WOMEN AGES 50+FOR MAY 2024

barbiecat · May 1

🌻Welcome to the merry month of May. A new month is a good time to start a new habit or recommit to a old one. Let's do this together

😃 Please sign your post with a name or nickname and a general location to make it more personal

🙀Don't forget to bookmark the thread so you can find it again

👣🐾🚶‍♀️🌻🌞Barbie in NW WA

OregonMother · May 1

Thank you, Barbie. I appreciate your faithfulness.

Flea
Willamette Valley, OR

skuehn48 · May 1

evie1958 · May 1

Thanks for the fresh start Barbie!
Evelyn, Vancouver Island

LisaInArkansas · May 1

Barbie - Thank you so much for being the center of this wonderfully faithful group of women who just keep coming back. Half the battle, that, just keep trying.

My goals for last month:
❌ Get back to my maintenance range - 150 - 155 - Not quite! Just made it to 156.8. Still, I'm a half pound lighter than April 1, and happy with that.
❌ Stay on budget - Nope. Didn't go wild, but because we just came out from under the mortgage last year, I wasn't really sure when I was supposed to pay taxes. The mortgage company always paid them out of escrow! Turns out they were in April. So, savings took a bit of a hit, but at least we had it to get them paid.
✅ Get healthier - I think so. At the beginning of March, I was doing 12 minutes of yoga at a time. By the end of April, it was 37 minutes, at least twice a week and often three times. I built a brick flowerbed in April, and did more than 24 hours of outside work in the yard, one to two hours at a time. Had the first infusion of Skyrizi on April 17, and fingers crossed it will be the answer to getting my Crohn's controlled. Next infusion is mid-May.

Goals for May:
✅ Get back to my maintenance range - 150 - 155
✅ Stay on budget
✅ Get healthier

For those who are new, everyone has their way of dealing with goals, making them short term, long-term, etc. Some don't do well with goals at all, and that's fine! You don't have to add them here, but sometimes just putting them down in writing gives you that accountability you're looking for. Everyone's different, and doing what works for you, and most importantly, doing what you can keep doing for the rest of your life, seems to be the key. Glad you're here, stay with us and get the support and hope that you need to continue. Sign your posts with what you want to be called and about where you're from so we can get to know you better.

Later, y'all,
Much love from the rumbly, bumbly, lightning-punctuated stormy morning of the Arkansas River Valley,
Lisa in AR

chicbuc · May 1

Good morning. I'm 52 and on this journey again because I seem to lose my way often. I've yoyo'd from 140 - 215 for years and years. I'm at 193 today down from 215 on March 29 when I put my foot down once again. I cut out unhealthy carbs and my nightly wine (still have a few glasses on the weekend but I was an every nighter).

Part of my problem is I have no direction. I've raised my kids and they all have lives of their own and I don't know what to do every day after work, so I cook dinner with a glass of wine that turns into a bottle or I grab takeout...eat it with wine...lol.

Anyway, here I am. Trying to get healthier and look ok in my clothes again.

Goals for this month:

1.Maintain the weight loss from last month and don't drink at home. I have three 4-night cruises this month that I would like to maintain through. If I lose a little, great, but maintenance will be a win!

2.Continue to work out at least 4 days per week. I've gotten back to lifting weights last month and walking on non lifting days. I know I can get plenty of walking in on the cruises and will make it a point, but I tend so slack off the weights when I'm gone from home a lot. I don't want to do that!

Nice to "meet you,"
Jody from Florida

SophieRosieMom · May 1

Thank you Barbie. Let's do this!

Lanette

SW WA State

Machka9 · May 1

April Exercise

A bit more consistent with the exercise toward the end of the month. A lot of that is climbing stairs.

And co-incidentally, I started losing weight toward the end of the month.

Machka in Oz

Machka9 · May 1

Thanks again for the thread, Barbie!

okiewoman510 · May 1

Thank you Barbie for giving us a clean slate!

I am looking forward to traveling this month to celebrate two friends children's weddings. This was the reason I did my knee replacements in November. I'm not a 100% yet, but I am 1000% better than I was pre-surgery.

Okie in the TX Hill Country

1948CWB · May 1

Barbie ~ Thanks so much for leading us into a new month!

Carol in GA

margaretturk · May 1

Thank you Barbie!

Went to the cemetery to start the design for DH and My Marker. I want it to match our son's so we will have separate markers that match our son's marker. The designs in the joint marker do not match his. There is more flexibility in doing it this way. I decided to make them more unified by having each Marker say We,truly, love you at the bottom. Son's marker says We, truly, love you John My son's last text to me was I, truly, love you MOM so it is way of honoring him too!

Working on getting all my planters done...then I will start planting in the ground. It is a bit early but we are having a warmer spring this year. The long term forecast also says a warmer May!

Reading the book Breath by James Nestor. Fascinating book about how our facial structure has changed from our ancestors making it more difficult to breathe correctly through our nose. Since my sinus infection cleared up I did try the tape idea last night and the night before. I was successful. I will be curious to see what affect this will have on my teeth. I already notice I did not wake up with a dry mouth and slept through not needing to go to the bathroom. Mouth breathing at night contributes to gum disease, snoring, and dehydration. In his book he describes how many illnesses are aggravated by shallow and rapid breathing. Our diaphragms are our second heart. Being a singer I am very aware of how important it is to sing from the diaphragm. I was trying to help a friend who breathes shallow, and she had trouble feeling her diaphragm. I described as when you breathe in your lower stomach should expand when you breathe out your squeeze your stomach muscles as you breathe out. We have been taught we don't want a protruding stomach so we breathe high in our chests. The irony is because we let the diaphragm weaken we are more likely to have a protruding stomach as a result. The diaphragm is a muscle that holds our organs and helps our lungs expand to take in more air. When you are under stress you are more likely to breathe higher in your chest. Breathing from the diaphragm helps to ease stress. The author also recommends slower breaths with longer exhales then inhales to help calm you down too! Many of us breathe too fast!

Machka9 · May 1

2024 Goals

My 2024 goals are a continuation of my past goals based on my ToDo list and my 50Things list with reference to a Wellness Wheel.

Upcoming Appointments - these are at the top of my list. The things I need to deal with in the next few weeks.

Intellectual/Occupational/Financial or Education/Career: Advancing my career. Moving from adequate to proficient at SQL, brushing up on cost accounting and learning clinical costing, learning Python and data analysis software.
Also, I want to have a closer look at our financial situation to see where we can save money and to make sure we're on top of things.
The goal is to expand my skillset and to improve our financial situation.

Medical: my husband's appointments, which I also need to attend because I'm his ears and cognition and my appointments.
I also want to create medical record binders (and on the computer) for both of us, in case something happens.
The goal is to keep us as healthy as we can be and to ensure we have information at our fingertips.

Fitness/Sports > Cycling > Audax Tasmania: There are a number of fitness/sport things I'd like to try, with a focus on cycling, and a large part of my cycling endeavours includes my volunteer work with Audax Tasmania ... and maybe even riding some events again myself!
On my 50Things list I have all sorts of things like learning to swim, riding a horse for the first time, trying archery, learning to dance. Maybe this might be the year to try a bit of that.
The goal it to improve my fitness level.

House > Office > Computer become more specific as they go along. I have a number of thing which need to be done in the house (kitchen, dining room, etc.) but most importantly the home office needs a whole lot of work. And along with that I need to organise the drives on my computer into a better filing system.
The goal is to have an organised and decluttered house and computer system.
The goal is also to ensure all paperwork is up to date and accessible by both of us.

Garden: I have several projects I would like to do this year. One of the main ones is to finish the border around my dry stream and bulb garden.

The goal is to have a pleasant, creative, relaxing and functional area outside for reading, exercise and socialising.

Spiritual: Continue to read the Bible every day. And attend church a little bit more often -we've got some plans in this regard.
The goal is to learn, relearn, revitalise.

Emotional/Social/Recreation: More creativity, relaxation, connections. I have all sorts of things on my 50Things list like doing more with my photography, playing the piano again, working on my website and more.
The goal is balance. Doing a variety of things that aren't just work and education.

April Highlights

Intellectual/Occupational/Financial or Education/Career:
Many meetings.
Learning more SQL.
Learning more about the department.
More job applications, more interviews.
Uni course has taken back seat this past month.

Medical:
It was all about teeth this month. Appointments for both of us.
Plus dealing with an infection early in April.

Fitness/Sports > Cycling > Audax Tasmania:
Less exercise than last month, but more consistent toward the end of the month.
More stairs climbed than last month.
Lots of lifting, carrying, wielding the mattock, and weights.
Fencing!!
Dropped a bit of weight.

House > Office > Computer:
Bought house.
Got quote for flooring.
Bought paint etc.
Moved garden to new house.
Slowly working through computer decluttering.

Garden:
Moved garden to new house.
Dug up bulbs and moved them to new house.
Removed upper pool from drystream to take to new house.
Made progress on the border for the drystream.
In-person meeting and ZOOM meeting with our bee group. Hoping for another hive or two next spring.

Spiritual:
Read the Bible every day.

Emotional/Social/Recreation:
Read a couple books this month. My current one is a bit of a slog.
Did quite a bit of colouring.
Went to 1 symphony and one Candlelight Concert.
No travelling except back and forth to new house.

Machka in Oz

barbiecat · May 1

Welcome, Joy, I hope you will keep coming back. I have been participating in this thread for many years. I log on and read it every morning to connect with others who have made health and fitness a focus of their lives. These women encourage me to stay on my journey. They give me ideas for habits and activities that will make my life better.

Lisa, I love how you write a daily accounting of your day with both the ups and downs.

I was active through April with both walking (averaged over 14,000 steps a day) and riding my exercise bike (a couple of hours a day), but didn't do much work in the yard because of the continuing need to supervise Annie, the puppy. It has bee pretty cold all month so the lure hasn't been so great. There are lots of weeds to pull but they'll wait for May.

Barbie in NW WA

Machka9 · May 1

margaretturk wrote: »

Thank you Barbie!

Went to the cemetery to start the design for DH and My Marker. I want it to match our son's so we will have separate markers that match our son's marker. The designs in the joint marker do not match his. There is more flexibility in doing it this way. I decided to make them more unified by having each Marker say We,truly, love you at the bottom. Son's marker says We, truly, love you John My son's last text to me was I, truly, love you MOM so it is way of honoring him too!

Working on getting all my planters done...then I will start planting in the ground. It is a bit early but we are having a warmer spring this year. The long term forecast also says a warmer May!

Reading the book Breath by James Nestor. Fascinating book about how our facial structure has changed from our ancestors making it more difficult to breathe correctly through our nose. Since my sinus infection cleared up I did try the tape idea last night and the night before. I was successful. I will be curious to see what affect this will have on my teeth. I already notice I did not wake up with a dry mouth and slept through not needing to go to the bathroom. Mouth breathing at night contributes to gum disease, snoring, and dehydration. In his book he describes how many illnesses are aggravated by shallow and rapid breathing. Our diaphragms are our second heart. Being a singer I am very aware of how important it is to sing from the diaphragm. I was trying to help a friend who breathes shallow, and she had trouble feeling her diaphragm. I described as when you breathe in your lower stomach should expand when you breathe out your squeeze your stomach muscles as you breathe out. We have been taught we don't want a protruding stomach so we breathe high in our chests. The irony is because we let the diaphragm weaken we are more likely to have a protruding stomach as a result. The diaphragm is a muscle that holds our organs and helps our lungs expand to take in more air. When you are under stress you are more likely to breathe higher in your chest. Breathing from the diaphragm helps to ease stress. The author also recommends slower breaths with longer exhales then inhales to help calm you down too! Many of us breathe too fast!

Also ... we know that fat loss occurs through breathing out (see articles below, and more if you google it).

I learned to do long, thorough exhales when I developed asthma, in particular exercise induced asthma. In order to control it so that I didn't go into a full asthma attack when I was picking up speed while running or cycling up a hill, I would focus on my exhales ... making them as long as possible. Inhales take care of themselves.

I also find that climbing stairs is much easier, when I focus on long, thorough exhales.

And fortunately, exhaling gets rid of fat!

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-does-fat-leave-the-body-4165132
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/where-does-fat-go-when-you-lose-weight#where-it-goes
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/where-does-body-fat-go-when-you-lose-weight
https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g7257 - "Our calculations show that the lungs are the primary excretory organ for fat."

As for stress, I like box breathing. I do it before each interview I have, and find that I'm able to talk without going into a stress induced asthma situation.

I sit up straight, breathe all the way in for a slow count of 4, hold my breath for a slow count of 4, exhale all the way out for a very slow count of 4, and hold my breath for a slow count of 4.

Then I breathe normally for a few breaths (focusing on the exhale), and do the box breathing again.

Usually, repeating it 3 or 4 times gets me where I want to be.

Machka in Oz

Vickil57 · May 1

Barbie--Thanks for getting us started on the new month.
Welcome to all the new ladies. this is a great place for support and friendship.
Blessings, Vicki GRAND ISLAND, NE

RustyBFF · May 1

Happy May everyone!

I am going to jump on the bandwagon and set myself some challenges for the month

They may seem small but we walk our own path and I am definitely starting a journey in a way I can manager

Lose at least 4kg
Exercise twice weekly
Read 2 books
Not let a birthday celebration (my husband's) stretch into a week long binge

Inspired by you all I did a little painting but as I could not get my paints out of storage I did it electronically.

Have a lovely day

Rusty in Yorkshire

pipcd34 · May 1

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LisaInArkansas · May 1

Joy in Florida - Welcome! Join in wherever you feel comfortable. I think there's a general consensus that health here involves the whole woman, not just losing weight or inches, so there are many posts around our lives, as well as weight and exercise. Well done on a good beginning, stay and chat!

Barbie - Thank you! I have speculated sometimes if what I write here is a downer, especially on my bad days. Y'all do tend to get the warts as well as the wonders of my life, but I figure people can always skip or block my posts if they choose. I'm prolific because my professional life left me with the ability to type almost as fast as I talk, but then I'm a Texan, and I talk pretty slow...

Machka - I use the box breathing a lot myself. It's very useful to stay calm, like during dental work or in a medical waiting room.

Rusty - Love the saturated colors, and look forward to seeing your acrylics!

Quilt work this morning... am almost to the point where I can begin quilting the individual pieces-parts. A little more cleaning to do too, for visitors tomorrow...

Later,
Love,
Lisa in AR

kevrit · May 1

Thank you Barbie for another month start. In the spoiler are my goals and list I refer to every day.

2024 Goals
Words of the year: simplify, empowered, and authentic.

SIMPLIFY—make (something) simpler or easier to do or understand.
EMPOWERED—give (someone) the authority or power to do something.
AUTHENTIC—.
of undisputed origin; genuine.

I will be authentic and empowered while working to simplify my life.

1. Do 12 different crafts this year: color, origami, draw, sew, candles, crochet, loop looms, paint with water, macrame, photography knit, bead jewelry, make cards, scrapbook, 10/12 -100%
2. Walk average of 7250 steps a month 1/12 100%, 61%, 76%
3. 30 minutes activity /30 days a month 100%, 100%,100%
4. Journal 12/23 days a month 100, 74%, 60%, 52%
5. Meditate 23 /30 days a month 100%, 96%,100%, 77%
6. Family phone calls 19/12 monthly. 100%,100%,100%,100%
7. Save $1000 for emergencies by depositing $50 a month into savings and not touching it. 4/12 0, 100% April up to $240 savings
8. Research and apply for senior independent living in Roswell, one a month. 4/12. 100%, 100% Spreadsheet started for comparison. — cost of getting new camper. 40-50k——possible buy a house? —- rent a house?—- For May I will research more campers as a new camper will be the next step in 2 years.
9. Drink 8 days a month or less. 0/8 100%, 100%, 100%, 100% 9 months sober!
10. Read 26/24 Books this year. 100%
11. Weigh less at end of month than at beginning. 2/12 100%, 0,100%, 0
12. Complete at minimum to week 5, the 9 week squat as challenge starting 1/23/24. weeks 26/27 weeks 3 sets a week for 9 weeks. 100%, 100%

January Completed — 92%,
February Completed —-58%
March completed—— 95% with being sick!!!
April Completed——95%

“I’m learning to treat myself as if I am valuable. I find that when I practice long enough, I begin to believe it.” In All Our Affairs

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” —-Romans, The Bible.

Keep it Simple
But for the Grace of God
Easy Does It
First Things First
Just for Today
Let it Begin with Me
How Important is it?
Think
One Day at a Time
Keep an Open Mind
Live and Let Live
Let Go and Let God

say the Serenity prayer.
“Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, and
The wisdom to know the difference.”

I also say a step 7 prayer which is very simple and it goes like this: 'God, please help me deal with my character defects.’

The results of your personality test are in. Here they are:
Personality type: Logistician (ISTJ-T) Traits: Introverted – 69%, Observant – 58%, Thinking – 75%, Judging – 56%, Turbulent – 54% Role: Sentinel Strategy: Constant Improvement

Joined MFP 5/26/2010

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vitamin-k2

https://aarp.org/health/drugs-supplements/info-2023/anti-obesity-medications-risks.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10389239/

https://www.verywellfit.com/seated-upper-body-workout-1231439

https://roberthajnal.ro/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Robert-Maurer-The-Kaizen-Way-PDF.pdf

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Whidislander · May 1

My toe doesn't seem as mad at me as yesterday. Yesterday she was literally purple with anger. I have not felt it though, but I am sleeping thru the night no problem.
Barbie thank you for starting May off on such positivity! Lets see....
Goals for May for Rebecca
-I shall eat up my reserves in freezer. I would like somewhat of a clean slate weekly of my freezer, fridge, and pantry.
-go thru winter clothes, selling or donating
-turn on vacuum
-read on a regular basis.
-try I mean really try to get to the gym more.
Ok, ok, lets not go overboard, I am not one to likely finish. I used to write out my food diary, and if I changed anything (like eating 1/2 cup instead of a 1/4 cup of broccoli) my day was ruined, I would throw in the towel! So goals tend to be a fruitless thing. I do know my eating has changed over the last 3 years to more clean. Rarely do I buy anything from a can, ok ok I lie. I do buy tuna, and beans from a can. But no pasta or soups. My soups are a helleva lot better. I buy less cheap cookies and instead buy one great cookie. I buy the good stuff because I can. The good cheeses, yogurts, not because they're on sale and I can get 5 for $3. But I buy them because I have read labels and they taste better. Gosh for so many years I ate with no passion, eating leftovers from the boys plates like a scavenger bird momma. After the sons grew up, I realized I have a passion for tastes that I had never bothered or was able to savour. Its just a nice place to be. Like I have finally arrived to a mental conclusion.
Today I pay bills, but I need more coffee!
Hugs ladies!

Enjoy seeing my Athena every morning.💖

WOMEN AGES 50+FOR MAY 2024

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