Joan’s Boomer Blog

This is a guest post by author Kitty Holman. As someone who currently lives with two dogs and two cats, all

Leo and Molly brighten up our lives

rescued from sad situations, I can personally vouch for how much pets add to my own life.

Owning Pets Especially Beneficial for Seniors

By Kitty Holman

As we approach or find ourselves in the thick of retirement, we naturally become more attuned and concerned about our mental and physical health. Your children are more than likely grown up with families of their own, you no longer have that 9-to-5 to worry about as much, and now it’s time to settle down, caring about you, and however the case may be, your spouse as well. While we try to focus on our health by exercising, eating well, and generally keeping our minds and bodies fit, we may forget to factor in the “overall quality of life” component.

One of the best ways that a senior can improve his or her quality of life is to get a pet. That’s right, your little pooch or tom cat can enhance your life in many ways, according to recent research. For one, owning pets helps to combat mild, chronic stress or mild to moderate depression, two disorders that are increasingly prevalent among older people. Just by petting or interacting with a pet, a pet owner can accrue many mental health benefits like decreased blood pressure. Although the link between pet ownership and health is not yet firmly established, many studies show that pet owners sleep better and are more fit than their non-pet owning counterparts.

Especially when it comes to dogs, animals which require regular exercise, owning pets can help older people stay in shape. After all, it takes motivation to get out the door and go for a jog. When Fido absolutely needs the exercise, you simply can’t tell yourself, “I’ll go for a run tomorrow.” Taking pets outside also encourages establishing social ties, as walking in a public park means you’ll meet fellow pet owners.

Experts also suspect something that you may already have figured pets can do wonders in relieving empty nest syndrome, simply because pets give their owners something to care about and for. Pets, of course, return the favor, radiating excitement when you return home, eager to be in your company. A WebMD article on the connection between pets and mental health noted, quoting Alan Entin, a Virginia psychologist:

“When you are feeling down and out, the puppy just starts licking you, being with you, saying with his eyes, ‘You are the greatest.’ When an animal is giving you that kind of attention, you can’t help but respond by improving your mood and playing with it.”

Of course, for seniors who are interested in becoming new pet owners, you should plan carefully, taking into account your schedule and abilities. If you are extremely busy, it may be more prudent to get a cat instead of a puppy, which requires much attention. It’s also very important to find a secondary caretaker for your pet in the event that you can no longer care for one. In the end, if you do your research and prepare accordingly, getting a pet might be one of the best things you can do for your overall health.

By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Kitty Holman, who writes on the topics of nursing colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: kitty.holman20@gmail.com.

Recently, I saw an article on Nursing Schools.net which lists 50 Helpful Health Blogs for Seniors and I wanted to share it here. The list of blogs is divided into topics, Healthy Living, News and Pharma, Mental Health, Health Care and Insurance and Specific Conditions, such as diabetes and Parkinsons’ Disease. These blogs cover just about everything you’d need or want to know about health aging and seniors and health.

Most of these blogs I hadn’t seen before. Some of my favorites, which I’ve added to my reading list, are:

Over 50 Website This blog covers all sorts of topics of interest to seniors such as retirement finances, ways to save money, health and beauty, including natural remedies, personal growth and more. You can even contact them to write blog postings of your own. Their motto is “Fifty Plus, Loud and Proud!”

Third Age.com - This site says it’s for Boomer women but any 50 plus man or woman could benefit from all the healthy aging articles here. There are anti-aging recipes, articles on meditation and intuition, menopause as well as a section on various diseases and conditions such as fibromyalgia, diabetes and depression. Great info here for those interested in aging well in mind, body and spirit.

Health Beat Blog - This blog is by Maggie Majar who has wrote the book, Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much. Maggie summarizes for us what’s going on in the world of health care, with links to other news articles and blogs as well.

Check out this great list of 50 Health Blogs for Seniors. You’ll probably find a few new ones to add to your reading list.

I’ve mentioned my friend Tom Grimes, who has a health coaching business, in past articles. Yesterday I received an email from Tom and asked his permission to share it with you. Tom’s good friend has spent the past few weeks in the hospital with complications directly related to obesity and diabetes. As Tom told me, this wasn’t one of his many success stories but it does give food for thought as we contemplate how our daily lifestyle choices affect our health.

Tom says, “I have been thinking about writing this email for several days. Actually, over the past 23 days I have been sitting daily in the ICU waiting room of Santa Rosa’s Memorial Hospital.

Someone very close to me, Nancy, has been hospitalized with a serious illnesses that is the direct result of obesity. A friend described Nancy as being “one sick puppy.” That is a very good description of her right now.

Unfortunately what Nancy is experiencing is becoming more and more common. In the U.S. 300,000 people die every year from the issues obesity and that figure does not include the millions who are experiencing a decrease in their quality of life.

Even though Nancy watched me lose weight and even lost some herself, she neglected to change her habits to maintain the weight she lost and her sugars went out of control by her food choices she was making.

So many times we wait and ignore or put off for another day which is exactly what Nancy was doing. I’m sure you know people who are making the same mistake that Nancy made. Perhaps you are too.

For several months I have been sending you my Healthy Habits eNewletter. 20 to 25 percent of the people I send it to click on the front page. A handful read one or more of the articles. I understand completely. However, now I’m challenging you. Check out the Healthy Habits eNewsletter in your inbox and share it with someone (click on Send to Friend) you know who may be struggling with their weight, energy or health. One doesn’t have to believe that it will work, you just have to follow the plan and it works. Why not give it a try before it is too late for you or your loved ones.

Please, also say a prayer for Nancy as she goes through this long recovery process.”

We do send Nancy our prayers, Tom.

If you would like to subscribe to Tom’s Healthy Habits monthly newsletter, click here for more information.

In the meantime, consider what you are eating today. Did you go for a daily walk? Did you spend some time doing something you truly enjoy, free from worry and stress? All of these are choices you make about how you are living your life. Each daily choice adds up to a life lived and each choice helps decide whether or not you end up like Nancy or whether you active, energetic, and healthy every day of your life.

Would you like to have your own home business as a coach, helping others reach their own health or fitness goals? Many people want to be healthier but need a mentor. There are programs out there to help you set up your business.

My friend Tom Grimes is a Certified Health Coach with Take Shape for Life. Here is what he had to say about his health coaching business:

Take Shape For Life is a long-term plan for healthier living that starts with healthy weight loss using the Medifast 5 & 1 Plan and the support of a Health Coach. Your Health Coach will work with you one-on-one along your journey to Optimal Health and provide support every step of the way as you learn The Habits of Health and apply them into your daily lifestyle. With the help of my Health Coach I lost 80 pounds in 23 weeks.

During this period I also became a health coach and have worked with men and women who also want to achieve Optimal Health. When I started most of the health coaches had experienced success with the program. Now others are joining us as coaches.

The good news is that weight loss starts healing your body even before you’re ready for your “after” picture. A study at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center in Houston shows that shedding even a modest amount of weight can improve your health. In the study, doctors focused on weight loss among patients with metabolic syndrome, a constellation of risk factors (excess abdominal fat, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and others) that lays a foundation for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

“Our study has shown that weight loss of as little as 6.5 percent … results in substantial reductions in blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol, all factors that lead to heart disease,” says Christie Ballantyne, M.D., one of the study’s researchers. “These impressive results occur early in the weight loss, well before individuals even begin to approach their ideal body weight.”

It has been very rewarding watching people regain their health and their lives.  Just watching them reduce clothing sizes is exciting.  I feel I’m helping get American Healthy one person and a time.

if you’d like to know more about Tom’s coaching business or if you need the services of a health coach yourself, check out his website.

Another coaching business I’ve become interested in recently because of my daughter is Beach Body Fitness Coaching. She joined this business as a fitness coach and originally I signed up too, just to help her out. However, as I found out more about Beach Body, I began to see how the concept of health and fitness coaching could help Baby Boomers.

Beach Body products include Shakeology, a nutritional shake with over 70 healthy whole food nutrients. This program comes with a cd workout program called Shakeology as well. Other Beach Body fitness products include Slim in 6, a 6 week fitness program which promises to help you reshape your body in 6 weeks and even a Yoga program. Club membership includes meal plans, recipes, a community for help and support, and of course, the help of your own fitness coach.

Club members get a 10% discount on products and coaches get a 25% discount on their own purchases.

One thing I liked about the Company is that the products, Shakeology and P90X are nationally advertised and the company is doing an advertising push to raise awareness of fitness and their products. It’s really gratifying to help people have their own “before” and “after” programs, losing weight and getting fit.

If you’d like more information about becoming a Beach Body fitness coach, check out this short informational video about fitness coaching.

If you have an interest in health and fitness, coaching could make a fulfilling part time or full time retirement business for you. You can work at home, make your own schedule and help others at the same time. As baby boomers age, more and more are becoming interested in healthy aging. Nothing is as motivating to your own healthy lifestyle than motivating others too!

IonLoop Counters Effects of Positive Ions + Contest Giveaway

The IonLoop, with its negative ion and magnetic technology, is becoming popular everyone from athletes, who compete under the energy draining UV rays of the sun and want to boost their energy, to office

IonLoop

workers and others who work under florescent lights, sit in front of a computer or talk on a cell phone during the course of a day. Anyone who is constantly exposed to fatigue producing positive ions may benefit from this new technology.

I’ve been wearing an IonLoop bracelet for about a week and I can tell you, it’s attractive and comfortable enough to be worn all the time. Scroll down to find out about an opportunity to win an IonLoop bracelet to try for yourself.

There has been quite a bit in the news lately about the possible harmful effects on our bodies of positive ions absorbed through daily use of computer terminals, florescent lighting, modern building materials, forced air ventilation systems and machinery of all sorts. Many believe, and scientific studies are beginning to support, the idea that these positive ions in our environment contribute to fatigue, depression, irritability, headaches and stress.

So how do we counter the effects of modern life and positive ions? With negative ions. These odorless, tasteless and invisible molecules are thought to produce biochemical reactions when they reach our bloodstreams which increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy.

Where do Negative Ions come from?

The air around waterfalls, beaches, forests and mountains are loaded with billions of naturally occurring negative ions, which counterbalance the positive ions and no doubt contributes to their tranquil atmosphere. If you aren’t lucky enough to live near a waterfall or a mountain, the Adidas IonLoop delivers all the extraordinary benefits that natural Ions and Magnets have to offer in an attractive, easy to wear bracelet.

The IonLoop’s silicone band contains a natural negative ion-producing mineral, Tourmaline, which is compounded with other natural elements and magnetic technology which allow helpful ions to be absorbed into the body. Magnetic energy is thought to contribute to the health and regeneration of our body’s cells.

Whether or not you believe in the effects of positive ions on the body, emerging science suggests that it may be wise to protect ourselves from the possible harmful effects of modern life and the IonLoop offers a convenient, attractive way to do that.

My Boomer Blog is doing a contest to give away an IonLoop bracelet so you can judge it’s effects yourself. Simply put a comment in the comment section here by February 28, then visit Facebook to “friend”  http://www.facebook.com/IonLoop, adding that you would read about the Ion Loop giveaway on Tips for Boomer Years. A winner will be chosen at random and the winner’s IonLoop bracelet will arrive in the mail.

Also visit http://www.twitter.com/IonLoop and their official website at IonLoop.com