If you had asked me in early 2019 if I should be concerned about my hearing, I would have replied, not yet, I’m too young. I was so wrong. With October being Protect your Hearing Month, I encourage my readers to avoid what I have gone through. Protect your hearing now, before you lose it.
This is what I suggest you do this month, or at least get the process going. You never know when you have waited too long to save your hearing.
I am confessing here to all the world, diet and exercise haven’t been a part of my life, for most of my life. Until I had children, my weight was fairly stable. And then things got out of hand. There have been several times since the birth of my children that I have weighed as much as I did when I was about to deliver a child. That is not a good feeling, especially at sixty-five.
My biggest downfall in weight loss is sweets. So the post from Monday of this week fits me perfectly. See the picture to the right. Cookies. I love cookies. Maybe I need a picture of Cookie Monster on my refrigerator.
Weight Watchers/WW
About six years ago, I joined Weight Watchers and had success. I met my goal and maintained it. But then our location shut down due to not enough people going to meetings and working on the program. That’s what happens in a small town. This happened years before Covid, so I had no excuse to not join another location, except that driving at night was something I hate doing and I worked full time. I don’t feel like I can see as well as I should at night. Since then Oprah bought Weight Watchers and changed the name to WW and I moved to a different city where I could almost walk to the local WW. But in the meantime, I discovered something else that worked. And I will admit, Oprah Winfrey purchasing the company was not in my book a positive thing.
Trying Something New
So I found a few things to help me on my own. Yes, on my own doesn’t give me the commitment that WW did, nor the encouragement. But the cost is free, which is nice. However, since I had met my goal weight and was maintaining it, I was free at WW. Excuses are so easy for me to make.
No matter what you do to lose weight, make a commitment. You need to change your eating and exercising. I knew I could do it from experience. So what am I doing?
I use My Plate to record all the food and snacks that I eat. I use the free version, but there is a paid version I’m sure has its perks. When I first signed up for it, I had to set a goal amount to lose and the app calculated how many calories I could eat each day. If you hate counting your calories, this might not be for you. A lot of food is already in the system, plus most food has calories on the packaging. In California, they post the calories in restaurants. This was not so on my recent vacation to other states. So sometimes it can be a guessing game or a “that sounds close” option. If in doubt, I increase my calorie count, rather than guess low. I’m committed to being honest about my journey of losing weight.
If I am careful entering my calories, carry my phone around so that My Plate will calculate my calories burned, I can watch how I’m doing. I try to never go over my allowed calories. It’s really fun to get on the scale the day after I have left 100 calories or more available to eat. I often have lost half of a pound when I have walked a lot and have not used all my calories. However, it’s not so fun, when I go over my calories and my weight sneaks up a half of a pound.
Exercise
In years past, I have signed up to places where I could exercise with others. In the late ’70s my mom, two sisters, and I did something regularly, but I can’t remember the name of the place. I also tried Curves. I actually loved Curves. It took a commitment to come, but I usually went with my sister who lived in the same city. But times must have gotten tough financially, or the owner got greedy, and they would not run the air conditioner low enough for us to continue. Yes, it’s best if you sweat a little in your workout, but this went beyond. We begged employees to make it cooler, once in a while we succeeded. Occasionally we did it ourselves when no one was looking.
And of course, I followed exercises on TV programs. I really like Denise Austin. If you are a member of AARP, you have access to quite a few of her videos and others on the AARP app. They are often for a specific body part, like your lower back or arms.
My exercise now has been walking. In the last two years, my walking has mainly comprised of grocery shopping, shopping at Costco, and walking to a neighbor’s house. I have balance problems following my surgery to have a brain tumor removed. When I walk regularly, I can fall and hurt myself. Once it gets cooler, which should be soon, I hope to give it another try. I use a Fitbit watch to keep track of my steps. Years ago, I could easily walk 10,000 steps a day. Today I try to hit 3,000, sometimes pushing it over 5,000. I would love to get back to 10,000 a day.
Besides Fitbit, I use Runs to Go to track my miles for the year. I have done this for several years now. I have yet to hit my goal of 1,000 miles. But, I will not reduce my goal, since I am determined to hit 1,000 miles in a year. I thought this would be my year until I realized the balance issue has held me back. It is the end of September and I am only at 534 miles for the year. It is unlikely I will complete 1,000 miles this year.
Noom
I kept hearing about Noom, but I knew it wasn’t free, so I have been “thinking about it” for some time. Last night I signed up for Noom. I will have two weeks free and then if I don’t cancel, I will continue on, paying for three months at a time. My price is under $100 for three months. I believe that is less than I paid to go to WW, without having to drive to a meeting.
With Noom, I went through a lot of questions so they could get to know me. I have a lot of information to read or watch on video. They give it in small pieces. I’m sure it’s to encourage smart thinking. If I want a food plan specific for me, I can pay extra. I am a picky eater, so I will not pay to have someone tell me to eat food like salmon, avocado, and kale. I can also pay for an exercise guide. That I may consider unless I sign up for a class somewhere. I need accountability.
I have a coach who will encourage me. They give me a quiz once in a while to make sure I am learning the information.
Since I started last night, I cannot claim any success yet. But I am looking forward to losing my 15 pounds this way. With Noom, a big part of your success is believing.
No matter what, do these six things:
Each morning when you get up, before you have breakfast, weigh yourself. Use the same scale and wear the same amount of clothing – I usually do it in my pajamas, after I have gone to the bathroom. There is a lot of fluctuation day to day. Always try to weigh yourself at the same time of day. I suggest you write your results each day on the calendar or a piece of paper to track your progress.
Drink water – lots of it. You may have heard eight glasses a day. If you check online, you will find all kinds of ideas. The amount of water you need each day depends on a lot of things, like the size of your body, how active you are, and how much water you get from the food you eat. I suggest you check with your doctor. Be aware you can drink too much water.
Walk as much as you can, exercise with a video, or join a class at a gym. Be sure to keep this up regularly. Once a week is better than nothing, but several times a week is even better.
Be accountable to someone. This is something I have been missing lately. This is one of my reasons for starting Zoom. If you have a friend close by, work out with him/her.
Check with your doctor before starting something new. You never know if something can be harmful to your unique body.
Eat healthy. Replace cookies with fresh fruit or carrot sticks. Make good food choices.
Have you set a weight loss goal?
As you can see, I switch around on my way to lose these last 15 pounds. My goal used to be 20 pounds, but I have been able to lose five and keep them off. My goal is by Christmas. That’s about three months away. This time I will have to work harder. But thanks to accountability, I hope I will succeed. How are you doing with losing weight? If you have a weight loss goal, put it in the comments. Letting someone know makes you accountable to everyone that sees your comment, even though none of us know you well.
Today we welcome Bonnie Yost as a guest blogger. Bonnie Yost is a Physical Therapist, speaker, and author who helps people live in joy and vibrant health. Early in Bonnie’s PT career several challenging cases led Bonnie to explore the mind-body connection for total healing. Bonnie saw amazing results when combining treatment for the inter-connected nature of physical pain with deep emotional wounds. Bonnie offers free resources and the opportunity to take courses from Bonnie or work with her one-on-one at her website: 4x4Healing.
If you’re short and wish you were tall, there’s no changing that. But if you want to spare your body stress and improve your health through proper posture, that is within your control.
Proper alignment, posture, biomechanics (alignment and leverage as you move), and ergonomics (workspace design) are critical to avoid pain or relieve your pain and prevent injury.
Before I retired I was planning for my retirement. It seemed like the thing to do. It seemed the smartest thing to do.
I told my daughter on a Saturday that I planned to work another year or two and then retire from my part-time job. So that meant I would have worked for my current employer for about two years. For the most part, I really enjoyed my job. It was flexible, and the work was work I’d been doing for over 20 years, so it was not difficult or stressful. My retirement plan seemed like a good plan for both my husband and me.
When the Covid-19 vaccines first came out, I didn’t qualify since I wasn’t a first responder. And I wasn’t old enough. Now, as the age limit has continued to go lower, I still am left behind the happy groups of people that are so proud to go on television and get their vaccination. There is currently a push to reach the people that refuse to have or are not yet ready to have a vaccine. There are even gifts available in some areas, to those who have waited this long to get their vaccine.
I encourage everyone to get an annual eye exam once they become 50. If you have never had glasses or contact lenses before that doesn’t mean you don’t need to have your eyes examined. I wore glasses most of my life. At my exams my optometrist starting mentioning I had cataracts, but I had time. Eventually, I was caught off guard when I was told I needed cataract surgery. Without the surgery, I would soon no longer able be to legally drive.
When your eyesight has deteriorated to the point you need to have cataract surgery there will be choices to be made. Most people will have their surgeries one or two weeks apart. This allows time for your first eye to heal before your second surgery. However, some people have only one eye affected.
Three million Americans a year have cataract surgery, so it is not unusual to need this surgery. Cataract surgeries are something that happens as we grow older. Of those 80 or older, the likelihood of having had cataract surgery is 90%.
How good are you at solving mazes? They can be really difficult for me at times. There are people that find it difficult to figure out their Medicare decisions. It is like a maze to them. If they make the wrong choice, they can get lost and confused. I’m here to help you in solving the Medicare maze.
Three to six months prior to your 65th birthday you will receive a book from the Department of Health & Human Services, entitled “Medicare and You.” It says “the official U.S. Government Medicare handbook” at the very top. This is the most comprehensive information you will receive. It could be the only book you will need to read. You do not have to read every word, but it’s a great resource for clarifying things. Keep this book until you have made your decisions and maybe for the rest of your life in case you want to make changes in the future.
You should also receive your Medicare card from CMS – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It should be in the same envelope as Medicare & You. It is a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 piece of heavy-weight paper. This is your actual Medicare card. If you want Part B, you keep this card, cutting or tearing it out of that paper. Put it in your wallet. You only need it when you get medical services, so you can choose to carry it for medical appointments only. But then you need to remember to take it with you every time you have an appointment. Likely, you won’t have it in an emergency. However, your insurance plan may send you a card to use that will be plastic, like a credit card. If you do not want part B you would follow the directions and return the entire card back to Western Program Service Center. They will send you a new card.
I will admit that the last thing I ever wanted to wear on my face was a mask. Unless I was skiing in frigid weather, and I’m not a skier. Especially, when this, the dreaded mask-wearing, has been going on for over a year with no end in sight, at least in the state of California, where I live. So, as a way to try to appreciate the positives of mask-wearing, I have come up with a list of six joys of face masks, that might help you appreciate them, too. Or, maybe not.
I do want to emphasize that I do wear my mask in public when required. And I am in no way trying to downplay the Covid-19 virus. I realize it is serious and I’m quickly approaching the high-risk age group. However, I still would rather not wear a mask. But I have tried looking for something positive in our current situation.
Two years ago my husband and I had moved closer to my mother so that I would be available to take her to the hospital or check on her when she wasn’t responding to phone calls and texts. Her second husband had died two years prior and her health was declining. Being closer, allowed me to check on her when one of my siblings or I, noticed she wasn’t answering her phone. She refused to go to the hospital by ambulance, so I had taken her several times. My being close was important.
When my father died it was unexpected because he had cancer and the doctor gave us a timeline, that gave us hope. Yet, his first week of chemo he died on Saturday. Not the 6 weeks the doctor had predicted without chemo, nor the 6 months possible if he had chemo. Doctors make an educated guess, but they don’t know for sure.
My mom was still alive and home with him when he died. We didn’t expect any problems with our mom living alone. She seemed to be very healthy. Eventually, my mom re-married. In November 2020, four years after her second husband died, I received a call from one of my sisters that our mom was not answering her phone.
