WOMEN AGES 50+ FOR AUGUST 2024

Today is Senior Citizens Day! WE aren’t these are we???? Have a spumoni cone to feel better! 😘





RVRita in Roswell

Here is am example of a lunch...Homemade broth...Argula lettuce, fresh tomatoes from my garden, organic hamburger from farmer's market mushrooms from Farmer's Market, onion, green pepper from Market, paprika, pepper, cheese from Marker, Greek no sugar yogurt (Fage 5%), small glass Kombuch, cherry juice, and water...small dark chocolate and slice of melon (from Market) for dessert... total plants and spice in this meal..11 different plants (I count mushroom) and spices in this meal.I didn't count broth yet that was full of veggies when I prepared it. I use the mushrooms to cut the amount of meat I use in my taco salad...No taco chips!
Delicious...it is just a different way to eat than ultra processed food. Cheese and yogurt are processed but minimally.



Carol the vase I got in Italy about 50 years ago so I suppose it is an antique.

Stat for the day-

Outside bike ride- 2hrs 24min 45sec, 151elev, 53aw, 119ahr, 157mhr, 12.5amph, 30.11mi= 1011c
Strava app = 514c

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Machka9 wrote: »

[quote="

I've got bamboo sheets and pillow cases that are supposed to be nice and cool ... I've yet to put them on the bed.

I've been looking for cool sheets and other cooling things at night.




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M in Oz

We have some of the cooling blankets we got on Amazon- they have been running great sales on them lately- They work really well.

634634

Herbs and spices count too.
I easily reach over 30 plants a week. I have lots of different nuts and seeds in my breakfast. As well as different berries and fruits. Salad stuff in my lunchtime sandwich, and a different vegetable or two, or three or more every night with dinner. A big heap. Onions, garlic, tomato sauce. It all counts. Coffee. Tea. ......

Heather UK xxxxxxxx

SophieRosieMom wrote: »

That life span calculator was interesting. I came in at 102. I think there's plenty of wiggle room, but at least points out lifestyle habits that might be detrimental. I'm hoping more for good quality of life more than length of life at this stage.

Nutrition vs. genetics (lots of this I've already rambled on about a lot in this group, so please skip if you don't want to hear it again, lol.)

I'm thinking about what the "experts" are saying these days about physical and brain health as we age. I think in some cases, genetics actually wins out, supported by good nutrition, physical activity and especially avoidance of bad habits. My long-lived (into mid 90's) grandmothers were mentally sharp until the end. Big waists and hips. One grandmother physically active until she moved from the farm, but still hung wash on the line, continually mopped, vacuumed and cleaned house. Up and down flights of stairs. The other was in a wheelchair during the last decade of her life due to arthritis and weight problems, but still was able to live alone, do light housekeeping, cook and bathe just fine. They both ate plenty of pies, ice cream, cookies, noodles, beef, chicken, pork, eggs, not many beans except kidney beans, maybe twice a month in a salad with miracle whip. They ate lots of diary. They cooked with lard, ate butter and margarine, white wonder bread, bacon, ham and other cured meats. Never any olive oil or garlic, rarely ate any kind of fish and never even tasted an avocado. They didn't drink or smoke.

Rarely ate sauerkraut, never any yogurt or other probiotic foods I eat now to support my microbiome. They didn't drink soda pop so never had a steady diet of high fructose corn syrup, but drank tea and coffee with sugar. Don't recall them taking vitamins although my maternal grandmother got Vit. B12 shots, and my own doctor speculated my mother's dementia might have stemmed from a B12 deficiency.

On the flip side, my paternal grandfather had T2 diabetes, as did his father. He had a sugar addiction. Drank pop and craved sweets. Still, he was a farmer and was physically active into his later years. His diet could have been better - see what grandma put on the table, above. But still, I don't remember him having vision problems or peripheral neuropathy, slow wound healing or other symptoms of T2. He died of a heart attack in his mid-80's while on the tractor. (He stopped it first.) He made a choice - he was not willing to trade the delicious foods grandmother prepared for what might have been a longer life. Since T2 didn't seem to be impacting his health (other than probably contributing to the heart attack), maybe it was the right decision for him.

What got me off on this tangent was an article I read this morning by Valter Longo who emphasized the Mediterranean diet as being close to perfect. That combined with a fasting mimicking diet 5 days a month - a program he sells "Prolon". He advises no red meat, hardly any white meat, mostly fish and then plant sources of protein like beans and nuts.

The Mediterranean diet enthusiasts probably would have predicted my grandmothers dead of heart attacks by the age of 60 .

Dr. Cate Shanahan and the Weston Price Foundation tend to look at the way our healthy grandparents ate as a guide, and I think there's merit.

Lanette
SW WA State

A lot of these "grandparent" examples have a common theme: exercise. Staying active.

My grandparents and great grandparents on my mother's side all lived into their late 80s and 90s.

They ate the typical meat and 3 veg, with homemade bread on the side and fruit for dessert, most of which came from their land or community gardens or local farms. There was hardly any processed food and definitely no white wonderbread! Actually reasonably close to the Mediterranean diet. Perhaps a bit more red meat and less fish than recommended, but otherwise pretty close.

They were also all quite active right up to near the time when they passed. I remember that my grandmother had a hip replacement (or maybe both) in 2002 when she was 81. I visited her when she at about 6 weeks post surgery and she was motoring down the street with her walker (walking briskly with her walker) on the way to the shops. I had to put some effort in to keep up with her!

BTW - the only way I eat avocado is in the form of guacamole. I don't like the taste or texture of avocado without being mashed and blended with spices.


Regarding the Mediterranean diet ...

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan
There are no concrete rules for following the Mediterranean diet, but general guidelines can help you incorporate its principles into your daily routine.
The Mediterranean diet is based on the traditional foods of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including France, Spain, Greece, and Italy.

Foods to eat (for example)
Vegetables: tomatoes, broccoli, kale, spinach, onions, cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips
Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, pears, strawberries, grapes, dates, figs, melons, peaches
Nuts, seeds, and nut butters: almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almond butter, peanut butter
Legumes: beans, peas, lentils, pulses, peanuts, chickpeas
Whole grains: oats, brown rice, rye, barley, corn, buckwheat, whole wheat bread and pasta
Fish and seafood: salmon, sardines, trout, tuna, mackerel, shrimp, oysters, clams, crab, mussels
Poultry: chicken, duck, turkey
Eggs: chicken, quail, and duck eggs
Dairy: cheese, yogurt, milk
Herbs and spices: garlic, basil, mint, rosemary, sage, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper
Healthy fats: extra virgin olive oil, olives, avocados, and avocado oil

Foods to limit (for example)
Added sugar: added sugar is found in many foods but especially high in soda, candies, ice cream, table sugar, syrup, and baked goods
Refined grains: white bread, pasta, tortillas, chips, crackers
Trans fats: found in margarine, fried foods, and other processed foods
Processed meat: processed sausages, hot dogs, deli meats, beef jerky
Highly processed foods: fast food, convenience meals, microwave popcorn, granola bars


More info from these reliable sites:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/16037-mediterranean-diet

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324221


I eat something along the lines of the Mediterranean diet with a bit more of a Vegetarian lean, and if I do consume meat, I go with poultry rather than fish most of the time. It's a diet I feel very comfortable with and it makes me feel good.

And of course ... exercise.


Machka in Oz

Good morning beautiful ladies!

Machka congratulations on the reformer! A new chapter in your exercise journey.

Barbie Yay for rides!

Margaret I love your flowers! And your enthusiasm is inspiring.

Lisa glad you feel better.

Heather look at you go! Getting down and up from the floor, and writing! Yay!

Monique thank you for the encouragement. And sorry about your headache. Is it from muscle tension? Or migraine? Or sinus? I get migraines from passing weather fronts but they aren't as bad as they used to be.

Well, we went to Dairy Queen yesterday because Dad had a gift card. So much for my diet.

The tricky thing about the door alarm is that Dad doesn't really wander yet. I have to stop him from walking for exercise in the morning, but the rest of the time he is okay. I heard him go outside last night and he was just putting the lawnmower away. So he has free use of the yard, I just keep an eye out for him leaving the yard. It's tricky, and when he gets worse we will have to tighten up.

Today his back hurts again so he is unlikely to walk out. He has a new puzzle book.

As for me, I need to get to the bank, then I have horseback riding later. I have my larger jeans to wear.

I'm reading a different series by Toni Anderson. I really loved her Cold Justice books, but these aren't as entertaining. Probably more realistic. They focus more on the effects of violence and less on the pleasure of a new romance. It's a tricky balance to get right in a romantic suspense novel.

Plus there's an industry trend of the leading lady being truly nasty, going overboard with the independent strong women aspect. I still never tell people to "shut up" so maybe I am outdated. But I still think you can stand up for yourself without being mean. Another tricky balance.

Anyway, have a marvelous day! May you all be happy, healthy, safe and free!

Annie in Delaware

I missed a SIG (Special Interest Group) meeting last week, so I watched it today. Right at the beginning, the presenter asked these questions which I thought were kind of interesting and so I thought I would share them here if others would like to think about them, write something, or ignore them entirely.

List the following:

• 3 wins in past 36 hours
- presentation at work
- solving something I put into the "too hard" basket a few months ago
- ticking off a few work-related "to do" items


• 3 areas for improvement in past 36 hours
- saying ‘um’ in presentation
- figuring out that one final thing from the "too hard" basket. I'm pulling my hair out!
- climbing more stairs


•1 thing I am grateful for today
- quiet house


• 1 Intention for today
- solve the whole "too hard" problem


•1 thing I am excited about ... I don't get excited. It's never good to get excited. I feel like I'm just setting myself up for disaster. But ... I guess ...
- setting up house


• 3 Things I would like to have happen if the day were to play out the way I would like it
- solve the whole "too hard" problem
- have the energy to do laundry and do a noticeable amount of unpacking
- not eat so much



Machka in Oz