By Teri Flatley
Volume 7 No. 20 October 10, 2008
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Original artwork by Judith Mallin Herzog (Herzog.judith@gmail.com)
Paintings, gift cards available
In This Issue
- Serendipity: Tuning Out Brain Noise
- Stay Active This Winter: Here’s How
- More Things That Get Better with Aging (Promise!)
- Pick a Peck of Pretty Pumpkins
Serendipity
Tuning out Brain Noise
By Teresa K. Flatley
In the last issue of Boom This!, we talked about the “brain noise” that can drive us batty as we get older. All that worrying, working hard at holding onto memories and dwelling on things we can’t change can become overwhelming, while stealing away some of our quality of life.
As promised, here are several tips to help you quiet down the noise in your head and most importantly, give you some peace and quiet:
Quieting the Brain Noise
Write it down: Sometimes just pouring all of your thoughts and worries and “to do” items onto paper takes away some of the brain noise. Journaling is growing in popularity for this very reason, I think. Sylvia Kirks McClintick of Organized Chaos, says journaling is a good way of decluttering the brain noise. Sometimes we keep going over and over something that needs to be done, so we don't forget it. Just write it down. Keeping it in your head is not a good use of space and probably won't be thought of at the right time anyway!
Post It: One of my favorite things to use to get something out of my mind -- but still not lose track of it entirely -- is Post It notes. I have them stuck all over my computer, my scanner, my dashboard in the car, etc. How did we ever live without these little wonders? There should be a national holiday to honor whoever invented these easy-to-use, inexpensive thought provokers. They should be standard issue in every office, home, car, purse, laptop bag, lunchbox or briefcase.
The Old Switcheroo: One good way to quiet brain noise is to replace it with other brain noise, Sylvia suggests. For example, she had a song stuck in her head, looping over and over, until she mentioned it to someone else. That person told her about the song she had stuck in her head, which replaced the one in Sylvia’s head. But the positive thing about this is that if we can replace a song with another song, then we can replace a song with affirmations. It may still be brain noise, but at least we could feel better about ourselves.
Quiet! It may seem silly to say just get quiet in order to quiet the brain noise in your head, but it works. Sylvia uses prayer, meditation, quiet music, and anything that can take away the external input and let her focus on what is going on in her head, talk with herself for a bit and perhaps get it to go away (even for a little while).
Meditation: Meditation may be the best way of all to remove mental clutter from your head. Look for some ways to do this in the next issue of Boom This!
Remembering to remember
Memory Games: Experts tell us to use clever techniques to attach to new memories before we file them away in our bulging memory banks so that, like metadata on a photo you have taken, we can retrieve them when we need to. Meet someone whose name is Joe? Maybe it would help to picture him sitting at a Starbucks, cup of Joe in his hand. Or maybe he resembles your brother-in-law who shares the same name.
Tricks of the Trade: Have to remember to refill a prescription? Put the old bottle smack dab in the middle of a space you will walk by often. I drag my Rx bottles down from the bedroom bathroom where they live and place them on our kitchen counter near the stove, the “staging” area for things I can’t forget. It annoys me to see them sitting there so out of place and therefore I am more apt to refill them quickly and put them back where they belong. I also place an empty bottle of cleaning fluid or the like on the counter until I add the item to the shopping list. I put the list on my fridge and add to it until I need enough items to make a trip to the store worthwhile.
Do it now: Need to take a certain report with you to a meeting later in the week? Put it in your car NOW so you will have it when you need it. Have a coupon you can use at your next visit to the barber shop or hair salon? Stick it in your briefcase or purse NOW. (You may not remember you have it -- that’s always a fear -- but if you do, there it is. How clever!)
Get Help: Logging in with the help of other’s brain power also may help you remember things. Out with my sisters-in-law the other day, it took three of us to come up with the name of an actor who is starring in an upcoming movie. For each of us alone, it would probably have been one of the (many) frustrating things we couldn’t remember that day and really wanted to. Ask people you are with to help you unearth a name or a date, or even better, when you are near a computer, Google it and then relax.
Computer assistance
Computers can put our paltry memory banks to shame, so why not make use of their power to help? If you use a computer, you must have tons of passwords, so many that you may not be able to remember them when you need them. I write mine down in the back of a notebook, but then have to scroll through the pages to find the right entry when I need it. At Roboform, you can keep track of all of your passwords. (And remember to make your passwords a mish-mash of different letters and numbers. I read recently that hackers can search for information about us on the web and then keep inserting that information into our Password fields to see if something will work. Best to use something like “wt7Jn@p,” but then remember to keep track of it either in a safe place in your office or at Roboform.)
Another nifty computer aid is Toodledo, which keep tracks of your “to do” items for you, and can separate home and work items. And if you are on the road or away from your home or office often, Jott gives you the ability to call a number and have your message to yourself placed on a to-do list, in your email etc.
(There is a lot of information at these three sites, and I hope you will check them out more thoroughly when you have time.)
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Stay Active This Winter: Here’s How
By Michele Thompson, MS
Channel Editor, SheKnows.com
Food Editor, ChefMom.com
When the weather takes a turn for the worse, do your workouts follow? It is tempting -- okay, it’s easy -- to let your fitness priorities take a backseat when the season’s first chill or snow arrives. However, your body isn’t going to get fit by itself -- even if the gray skies and falling temperatures have you cuddled up by the fire sipping a hot toddy.
What’s a health-conscious Baby Boomer to do? Brave the elements and discover that winter workouts are fun, exhilarating, and possibly even better at getting you in shape than fair weather exercise!
In addition to curling up with a good book and enjoying the snow scene outside your window, there are a variety of outdoor activities that -- if you are properly prepared -- will give you a new appreciation of winter weather.
- Walking . . . with Yak Tracks: Even though snow and ice can make walking a treacherous ordeal in the winter, you can still get out and enjoy the invigorating air and snow-covered beauty. Invest in a pair of Yak Tracks (around $20) and you will have the ability to trek around your neighborhood or groomed trails through the parks or woods. Yak Tracks are rubber and coil covers that go on the bottom of your shoes, giving you traction that regular shoes can’t deliver. Check out this video to learn how to use Yak Tracks.
- Snowshoeing: Easier than cross country or downhill skiing, snowshoes can take you wherever you want to explore. Unlike Yak Tracks, which are ideal for packed snow surfaces, snowshoes allow you to navigate through powder or deep snow, uphill or downhill, slow speed or even running. Much like hiking with walking poles, snowshoeing with ski poles that have baskets on the bottom gives you “four-wheel drive” and an awesome arm workout. For more information on snowshoeing, be sure to read Snowshoeing for Winter Fitness.
- Cross country skiing: If you are looking for a full-body workout, cross country skiing is it. Not only do you get to glide along beautiful snow covered terrain, you also get to challenge your arms, legs and core muscles. Best yet, if the thought of high-speed downhill skiing terrifies you, you’ll love the self-pacing of cross country. Visit the Cross Country Ski Areas Association for information on everything you could ever want to know about cross country skiing.
- Downhill skiing: Definitely more for the brave-hearted, downhill skiing is a great leg and core workout. Though it may seem like you simply zip down the slope, your muscles must stay engaged to keep you from careening into a tree or wiping out in a drift. To suit the many different levels of experience and fitness levels, most ski resorts have beginning and experienced slopes. And for your safety and for the safety of others, if you are new to skiing, get lessons before you get on the ski lift.
Regardless of what type of winter activity you choose, be sure to do your research before heading out. Check with your local parks and recreation department for guides and other useful information on nearby winter activities. You can also get information on trails in your area -- or in areas you plan to visit -- on websites like Trails.com.
If you happen to be in the Bozeman, Montana area, the Bozeman Passage website, has an interactive guide of over 100 trails of the 2,600 miles throughout the gorgeous Gallatin Valley.
For Michele’s tips on staying warm while outdoors, click here.
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More Things That Get Better with Aging (Promise!)
In the last issue, I listed a link to an article on some of the things that get better with aging and asked readers to send in their thoughts on this provocative subject. As always, Boom This! readers came through with some insightful suggestions.
Things that get better with aging:
- Your ability to know yourself (finally) and what makes you tick
- Having good reasons -- or no reasons at all -- to not do something you don't want to do
- More wisdom to understand people and what motivates them
- More time to -- and for -- yourself
- A different sense of freedom: freedom to travel, read, take classes, go to a movie, etc. since there are not as many reasons to hold you at home
- The joy of seeing your children turn into wonderful adults as you watch them follow their dreams
- Being bolder in all aspects of your life
- Home movies, which are appreciated more and more as the years pass
- You no longer have to try and impress teenage boys or girls!
- And finally. . .The Beatles
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Pick a Peck of Pretty Pumpkins
So you are taking your grandchildren to a local farm to choose the perfect pumpkin this weekend? Staring at the rows of orange orbs, you might think they all look pretty good. Well, not so fast. Before you pick one to take home and carve into a likeness of Mr. Jack -O’Lantern, consider the following:
- Sugar (or pie) pumpkins are the little cousins of the larger ones, and are best used for cooking and baking, hence their names. Use these in muffins, pies, soups etc.
- Examine the entire pumpkin, looking for mushy spots, or other markings that may be an indication the pumpkin has been dropped -- or is getting ready to leak. (One year we jumped the season a little early and bought pumpkins early in September, a good idea until I noticed a stream of orange foul-smelling liquid oozing out of the bottom of the giant pumpkin in our hallway. Yuk.)
- Make sure the stem is firm and solid (and of course, doesn’t come off in your hand when you lift the pumpkin.) Also, set the pumpkin on the ground in front of you to see if it sits straight so that it will make a better display.
- Don’t try to be a hero and pick up too large of a pumpkin. These guys are heavy. Use your legs to lift and arm yourself with the convincing argument for your grandchildren that good things come in small packages.
- Bring any outdoor pumpkins inside if there is a threat of frost.
