Category: Informational

The Celebration continues…NATIONAL DAYS IN APRIL

As we continue to celebrate fun and important National Days this month, there are also some upcoming days that consider more attention. Of course we cannot forget National Tax Day on the 15th! And National Healthcare Decisions Day will be celebrated on April 16th(along with that all important ‘Wear Your Pajamas to Work’ Day)! *

Other important days include National Oklahoma City Bombing Commemoration Day on April 19th **, National Earth Day on April 22nd ***, and National Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day on April 28th ****. But depending on your interests or past times, there are many other celebratory days during the remainder of this month that are worth mentioning or just plain entertaining:

April 13th:       National Peach Cobbler Day and National Scrabble Day
April 14th:       National Reach as High as You Can Day
April 15th:       National Take a Wild Guess Day(hmmmm….) and
National Day of Silence (shhh…)
April 16th:       *
April 17th:       National Cheeseball Day and National Haiku Poetry Day
April 18th:       National Animal Crackers Day(still love to eat these!)
April 19th:       **
April 20th:       National Cheddar Fries Day(what fast food restaurant where you live makes the best ones??) and National Look Alike Day(are you twins?)
April 21st:       National Kindergarten Day and National High Five Day(third Thursday in April). I think it’s worth mentioning it is also National Have a Poem in Your Pocket Day(Roses are Red, Violets are Blue…)
April 22nd:      ***
April 23rd:       National Lost Dogs Awareness Day, National Picnic Day, National Take a Chance Day, and National Talk Like Shakespeare Day(you may want to ‘take a chance’ and talk like Shakespeare today!!)
April 24th:       National Pigs in a Blanket Day(I guess it can be the cabbage or dessert variation)
April 25th:       National DNA Day, National Hug a Plumber Day, and National Telephone Day
April 26th:       National Help a Horse Day, along with National Kids and Pets Day and National Pretzel Day
April 27th:       National Babe Ruth Day, National Prime Rib Day, and National Tell a Story Day(giving everyone the right to use the lead in, “Have I ever told you the story about…..”)
April 28th:       ****
April 29th:       National Arbor Day, National Zipper Day, and National Hairball Awareness Day (aware of this day with three cats in the house!)
April 30th:       National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day(YES!), National Bugs Bunny Day, National Hairstylist Appreciation Day, National Honesty Day(can we celebrate this every day?), National Kiss of Hope Day, and National Oatmeal Cookie Day( one of Cookie Monster’s favorite days!)

 

 

 

 

Celebrating April

I have often wondered where the celebration of April Fools Day originated and found some interesting(but somewhat vague) information. Some believe the day is celebrated in honor of the trickery Mother Nature plays on us this time of year with her unpredictable weather. I have also read that the earliest reference to this day of potential pranking started back in the 1300’s- being noted in the Gregorian calendar. April Fool’s Day is also mentioned in Britain’s Gentlemans Magazine back in 1776!  That certainly leaves for a few centuries of tom foolery!

April is also the month we celebrate National One Cent Day, Find a Rainbow Day and Hug a Newsperson Day! We have missed National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day(April 2nd) but not to worry….National Caramel Day and Deep Dish Pizza Day is April 5th!! You can also wait and celebrate National Carmel Popcorn Day or even better yet, National Sorry Charlie Day on April 6th.
Who thinks of these things??? 

One National Day to consider celebrating this month is on April 6th:  National Walking Day.  So I have decided to list the 10 top reasons for walking, according to Medicinenet.com.

1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that walking 150 minutes per week and losing just 7% of your body weight (12-15 pounds) can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%.

2. Walking strengthens your heart if you’re male. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day.

3.Walking strengthens your heart if you’re female. Women in the Nurse’s Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked three hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk.

4. Walking is good for your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!

5. Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.

6. Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression questionnaire by 47%.

7. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer. Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. Many studies have shown that exercise can prevent colon cancer, and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing mortality.

8. Walking improves fitness. Walking just three times a week for 30 minutes can significantly increase cardiorespiratory fitness.

9. Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too! A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).

10. Walking improves physical function. Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical function and prevents physical disability in older persons.

On The Road… Again!

I am writing this as we spend our last evening in a rented 25 ft. Leisure Van at Happy Traveler RV Park http://happytravelerrv.com/ near old town Palm Springs! Buddy and I are in the process of exploring coach sizes and drivability and had the opportunity to meet up w/ some friends ‘snow birding’ in the area til the end of the month. Carpe Diem as the phrase goes!

 As typical of our RV adventure last August, Buddy and I again stumbled upon some true gems during this 3 day trip. We brought our bikes and went rolling through the classic historic downtown PS and surrounding residential community. This area is nestled close to the local mountains and the rocky hillside landscape is a unique beautiful backdrop for the town. Quite true to form for this Southern California desert oasis!

Many of the homes tucked at the base of the mountains have the bones of the original 1950’s architecture. And most have been remodeled into beautifully designed mid century modern masterpieces surrounded by the earthy palate of rock formations and desert flora. Old downtown Palm Springs has also been in the process of a make over thanks to folks who want to capture the style and atmosphere of a classic ‘village’ feel.

Which lends me to share a few more gems we discovered in town today as we continued our PS adventure! Downtown Palm Springs is an easily walkable area with a variety of unique restaurants, shops, galleries and local Palm Springs Art Museum. https://www.psmuseum.org/

And as Buddy and I strolled along, we peeked our heads into a few shops that were displaying the classic 50’s style décor and artwork. We then happened upon Design Collective Group http://www.DesignCollectiveGroup.com that had both wonderful home designs and more!! Buddy spent time oogling the beautifully designed cabinetry- he really appreciates the uniqueness of both the graining and staining of various woods! We also enjoyed meeting the two Michaels and spent a fair amount of time hearing about some very interesting people and architecture that have graced the Palm Spring area in past years … Frank Lloyd Wright and the Kaufman family, and also the Annenburgs and Sunnylands Estate http://www.sunnylands.org/

What caught my eye and prompted me to write this post was a book that I saw on the counter titled, “Aging in Place” http://www.wiley.com. As we spoke more with Michael Thomas, he shared that he is the author of this book and also started a non profit organization called Stayinplace.org! I sensed a connection to the design style when we walked into this jewel of a shop and I received yet another gift that can be shared with all of you!!

http://Stayinplace.org is described this way on its home page: It Is Time For Change. Remaining independent in a place of one’s choosing no matter age, agility or ability, is one of our greatest personal freedoms. But many places we call home have barriers that challenge our independence and prevent us from sustaining our quality of life.

 I have included the link to this organization and encourage you to check out its blog posts, too! This is another great find for Retirementwives resource page! Palm Springs is a great place to visit with many events happening throughout the year. I hope you enjoy exploring some of the treasures we found while visiting there!

 

 

Being Less Stupid

‘Being less stupid’ for November’s National Game and Puzzle Week

A few weeks back there was a great article in the newspaper, “My aging brain makes me feel less stupid” that was BOTH fun to read and very informational. This essay is from Patricia Marx book (it will listed on my soon to be live Resources page). She is a former ‘Saturday Night Live’ writer and New Yorker staffer. I have included the link so that you can enjoy the entire article.

LA Times article

Patricia Marx is addressing Alzheimer Disease and describes some of the same crazy senior moment questions we all seem to have: “Now where did I leave my glasses?” (HOW MANY TIMES have they been found to be sitting so perfectly perched on the top of our heads?!)

According to Alzheimer’s.org,, did you know…
Alzheimer’s disease is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S.
Every 67 seconds someone develops Alzheimers.
Almost two thirds of Americans with the disease are women.

The article referenced above sheds light on a very real and potentially frightening reality for those we love or even for ourselves. One of the best actions is to be proactive in a variety of ways for both our physical and mental health!

I hope you have enjoyed the recent posts and are embracing a new love and respect for the world of games and puzzles!

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Are you a ‘gamer’ ??

In celebration of National Game and Puzzle Week….

The true definition of a ‘gamer’ is someone who likes to play video games. And I really like the name Urban dictionary used:  Gamer Girl!  I consider myself an ‘old school’ Gamer Girl as I have always enjoyed board and card games, puzzles, word games…and yes, a few video games(just ask my kids about Wii “Super Mario Galaxy 2”!!!).

Buddy is not a ‘gamer’ although we did play a few games of Crazy 8’s and backgammon on our RV adventure this past summer. And I did see a brain game book on the coffee table a few weeks ago that was given to him at one of his retirement gatherings. There is hope for him yet!!!

Researchers reported from a study in 2014 that people who played those games at least every other day performed better on tests of memory and other mental functions. And, based on MRI scans, they had greater tissue mass in brain areas involved in memory.  Now I do have to include that the article also questioned the ‘which came first, the chicken or egg theory’ with this research and Alzheimer’s prevention. Do folks who have greater brain tissue mass enjoy playing games or does the game playing help to increase brain tissue mass and possibly help stave off Alzheimer’s symptoms?

sudoku002

Either way, for all us old and new school gamers, use that weighty noggin’ and highlight the info below to check out a couple of links to enjoy!

Masters of Healthcare anti aging games          *

Web md puzzles and games article

*Please be aware I have not personally checked out the content of each game listed.

FUN FOR YOUR BRAIN!

 

Here are some fun ways to help keep your brain active. The links can be accessed from each activity listed.  

Juggle      Juggling requires you to use your less dominant hand, so it stimulates your brain in ways it typically does not work.

Eat with chopsticks     Learn to use chopsticks and you will provide your brain with stimulation–and learn a new skill.

Read     Reading helps keep your mind sharp! Read new material and a variety of subjects to stimulate your thinking. You might also find the desire to learn a new skill or take a class from the information read.

Doodle     NPR explains how doodling helps the brain stay focused when you are engaged in mundane activities. Try doodling to keep your brain active.

Laugh     Laughing stimulates five different parts of your brain, so laugh often to help keep your brain from aging.

Switch hands     Doing regular activities in a different way keeps your brain working and active. Try using your less dominant hand for simple tasks like eating, brushing your teeth, or writing keep your brain young.

Practice using your memory     Make a list and try to recall it an hour later or draw a map of a new route you have taken to give your brain a memory workout that will help keep it strong.