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Encouragement: July - Yellow Jackets, Hikes, and Hot, Hot, Hot!

7/26/2019

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This has been a busy month for me. Some of it good, some not so much. Here are the highlights from July (nothing earth shattering, but just busy.)
​
YELLOW JACKETS

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The not so much fun was the day I was stung about nine times on my hands, feet, and chest by yellow jackets. 

It took me almost three weeks to get over them. My hands and feet swelled, my chest was tender and red.

The first thing I did was rush into the house (they chased me) and put a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda on them. After that I took a Benedryl and then just sat and rested. I was waiting to see if my breathing would be affected (I am allergic to bees, but I guess not yellow jackets). It wasn't.

Let me make a SUGGESTION to you if you ever get stung by a bee, wasp, or yellow jacket. If you are not allergic, then make a paste of white vInegar and baking soda. The vinegar will neutralize the poison and the baking soda will draw the poison to the surface and hopefully out of your body. I learned this when I was young.


 THE HIKES:

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In my weekly Zumba class, I met a wonderful lady. She and I hiked a rock last month, so we thought we would hike a normal trail along the shore of a lake this month.

It was beautiful. It was also 5-6 miles long and even though we left in the morning, it quickly rose to the 90s in temperature. We saw a lot of beautiful and strange things on this hike and our conversation never lacked. (lol)

We decided to cut our hike short when the temperature reached 90 degrees. The only problem was the trail was marked with mile markers but no landmarks. The map of the trail we had picked up at the visitor center had no landmarks or mile markers. This made it difficult to accurately predict where we were on this trail.

Finally, after taking the wrong turn (thanks to GPS on my phone) we finally found our way back to the parking lot where my car was located and went to lunch.

NOTE: When you are driving, GPS on your phone works pretty good. Not so when you are walking. It directed us way out of the way and not the most direct route. It was terrible.


HOT! HOT! HOT!

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Not only was the weather hot this month, so was my Zumba.

I took a new class at my YMCA and it was great! Great, but hot. It's called Strong by Zumba. It's very hard, but very good for your body. My hair was soaked when the class was over. The next morning my feet hurt, not my legs so much, but my feet were feeling it. The class is only thirty minutes and believe me, that's a lot!


What is Strong by Zumba?

"The difference between STRONG by Zumba
and other high-intensity workouts,
is that this workout uses the TEMPO of the music
to get your body into high gear
... STRONG by Zumba is NOT a dance fitness class.
It is a High-Intensity-Tempo- Training—HITT—workout.
And the music makes it so much fun!"

www.minorsan.com/classes-fitness-martial-arts-self-defense-santa-cruz/fitness/strong-by-zumba/

I dare say that I was the oldest participant in this class. Let me say, also, I did it. It was challenging at times and I had to modify some of my moves, but it did what it was supposed to, work my body. I enjoyed that class so much.

My instructor, Dawn, is an awesome woman. Sometime in the future, I want to interview her so you can meet her and see how awesome she is. She makes the class fun.


Dawn raised an awesome daughter, Raven, who is also an amazing instructor. That's one thing we parents and grandparents should consider...teaching the younger generation to start young with fitness and stay with it!

The third person in the photo above is Bobby. Bobby is one of only three men in the Zumba classes. He recently became a Strong by Zumba instructor. He filled in for Dawn this week and he is a killer! I loved it. Just like Dawn and Raven, Bobby provided alternative moves for old folks like me. (😉😊)



IN CONCLUSION:

As you can see, July was a busy month for me. The hike and the Strong by Zumba  were the fun parts. The stings were not so fun at all.


I encourage you to do something new next month. Take a new class, start your own exercise routine (even if it's just walking), learn a new skill, do something you have never done before. Find a Zumba or Strong by Zumba class or a trail to hike or walk...you won't know what you are capable of until you at least try.
Don't be afraid.



XOXO
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Health and Wellness: Arthritis, Walking, and Hyaluronic Acid - For Over 50s

7/19/2019

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For the last several years I have suffered with arthritis in my left knee. When I started exercising again after a nine year hiatus from it, I noticed that while I couldn't do some of the things that I used to do because of pain, on days when I exercised the pain was reduced significantly and I could do more. On days when I didn't exercise, my knee was stiff and if I sat too long it was painful to get up.


A lot of people who knew about my knee would ask why I just don't go ahead and get a replacement knee. That was not a choice for me, yet. I thought it might be an option in the future, but I didn't want to go that route - yet.


As I became more fit and lost more weight, I walked more, exercised more, and even started Zumba and Cardio Dance classes. Some of the moves were difficult with my painful knee but in the long run, the movement was good for it. It still hurt, but not nearly as much. The more I did, the more I was able to do.


Walking is good for weight loss and overall health, but it is also good for arthritis in knees and hips.

According the Arthritis Foundation these are the benefits to your legs, knees, and hips when you walk:

- Walking improves circulation:
blood flow increases to the joints,
increases the circulation of the synovial fluid that
lubricates the joints

increases the
nutrients to the joints

- Walking shores up your bones:
joint-repair genes are switched on
cellular waste is removed
- Walking strengthens muscles:
muscle is built
- Walking supports your joints
- Walking helps you do more, longer:


"physical activity is the best non-drug treatment for improving pain and function in Osteoarthritis" (arthritis.org article "Benefits of Exercise for Ostearthritis" )


The arthritis Foundations recommends the following exercises for maintaining or improving movement for the arthritic person:
- Range of Motion or Flexibility Exercises: Stretching and full span movements
- Aerobic/endurance Exercises: Walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, elipticals
- Strengthening Exercises: Walking and aquatic (water) exercises
How much exercise does the Arthritis Foundation recommend in a week?
150 minutes of moderate intensity
75 minutes of vigorous intensity
This translates into:
a 30 minute walk or bike ride five times a week
jogging, swimming, or biking for 25 minutes three times a week
or any combination.


Note: Exercise is good, but exercise intelligently. Low impact exercises, like walking, cycling, or using an eliptical machine are smart choices. Listen to your body and don't hurt yourself. Start slow.


After exercising for the last four to five years, my pain level was cut by about 80% and range of motion increased about 50%. I had done research on what I could do myself to help my arthritis.


Exercise was the major recommendation, but there were two hopeful treatments in the horizon that I couldn't wait to try:


One is stem cell therapy. While it is approved for certain things including tennis elbow, it is still not FDA approved for knees. When it is approved, I will be first in line to try it. It is supposed to the rebuild your joint to the joint of a healthy 20 year old.


The other one is Hyaluronic acid injections into the knee. These were recently FDA approved for the knee and most insurance will pay for it. It is a natural substance that our bodies make naturally.

Naturally, I asked for it. My doctor said yes and confirmed that results have been good with it's use. I thought what do I have to lose? Nothing. What do I have a chance to gain? Painless use of my knee.


So, for five weeks I took one injection per week. They were a little painful, but after the first shot, the next day, my knee felt wonderful. The next two injections didn't change the feeling of my knee very much. The final two made as much difference as night is to day.


I am so excited! It's been over a month since my last injection and my knee continues to improve. I am able to do two hours of Cardio Dance and Zumba back to back without any suffering.

In fact, I feel almost no pain in that knee. These shots were miracle workers for my arthritis. I would do it again in a heartbeat and sooner. I recommend anyone who has arthritic knees, hips, elbows, etc., to ask their doctor about Hyaluronic acid injections.


Do you have arthritis in a knee? Is it preventing you from doing activities that you love? Do you walk everyday? What have you done to alleviate painful joints? Share your stories on this important subject, so that others my be helped.
​


XOXO 
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Product Review: No.7 Laboratories Line Correcting Booster Serum

7/12/2019

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I purchased this product because I saw it on a morning news show and it had rave reviews.
I also spoke to a lady in the Target where I purchased it (for $41 for .5 oz) and who was using it. She claimed that it worked on her forehead lines. She was younger than I and didn't seem to have any serious wrinkles to start with, but her forehead was smooth.


For one month, I used it every morning. It doesn't take a lot so one tube should last me a couple of months. I used more than most because I used it on every wrinkle I could see on my face. That included forehead, between my eyebrows (the elevens), above my upper lip (I have a stubborn one there), and around the corners of my eyes. I used it exactly how they suggest - on a clean face before I applied any moisturizers or creams, etc.

After a month, yes, I noticed an improvement. All the lines seemed a bit softer. A few of the smaller lines actually seemed to disappear (I am referring to the very small lines that are barely noticeable anyway). So I am impressed with it.
​Will I purchase again? Maybe.


The reason I say maybe is this - the cost. While it did help, it didn't work a miracle. Granted some of the lines on my face are deep (mostly forehead) and while it softened them, they are still noticeable. I am undecided at this point if I will continue to use.

If you have fine lines, shallow, and barely noticeable, then this product is for you. It will help to keep them from getting worse. Also, the less wrinkles you have, the longer the serum will last. You may get more than two months out of tube. For you, it would be worth trying and perhaps adding it to your daily skin routine.

There are two other products that No.7 recommends to use in conjunction with this product: Serum + Eye and the Day/Night Cream. I have no information on these two products currently.

Using these products with Boost Serum may make it work better.

Overall, I am not disappointed in this product, only in the cost. It's worth giving it a try.

Have you used any No.7 products? Have you used this Boost Serum? What are you willing to pay for a serum if it slightly diminishes your fine lines and wrinkles? What do you use and would you recommend it to anyone?
​

XOXO
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SPECIAL: The 4th of July in the Beautiful United States of America - Celebrate!

7/5/2019

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If you are over 50 and have lived in America your whole life, then you know how much it has changed over the years. Some things for the better, some things not so much, and some things are still unclear if they are for the better or worse. I am still happy to live in this country and I have high hopes for it in the future.

When I was a child, I went lots of places all alone and no one ever bothered me. I played in my own yard, often in the front near the street and nothing ever happened to me. I realize that in some parts of the nation that was not the case, but in the majority of this country it was the norm. Children were safe to play outside unattended and no one ever bothered them. Nowadays, children should not be left alone in their front yard because there are people who will harm them. It's a shame that children today will never know that freedom.

When I was a child, a young child, I remember having to wear dresses to school. Girls were not allowed to wear long pants or shorts. Things have changed and I think for the better. Girls today can wear what they want to school (within reason) and as a result, are more comfortable to do more things.

What I am trying to say is things have changed both for the better and for the worse.

"As long as I live,
I will never forget
that day 21 years ago 
when I raised my hand and took the
oath of citizenship. 
Do you know how proud I was?
 I was so proud that
I walked around
 with an American flag around my shoulders all day long."

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Author and Actor

If you were born in another country and now live here, I hope that you see the wonderful things about this country. My hope is that you see "us" in the United States and not "you" and "me". We should have mutual respect for all people in this country.

As any country on this planet, we are not perfect and never have been. What makes us different is that we have corrected a lot of the mistakes we have made and all in a period of a couple hundred years. Other countries have been working on their issues for many centuries and still have no resolve. We are moving, we are correcting, we are changing.

WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!

My hope for the future of this great nation is that we can start to work together to solve problems and together to build a stronger and happier nation.

My hope is that we can stop pointing fingers at each other and start trying to find compromises. There are always two sides to every issue, so the best place to be in the common ground between the two sides.

This doesn't mean we should be all "conservative" or all be "liberal", but rather we should be citizens of this great nation and try to find solutions that benefit both sides.

Currently, we have two or more sides and they are at odds and are battling with each other.


This needs to stop.

As an over 50 citizen of the Great United States of America, I intend to celebrate the positives of this nation and pray for it's future. I intend to celebrate all the men and women who make this a great nation - ALL. I intend to celebrate the past that I was able to enjoy that my children missed, and celebrate all the wonderful things they were able to enjoy as children that I missed. 

Life changes and it will continue to change. If it stands still, then we are all dead. I intend to continue to learn, to try new things, grow in spirit, and be happy for the time I have left. I intend to push the limits and live to the fullest. 
To make the most of my life in the country where God has chosen for me. 

"I couldn't control where I was born,
but I can control
how I support it
and live in it."

Sheryl, 2019

The Fourth of July is only one day... let's see if we can carry it through the whole year and make this great nation (through peace, communication, and compromise) even greater!

Have you lived in the United States your whole life? How do you feel about the United States of America experience both then and now? Are you proud of our nation or shameful of it? How do you plant to spend the Fourth, celebrating or boycotting?
​

Please share any feelings you have about this great nation, past or present.

XOXO
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    My mission​

    Sharing thoughts and ideas for the woman over 50 that are helpful, fun, creative, inspiring and interesting. Over 50s who want to remain relevant, happy and loving their life.
    On fire for your own life!
    ❤ Sheryl ❤

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