on. Of course that means that I haven’t gotten to putting the finishing touches on How to Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind. That means that you can still get it for just $7. Even at that, anything I add, you will still get – even though others will pay more.

Have you had an adult child return home? How did it go?

Its just you and your resolution – Now what?

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Carole

Its the first real week of this year. Things have settled down. Its just you and your resolutions. You have a choice to make. Will you be in a better spot this time next year, or will you fall back into habit and remain the same?

English: Percent increase of success for six months over unaided attempts for each type of quitting (except cold turkey and cutting down to quit) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I never could understand why they say that most people have broken their resolutions by January 15. I think the problem is our all or nothing thinking. You are not going to lose 50 pounds in 2 weeks. It is a process.

You don’t have to be perfect every day, you just need to keep positive momentum. If you had a piece of pizza, do you throw up your hands and declare yourself a loser? Now you’re giving up until next year? That makes no sense to me.

I heard on the radio a couple of days ago, the top 3 resolutions this year are -

Lose Weight
Get Organized
Save Money

Are your resolutions in the top 3?

How could you have possibly failed already?

A big reason that we fail is that we are not totally committed.

Yeah, it would be nice to lose weight, but I’m not willing to give up the things that are making me gain weight, and I don’t want to even try a healthier diet. It just sounds yucky and hard.

The truth is, its not yucky or hard. You just haven’t had a good example to follow. And without commitment, you won’t even be willing to find out.

How do you make yourself committed?

You sit down and think really hard about why you want to accomplish your goal.

If you can come up with strong enough reasons why, you will be more likely to do what it takes.

What is your big reason?

Do you want to wake up and not be in pain?

Do you want to have enough energy to play with your kids?

Do you want to feel good when you look in the mirror?

Do you want to rub in in your ex’s face?

Do you want to live?

Do you want your family to live in a nicer area where the kids can go to better and safer schools?

Do you want the peace of knowing the bills are paid every month with a little left over for saving and fun?

Do you want to be able to help your parents?

Are you afraid of retirement?

What are your big reasons? What will drive you to reach your goals?

What Now?

I think another big part of the reason for failure is that we don’t know exactly what to do to reach our goal. You can waste a lot of time and effort with trial and error. I know I sure have.

That’s why when an email recommending an ebook that would help me reach my goal at a reasonable price, I snapped it up. I’ve been wasting a lot of time trying this and that, and failing miserably.

So, how do you reach your goals this year?

1. Make a commitment.

2. Learn how others have accomplished what you want to do.

3. Take consistent action.

I’ve put together some resources below for the most common goals. If you need something different, let me know and I will try to find a good solution for you.

OK, now I have to actually open the ebook I bought and get started. How about you?

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How to lose weight without losing your mind…

How to keep a really clean house without losing your mind…

How to beat depression…

Build better habits…

How to really quit smoking…

Save Money and Get Out of Debt…

Extreme Couponing…

Quit Drinking…

Mindzoom