What It Takes to Maintain & Persevere Through These Highly Unique Times
Health and Wellness Have Never Been More Critical for Boomers
Attention all Boomers, it’s time to talk about health and well-being. There is no question everyone is stressed beyond belief living in these days of COVID-19, and often we’re dealing with more than we can handle, and certainly more than our fair share.
We find ourselves talking with our kids, grandkids, other family members, friends and business colleagues mostly by phone or ZOOM. The intimacy of sitting across the table or hugging one another on the sofa just hasn’t materialized. YET! So we’re out of sorts, trying to travel down this tricky path of not knowing when life will return to some level of normalcy. Here’s the regretful part, it may not ever return to what was once normal, so we have to define our new normal and we do that day-by-day because the game plan seems to change day-by-day.
So what’s a Boomer to do. Well, let me tell you from experience the last thing you want to do is head to the kitchen and nibble, like we’ve all been doing over the past 4-5 months. And I mean “we.” My BoomerGuy and I finally got caught up with our doctor’s appointments that were long overdue, having been cancelled twice due to the impact of the coronavirus. And the first thing they do is put your butt on the scale to face the music. For one of us, the scale tipped slightly more, and the other tipped slightly less. I take credit for the slight weight loss of a few pounds less. Frankly, I just couldn’t stand looking the way I was.
My BoomerGuy and I worked so hard over this past year and a half changing our diet, mainly to help improve the health issues with which I was diagnosed. He was instrumental in researching the best science, not the latest fad, to help me feel better. He shopped, cooked and kept us both on the diet so that I could maintain as much good health as possible. Aren’t I a lucky BoomerGal. This was tough, because we had to give up foods that we’ve been used to eating for decades. At first we felt alien, because our bodies were adjusting, but once we made it through the first couple of months we were golden. We started feeling better than we had felt in years, and my chronic and acute health issues began to subside. Fantastic!!! Then the coronavirus hit, and we panicked and began to fall off the diet, we ate more, exercised less, felt sluggish and began the journey of weight gain.
Yup, the stress got to us, and continues to jump into and out of our lives.
So, here is what I did one month prior to the doctor’s appointment. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to keep the appointment, but I planned and charged ahead anyway.
- I cut way back on the sweets—sugar is one of the most dangerous products we can put in our body when we’re stressed. My downfall was to eat something yummy after dinner, which meant right before bed. That’s bad news. Except for a small morsel in the morning, I leave it alone.
- I started walking and biking more. Not big hills, but gentle inclines will do wonders for your physique and cardiovascular, not to mention how it clears and recharges the mind, because that’s where the stress relief starts.
- I began doing projects around the house that had bugged me for years. The bending, stooping, kneeling, and mental exercise were just what I needed to see my work become accomplishments rather than just dreams. I have even been repurposing furniture that I would have otherwise given to the thrift stores.
- I charged back into my diet routine, and although any diet is impossible to follow 100%, I think I probably achieve 75-80% and it shows. I FEEL BETTER, HEALTHIER, MORE ALERT, and HAPPIER. All of those contribute to the reduction in stress.
- I surrounded my persona with a zen-like-bubble. What the heck does that mean. I cut out a lot of extraneous stress from people sending me nonsensical emails and texts that took up my valuable time, I stopped watching the pathetic news, and I turned the TV off early evening and devoted the time to taking care of myself.
Here I am, the doctor’s scale says no weight gain, and I’m feeling terrific again, even living under the specter of RA, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. I absolutely hate to speak about either out loud or even write them down on paper. Most people that know me don’t know I suffer from both, because I keep it to myself and it works better for me if I do that.
Other than turning it off or limiting it, we cannot control the outside noise. It’s there and it infiltrates our daily lives. However, it is up to us to take control of our own livelihood, health and wellness. Even with encouragement from family and friends, it is absolutely up to each of us individually to take control and make a difference in each of our own lives.
You’ll need to follow us on our journey of inspirational health and mindfulness. Bill, my BoomerGuy will be beside me as we make changes for the better, irrespective of this darned coronavirus. This is all we’ve got Boomers. On a bill-board out in Palm Desert, it read:
“Live More, Worry Less”
I’m 68 and Bill is 73. I’m certainly not in the best of health, but with my diet and a few life’s changes and adhering to a rather strict regime of skin care, I’m told I look years younger. In fact, I look younger than our photo on the “About Us” home page. Bill had a heart attack 4 ½ years ago and coded three different times before the doctors finally saved him. His general practitioner just told him he has the physiology of a 60-year old. Folks, it’s not in the genes, it’s in the life-style changes we choose to make and stick with.
Two of my favorite sayings:
“This isn’t a dress rehearsal”
And what Billy Crystal says, “If you look good, you feel good”
Get out from under the negatives. Don’t let the corona-doldrums get you down. You’re stronger and tougher. Take a walk, do a project, pump up the tires on your bike, pull out old exercise equipment like weights and rubber bands, or just do some floor exercises. Just get up and move, because,
“if you don’t use it baby, you’ll lose it”
So much more to follow, stay tuned all you wonderful Boomers…