Kathi Casey, Author, Baby Boomer Health and Wellness Coach, Corporate Wellness Trainer - Kathi's Blog

Happy New Year!

I can't believe that it's almost 2010!  What happened to this decade?  It flew faster than a speeding bullet - must have been the superman decade!

Well, it's out, the latest trend for Baby Boomer from Navigate Boomer Media and Silver Summit is that, first and foremost, we all want better Health and Wellness.  No surprise there.  For years we've watched and cared for our elderly family members and seen them through Alzheimers, Osteoporosis, Heart Disease and Cancer.  We'll do anything we can to avoid these diseases for ourselves.

So here's to prevention through exercise, diet and supplements.  

1.  Find an activity that you love like swimming, tennis, tango lessons, etc. and then combine it with social activity - one of the top ways to keep your brain cells active.  Start an early morning swim group or join a Tango class. 

2.  Eat plenty of wild salmon, sardines, almonds, walnuts, leafy green veggies and dark fruit like blueberries and red grapes.

3.  Make sure your multi-vitamin has everything you need to keep healthy - have a discussion with your doctor about what you're curretnly taking and your blood levels, blood pressure, etc. and then chose a good multi and add some Calcium, Magnesium and D.  I also take extra Vitamin C - especially this time of year to boost my immune system.

Enjoy a safe and Happy New Year's Eve and I'll see you in 2010!

So, Are You Ready To Stop the Train and Get Off This Rollercoaster?

This morning a friend greeted me with just three words ARRRRRGGGGG!  Uuuuuggggggg!  Auuuuuuyyyyyy!

Are you feeling the stress of too much to do, too little time, and travel plans as well?  OK, here's my prescription:  Stop and take a couple of deep breaths - I know, I know I always say that - but really, just do it!  Then smile.  Smile and laugh at everything that happens to you for the rest of the day or even for no reason at all. Laughter makes us feel better, and my wish for you all is to enjoy the Holidays with family, friends or just chillin'. Smile at everyone you see – especially children. Hug more, sing a Holiday song and leave the stress out for a couple of days. You can do it – I know you can!

Best of Health 

First Major Snow Storm of The Season

Tis the Season for Snow Storms in New England, and this one was a whopper on the Coast! My sister got 2 feet of snow in the Metro DC area so their entire Monday was cancelled…

New Yorkers never cancel anything, do they? The city that never sleeps also doesn't let a few feet of snow interfere with their week-end. Amazingly enough, in the Berkshires we got a mere dusting. We were lucky this time. 

Of course, we already have several inches on the ground and the ski resorts are wishing for lots more.

Each year we hear about many people who are struck with a heart attack while shoveling snow, so please be careful. Back issues are also common when shoveling.

Snow is heavy. Try not to lift it. I have one of those shovels with a slightly rounded blade for pushing the snow and whenever possible, I use it. Sometimes the snow is too much for that one and I have to pick up the snow, so I take my time. For every three or four minutes of shoveling,  I take a break and play in the snow, drink some water, or make some snowballs to throw at the squirrels. (they're too fast for me – I'm quite sure they laugh their little tails off at my aim) and then get back to the shovel. I also switch sides for throwing the snow about every 5 or 6 shovel-fulls. This helps prevent straining your back muscles on one side. 

Another recommendation I make is – hire a neighborhood kid to help you! They usually can use the cash and work much faster than us aging Baby Boomers!   

So, take it easy, ask for help and enjoy a safe, healthy winter.   

More Holiday Stress Relievers

Yesterday there were several messages from friends and relatives on Facebook who were quite stressed with Holiday shopping, baking, family arriving, traffic jams, etc.  I also saw many grumpy faces in the grocery store and gas stations.  It's funny, in a way that most of us look forward to this time of year for months, but then in the middle of all the excitement, we become Oscar the Grouch without even realizing it's happening. 

Here are a few tips for keeping the spirit of the season even in the midst of all the frenzy:

 1. Set your watch alarm for hourly breathing breaks and when it goes off, STOP what you're doing, sit tall, relax your shoulders and inhale deeply to the count of 5 or 6, then exhale slowly, counting to 6 or 7. Repeat for about 10 breaths and you'll be glad you did.

 2. Start or keep your meditation practice. Nothing calms shattered nerves better than relaxing for a few minutes and concentrating on just counting your breaths backwards from 27. Inhale and count 27, exhale and count 27 and so on down to 0. And don't be concerned if you lose track – it's ok, just start again. The concentration on your breath takes your mind off all the things that are stressing you out for a few minutes and most often, when you come back from this little break, you'll see things more clearly and the stress will melt away. I recommend 10 – 20 minutes every day. 

 3 Laugh at the stressed out drivers, traffic jams and other inconveniences. It's a little easier to laugh if you keep a disk in your car of your favorite comedian. Try to remember to turn it on and laugh, laugh, laugh. This will release endorphins (feel-good hormones) into your body and take away some of the extra stress hormones and you'll be Ho, Ho, Ho-ing instead of Oscar the Grouching in no time!

 Best of Health

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Winter Weather and Dry Skin Seem To Go Hand In Hand

Do your hands get dry and cracked when winter shows its freezing face?  Mine do, but take heart - here are some tips for us pasty face folks.

 1. To restore moisture to your skin and hair, supplement your diet with black currant oil          

    or evening primrose oil. These provide an essential fatty acid called GLA (gamma-

    linolenic acid), which promotes healthy skin and hair. Try 500 mg. twice a day; after

    six to eight weeks, when you start to see improvement, cut the dose in half.

.2. Use freshly ground flaxseeds or fish oil from sardines, wild Alaskan salmon

    or supplements. These sources of omega-3 fatty acids can help with flaky, dry skin or

    scalp.

 3. Aloe Vera gel – I prefer the real plant, but you can also buy the gel, calendula cream,

     or baby oil have all been shown to improve dry skin – experiment until you find the

     one that works best for you. 

 4. Hot, dry indoor air can also parch sensitive skin this time of year.  A portable home

     humidifier adds moisture to the air inside your home. I'd be lost without mine during

     our cold Berkshire winters!

 5. For chapped lips – use a petroleum based product or one of Burt's Bees products! 

     They work well to protect our lips when we're outside in the wind and cold.

 I'd much rather spend the winter on an Island in the Caribbean, but until that happens, I'm going to do my best to prevent my hands and lips from chapping here in the Berkshires.