In this episode of "Rock Your Retirement," Kathe Kline and Barbara Mock discuss a range of affordable living and travel options for seniors, particularly focused on those with limited financial means.

Addressing concerns about the targeted demographic of the show, Kathe and Barbara dive into practical solutions for managing housing expenses, such as selling a home and moving to a more cost-effective area or exploring reverse mortgages, despite potential inheritance implications. They also introduce the concept of "home share," where senior services connect home providers with seekers, offering shared living arrangements that reduce costs and provide added social and security benefits.

Barbara brings to light inspiring stories from her neighbors, many of whom are widows, and their adventures in affordable travel. Highlighting how one widow manages her finances by taking frequent, budget-friendly cruises, Barbara emphasizes the opportunities available through cruise casino promotions and group travel options.

This portion of the conversation showcases how seniors can enjoy fulfilling travel experiences without breaking the bank and explores the potential financial risks tied to gambling, balanced with anecdotes of friends who have mastered the art of cruising on the cheap.

Kathe also reminisces about past living arrangements resembling "The Golden Girls".

The discussion shifts to the wealth of activities offered by local senior centers, which can provide a sense of belonging and engagement without the hefty price tags of private 55+ communities.

Barbara elaborates on how she enjoys researching and participating in diverse activities, meeting new people, and maintaining an active lifestyle through various community programs.

The episode concludes with Kathe and Barbara sharing several budget-friendly travel platforms and programs. They highlight Trusted House Sitters and the Affordable Travel Club as excellent options for seniors to explore different places affordably while fostering new relationships.

Additionally, they touch on educational and cultural engagement opportunities, including auditing college courses, volunteering as docents, senior academy lectures, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI). Through these activities, seniors can stay mentally stimulated and socially connected.

Overall, the episode serves as a valuable resource for seniors looking to stretch their retirement dollars without sacrificing quality of life. Kathe and Barbara encourage listeners to explore the myriad of affordable options available, from housing and travel to education and volunteering, ultimately promoting an active, engaging, and fulfilling retirement.

This episode is sponsored by CertifiedMedicareAgents.com

Kathe Kline and Barbara Mock go for an unscripted and heartfelt discussion on the topic of negativity, particularly among individuals aged 60 and older. Although Barbara is known for her unfailing positivity, she steps up to offer insights and advice on dealing with negativity in aging communities. The episode dives into various scenarios where older adults often exhibit pessimistic and critical attitudes, exploring the underlying reasons and potential remedies for such behavior.

Kathe shares her personal experience of managing a large Facebook group within her community, where she has encountered various instances of negativity. She relays a particular incident where a seemingly negative group member turned out to find solace in the online community during his illness. This prompts the important lesson that one never truly knows what someone else is going through, emphasizing the need for empathy and understanding both online and offline. Kathe also discusses Facebook posts where people unwittingly offer unsolicited negative advice, leading to a broader conversation on the impact of our words and actions.

Barbara contributes her strategies for diffusing negativity, including the power of listening, employing humor, and using deflection techniques to redirect negative energy. Drawing on her experience working in government and living in a community with diverse personalities, she highlights the importance of attitude and kindness in fostering positive relationships. The conversation also touches on the significant role of gratitude and forgiveness in maintaining a healthy, fulfilling life as one ages.

Moreover, the episode suggests practical steps for listeners to cultivate positivity in their own lives. These include maintaining a gratitude journal, setting daily intentions, and practicing self-reflection to avoid becoming a source of negativity themselves. Barbara and Kathe agree that while it may be challenging, adopting these practices can bring about a noticeable shift in one's outlook and interactions.

Ultimately, the episode serves as a reminder that combating negativity starts with individual actions and attitudes. It calls listeners to be more mindful of their behavior, to extend grace to others, and to strive for a kinder, more positive way of engaging with the world as they age. Through their candid discussion, Kathe and Barbara offer both wisdom and practical advice for anyone seeking to "rock their retirement" with optimism and resilience.

The 5 minute gratitude journal discussed can be found at https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CCY47F1H.

This episode is sponsored by CertifiedMedicareAgents.com

In this episode, Barbara tells us about her incredible three-week trip to Ireland, Iceland, and Spain. Join us as Barbara shares her and her husband's adventures, from glamping in Ireland to witnessing volcanic activity in Iceland and attending the Solheim Cup in Spain. Get ready to be inspired by their travel experiences and learn valuable tips for planning your own memorable trips. So sit back, relax, and get ready to Rock Your Retirement with Barbara's amazing travel stories!

Medications Do Not Eliminate Pain Completely There are different pain medications out on the market. Pain medications are drugs used to relieve discomfort related to an illness, an injury or surgery and it is a complex process. Kathe and Les are back in this episode to talk about the article, Real Pain Relief, Now! There are different pain medications that provide relief by acting through a variety of mechanisms. When you are taking any kind of medication, you should start with the lowest dose possible. This is to alleviate your pain and not jump into a large dose. If you start with Ibuprofen for instance, which is usually 200mg per pill. The doctor will prescribe 800mg but you should start with the 200mg, if the 200mg does it, that’s what you should live with. A section of the article starts out by saying, “The goal of pills, patches, and creams is to take the pain down a couple of notches, not eliminate it completely.” This is to allow the person to exercise, work and socialize. Because, when you can take the pain down then you can do the movement which we talked about in the last episode. The typical doctor is going to just prescribe pain medications because the typical doctor is not necessarily trained on chronic pain. Just like we’ve said on the first episode, there’s 1 doctor in every 28,500 people that’s trained in chronic pain. And chronic pain is not helped by these short term drugs that are being tried. That's the downside when taking these different pain medications. Different Pain Medications that Relieve Pain Supplements. There are different pain medications that are prescribed and there are some that are necessarily not prescribed but can be helpful. Which falls under the category of supplements. Marijuana may relieve certain types of pain. The drug industry is not funding trials on supplements because they want to sell their drugs. Supplements like fish oil help reduce inflammation type pain and pain that is neurological. Another one is vitamin B and D. If you have deficiencies in these vitamins certain types of pain are going to be worse. Over-the-Counter Drugs. One of the other things that I found interesting that drugs like Ibuprofen and Aleve reduce swelling whereas Acetaminophen (Tylenol) makes you think that you’re not feeling pain. For Les’ personal experience, Ibuprofen works better than Acetaminophen for most of his pain. For headache pain though, Acetaminophen works better for Les than Ibuprofen. Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen are good for muscle and joint pain but they don’t seem to be very effective against nerve pain. A combination of Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen has had an effect very similar to opioids but you need to talk to your doctor before doing these combinations. Topical Creams. Topical creams like Tiger balm don’t necessarily make the pain go away as much as they make your body react to the burning/cold sensation, taking away from the other pain. There are these compounds called salicylates that produce the feeling of heat or cold to keep the nerves busy transmitting those sensations of pain instead of pain. Prescribed Drugs Antidepressants. There are different pain medications that need a prescription. Some doctors prescribe antidepressants for pain, which seems to be dangerous. There’s only one of that drug that has any connection with pain and that is duloxetine (Cymbalta). But it has a side effect of weight gain, constipation, and suicidal thoughts. Small doses can help with fibromyalgia, headache prevention, and pain due to nerve damage. Anticonvulsants. Anticonvulsants are dealing with the nervous system. If you have nerve pain it would have some effect but it doesn’t help if you have back pai...

How Can Sleep Help Your Pain? In this 2nd episode of our 4-part series on pain, Les and I talk about an article on pain relief. Did you know that sleep also helps with dementia? When it comes to easing pain, It will depend on what the pain is. If the pain is caused by inflammation, it tends to go down as you sleep because your body is trying to heal itself. But there are other things that cause pain in your brain. For example, neuro pain. Your brain is running during the day on full but in sleep, your brain is resting so oftentimes the neuro pain also rest along with your brain. This is a combination of healing and calming your body when we’re talking about not skimping on sleep. If you’re working while you’re sick your sickness is going to last longer. You’re going to feel horrible longer because you didn’t give yourself time to heal. That is why, in any case when it comes to chronic pain sleep is really important. Combining the Treatments is the Key to Ease Pain In the last episode, Les touched on the fact that he’s been having pain at night and he’s been taking Ibuprofen so that he can sleep. It’s been helping him wake up with no pain. Also, removing some devices like cell phones, lights, before you sleep, helps. Sometimes when Les is in pain he just gets up and walks around. But a lot of people don’t want to move because it hurts to move. Oftentimes people would have pain and they’ll not use that area of your body that has pain and that is when atrophy comes in. Maintaining an active lifestyle or being proactive will help you feel better if you want to ease the pain. Physical Activity Can Ease Pain and Improve Your Ability to Move Through the Day A physical therapist can help you with this, it doesn’t have to be lifetime physical therapy but they can help you. They can offer strength and stretching exercises that are tailored to your own needs and on your own abilities. There are also certain posture improvement programs such as the Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais. These posture improving programs can really help ease the pain. Because as you get older a lot of the pain is in your back and it’s usually because of the bad posture. When Les tries to improve his posture even when he’s walking, it makes a difference. The article talks about Tai Chi and yoga and how it helps manages pain. But what we’re doing is Qigong, it’s kind of like Tai Chi but it’s more on meditative movement. The article talks about the mind, body connection. That’s what that kind of movement with meditation does, it connects the body and mind. It’s definitely relaxing and you feel less pain after the session. Mindfulness Typically, in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, you get 7-10 sessions and the therapist can teach the patient to identify thoughts and behaviors that actually worsen pain and replace them with a new thought pattern designed to calm the nervous system and ease the pain. You can ask your doctor for a referral and you can look for a therapist that has training on this kind of therapy. When you go to a massage therapist it’s helpful to know what kind of training they’ve had. A chiropractor, for instance, would be helpful because they understand anatomy and physiology. It’s important to pay attention to that because you go to a massage therapist that doesn’t help you might be because they don’t understand your body that well. Acupuncture also helps with pain but you have to go to somebody who knows what they’re doing and that’s not easy to find necessarily. Acupuncture, massage therapy and the type of chiropractic that Les was doing are not covered by Medicare. Sometimes when we're dealing with our health,

Today's subject affects 20% of the US population because 1 of 5 adults experience pain. In our audience, it’s probably more than that because as you get older, it's more likely that you’re going to have pain. For the retirement years, this is also a good subject to talk about. My husband Les Briney is joining us for today's show as we discuss, how pain affects people. Acute and Chronic Pain As a result of Les’ cancer. He has pain that is semi-chronic. By the way, there are 2 types of pain, there’s acute pain and chronic pain. Acute is usually very sharp pains and they don’t last that long. Chronic pain lasts for more than 6 months. This is according to the definition by Cleveland Clinic. Les has stage 4 advanced metastatic prostate cancer. Meaning his cancer has spread to several places in his body. But he seems to be doing ok yet feeling some pain. He has acute pain from time to time. When he went for his chemo he has a lot of pain. Mainly the pain was a nerve type as opposed to joint type. The pains are sharp and shooting that occurs on different parts of his body. Pain Affects People Differently About 50 million Americans report pain every day. 20 million of that 50 million can’t do their activities of daily living because of that pain. We also have friends who encounter that same problem. Pain is both a sensory and emotional experience that affects people differently. What's more, there is a difference between how you are confronted with pain and how you go on to tolerate it. Your body has different reactions to try to reduce the pain. That is why it affects people differently. How Physicians Treat Their Patients A report prepared by Congress said that for every physician certified in pain care there are more than 28,500 Americans living in chronic pain. Also, doctors treat patients differently depending on what their gender is, ethnic background and all kinds of things. Women, for instance, don’t get necessarily the same reaction to pain when a doctor is a man. 70% of doctors are males. So, you already have some bias there. Acute pain is treated normally through drugs and it’s a temporary thing. Chronic pain drugs cannot make the pain go away. Also, when you use opioids for chronic pain it becomes less effective over time. When it comes to older people with pain, they are put off by doctors because they think that it’s expected as you grow older. Treat Pain Through Combination of Things That You Do Each person's pain should be treated by a combination of things that you do. It’s not something for chronic pain in particular. It is also not something that you can do once and that will be the end. This is something that you’re going to have to do for probably the rest of your life to try to get rid of the pain. The combination of all the things that the article talked about makes very good sense. The fact that it’s personal says your combination is going to be different from my combination. In Les’ case, probably the key thing is a combination of sleep and exercise. Because when Les does those things, generally, he feels better. With sleep, if you have pain, you can’t sleep. So, Les’ use Ibuprofen to keep the pain down as such a level for him to sleep. You have to think about other things than pain. That is why you have to move around and occasionally use pain killers. It is important that you understand the symptoms of pain and how to reduce pain. Dealing with pain whether acute or chronic is difficult but proper knowledge will help a lot in alleviating your problem. Mentioned in this Episode: ConsumerReports.org – Real Pain Relief, Now!

In this last episode of our 4 part series, we talk about the article, Multigenerational Families Provide Benefits for Everyone. In the first episode, we talked about Families Living Under One Roof. The second delves into the Pros of Families Living Together. Also, while multigenerational living has its pros it also has its downside, which we discussed in the third episode. Multigenerational living is one of the hottest trends in housing nowadays. Putting multiple generations under one roof could be a difficult task. However, if done with planning and open communication, it can be successful. A multigenerational household could be meaningful and happy for everyone involved. Anybody who is thinking about entering into this type of living arrangement should follow the tips below to make sure the transition is smooth and stress-free. Have Family Meetings Having family meetings depends on the family. In Jonna's household, it’s very calm. There’s a lot of conflict diversion. Not a yelling household. It’s very placid and we don’t do well with hashing out and having a big group discussion. What seems to work for us is to have quiet sharing sessions. One-on-one seems to work better for us. You have to understand what your loved one is going to be receptive to. After which, create a conversation around that. Your family meetings might be in a big group or they might be a one-on-one conversation so that people are more open. Everybody can have their own style of a family meeting. Communicate any household Issues with the family members If you are living in a multigenerational household, communication is key. This goes along with family meetings. In Jonna's house, her husband was doing the laundry and her father also wanted to do the laundry at the same time. So they had to have an intervention. The three of them had to sit down and learn how to communicate with each other on these things. Being open about that communication and being willing to say this isn’t working for me but this way could help. They even had a calendar up so sometimes things get written on the calendar so they know that there won’t be a conflict. Set Up House Rules in a Multigenerational Home At the outset of a multigenerational home, you need to be open and honest and set out some ground rules. Jonna tries to avoid conflicts in her multigenerational home. So, what her family did was they created a neutral zone. Early on they just said, your beliefs and values are yours, our views and values are ours. If you want to talk about those beliefs and values do that away from the children and in your own space and vice versa. No politics, religion, and those things that you’re not supposed to talk about at parties. Some families are going to be on the same page and it’s going to work out just fine. They just set the standard early, they had the house rules really clear. It was to protect not only her and her husband but also her father from misunderstanding a conflict. Establish Financial Responsibilities For most families, multigenerational or not, money is a sticky subject. Try creating both individual budgets and a shared household budget. The financial bit can definitely be challenging. This is because as an adult child Jonna want to give to her family the whole time. She also had to be very realistic about how long the arrangement might last. Also, why they were doing it in the first place. Part of her father’s agreement living with them is that they’re building out a second living structure that he’ll have on his own. So,

It Can Be a Daunting Task People who experience multigenerational homes know that it can sometimes have its downside. But it isn’t all that rare in our close-knit society. Where we often find 3 generations of families living under the same roof. Sometimes, there comes a time that older adults make the decision to give up their home and move in with their adult children. They may not need complete care at all. But the deeper reason here is that they are unable to stay by themselves anymore. This results in a multigenerational household where seniors, their adult children, and young grandchildren are living together under one roof. It can be a daunting task but so can the benefits. And many families are making this thing work. The Downside of Families Living Together When you’re living in a multigenerational household, you are stepping outside as we used to as our cultural norm a little bit. Because there are some differing expectations from what we may have thought we were going to have of our future self-picture. There is some emotional conflict that comes from that. This article goes through how the adult child might feel. How the younger people in the house might feel and how it will affect the oldest adult in the generational house. That is why it wraps up by talking about kind of the emotional bullet points. Points of how to maybe make the transition better or easier. Acknowledging that some of these feelings are going to exist helps with how you manage the downside of multigenerational homes. Downside for Seniors My father came to live with us last year. We’ve been a multigenerational household from teens all the way up to 60s for that year. There are some really great aspects just like what we’ve talked about on the last episode. The downsides though are also very real. Before my father moved in, I’ve spent some time creating a contract. The contract was more of an acknowledgment of the emotional place of each person in the household. Having that very different perspective starting place made some difficulties. While the contract was a good intention, sometimes the fine bits got pushed to the wayside. One of the things that I found really interesting about the integrations is that you have a second chance to learn your parent. You have your child perspective and then your adult perspective. The downside though is that sometimes I think that we become our child self with our parent more than we would in any other situation. And they will adopt those same roles. Downside for Kids Depending on their age, it can also be difficult for kids to get accustomed to living with their grandparents. They may enjoy spending time with them and have a close relationship, but they will have to get used to a new routine. They will have to share their parents’ attention with their grandparents. It's because their parents may not be able to do with them as many things as before. Being Really Honest with Your Loved One is Important I work with adult children bringing in older adults quite often. Those people that have been most successful are the ones that first off come from a place of charity, and giving, and openness. Even before you ever have somebody live with you. Making sure that your heart is in the right place and that it’s not a chore because it can become a chore. It can get to that place. And if you’re not or already in a place of love and openness, then it makes it that much more complicated. Also, remember to be an advocate for your loved one. Not feeling like you’re doing them a certain favor by having them in your space. But actually, that you’re advocating for their health and happiness. That you want the best for them and you feel like that’s living with y...

Functional and Engaging There are about 49 million families living together in the US. And most of them are in their 20s. From sharing chores to expenses and everything in between. This multigenerational lifestyle is proving to be functional and engaging for many Americans. There are many upsides to multigenerational living. These days, it’s typical for both partners to work to make ends meet, which raises the issue of childcare. There’s also the problem of finance. Huge mortgages undoubtedly stretch family budgets and relationships. Multigenerational Living is Changing A lot of us are out there working hard but it is a different environment then. Things are changing and moving so fast that being a little bit older on the scale. The technology the younger millennials are using blows my mind. It's hard to keep up a little bit. The economy has changed a lot. Therefore, the job market has changed. So the trend for families living together is really changing. That is because of the factors we talked about in the last episode. Which pertains to the job market and the housing crunch. Families Living Together Gives Emotional Bonding You spend 18 – 20 years with a parent from the perspective of an adolescent and a child. All these wonderful memories and preconceived notions of who your parents are based on that perspective. When you enter into the multigenerational household as an adult. Or as a person in your 30s, 40s, and 50s with somebody in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. You suddenly start to see them from a different perspective. And you get so much more from it and remember it too. Some of those issues that you have as a child, you get to work out as an adult. You'll get to sit down and talk through without having those uninterrupted moments. Benefits Older Adults The experience of older adults living together helps them relive the good things for being a parent. And also be part of that in an intimate way. A lot of assisted living communities are bringing in intergenerational programs. And these aren't even kids that are related to them. You're creating a program so that the children and the teens are understanding what it means to spend time with older generations. That is to say, you're bringing those children in to benefit from the knowledge, wisdom, and patience of our older people. It gives benefit to both sides. Even with people who have undergone a divorce. Having that stable adult makes a difference in how well the kids acclimate to the new situation. And it seems that having more people that care about you when you're going through the fact that you're parents are breaking can definitely help. Even from the perspective of the adult having that support makes a huge difference. Financial Benefit Having that multigenerational element does take the pressure off financially. A lot of people are living together due to financial reasons. Grandparents could help care for young children. Adult children living together can save money while going to school, finding a job. Or saving money to buy a home of their own. Just the benefit of freedom and being able to know that there's somebody else who you can pass the torch onto an event. And I wouldn't necessarily have without the benefit of the multigenerational household. The success of families living together means choosing a way of living that best utilizes the resources of the extended family while fostering closeness. To them, multigenerational living is not a way to live, but a way to thrive. About Our Co-Host Jonna Overson is the Founder of Green Tree Home Care – a business that provides Care Professionals in the homes of clients so they can stay safe, cared for,

Is It Time to Rethink? The multigenerational American family household or in other terms families living under one roof is staging a comeback. It's driven in part by different aspects such as economic stability and also a cultural side of the matter. The idea that you grow up, go to college, or get a job and get married. Having this beautiful house in the suburbs with two kids is not the way it was in the US. In fact, that's a relatively new phenomenon from the 40s and 50s in that era. So what we think of is normal is kind of a short blip in the American cultural history. There was such a boom in the economy during that time and then with the recession and the rising house prices. It really does seem like that American dream style from that era is shifting a little bit. We're seeing that people are now more creative with their family living arrangements. The Norm of Living Under One Roof This norm that we think of that where the parents live in one house, the adult children live in another, and the young adults have their own apartment. That is not the only way to live. And other cultures are bringing a different view of how families live. The fact that America's demographics are changing is influencing that there are more families living under one roof. It's not an unusual thing. People are starting to realize that there's a benefit of having that multigeneration experience in one home. And having more adults in the household is a benefit to helping the kids grow up into good humans New Technologies Affects How We Live Today The motivations to bring your parents into your home isn't affected as much as we think it is. It's because there are now opportunities for people to remain where they choose. And the technologies that we didn't have before. Technology opened up a world of possibility for people who need extra help. Giving the people tools that reduce the need for home care keep them independent longer. A Beneficial Way to Live Under One Roof As property prices rise, multigenerational living will grow in popularity over time. But bringing the generations under one roof can be easier in a house designed to meet the needs of each family member for privacy and togetherness. And that means a reassessment of the functions inside of a family home. And also how we go about building, expanding and protecting these houses. As they become home to a growing number of different generations all living under the same roof. About Our Co-Host Jonna is the Founder of Green Tree Home Care – a business that provides Care Professionals in the homes of clients so they can stay safe, cared for, and comfortable at home. Jonna discovered a passion for working with the senior community 7 years ago. She is also part of the sandwich generation. She understands the challenge of balancing the needs of marriage, growing teens, and aging parents. She is an expert on helping family members stay in their own home and was on the show before. You can hear her original interview on episode 24 when the show was still pretty new. Mentioned in this Episode: Karen Sternheimer – The Return of Multigenerational Households www.trustedhousesitters.com This post about retirement and retirement lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

In the first of four, we discussed how the aging brain affects how you think. The second of four in the series brought you Is your Memory Normal. In the 3rd of four, we’re talking about Alzheimer’s disease, and finally, in today's session, we’re going to talk about how to improve your memory. Is it possible to increase brain power? If you've ever found yourself forgetting where you left your keys or having problems with people's names or things, then you have probably wished that your memory was a bit better. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that you can do to help improve your memory. So how will you increase brain power? Let’s dive straight into these easy ways to increase brain power significantly. We Have to Exercise Our Brain What you need to do to increase brain power is do something new, something you've never done before. Furthermore, it has to be challenging. Exercising your brain is good but you can't do it solo. You've got to exercise your body in conjunction with your brain. Challenging your brain makes you sharper and more effective at remembering. Mental challenges like studying complex concepts, make simple tasks like remembering names at a party seem like a piece of cake. Do Physical Exercise to Increase Brain Power You have to physically exercise your body and what that does is that it jiggles your stem cells. And your stem cells pop out new neurons. Neurons help you think. They're your train of thought, your subconscious thought, and your conscious thought. If you don't connect those neurons to some older neurons to help get it growing, nurture it and mentor that neuron to get it productive, tt's gonna shrivel up and die. You really want to keep your stress in check. A great way to keep your stress in check is exercise. Here's an exercise lesson. Using an Elliptical, do HIIT exercise for 7 minutes. First, warm up 1-2 minutes. Then, go 30 seconds with the most energy you can give on that Elliptical. And after that 30 seconds slow down. You can be super slow and do that for a minute and a half. Do that 7 times. That's gonna help you get that sweat going and also help increase brain power. Get your Zzzz's If you’re sleep deprived or have not been sleeping well, then I’m guessing you’re not remembering well either. This is because sleep and memory are intimately connected. Your brain needs downtime to stay sharp and help increase brain power. If you don't get enough sleep, you'll tax your memory and start forgetting things. Stay rested so you can keep your mind alert. Make Time for Friends That's part of what I've called the 4 C's of successful aging. And that is care, connect, commit and concentrate. When it comes to improving memory, maintaining health and facing life’s challenges, friendship can truly be a blessing. Strong social ties through friends can preserve our brain health as we age, while social isolation may be a key risk factor for cognitive decline. Have a Laugh Spend time with fun, playful people because they're fun to be around. Be around fun, energetic, playful, fit people who can help influence your exercise as well. Brain-Boosting Diet We create more neurotransmitters that talk to our neurons in our gut than we do in our head. And so it's very important to eat the right food. You just got to make sure you eat all good, clean, healthy, natural foods. That is so important to keep your brain functioning and focusing. It's not just your head brain but also your gut brain.

Alzheimer's and how the disease progresses A lot of older people forget someone’s name or misplace things from time to time. This kind of forgetfulness is normal. But, signs of a more serious problem are things such as forgetting how to get home or getting confused in places a person knows well or asking questions over and over. These are initial signs of Alzheimer's. Janet Rich Pittman and I are talking about an article on Alzheimer's and how the disease progresses.  Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The disease progresses slowly and gradually and worsens over time. Eventually, it will affect most areas of your brain. Memory, thinking, judgment, language, problem-solving, personality and movement can all be affected by the disease. Types of Dementia Dementia is when a vast amount of brain cells die in a certain section of your brain and this causes your brain to misfunction. To clarify Alzheimer's is a disease and a type of dementia. Every Alzheimer's is different. Therefore, no two types of Alzheimer's are exactly the same. There are a number of types of dementia, and Alzheimer's is one of them. Majority of the dementias in our world is Alzheimer's, about 87%. Other dementias that people are familiar with are vascular dementia (stroke). Also, there's Lewy Body, Parkinson's, Pick's, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Huntington's, Multiple Sclerosis, Lou-Gehrig disease, and HIV Aids. How Alzheimer's Disease Progresses Although every person with Alzheimer's disease progresses differently, it is possible to divide its typical progression into a series of stages. The beginning, the middle and the end. However, it is essential to make sure that a person with dementia has a good quality of life with the condition and that their needs are met, rather than focusing on what stage they might have reached. Mild Alzheimer's Mild is the beginning stages and it lasts a few years. Alzheimer's disease is often diagnosed at this stage. Dementia/Alzheimer's is officially diagnosed when you have 2 or more cognitive impairments in your brain. Cognitive impairments are those are your ability to focus and pay attention, reasoning and judgment, senses, and visual perception. The very first one that goes is brain endurance, which is your brain energy. The second cognitive thing that you lose is your gait. Other symptoms include having less energy and drive to do things, trouble with driving, language problems, loss of recent memories, and mild coordination problems. Also, depression is a precursor and that is why you gotta beat that depression. Moderate Alzheimer's During this stage of Alzheimer's disease, people grow more confused and forgetful and begin to need more help with daily activities and self-care. And it can last 2 – 10 years. Symptoms include rambling speech, trouble coming up with the right words, using the wrong words, and hard time planning and solving problems. Getting angry or upset easily, and sometimes lashing out at family or caregivers. Sleeping is also another problem at this stage. Another symptom of moderate Alzheimer is that your senses dilapidate. You're not able to smell very well. In addition, your ability to taste especially salt and sugar is weakened. That is why It makes you wanna eat more and more. Severe Alzheimer's In the late stage of the disease, the mental function continues to decline, and the disease has a growing impact on movement and physical capabilities. It lasts 1 – 10 years. Now you have a major confusion of what's in the past and what's happening now. And that's the beginning of the end. It goes further to the fact where they quit talking. They may know your face but not know your name. Many people at this stage are physically impaired that is why caregivers are important.

Memory loss may be a normal part of aging, but it may also be caused by dementia or treatable brain conditions. Getting the right diagnosis and care is important. This episode talks about WebMD's article on memory impairment. Forgetfulness is a usual common thing and happens to most people, young or old, including memory champions. Distraction, stress, fatigue, depression, anxiety, absentmindedness, and many other factors may contribute. Luckily, most memory impairment problems are reversible. Temporary episodes of forgetfulness is not an indicator of Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Stages of Memory The article discusses 3 stages of memory: * Encoding – This is when a person takes information in. * Consolidation – When you encode the information you process it so that it gets stored in certain areas of your brain. * Retrieval – When you recite the information. Mine differs from the author. I give memory to four stages or four divisions. First is sensory memory, you use this to figure out your next step and that turns into working memory. Working memory is figuring out the process, how are you going to keep going. Next is short term memory, it is based on your emotions and last is long term memory. When you couple emotion with your memories that really helps with the short term memory. Encoding them into short term memory and eventually encoding it into long term memory. Common Memory Impairment Common memory impairment or brain blips include misplacing frequently used objects. Such as keys or glasses, forgetting why we walked into a room. And periodic difficulty remembering a word we want to say. It is frequently linked to situational factors and normal age-related changes. For most people, mental flexibility starts to become a bit less efficient with each passing decade from our late 20s onward. Memory starts to decline in our late 30s, so it is common to notice more memory problems as we age. Consolidate Your Memory Sleep is when you consolidate your memories. It helps you get rid of your memories and consolidate them. We all think best when we're well rested. A clear, alert brain allows us to focus, learn and remember information, and to be creative. On the other hand, when we're sleepy, we make more mistakes and are less productive. Healthy sleep puts us in the right state of mind to take in information as we go about the day. Not only that, we need a good night's sleep to process and retain that information over the long term. Sleep actually triggers changes in the brain that solidify memories. It strengthens connections between brain cells and transferring information from one brain region to another. Other Causes of Memory Impairment Other causes of memory impairment are stress, anxiety, ADHD, depression, metabolic diseases, alcoholism, vitamin B12 deficiency, infection, and drugs. Episode 101 with Dr. Camille Newton talks about many of the drugs that may cause dementia. Most people don't realize that it's not just only alcoholism but heavy consumption of alcohol. That is one cause of memory impairment. If you have 2 or 3 glasses a night, you might not get tipsy or inebriated but you have all that sugar. All that alcohol in your brain, every night your brain has to fight and get rid of it. Then your brain just gets tired because of this. It has a hard time purging all that alcohol and sugar. Control the Way We Progress and Become Better and Healthier Before you put in those sweets or steaks, here is some food for thought. Research suggests that what we eat might have an impact on our ability to remember and our likelihood of developing dementia as we age. You just have got to be in a position to put your foot down.

In this episode of "Rock Your Retirement," Barbara returns to share her experience with downsizing and moving from her family home to a new, smaller property. She details the emotional challenges, financial decisions, and unexpected turns that she and her husband encountered during this major transition in their retirement. From selling their unique property to exploring 55 and older communities, Barbara offers valuable insights into the process of downsizing and finding a new home that aligns with their retirement goals. Tune in as Barbara and host Kathe delve into the highs and lows of this life-changing journey, providing wisdom and inspiration for anyone facing similar decisions in their retirement years.

This is another 4 part series of the Rock Your Retirement show. Today’s guest host, Janet Rich Pittman is ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­an expert on memory. So if you want to find a way to slow your brain's aging process, then you're going to love this episode. In the first of these four series, we will be discussing how thinking changes with aging. This came from the article on “How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking” of the National Institute of Aging. Brain aging is inevitable to some extent, but not uniform; it affects everyone, or every brain, differently. Slowing down brain aging or stopping it altogether would be the ultimate elixir to achieve eternal youth. From remembering to planning, organizing and decision making, the brain is in control. As people age, though, cognitive changes typically occur; fortunately, they can be positive as well as negative. Normal Brain Aging As you age, there are a couple of things that are kind of normal or common: Increase difficulty in finding words and recalling names, more problems with multitasking, and paying attention as sharply as you once did. So it's difficult to hone in and concentrate. Older individuals often become anxious about memory slips due to the link between impaired memory and Alzheimer's disease. However, Alzheimer's and other dementias are not a part of the normal aging process. Common Changes with Aging * Difficulty learning something new. * Multitasking. * Recalling names and things. * Remembering Appointments On the plus side, people can typically continue to learn new things, including but not limited to vocabulary and other language skills, and to create new memories. Growing amounts of evidence are showing that people can, overall, continue to adapt to new tasks and challenges as they age. The Three Main Brain Cells * Synapse – connect neurons to each other for conscious and subconscious communication. * Glial cells – Are our maids of the brain, their our police, our traffic cops. They take care of business. They give us direction, focus, and they redirect and direct. When certain regions of our brain are not communicating. Our thought can't go forward because we got some weak cells in the front. * Neurons – Is the basic working unit of the brain, a specialized cell designed to transmit information to other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells. Neurons are cells within the nervous system that transmit information to other nerve cells, muscle, or gland cells. Certain Parts of the Brain Shrink With the changes in aging our brains shrink because we're not feeding it correctly. This is because we just don't use our muscles enough. The older we get we don't use it enough, we don't have that challenge that that helps us combat brain degeneration. The thing is that we should produce that strong, healthy brain cells so that we could fight that degeneration. The changes that go into your brain is inflammation. Inflammation causes all kinds of problems not just with your brain but the rest of your body too. Over the years when we eat bad, don't get any exercise, and when we are not really using our brains to learn new things. Protecting Your Cognitive Health We don't really remember names because we don't actually put it in the file cabinet of our brain cells. Because we weren't really listening. We were thinking about what was going on in the room. And we didn't have an emotional attachment to that name and we didn't force ourselves to remember it. People with more education seem to have more cognitive reserve than others. Dementia is different than normal aging.

This is part 4 of this series. In the first episode, we talked about Bringing Old Americans Into the Mix. The next episode dwells into Why Older Men Should Lift Weights. Episode three was about 5 things that you need to do in order to make your retirement a good one. And in today's episode, we will be discussing the article, I’d Rather Die While I’m Living Than Live While I’m Dead. Because, even at an early stage in life, you need to rethink how your approach to life would be. Would it be for the better or the other way around? Basically “Die While Your Living” means, I want to die while I'm doing something that I enjoy. My approach to life would be that I want to be out there living my life and not be sitting at home watching TV. Or as the author says putting up with that dreaded commute for a job you don't like, to earn money, to buy things that you don't need, or to impress people you don't like. All Those Things That We See As A Young Kid Are Imprinted In Us The author blames Jimmy Buffet's song “Growing Old But Not Up.” It includes the line “I’d Rather Die While I’m Living” in the chorus. He said he watched that song as a young teenager. And Isn't it funny that all those things that we see as a young kid are imprinted in us? Whether it is for good or for bad. The money scripts that we have in life and a lot of the scripts that we have about how life should be live are imprinted in us as kids. A Lot Of People Don't Really Have a Good Approach to Life Everyone should enjoy their life and live fully. That is the most important thing for people. You don't have to be retired to do this, you can do it at every part of your life. Just go about doing whatever you want to do in life as long as you are enjoying it. Sometimes people take the negative side, which is to think that it's about taking undue risks, which is really the opposite of it. It's not about being crazy, it's not about being stupid, and it's not even about any of those types of things. It is about being intentional and being purposeful in what you want in life. Life Isn't About Being Extravagant Is your approach to life really about the most expensive car you can drive? The most expensive house you can live in? Eating at restaurants 5 days a week. Is that what life really is? Or is it about building memories with your family and friends? You just have to learn to say I am enough, I have what I want, and I'm going to be intentional in how I choose to live my life. And also think about doing what is important instead of what society or some advertiser told me what I should do because it's important. Be Contented With What You Have You can go buy a new luxury car tomorrow and tomorrow you will be happy. 6 months from tomorrow when your neighbor comes home with a nicer luxury car and yours is dented and it's not new anymore, you're no longer happy. When you learn to let go of yourself and learn to be contented inside then you have it all. Because the final stage of life is learning to let go. Conclusion People need to realize that having a happy approach to life isn't something you could do overnight because it takes time. Our life is an accumulation of whatever we collect from the environment and the society we are living in. Get rid of that false concept of life first. Because life is not just an accumulation. It’s something more than that. Once you recognize this true nature or approach to life; only then you can approach to the things in the right way. Once you get rid of the thought that you should be better...

This is part 3 of 4 in this series. In episode 1, we talked about the article Bringing Old Americans Back Into the Mix. Episode 2, was about Why Older Men Should Lift Weights. Today's episode will be about the article, 5 Steps to An Awesome Retirement by Costco. Rocky Lalvani, the host of the Richer Soul's podcast is back with us to be part of this episode about having an amazing retirement process. The retirement process ought to be a happy time. You can set your own schedule, take long vacations, and start spending all the money you’ve been saving. Having a great life in retirement is not just about having enough money saved up. Like most anything worthwhile in life, it takes hard work, clarity, and dedication to make your retirement process look like what you imagined. Never Call It Retirement Don't ever call it retirement. Besides, it doesn't even sound good. Because if you think about the word retirement it's kind of like to retire, to put out, or to pasture. Instead of seeing retirement as an end to a productive, and rewarding professional life, we can view it as a rebirth to opportunities. The Retirement Process The article talked about the three steps. You have your childhood, adulthood, and elderhood. Since this is about the retirement process, we need to focus a little bit more on elderhood. Elderhood is probably the point in life where you get to do what you want. Your kids are no longer your responsibility. Therefore you don't have to go to work anymore. Not to say you don't work but think of it as you no longer have to do things. Moreover, it is the point in time of your life where you get to choose everything and you have that flexibility in life. Knowing yourself, your values, your strength and weaknesses, and then saying, I'm going to live my life in congruence with that and be purposefully happy. And maybe create your legacy and give back, or maybe continue to work. But it is whatever retirement process you choose it to be. Because now you have the freedom to do so. People Are Redefining What Retirement is All About All of us are sort of redefining retirement right now. Because there are some really young people who are retiring but in a different kind of way. That is to say that it's just amazing that these 30 or 40 somethings are financially able to retire but still wanna give back to society. Some of them work for money and some of them work for passion. Certainly, retirement isn't the right word for any of us regardless of how old we are. Choosing the Right Medicare It really depends if you're below 65, you're gonna have to figure out health care and if you're 65 and older and you're eligible for Medicare, you have to figure out Medicare. People don't usually realize how much Medicare is changing right now. How much they're going to start restricting what you can and can't get. And how much your choice of a Medicare Plan, whether it be an Advantage Plan or a Medigap Plan, it is dramatically going to affect what you're eligible for when it comes to healthcare. Let's face it we're buying insurance not because we're healthy, we're buying insurance for catastrophe. And when people go shopping for insurance, they shop for premium. They don't bother to say when things go really, really wrong, who's going to protect me the best. Therefore, you need to balance those 2 areas out because in the past you have the ability to switch around with Medicare but now it's harder. Creating a Team for Your Health and Your Money In this case, you should have people on your side on both sides of this area. The big part of that team are people who are going to be there to help you.

Rocky Lalvani is back with us in this episode of Rock Your Retirement. This is part 2 of the 4 part series with Rocky and today we will be talking about why older men should lift weights. In this episode, we will share to you why it is important to lift weights even as you age. When you are young just the thought of starting to lift weights is hard and it's even harder if you try to begin weightlifting at an older age. Though it's hard for elderly people to start weightlifting at this point in time, it is still necessary. And the truth is that building your muscles is more important than ever at this stage of life. Muscles tend to weaken with age, and this decline can eventually rob seniors of their active, independent lifestyles. Fortunately, you can reverse that trend with a few simple exercises. It's safe, it's effective, and it's never too late to start. Because you'll never know, you may even enjoy it. The Benefits of Weightlifting * Reduce the symptoms of diabetes and osteoporosis * Improve your balance * Improve glucose control * Increase strength and muscle mass while raising metabolism * Promote more independence as you get older Myths of Lifting Weights at an Older Age People of older age need to stop thinking about not being able to build muscle after a certain age. Well, this isn't about measuring how much muscle tissue you have or put on. It's about getting fitter and stronger. And when elderly people lift weights, they get stronger and more able-bodied. Therefore, a frail elderly person can get stronger. Lifting weights will make everyday living easier for the elderly woman or man. Moreover, the only people who can't build muscle from exercise are those who aren't with us anymore. Some older people believe that lifting weights will make them too bulky and get stiff muscles. But in reality, most of the people in the gym that can lift the most weights are those who are slim and trim. They aren't really muscular. That's one of the fallacies that are out there that if I lift weights I'm going to be muscle-bound and that is not the case. Machines Aren't As Good As Free Weights A couple of reasons why the machine weights don't work is number 1, most often you're in a linear track. So you're only moving up and down. You don't work any of the supporting muscles at all that would have to keep your weight from going side to side. You're not getting any of the supporting weights that are going on. Most of the machines that are out there are highly specific to a muscle or a group of muscles. That is why when I'm doing a squat or a deadlift I'm using my entire body all the way across. And using most of those machines in the gym is just not the same as free weights. What Will a Senior do to Get Started? Free weights are very scary in the beginning. But getting a good trainer is a big help, someone who could teach you do the form correctly. And try not to lift weights more than you can lift. Don't try to be that person that will go all out and do it all. Because you are better off lifting half the weight that you think you can get comfortable with. Time will come that you'll get by those weights that you are vying for. We are not trying to be Olympic bodybuilders. We're just trying to get our body to be strong and muscular. So as we talk about in the last show when you wanna go play with the 5-year-olds and run around the ground and lift them up, you'll have the strength to be able to do that. Start Now People of older age kept on saying there's so much to do. I think it comes down to three simple exercises. If you can do a squat, a bench, and a deadlift, those three are the ones that make up the trio.

Welcome to another episode of Rock Your Retirement. My guest co-host for today is Rocky Lalvani. He will be co-hosting with me for the next 4 episodes. In the first of four, we’ll be discussing an article from the NY Times called Bringing Older Americans Back Into the Fold. Some of you may know that I have recently moved to South Carolina and we have an episode that talks about it. Reintegrating older adults back into the fold, kind of falls into what exactly is retirement. What does it mean to retire? And, do you really want to retire in a true sense of the word? You've made it to your 65th birthday and the world no longer seems friendly. You are preparing to leave your career job and it's more than adequate income and stay home forever. Unless you are wealthy or have invested well, you face a decline in your standard of living plus other radical lifestyle changes. What's more, your body has entered its final countdown. You feel depressed and overwhelmed. Instead of drifting into the unknown, you need to reestablish or reinstate yourself back into society. What is Age Segregation and What Does it do to People? Age segregation is abundant in the United States. From grade schools to senior villages, we now spend much of our lives on separate generational islands. While young people go back to school separated by grades, older people gather for clubs, classes, and meals that often expressly bar the young. In other words, we are all sorting ourselves out by how old we are. In this way, age segregation is denying the young and the old crucial opportunities to serve one another and their communities. Reintegrating Two Generations Together The real fountain of youth comes from being around younger people. That's even truer as you age. If you're in your 70's and 80's and you're hanging around with young people, you tend to be younger and more hip. There was a study that was done. I think they took people in their 80s and what they did was they recreated life like it was when they were 50. They literally put them in a house that looks like the house they would have been in when they were in their 50's. The only thing on TV was shows that would have been on when they were 50. And all the reading material was from that time period. Even the furniture and everything. So they literally were putting them back 30 years in time. And what they found is just within a week those people were walking straighter, able to do more, and felt younger. There were studies where they take nursery schools and they put them into nursing homes, And you see the elderly and the young come together and it's just a phenomenal experience for both sides. Because the elderly have the time to sit there and listen to the stories and tell stories that most of us who were busy and running around don't have the time to do. It makes them feel younger. In the United States When You Get Old Your Supposed to Get Shipped Off These things happen because the whole idea of retirement is somewhat profit and power driven. If you have a bunch of people in their 70's running an area, a business, or a town and you've got young people who want to take over the only way to do that is to get rid of the old people. And the best way to get rid of the old people is to convince them that they should retire. You're Still Young, You're Still Vital. What Can You Do? Basically, you should do whatever you want. Think about it. You are now at the point of your life where you've got a lifetime of wisdom. If you're smart enough to keep up your health. You've done your job right to have money even if you don't have a ton of money, and you've got social security. Whatever it is,

This is the last of the 4 part series with my co-host Ted Carr. Today we will be discussing an article about the road to happiness. Last week, the two of us discussed an article about Estate Planning Myths. If you missed it, here is the link www.RockYourRetirement.com/166 There are many avenues on the road to happiness. (It sounds like a movie title doesn't it?) But the single most accessible, most important, most obvious route is also the most difficult to tread. We'll try to question ourselves. Can we even make ourselves happier? Is it even possible? Isn't happiness some kind of a sub like it happens but you can't really chase it? What is True Happiness? People will argue about what true happiness is. Most will say you either are or aren't born happy. Sort of like you're predisposed to be happy. However, there are certain things that you do that the result of doing them makes yourself happy. For example, if you have a lot of friends your chances of being happy are more than if you are alone. You can't really chase happiness, like, I'm gonna do this today to make myself happy. There are things that you do that the result of it is just happiness. The Road to Happiness is Determined by Genetics Statistics show that 50 percent of happiness is determined by genetics and therefore out of your control. While 10 percent refers to situational happiness. That includes whether we are rich or poor, healthy or ill, where we live, what our job is, or whether we will get a job at all. Meaning, a rich, beautiful, perfectly healthy person with everything going for them only has a 10 percent headstart on the person whose entire life is a complete mess. Same with those famous people who commit suicide. On the outside, you think that they have a perfect life. But on the inside, their lives are completely different. Hedonic Adaptation The road to happiness isn't just only determined based on situations. Most road to happiness that's based on situations is only temporary. Why? Because we tend to have more of what we already have. This is called Hedonic Adaptation, where we get used to things and we end up wanting more of what we already have. From new additions, making more accomplishments, new house, new car, new job. In other words, lifestyle inflation. We're just wired to adaptation but always wanting more. It's like going back to the days of primal survival instinct. The feeling that more means we got a better chance of surviving. Surviving in the future where we don't have anything. The Road to Happiness on a Day to Day Basis We discussed that 50% of happiness is being based on genetics and 10% are situational. The last 40% of the road to happiness is based on what we think or what we do on a day to day basis. This 40% will give us a chance to make things happier for our lives. This includes helping others, having new experiences, practicing gratitude, and building a positive mindset. My journal called, “The Baby Boomer's 30 Day Journal“, which is available on Amazon, takes into account the 6 areas of retirement lifestyle. It talks about doing something spiritual in the morning whether it is meditating, praying, or setting goals for yourself. People setting small goals are happier in general because you can achieve a small goal. There's a lot of factors within this 40% that we can influence the outcome of our road to happiness. Focus in that Moment Some people are happy because they live in the moment. The contents of these moments to moments of living have a big influence on people's happiness.

My guest co-host Ted Carr is back with us to talk about why retirement planning among women is unique. Ted Carr has been on the show previously. We discussed the Stages of Life which happened to be one of our most popular episodes. The subtitle to today's topic should be, “Why is it retirement planning for women more challenging or poses more challenges?” Even in retirement men and women are different. Women have plenty of hurdles when it comes to their journey to retirement. There is no one-size-fits-all and this is why it is unique. We will break down what challenges women encounter when planning for retirement so that you can work things out toward a secure future. Women Tend to Outlive Men Statistics show that women live longer than men. The average age women live to is 81 vs the average age for men of 76. It is not a secret that women have lived longer, maybe partly due to men's lifestyle. Although men are catching up because women's lifestyles are going downhill. Women have more years of the retirement fund. It increases their longevity risk, which is the risk of outliving your money. When I was in my 40's I purchased a long-term care policy. When I got married 10 years ago, I added my husband to the policy. But you cannot buy this policy that I purchased anymore. A lot of people don't buy long-term care because it is expensive. The reason why it's expensive is that a lot of us are gonna need it because we are going to live for a long time. I included home health care in that policy because the thought of moving into a nursing home does not appeal to me. Develop a Proper and Unique Retirement Plan If you could develop a detailed retirement plan, that is going to catch a lot of the crucial aspects of preparing for retirement. Things such as expenses, health insurance (including long term care), social security, work, investment management, and income generation. Ted calls it a forcing function. He would not have retired early if he had not worked out a detailed retirement plan. Gender Wage Gap Women earn only 81% of what men do. That gap can be explained in part by women’s time off to raise their children, but it’s also because of occupational segregation. My mom took a job in retail and there wasn't a lot of career advancement or benefits. Except that she could take time off pretty much whenever she wanted to and that fits in with her lifestyle. It didn't provide financial rewards but provided a lot of lifestyle parenting rewards. But you tend to fall behind because you're not out there grinding it out with other people working diligently to get ahead. Women are not necessarily as intense negotiators as men are. In Linda Babcock's research, it indicates that women who consistently negotiate their salary increases, earn at least 1 million more during their careers than women who don't. Women undervalue themselves they often feel grateful to just have a job and underestimate their market value by up to 30%. Women More Likely Face Career Disruptions Women are more likely to become caregivers to their aging parents or children than men are. This affects their career, or they may even have to quit their jobs. This also affects their overall lifetime savings, social securities, pension benefits, and also 401k plans. That's just another challenge that women face financially. There is also the societal pressure of being the person in charge of taking care of the family. Grey Divorce The rate of divorce for people over 50 has doubled since 1990. After a divorce or separation, household income decreases. It's much easier for two people to live in one household on eighty thousand dollars than it is for two people to live on forty thousand dollars each. Ted says that he and his wife keep their finances separate.

Our guest co-host Ted Carr is back with us for this episode number 2 of our 4 part series. On our previous episode, we discussed why elderly parents fall for scams. This time, we will talk about the common myths of estate planning. Estate planning is one of the pillars of the strategic retirement planning concept. While it may be a task that gets misunderstood or procrastinated over, estate planning can provide a good direction for your loved ones in the future. Furthermore, it gives you a sense of relief as you think about where your household and assets go. Now just a disclaimer here- neither Ted nor myself are experts in the field of Estate Planning. We are just here to talk about our personal experiences. You would definitely want to discuss your own situation with an attorney. What Goes into an Estate Plan? When Les and I met our estate attorney, she talked to us not only about our assets but also about what happens if we get incapacitated. Even our very very naughty pet bird Mr. Grant was part of our estate plan. Nevertheless, you can revise your estate plan numerous times. Here's a list of items every estate plan should include: * Will/trust * A durable power of attorney * Beneficiary designations * Letter of intent * Healthcare power of attorney * Guardianship designations Also, you may add POLST (Provider Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) on your estate plan, it's an approach to improving end-of-life care in the United States, encouraging providers to speak with patients and create specific medical orders honored by health care workers during a medical crisis. If I Have An Estate Plan, I Can Avoid Estate Taxes The federal estate tax exemption has increased to $11.2 million per person (or $22.4 million per married couple), so it's unlikely you'll have pay to pay for an estate tax at all. It Is Important to Include Guardianship Designations to Your Estate Plan While many wills or trusts incorporate this clause, some don't. If you have minor children or are considering having kids, picking a guardian is incredibly important and sometimes overlooked. Make sure the individual or couple you choose shares your views, are responsible, financially sound and genuinely willing to raise children. It will give you peace of mind. Probate is an Estate Planning Nightmare Probate is expensive and time-consuming (will take about 2 years) and everything will be open to the public. Property is disposed of according to the laws of the state in which the deceased resided. If they find some personal information from your public records your estate could be vulnerable. The funny thing is that even though you spend all your time to have a private and personal life when you die everything is open to everybody. I Don't Need to Check My Beneficiaries It's one of the common mistake people do. While setting up a plan is a solid first step, keep in mind your salary and family situation can fluctuate over time. Make sure your beneficiaries are current, there are so many 401k plans that haven't had any beneficiaries. If you don't update your estate plan your beneficiary information could go out the window. A Will Can Overview the Distribution of My Assets 60% of people have no wills. A will is also a great first step. It allows you to lay out how your belongings should be distributed. However, it has no controlling power over joint accounts or beneficiaries. The only thing that the will has any control over our assets that are in the person's name alone. You can also start with a holistic will where you write a will on a piece of paper, sign it with the date included,

Ted Carr will be my co-host for this podcast. The last time he was here, he gave us a great insight on the 6 Stages of Retirement. In this episode of our show, we will talk about why elderly parents are getting scammed. We have an aging population and it's usually common for them to be targets of scams. Scammers target the elderly, as they are willing to listen, maybe lonely, and are more trusting than younger individuals. Scamming is a Problem Scamming is considered the crime of the 21st century. It's hard for us to know which is legit or not. Scams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels across continents. All of us may be victimized at some point in time. There's no one group of people who are more likely to be scammed. Why Are Elderly Parents Being Scammed? Seniors are being scammed because they have a significant amount of money sitting in their accounts. They also are difficult to prosecute and often go unreported, especially when there are no relatives around, so they are not considered high-risk crimes. However, they’re disastrous to many older adults and can leave them in a very risky position with little time to recoup their losses. These Fraudsters Come in Different Forms Nowadays, getting scammed doesn't just happen on phone calls, they are also presently using Facebook when it comes to scamming people. My mom was victimized by a fraudster. Even my husband Les gets phone calls from scammers every day. Scammers even use throw away phone numbers or spoof the number. I get calls where it looks like they're calling from in town but actually, they're not. So, if you see something suspicious just hang up or let it roll to voicemail. Lottery, Passion, and Personality Lottery scams are one that many are familiar with, and it capitalizes on the notion that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Also, many elderly always fall for scammers of passion. There was this article from the New York Times about an 84-year-old man marrying a 38-year-old woman which ended up with her scamming him of millions. And if you are a type A personality makes you susceptible to these scammers, coupled with a loss of house, retirement or change in housing makes you more vulnerable. Scammed? It's a Job Scammers don't care on who they are scamming, they tend to be cold-hearted calculating individuals. There are documentaries that show that they make scamming somewhat of a job. They go to work, work for 8 hours, and are given a list on who to scam. It's like a call center for scammers. Protect Yourself One of the best ways to protect your loved ones against fraud is to talk to them openly about some of the most popular scams, so they’re aware of what’s out there. Sometimes you become the villain when rationalizing but try reasoning out to them and explain that what those scammers are saying is not real. Below are also some measures you can do to prevent someone from scamming you love ones: * Set up daily contact with your loved ones when you can check them every day. * Streamline social media that they have. * Ensure that the fraud detection technologies are enabled. * Shred important documents. * Contact marketing associates to opt-out. * Check their credit reports. But when you are in the crisis. Try these methods: * Try to change their phone number. * Contact the police if they know where you live. Get the police involve. * Talk to an elder law attorney. Set out a trust. * Figure out how to replace what the scammer is providing.

This is the last part of our continuing saga of moving to a 55 and older community. During episode 3 of our podcast, we talked about our newfound community. My husband Les and I finally bought a new house and are moving into it. But as excited as we are about moving to a new house, there are also some things that stress us about moving. That gives us mixed feelings about it. That is why in this episode, we discussed having those mixed feelings towards moving to a new community. Are we really going to move in or are we having second thoughts about it? Not Looking Forward? Moving is one of the top stressors that a person can experience in a lifetime. While moving is so stressful, it can be exciting too. As a result of those stresses, we for one are not looking forward to moving to a new place/community. We became attached to San Diego because it's not just a place, it is already part of us. Mixed Feelings It is going to be a culture shock for us to move to South Carolina from San Diego. San Diego is a pretty nice place and our friends are here. Yes, our family is near the new community that we are moving in but we don't need to see them very often, 2 weeks in a year is good enough. It is a lifestyle change for us, moving to a new place that is. We have been having a lot of nervousness and kept thinking about what have done because it's just scary. Risking the Business Another thing that we are concerned about when moving is our business. I get a lot of referrals from business associates, people that are in the senior community. So I don't know if those referrals are going to slow down now that I'm not in San Diego. Even though the majority of my business is done over the phone. And although I give an option to people of meeting with me in person or meeting with me over the phone, 90-95% of the people would rather just take care of it over the phone. And of course, the different time zones would be an issue too. Adapting to a New Environment A friend of mine was trying to talk me out of moving because he was saying that I should be concerned about the healthcare situation. And if I get sick enough it would be a 2-hour drive to get to a hospital like Charleston. There are hospitals nearby but that's just for normal checkups. However, I'm looking forward to being able to go to the art center and paint, or go and make pottery but it is scary because we don't know anybody besides our family. We are having second thoughts, but it's kind of like wedding jitters. Packing and Unpacking The main thing that worries us is the move itself. The whole process is so overwhelming giving us that mixed feeling. Before we weren't moving much stuff as we are moving now. And also now we are moving across the country. We have to pack the boxes better than what we did before. We could get somebody else to do the packing but we'll lose control on what goes where. You don't know where your things will wound up inside those boxes. Les is an Engineer, and when we move 10 years ago to where we live now. He kept a list of every single item that was in the box and numbered it. And then put that list on a spreadsheet. Those boxes (about 20) are still in our garage that's not completely unpacked yet. And another thing is that we are moving to a house that has less square footage and therefore having less storage. So that becomes an issue too on what will we take or what don't we take. But we know somebody who specializes in downsizing, she was one of the first people on the show. They also help get rid of stuff. We don't know yet how to get rid of our stuff. This is It To all the listeners, we feel for you, when you retire, when you move.

In this episode, Betsy sits down with her friend Kathe to catch up after 8 months of retirement. Betsy shares that she doesn't miss work at all and instead enjoys her newfound freedom, spending her time reading, exercising, and spending quality time with her mother-in-law. She also loves getting outdoors and recently embarked on an incredible trip to Italy with her husband. Betsy takes us on a virtual journey through Naples, Citano, Sorrento, Pompeii, and Mount Vesuvius. She reveals that she thoroughly enjoyed planning the trip, doing extensive research that even involved watching YouTube videos to get the best recommendations for each destination. In Naples, she excitedly shares that they dined at a pizza place where former President Bill Clinton once ate. They explored the entire city, walking an impressive 26,000 steps in one day. During their stay in Positano, Betsy and her husband had a unique experience of walking down 1,700 stairs each day just to reach their accommodation in the town above. Pompeii left a lasting impression on Betsy, as she learned about the lives of the Romans frozen in time after the volcanic eruption. The couple also took a mesmerizing boat tour around the picturesque Isle of Capri, even indulging in a swim in the crystal-clear sea. Despite a slight language mishap where Betsy accidentally asked their tour guide how old he was instead of how long he had been giving tours, the trip was truly unforgettable. Betsy emphasizes the joy she found in planning and researching the trip as part of her retirement adventure. As the episode comes to a close, she eagerly looks forward to Thanksgiving, where she will be reunited with her stepson returning from college. Betsy leaves the listeners with an inspiring message, encouraging them not to fear retirement but to embrace it as the beginning of their next chapter in life.

This is part 3 of our 4 part podcast series. On the last episode, we talked about what happened during our community tour. So in this episode, My husband Les and I will continue talking about our quest for finding the perfect 55 and older community. Furthermore, we will finally reveal our decision on what community we chose to live in! What do we like about it, and why did we choose that community? Finally, We Are Home After the long search for a proper 55 plus community, we finally found our home and it is in a Del Webb community. There are instances that it is scary when moving to a new community because it simply is “New” to you but nonetheless, it is pretty exciting as well as you will see what new opportunities and activities await. Why Were We Drawn to This Community/Home For us, there are a lot of reasons why we chose to live in a Del Webb community but the main reason why we were so drawn into it is that of the activities. Being in a 55 and older community you need to have activities so as to uplift you and make your everyday stay as fun as possible and this community has a lot of activities to choose from. The other thing about this community is that it's a nice looking community. It is well maintained with beautiful landscaping and the surrounding area was nice and just as we've talked on our first episode, our family is close to us. Most importantly, Del Webb knows what they are doing. That is why it's safe to say, “We Are Home.” It is quite different from living in California. It's definitely not as clustered. When you drive down the road in South Carolina, all you see are trees! About Our New Home We wound up buying a new home which we bought from somebody else (not from the builder). What's good about this is that you don't need to spend much time, energy and money to furnish your new home. It can be easier and faster for you to relocate quickly and can save you money, sometimes thousands of dollars. This house that we bought doesn't really need anything more. We did downsize on our new home, we're going from a 3500 square foot house to 2400. Eventually, this will help us to intentionally pare down our belongings. Also, we will have open areas that will be great for entertaining. In other words, it's just happier to downsize-rather than the other way around. The New Place (Likes and Dislikes) Likes: * First, we like the area. * Secondly, the house itself. * Del Webb community. * Everyone has been very friendly. * Cheaper gas price. * And not everything is retirement. Dislikes: * Similar houses and relatively close together. But you can do something to make your house noticeable. * Not health conscious. That is why when you're in a restaurant you should always ask what's in the menu. * Culture change * The words used are different and there are towns and areas with different pronunciations. For instance, they use plantation instead of a community. But we can cope up with it. Although we will miss our 99 Cents Only store, El Pollo Loco, Jack in the Box, and Costco (which is about 2 hours away), we are moving into the Del Webb community most importantly because of the retirement lifestyle. We could have bought a cheaper home in this area, but it's not just the house we are looking for. We are looking for the lifestyle of being in a 55 and older community. After a long community search, this certainly will be our new home. And if you have ever moved to a 55 plus community ...

This is part 2 of our continued community search for the 55 plus and better. In our last episode, we discussed things to compare when looking for a community to live in. In this episode, my husband Les and I are on location and just finishing up our 3-day stay at a Del Webb in South Carolina. We will be discussing our stay, our community tour, the house that we stayed at, and our likes and dislikes. We will also talk about the community, and how a 55 plus community can help you do more of what you love. Explore Del Webb Usually, Del Webb communities offer day and night passes. During your stay, their friendly ambassadors will do a community tour and will guide you through pieces of information about the community. Our community tour took us 4 hours but it was very helpful. During the stay, you can meet residents, do the community tour, explore the houses and clubhouses, the amenities, and enjoy everything you need inside a Del Webb community. The Two Sections in the Community Tour Del Webb has been around for a long time and usually, communities have two sections which comprise a newer and an older section. The older section of any community will have mature trees, mature landscaping and of course more mature people. Most ambassadors have been occupying the newer section because they have formed a group of friends from the ones who bought new too. We also had the same experience when we moved to the community where we lived now. Everybody moved in together, we all wanted to meet each other, we had parties together and the neighborhood sort of formed a click. But the downside is when the time comes that the people who moved in together started leaving that's the time when the click just broke apart. The Del Webb Community The 4-hour community tour was divided into 2 parts. The tour of the community itself was in the first 2 hours. The Del Webb community has a ton of features including 3 clubhouses, 3 outdoor pools, 2 indoor pools, a baseball field, and a tennis court. There are also sections for the art room, pottery room, and photography, more than 1 golf course, and a community garden! The last 2 hours of the coummunity tour was mostly just dinner. The Actual House The house that we lived in was very nice although it is not the house that we actually considered. It's a brand new house with an open floor plan, although they do lock off the second bedroom. It's nicely decorated, comfortable with a nice internet. There's just a couple of things that I disliked. The master bedroom shower is so open that it is cold and the rain shower is not good. Also, I wasn't a big fan of the self-closing doors. It feels like there is pressure when you open it and it's almost like pulling against you. The Community Itself (Likes and Dislikes) Likes: * Open floor plans * Most of the bedrooms have a separation between master and guest bedrooms giving you more privacy when having guests. * It's beautifully landscaped and just looks good when you come in. Dislikes: * Cookie-cutter nature, everything looks alike. You'll get lost because one street looks like the other street, * The house in the newer section are close together, they are just 10 feet apart. * Their lagoons have alligators. * And there are snakes too! The Clubs Adult communities are renowned for having a vibrant and social atmosphere where residents can come together and share similar interests. What's great about active adult communities, is that they cater to the demands of boomers by providing clubs designed around their lifestyle. This community has over 50 clubs for you to stay, as active as you like. And that's what we've learned about Sun City.

We are back! Having been on hiatus for the past month. Most of you may know, but for those who haven't yet, Les and I have moved to South Carolina. During the process, we have recorded a series of episodes, and this one is the first in that series. It is about, “What to compare for a 55 and older community search.” Home for the 55 and Older Community Today, I together with my husband Les discussed how to find homes for the 55 and older community. There are certain aspects that you need when looking for houses at these certain ages. We will guide you on those during this podcast episode. In today's episode, we will compare different scenarios on what should be considered when buying a house for you because relocating constantly could be tiring and exhausting for you especially when reaching that certain age that you want this to be the house that you want to live in for the rest of your life. What is a 55 Plus Community? A 55 plus community is a type of location that is designed to accommodate people that are at least 55 years old or older. When you are doing a community search, the atmosphere, layout, and amenities are meant to provide for the needs of this age group, rather than young families. Those areas may have specific stipulations on who can live within the community with the goal of keeping the residents in this upper age limit. What Should You Take Note When Looking for a House? Looking for a house for a 55 plus community may vary greatly from community to community. There are things that you should take note of when doing a community search. It is good to take into consideration that the house that you are looking for should be near gas stations, grocery store, home depot, post office, hospital, gym, airport, assisted living community and a dog park (if you are fond of pets). Your house should also be near your friends or relatives, near a major city and public transportation (like a train, bus, or Uber). Important Considerations When Doing Community Search As you research locations and community amenities, consider other aspects like the pricing or cost of a house. How much does the house cost? The type of community you will live in, size of the accommodations, and the location plays an important role in this. You should also consider the prices of gasoline, organic free-range chicken eggs (if you like eating healthy), average cost of dinner in a restaurant, electricity and gas cost, insurance (which is a major expense), water or sewer, cable and internet, Home Owners Association, property and income tax rate, fees for your exercise classes, and if your hobbies can be found near the community. These are some important considerations when you're doing a community search. Questions When searching for a new house location and their local amenities, you should also take into consideration other aspects like: * If you are buying a property that has a view will that view be guaranteed? * Does it have a community garden? * Will they take care of your yard for you? * The need for approval from the Home Owners Association to change the inside and outside of the house. * How old is the community? Because the newer the community the younger the occupants are. * Are they planning to build more homes? * The ratio of houses to a clubhouse. * What is the length of time your grandchildren and guests are allowed to visit? * The rules for parking? * Services (handyman, laundry, and others). * How can you be on the Home Owners Association board or how would you get to them? * Is the community that you will move to gated? * Do you own the land or does the Home Owners Association own it? * Who owns the clubhouse? The Home Owners Association or builder? Things to Review Lastly, also consider these things before moving into your new house.

HERE'S THE LIST OF THE TOP 10 MOST DOWNLOADED PODCAST IN 2018 * Episode 135 – Downsize your Home and your Life by Kathy Gottberg* Episode 141 – Retire Early and Travel Part 1 by Keith and Tina Paul* Episode 117 – Finding Meaning and Purpose in Retirement by Fritz Gilbert* Episode 143 – Tips for a Great Retirement Experience by Randy Gardner* Episode 116 – Six Pillars of Retirement by Kathe Kline* Episode 142 – Retire Early and Travel Part 2 by Keith and Tina Paul* Episode 123 – Longevity and Staying Young by Judy Gaman* Episode 121 – How Seasonal Jobs can Help you Rock Your Retirement by Kelcy Fowler and Matt Moore* Episode 138 – Men and Women in Retirement by Dr. Sara Yogev* Episode 129 – Clever Life Hacks to Improve Health by Kathe Kline

Les and Kathe: Corny Jokes Corny Jokes for Christmas Day! Merry Christmas everyone! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! Les is with me today and we will read corny jokes! Here are some corny jokes for this holiday season. If you have a 10-year-old kid, you can invite them to listen to this episode. They'll find it hilarious (or not!) LOL We'll resume normal programming next year. SOURCE: We FAILED to keep a record of where on the internet these jokes came from.  If they came from your site, we thank you and apologize at the same time.

Do you need to downsize your home? What about downsizing your life? Why are these things beneficial as we retire? We are re-releasing our episode about downsizing. Our guest is Kathy Gottberg, a published author of six books along with numerous magazine articles. On her blog, SMARTliving365.com, Kathy explores ideas and experiences to help create a sustainable, meaningful, happy and rewarding life for herself and others. Since turning 60, Kathy has become increasingly interested in ideas around positive aging and retirement. Learn more about rightsizing and why downsizing doesn’t have to be a downgrade in this episode. On today’s show we discuss: * Rightsizing vs. downsizing * Why rightsizing is so beneficial as we age and retire * How to rightsize What is rightsizing? Anything you have in your life requires energy, time and effort to maintain. The beauty of rightsizing is it allows you to choose what’s important to you. Use your time, energy and resources on the things you value most. You can rightsize just about anything in your life. Rightsizing is about getting rid of the things that don’t really matter and focusing on the things that do. The key with rightsizing is it’s individual. It will be different for everyone. Areas you might need to rightsize: * Old habits * Toxic Habits * Your current job Advice for rightsizing: * Do it with a loved one * Get away and get quiet * Find resources to help you How to downsize your home? Ask yourself these questions. * What are the top 10 things that are most important to me for the rest of my life? * Do I need it? * Can I rent it? * Can I borrow it? Kathy firmly believes that if you take the time and effort to downsize your home and rightsize your life, then you will be better prepared to retire and better prepared to make all the choices and decisions in your life that will make you happier and more purposeful. Kathy’s Books: Positive Aging: A SMART Living 365 Guide to Thriving and Wellbeing at any Age (2017) Rightsizing: A SMART Living 365 Guide to Reinventing Retirement Simple SMART & Happy: A SMART Living 365 Guide to a Sustainable & Meaningful Life (2014) Finding Grace—A Transformational Journey (2013) The Complete Guide To Selling Your Own Home in California (2008) The Findhorn Book of Practical Spirituality (2003) Links: SMARTliving365.com Twitter – @gottgreen Email – kathy@smartliving365.com

How to Deal with Social Loneliness after Retirement Dealing with social loneliness after retirement is very difficult if you do not have people who cheer you up or support you or inspire you. Janelle Anderson is with us on this fourth episode of co-hosting the show and we will be talking about how to deal with social loneliness after retirement. This is also applicable pre-retirement! Janelle works with women as a Certified Professional Coach through her business, Emerging Life Coaching. She typically works with women who are transitioning into a new season in life, whether that is from the “busy mother raising children season” to an “empty nest” season or from “busy career life” to the season of retired life. Janelle helps them discover a new game to play and who they truly want to be in this “third act of life.” Her work with clients includes one-on-one private coaching sessions, as well as coaching groups, workshops, and personal development classes. Nourish your relationship People are building relationships at work but they do not nourish that relationship outside of work. After retirement, that relationship dies and now you're alone. It may lead to intense loneliness. Loneliness can cause a lot of problems like isolation, depression, and early death. The Harvard Men Study There was a study called the “Harvard Men Study” where they follow 268 men from their 30s to 70s to see how successful or happy they were. They wanted to see what are the characteristics of those who are happier and more successful in life compared to those who don't. The one that came to the top is called “love-full stop”. In other words, it is love (personal relationships and connections). Start looking for new friends to defeat social loneliness! If you don't have relationships now, you should take a look or make a list! Relationships that feed your soul, nourish you, support you, those are the ones you should be looking for. Church, joining clubs, classes are good places to find relationships. For the ones you currently have, ask yourself if you are nourishing that relationship. Are you still doing activities together outside of work? If not, then it may be a good time to start that now. Make time for your friends. Here are some ideas where you can meet new people One good place/website to meet people in your area is Meetup.com. I met so many of my best friends in Meetup. You can create a meetup group (with a fee, if you're the host) or you can just join existing groups. In Janelle's case, her church started a dinner fellowship. She became close with a couple of couples because of that. What's good about it is that you cannot choose who you're going to be grouped with. They will be the one to choose it. It's really cool because you get to meet new people. Spend time with your friends You do not have to go out with your friends every single day. You may go out one a week or once a month and catch up. Take turns in being the host. Janelle's daughter does “neighborhood dinner” where she invites some of her neighbors so that she could get to know them. Meet new people by volunteering Volunteering is another great way to find relationships. There are 3 places I found where you can volunteer if you haven't volunteered before. 1. VolunteerMatch.org – they'll send you volunteer gigs near your zip code 2. UnitedWay.org 3. Points of Light.

Creating Life Balance after Retirement What to do with all the time you have after retirement? Janelle Anderson co-hosts another episode and we'll be talking about Creating Life Balance after Retirement. Janelle Anderson has always had a deep desire to help people develop their true potential and live from their true selves. Her career began in education as an elementary and middle school teacher, but after teaching GED preparation classes, she discovered her true passion was to work with adults. Over the years, she realized that her greatest satisfaction came from working with women, especially those in their mid-life years. Janelle loves to help them emerge into the fullest glory of who they are – to grow into their true beauty and live fearlessly, confidently and authentically. A transition from working to retirement Most people especially those who worked in an office are used to having a schedule. They are working from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM for how many years. Suddenly, it's time for retirement. You have all the time in the world where you do not have a schedule to follow. What are you going to do? You may have a list of what to do after you retire but after doing all those things, what's next? You can do volunteering and help in your community. If this is not what you desire then you have to figure out what are the things that will make you happy. One example is learning how to play the tuba. Creating your own schedule You may create a schedule of the things that you will be doing now that you have all the free time. Example, tennis every Monday. You can also not follow your created schedule! Create short-term goals every week. It really does feel good whenever you're crossing out all the things that you have done. Janelle has this planner where she creates her schedule for the things that she will be doing for the week. You may check it here: PLANNER Learn to slow down Now that you have your list. Never rush or feel pressured in doing all of them, you need to enjoy every moment while doing it. Enjoy every minute of it. Eat your lunch and enjoy every single bit of the food on your plate. Do deep breathing exercises before you do something. This will help you slow down. Creating Life Balance You should schedule FUN things. Things that excite you, make you happy, and not think of as a task that needs to be followed. This will make you enjoy your retirement. Doing stress-free things also have positive effects on our health. Take note of this because this is one of the most important things in creating life balance after retirement. Let us know what you think of this episode, “Creating Life Balance after Retirement”, in the comment section! * Episode 1 – Living in the Present Moment * Episode 2 – The Cure for the What If   Connect with Janelle Anderson * Facebook Groups * Emerging Life for Women 40+ * Emerging Life Coaching * Website – https://www.emerginglifecoaching.com/ * E-mail: janelle@emerginglifecoaching.com  

The Cure for the What If Janelle Anderson co-hosts another podcast episode and today, we'll be talking about “The Cure for the What If”. Most of the time, we are thinking, “What could go wrong?”. By thinking about this all the time, we might pass a lot of great opportunities. In today's episode, Janelle and I will be talking about the cure for this. Fear of the Future Fear of the future is a problem, but remember that the future is not real because it hasn't happened yet. Any transition might be a fear for most of us because we might be thinking, “What could go wrong?”. It's like crossing a bridge. What might be on the other side of the bridge? What if there's an earthquake while you're crossing it? How will you retire if you're always thinking about what could go wrong? Instead of thinking about this, how about focusing on things that could make you happy when you retire? Nobody can anticipate all the unknown. Janelle thinks that we are afraid of the unknown because people want to be in control. Small Actions Matter  Small actions are much better than a big one. It will make you feel better. For example, like Janelle, she's thinking about cleaning her house but she just managed to clean one room. It made her feel great! There's a book called “Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe The World“, it's about making your bed perfect every morning. Making something perfect when you start your day will make you feel so much better for the entire day. Taking action is the key to curing the fear of what if. Fear keeps us from taking actions. It makes us have reasons or excuses for doing what we really want.  Overcome your Fear of What If Face your fear. It's just like riding a bicycle, how will you learn how to ride it if you don't overcome the fear of falling down? Fear paralyzes us. It's not about what's happening to us, it's about how we're looking at what's going to happen to us. All of us doesn't know what's going to happen in the future. Always think that whatever happens in the future, we can handle it. It's about acceptance and living in the moment. Go ahead and step up and do whatever you want to do! Connect with Janelle Anderson: * Emerging Life Coaching * janelle@emerginglifecoaching.com Click here for the first episode with Janelle Anderson!

Living in the Present Moment I wanted to try out something different on the show as I was getting bored of the usual pattern. So I will be co-hosting with Janelle Anderson and do a four-part series. Today, we are talking about living in the present. I read an article called “Living in the Moment” by Zorka Hereford which came out in essentiallifeskills.net. We have been hearing about living in the present and mindfulness a lot, and it is something that I think we all should try. By being present in the moment, you can get in touch with your feelings and thoughts and become more connected with others. We can become more relaxed and peaceful and derive a higher sense of gratitude towards life. Living in the Present To be in the present mean to be conscious of all of your senses geared to perceive the moment. It is not an easy task especially if you are new at it. Our minds have a habit of wandering off! Janelle talks about a trip with her daughter where she went on a hike. Both of them were sitting on top of a small bridge, and she utilized all her senses to take at the moment. It was like taking a picture which gets imprinted in your heart and stays forever! But she could have ruined it all just by thinking about walking back or what they were going to have in lunch. Don't let your Past ruin your Present Many of us also have the habit of letting the past ruin our present moment. We feel regret, get mad or upset because we haven't dealt with the past. We keep on ruminating on the things that happened again and again and end up impacting our present and the future. You need to go back, revisit your past and accept that you cannot change it. You need to learn from it and let it go. Some people have difficulty in dealing with their past. They hold it in and refuse to let it go. Therapy can be a good option for such people which helps them unpack their past and look at it from a different perspective. One technique that Janelle learned as a coach can help us to live life without getting attached to the outcomes. It is called detached involvement which is a way to experience life as you observe it. If we can practice this, then we will be able to go along with any outcome and accept it. Full attention is the key to be in the present. You should also not let thoughts of future meddle with the present moment. Tips to be Living in the Present The author provides us with six helpful tips to be in the present. Let's go over them! * Teach yourself to focus on the present moment. It needs a lot of training, and you need to have a genuine intention to do so. You can develop the habit with gradual practice and then it would come naturally to you all the time. * Get engaged in whatever you are doing and enjoying the process. You should use all your senses to take in a moment and tune in – listen to the bird's chirp, wonder at the clouds passing by, smell the fragrance of flowers- you get the hang of it right? * Teach yourself the relaxation techniques which let you focus on the present moment. The simple exercise is to take a deep breath and slowly let it out. It brings you back in the present moment to whatever you are doing. * You should also take in your surrounding and try to take a mental snapshot. It's just what we said about enjoying the process. * Listening is an art we seldom practice. How many times do you tune out in a conversation- or have other thoughts? We should make a habit of listening for the sake of listening whether it is a conversation, music or even silence. * Be in the present moment while you are eating. You should savor every grain or spoon and involve your brain while eating. That way you don't end up feeling hungry after an hour!  

In this episode of "Rock Your Retirement," host Kathe Kline welcomes guest Betsy again, who shares her recent adventures in retirement. Betsy talks about her upcoming trip to Italy during a less busy time of year, detailing their plans to navigate the country using buses and taxis, as well as hiring a private driver for a few days. She looks forward to visiting iconic sites like Pompeii and the Isle of Capri, with private tours and boat trips on the agenda. The conversation takes a turn towards Betsy's newfound hobbies in retirement, including taking CPR and first aid classes, as well as pickleball classes. They discuss the importance of proper gear for pickleball, specifically shoes designed for either outdoor or indoor courts. Betsy shares her experiences at senior centers and taking brain stimulation classes, highlighting the significance of socializing and staying mentally active during retirement. Betsy talks about her love for leisure reading and her current read, "The Life List," which explores the concept of creating a list of things to do while young. She also shares her excitement about her recent trip to Dallas, where she bonded with her family and enjoyed swimming with a fabric mermaid tail. The conversation broadens to touch on Betsy's summer getaways to Michigan and Wisconsin, emphasizing the beautiful beaches, dunes, and wineries the regions have to offer. The episode also includes updates from both Betsy and the host. Betsy discusses her new volunteering work at a food pantry, finding fulfillment in contributing to addressing the issue of hunger. On the other hand, Kathe Kline shares her travel experiences, including a recent trip to Greece and Ireland, along with some mishaps like lost bags and an unpleasant bout of food poisoning. Despite the challenges, both guests emphasize their overall enjoyment of their respective trips. Overall, this episode of "Rock Your Retirement" showcases Betsy's adventures in retirement, highlighting her travel plans, hobbies, and experiences, while delving into meaningful discussions about staying active, engaged, and fulfilled during the retirement years. The hosts' anecdotes and updates add a personal touch and relatability to the conversation, making it an engaging and enjoyable listen for retirement enthusiasts.

How to Stay Youthful? What's the secret of looking younger and feeling better? How to stay youthful? Our guest for today's podcast is Judy Gaman. She's a successful radio show host. The name of her show is “The Staying Young Radio Show“. She's also the author of “Age to Perfection“, “Stay Young“, and “Love, Life, and Lucille“.   Staying Young Staying young is a great problem that we have in our society right now. A lot of our diet wreaks havoc in the bacterias living in our gut. Some examples are carbohydrates and artificial sweeteners. We need to balance our good and bad bacterias. Our gut microbiome is connected to other aspects of our body so we have to take care of it. Taking Care of our Digestive System You have to take Fiber-rich foods like apple, banana, orange, strawberry, raspberry, vegetables, etc. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body can’t digest. Though most carbohydrates are broken down into sugar molecules, fiber cannot be broken down into sugar molecules, and instead, it passes through the body undigested. Fiber helps regulate the body’s use of sugars, helping to keep hunger and blood sugar in check. Sauerkraut is a great probiotic. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are good for you, especially your digestive system. We usually think of these as germs that cause diseases. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. Probiotics are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy. You can find probiotics in supplements and some foods, like yogurt. Doctors often suggest them to help with digestive problems. How to Stay Youthful Eating healthy is the key. Always remember that not all organic foods are pesticide-free. You can try setting up a small garden in your house so you can grow your pesticide-free foods! Remove soda in your diet. Some people buy soda to clean their house. Imagine putting that in your body! Judy gave us 4 choices and she said we only have to pick one and follow it. Here are the options she gave us: * If you are into artificial sweeteners, you have to stop using it. * Set your sleep schedule and you have to stick to it. * Find a way to exercise. * Eat 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every single day. CONNECT WITH JUDY GAMAN: * http://www.JudyGaman.com * admin@judygaman.com Source: * Use of Fiber – https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/fiber/  * Probiotic – https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-are-probiotics#1  

Caring for our Sick Parents Many of us have aging parents who need constant care and attention. People who have to contribute to caregiving for their sick parents can have a challenging time managing their own personal life. Some even have to move from their homes and jobs to move in with their parents. It's not unusual for someone to completely start over after their parents pass away and it may take many years to achieve stability in their own life once again. Our guest Ruth Ullmann shares a similar experience. She gave up her career in internal business consultation and devoted her time for elder care. She can be called an elder care coach and helps people care for their aging parents while driving a successful business. How it all began… Ruth has been helping companies, groups and individuals write success stories for 20 years. She has been featured on Fox, CBS, NBC, and ABC News, and was busy with her career. But a call from her sister changed everything — her mom was in the hospital and this was not the first time! It was the fifth time in the year she had to come out of a meeting on a phone call which notified her that her mother had to be taken to the hospital. She realized that it was not working for her to be so far from her parents, so she decided to quit her job and move into a house closer to her parents. She started consulting locally and things went fine for around 7 years. Then one day her mother had to be hospitalized again and gradually ended up in the ICU on a ventilator. Ruth found herself in a difficult situation as her mother was the primary caregiver for her dad who has also had health issues as well. He was diabetic, had dementia, and needed a wheelchair to move around. Ruth's dad passed away 10 months later at a time when her own health was not in good condition. It took her over 5 years to get her health back on track and in this time her business was not doing well. The time for realizations The experience taught Ruth quite a few things and she realized that it was difficult for anyone to take care of their parents and handle business objectives at the same time. She wished that she knew how to take care of her sick parents and work on her business at the same time. She wished she had conversations with her parents about what they wanted in the end. Ruth also realized a few more things – primary caregivers are more likely to pass away earlier due to the stress of caregiving – almost with 44% mortality incidence rate. She realized that you should accompany your parents to the doctor so that you don't have to rely on second-hand information. You could know what is going on with your parents and help them relay their conditions and health status. The realizations led her to change the nature of her business. She now started advising small businesses and entrepreneurs to meet business objectives while caring for aging parents. The business has two arms. * help businesses stay in business while caring for aging parents * helping families navigate elder care She provides one-on-one consultation to entrepreneurs to become the leaders of their business. Much of it begins with automation and slowly working your way to transform into a CEO than become a day-to-day worker. How Eldercare can help with our sick parents Eldercare has many aspects which all of us are not aware of. We don't have a clear idea about how the industry works, the details about different services such as assisted living or rehabilitation centers and the legal, financial and medical aspects of healthcare services. Ruth is the founder of Myeldercarejourney.com where she helps people on topics related to elder care and other services. She has an online course called

Living Healthy in Retirement I am Kathe Kline and I am back with another episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show. Today’s episode is all about living healthy and our special guest is Georganne Schuch, often called as healthy habit master. After going through two extremely difficult pregnancies, which almost put her in a life and death situation, a cardiomyopathy scare, and several other health issues, Georgeanne decided to change her life and help others do the same. The health enthusiast has developed 12 healthy habits set to assist people to make their lives healthy without spending a lot of money. She also updates regularly on her website stepyourwaytohealth.com. Georganne mentioned her 12 healthy habits. They include drinking more water to stay hydrated throughout the day, improving posture and consciously engaging in keeping the back straight. Did you know that watching TV might lead to spine problems? You might not notice but while watching television, we sit or lay down in an awkward position that can harm the spinal cord, which might lead to vertebral problems during old age. Engage in exercises like pulling back your shoulders to maintain a correct posture can help, according to Georganne. Sleep is important in living healthy! Another important part of the set is adequate sleep. Having a simple sleep cycle that consists of at least eight hours of continuous sleep is the very core of her health formula. The health master continued with taking less stress and working things out so that you are prepared for the worst. Flexibility is a great advantage in the future Being flexible is another step in becoming a healthy self-aware person. If you aren’t flexible naturally, you can perform yoga or pilates or any other exercise that helps in improving flexibility. If you are a flexible person, you tend to suffer less from joint pains and back pains, which is a blessing in disguise. Exercise and Healthy food is a must! She went on to talk about how staying active and walking whenever possible helps in staying healthy. Instead of taking the car to cover short distances, she advised people to walk or cycle their way there. A protein, good fats, and vitamin and mineral rich diet that contains a lot of whole foods fight off diseases and helps keep the waistline in control. During the conversation, we discussed about how everyone hates vegetables and have no choice but eat them. In the episode, she also talked about personal care product can be harmful to everyone. She said to eliminate as many products as possible and use natural ingredients that are enriched with vitamins and minerals. Relationships Georganne strongly believes in the power of building meaningful and emotional relationships with family and friends. Only when two people share an emotionally enriching relationship, they understand each other become better people and pass through difficult times. When Les and I got married, I told him that I wasn’t good at housekeeping. It was stressful for me because the housekeeper only came home twice a month. With only 24 hours in hand, it is difficult to do household chores especially if you are a career oriented person and have a business that needs complete attention from your side. This doesn’t mean you are running away from things but prioritizing what matters the most to you. Prayer and meditation is something every person should practice daily to reduce mental fatigue and rejuvenate the mind for the next day. She said that practicing meditation and breathing exercises every morning after getting up and every night before going to sleep, reduces emotional and mental stress. Prevention is always better than cure, so engage in activities that keep your help in health. She also mentioned that caring about others is good but everyone should prioritize their own g...

Healthy Lifestyle Changes: A Conversation with Dr. Stephen Schimpff Part 2 We will pick up from where we left in the last show with our guest Dr. Steven Schimpff. He was talking about the seven aspects of living a healthy life, and we had just discussed three of the aspects. In this show, we will talk about the rest of the points so that you have a healthy life and greater longevity. The seven factors of staying healthy are discussed in Dr. Schimpff's book Longevity Decoded, and he has given e a copy which I'm almost done the reading. I'm also taking down notes and will gift the copy and my notes to a lucky listener of the show. You just have to leave a comment in today's show note, and I will be making the lucky draw on October 30 on the Rock your Retirement Facebook community at 9 am Pacific time. Now let's see what Dr. Schimpff has to tell us about healthy lifestyle changes. Get Adequate Sleep You need at least 8 hours of sleep to stay healthy. During our sleep, our brain cells shrink and create a free space which is filled with fluid. This fluid is like a slow-moving river and washes out the toxin created by the brain. Sleeping also helps your brain convert short-term memories into long-term ones. Just like you save a file in a computer, our brain also creates the memories and places it according to so that we can retrieve it when we need. This is one of the most important lifestyle changes we need to do. Falling Asleep Many of us have trouble in falling asleep so Dr. Schimpff gives us a few pointers to achieve the task. The first thing you should try is to calm down and set yourself in a relaxing mood. That means no agitating material before going to bed- no stimulating movies with violence or a book with intense thriller! You can do with some light, peaceful reading or maybe a comedy movie! You should make your room absolutely dark and draw the shades if necessary. It would help if you also stopped using your phone or computer as the light interferes with our sleep. You can even turn the alarm clock so that the light doesn't disturb you. We should let our natural sleeping cycle take over and do everything to invite it. If possible, you can tune your sleeping schedule to the sunset and sunrise time for maximum benefit. Staying Asleep Some of us wake up in the middle of the night and find it difficult to go back to sleep once again. Dr. Schimpff advises us not to drink a lot of water or alcohol before hitting the bed. If we do get up, we should not turn on bright lights and maybe can take help of a night light. It is also not advisable to drink as you may again wake up with the urge to go to the bathroom. If you find difficulty in sleeping, you can go consult with a doctor and maybe take some sleeping aid such as melatonin. Quit Smoking Tobacco is one of the main causes of heart disease and will hamper your longevity for sure. Smokers are likely to die almost a decade earlier which has also been proved by studies. Though there is increased awareness about the ills of smoking, 17% people continue to do it. It is also more common in socially deprived areas where cigarettes remain more popular. Cigarettes and other smoking items create a lot of harmful chemicals when they burn. It can cause heart diseases by creating plaque in the arteries and chambers. Smoking can also lead to inflammation which in turn leads to chronic diseases. You should cut out any form of smoking be it a cigar, pipe or modern vaporizers. This is also one of the important lifestyle changes we have to do. Intellectual Stimulation Keep providing your brain regular challenges which keep it sharp and functional. There are various ways to stimulate your brain such as games like chess and sudoku, joining a discussion group or may be performing some art. Social Engagement We already discussed in the last show that we cannot live...

Healthy Lifestyle Changes: A Conversation with Dr. Stephen Schimpff One thing I'm pretty sure of is every one of us want to live a longer and better life. That means having a healthy life free of illness and diseases. Today our guest is Dr. Steven Schimpff who is a senior health and longevity expert and has also written a book about it. Dr. Schimpff is going to tell us about the secrets to living a long and healthy life. He is 76 years old and moved to a retirement community with his wife. Healthy Lifestyle Changes at a Retirement Community Dr. Schimpff thinks that it is easier to have healthy lifestyle changes in retirement or senior community. His wife has been his lifetime coach and cooks healthy for both of them. The people in the community requested Dr. Schimpff to give a talk on living better and slowly he picked on the subject. He attended many seminars, lectures and carried out his own research all of which have been consolidated in his book. Living in a senior community has enabled them to adopt some healthy habits. They have signed up for 20 meals in a month, and her wife cooks the rest. The community has a fitness center and an Olympic size swimming pool coupled with lanes for walking. Both of them find it easier to exercise or maybe go for a walk to stay fit. They can also interact with other seniors over their meal and satisfy the need for social engagement. There is also no need to worry about small things such as leaky gutters as everything is taken care of. Dr. Schimpff has some useful insights which can help you have healthy lifestyle changes. How can the Senior Community Lead a Better and Healthy Life According to Dr. Schimpff, you have to choose between the healthy and non-healthy in every aspect of life. You can either have a salad or eat a sugar-laden cookie- the choice is in your hands. Dr. Schimpff tells us that there are seven crucial aspects of living a healthy life- * eating healthy * managing stress * adequate exercise * getting enough sleep * quitting smoking * intellectual stimulation * social engagement Healthy eating is a MUST! Be really careful about what you eat. Try to include as many green leafy vegetables as possible in your meals and also eat a lot of wide variety of colorful vegetables. You can choose the ones you like and make a salad, boil them or cook them with meat. A vegetable-based diet will give you all required nutrients while being low on calorie. Your plate should have 2/3 vegetables, and the rest can be meat or fish. You should also try to cut white flour and sugar from your diet. We have talked about it many times in our show how sugar can lead to inflammation and other chronic diseases. You should also look to eat grass-fed meat which has Omega 3 which is also present in fish. Cows who are fed soybeans and corns have Omega 6 which is not good for our body. Our guts contain around 100 trillion beneficial bacteria which digest fiber and give us energy. It's necessary to feed the good bacteria while starving the bad ones. Fermented food like yogurt and Sauerkraut come with live organisms and a good source of probiotics. You should also consume enough fiber present in fruits and vegetables to feed the good bacteria to keep you healthy. The label of the yogurt should read “contains live cultures” which means it has the good bacteria which our guts need. A few tips to have a healthy brain We also have to learn to deal without stress which can be done through meditation, taking walks in nature and spending time with people we like. You should also cut out tobacco use which we all know is not good for our health. You also have to keep your brain up to date by providing it stimulation or challenges. As humans,

Our Trusted Housesitters Experience In this episode, Les is going to join me as a co-host as we talk about our experiences with Trusted Housesitters. Housesitters come in handy when you need them – and you can count on them to look after your pets. They stay in your home for the time you are gone and take care of everything. I have both served as a housesitter and used the service when we went on a trip. Today, we are going to talk about my experience of being a housesitter and how it felt to use the service. I really appreciate the service as it lets me travel to other places for free! I wanted to see how it felt like to be a housesitter and gain some experience on the platform. About my first Trusted Housesitters client My first client was a sweet couple who needed a housesitter on urgent basis. They lived in a 1,000 square foot house near the beach and had two large dogs weighing around 90 lbs. The first time I went to the house the dogs jumped on me as soon as the owner opened the door- that was the first red flag I noticed about the dogs and showed the dogs were not well behaved. The couple also asked us to lock the doors as the dogs loved to chew on their pillows! Never Do More Than You Think You Can! One day, Les took me out to dinner, and we came back to witness a real mess. It was just an hour and a half hour that we were gone. When we came back, we see something strewn all across the floor. We realized it was the remote control for the ceiling fan – the dogs made it a treat for themselves! The situation did not get better, and the dogs kept on chewing and eating other things – including our favorite magazines. This taught me a valuable lesson, and probably I won't be doing dogs in my next assignment, especially big dogs. I can handle cats, small dogs, and birds but big dogs can be quite difficult. It also taught me to ask more questions about the job before taking it up. It’s Mostly Great! Next time, I had to housesit a cat, and it was in a beautiful house with nice people. I only felt vulnerable one time – there was news of a criminal in the neighborhood. But apart from that, the whole experience was good! Les and I also opted for housesitting service when we were going on a trip and wanted someone to watch our dogs. Les was skeptical in the beginning about having a stranger in the house, so we did a Skype call to see how our housesitter looked. It's always better to interact with beforehand with your housesitter so that you can see their face and know about them a bit. A Few Precautions Help We also took a few precautions which would save us landing up in a false situation. We chose to lock the master bedroom and explained to the housesitter that it was for their own good. I constantly keep forgetting where I have kept things and didn't want to blame someone unnecessarily if they are not at fault. Also, Les doesn't find it very comfortable that someone would sleep in his bed! I also locked my office as it contained sensitive information related to my clients. We have a guest room where the housesitter was put up. She even brought her own bag with covers and all and didn't use our things. Other than that, the whole house was open to the housesitter and we also asked them to share our food. The housesitter did a very good job of taking care of our dogs, and both of us were really happy with the service. The Trusted Housesitter platform has three levels of security checks which can go a long way to prove the worthiness of a housesitter. You can look for third level security which involves a background check of the housesitter. The first two levels are related to verification of mobile numbers and Facebook accounts. You can also sign up for a housesitting service or become a housesitter yourself by using this link

Have a Healthy Brain after Retirement! Our brains start to lose its capacity as we age and we can’t remember things as we used to before. As for me, I have seen that my memory has been suffering as I age because of not having a healthy brain. That is why I tend to write down stuff which helps me remember things. Today, I look forward to learning a few things from our guest Janet Rich Pittman who helps out old people with age-related difficulties. She was in a marketing job and helped her husband get elected to a public office. She moved into old age care on the advice of her mother, who told her that she was great at helping her grandmother with dementia at the hospital. Janet started her course and became a dementia healthcare administrator. She loved her work where she helped old people to have a healthy brain and fight the treacherous disorder of dementia and other ageing related issues. She continued her studies further and became a dementia practitioner to be able to help people with dementia. What our Healthy Brain needs I asked Janet about the issues that we can face as we get old. Janet tells us that our brains are prone to experience a brain drain as we age. The brain needs proper nutrition and the need increases as it grows old. You also have to keep providing it challenges so that it does not fade away into oblivion. Janet runs her website and even has written an ebook. My listeners can go to her site which is Janetrichpittman.com and get direct access to the ebook completely for free. You can also go for a printed version, which costs $7.95 which shipping included. The book is called 9 Signs You are Experiencing Brain Drain and available in the middle section of her website. You need to scroll down a bit, and then you can see it. The book has everything you need to know about the brain drain that you experience as you grow old. It also tells you how to keep your brain fully charged so that you can go through old age without experiencing problems such as loss of memory. Food for a Healthy Brain I asked Janet to enlighten us with some of the nine signs that she has written about in her book. She tells us that the most important thing to keep a watch is the food you are eating. There is an intrinsic connection between the brain and the gut, and you will be surprised to know that the gut produces more neurotransmitters than the brain! What you eat is going to affect the performance of your brain. Janet also provides insight into the foods we should be wary of. She advises us to keep our hands off the “6 white foods”- sugar, rice, potatoes, milk, flour, and corn. Janet tells us that the black and brown varieties of the white food such as brown rice, Indian potatoes are fine but we must try not to eat the white ones! White Sugar is Not Good for the Brain She also tells us that we should cut out white or processed sugar from our diet. It has been proved that sugar feeds cancer. It’s why you should instead try things like maple sauce or honey to satisfy your sweet cravings. Along with giving up processed sugar, look to include oils such as Omega 6 and Omega 3 which improve the performance of your brain. She also speaks about the ill effects of gluten which is present in almost all food. We can handle a bit of gluten now and then, but excess amounts can turn our body against itself. Gluten causes leaks in the intestine, and the food seeps out in the body. It can lead to inflammation and with years of bad eating habit, the inflammation can shoot up to the brain resulting in dementia. The inflammation takes place as the immunity system reacts to the gluten and starts harming the body's cells thinking they are the enemy! So watching your gluten intake is really crucial! Another sign that people should look out for is getting enough sleep. Sleep is directly related to your brain's performance and has effect on your mem...

Natural Health and Wellness in Retirement Our guest today is Marian Carroll who is an expert in bio-individuality. It is a concept which means that a single diet does not fit all and the needs of an individual have to be considered. Marian had a career in finance and IT and reached her retirement age as a baby boomer. She wanted a reason to get up in the morning and have something to do. This zeal led her to train and become a holistic health counselor who deals with natural health and wellness. Her job involves advising people on natural health and wellness in all aspects of life. This is for them to achieve optimal health. She focuses on five key aspects which are crucial for an improved healthy diet, physical care and exercise, a purpose in life, emotional wellness and spiritual practice. Marian tells us that all the five aspects are connected and should be our focus if we want to stay healthy especially in our retirement age having natural health and wellness. Marian gives us helpful insights on how to connect with nature to improve our health. She is not only talking about the nature that surrounds us, but she is also referring to out intrinsic nature or the intuitions. It is important to listen to our intuitions to achieve optimal health. Health and Nature Marian also states that we should improve our health by making well thought, slow and permanent changes in our lifestyle. The most important thing we need to be wary of is the food that we eat. We should start thinking about natural health and wellness for ourselves. We have developed a habit of thinking intellectually about what we eat rather than having our intuitions do the job. Marian's father used to say that she would eat what she needs as she is more connected to nature as a child. Marian thinks we should follow the same philosophy and let our guts decide what is good for us. It would also tell us what food to stay away from as they as they are not good for our body. Our body is more alive in a natural health and wellness. We should be super careful about what we eat and look to include more green in our diet because we really need to consider natural health and wellness. Marian says that the 80% food products that we get in the supermarket are made in factories which is not natural. Out of those around 65% to 80% come with added sugar. Natural Sweeteners Marian tells us that we should look to cut out processed sugar as much as possible from our diets. Too much sugar can lead to inflammation and even feed dangerous diseases like cancer. I also agree with Marian as Les, and I have stopped consuming sugar after he was diagnosed with cancer. It takes a bit of awareness and a lot of reading of labels of food products to know what to buy. Many products come with sugar such as peanut butter, bread, soups and we need to be aware of them. We will know about the ingredients and can choose sugar-less options easily if we read contents. Marian also suggests to us that we should aim to eat more plant-based whole food. You can even go for a plant-based version of popular food items such as noodles- there is a version which is made from the root of a plant found in Asia. You can also use natural sweeteners and natural honey instead of sugar to make your food sweet. This is what natural health and wellness are about. Natural Health and Wellness You should start with small changes and include veggies in your diet slowly and gradually. Your body may not be used to vegetables and you may be gassy or have other stomach issues in the beginning. But slowly your body will detoxify and adapt to the new diet making you feel more natural, healthy and energetic. The topic comes up that many people don't like to eat vegetables which affect our natural health and wellness. I asked Marian what should such people do to include natural greens in their diet.

Living Healthy in Retirement I talked with Cassandra Hill, who is a gerontologist and a certified wellness coach. She started out working with seniors in long-term care and assisted living and enjoyed her time. The health of the seniors she worked with declined to a point that their quality of life was limited. This gave her the passion to work with seniors and give them a better quality of life. In this episode, Cassandra enlightens us on how to age properly and the things that we should do to live out our senior years in peace and confidence. Cassandra tells us that the baby boomers are in their retirement age and they need to be proactive about aging. She has served seniors living at home, in a skilled nursing, assisted living, and also in hospice. She ensures that their emotional health is also taken care of so that they are in a good mental state. Their wellbeing is not only important to them, but also for their loved ones and family members. Our body and mind are interwoven and often mental stress can lead to physical symptoms and even cause illness. It is necessary to take care of both in order to live a comfortable life. Concerns about aging I ask Cassandra to tell us more about the concerns of aging and growing old. She states that the primary concern of seniors she works with is finances. Having the means necessary to live and fear of outliving their money. Many people have not bought long-term insurance or didn't save enough to go through retirement. With the advance in medical science, people are living longer but with chronic illness. Such people need to apply for government insurance like Medicaid immediately, which can cover long-term care depending on your circumstances. The insurance also pays for meals or any medical expenses including that of a nurse. Some states also offer the PACE program for seniors which are all-inclusive programs that come helpful in the golden years. Cassandra is now focusing on people who are yet to retire so that she can work with them and help them save enough for retirement. She also feels that the retirement system in the country should change otherwise future generations won't be able to support them. Living Healthy I presented Cassandra a hypothetical situation of a 62-year-old woman who has to take care of her kids and also has to check in on her parents.  Doing things for her parents such as occasionally buying groceries and other things for them. I ask Cassandra what suggestion she would give to such a woman. Cassandra says that this woman should first take care of herself otherwise she won't be able to care for others. She should go for a routine check-up at least once every 6 months. She also advises her to take self-care measurements and get the finances sorted. She suggests getting some form of pension and gets a retirement plan while making some cutbacks in her lifestyle. Her kids can also apply for education loans to take some burden off her shoulders. For a 62-year-old woman living independently, Cassandra advises her to develop healthy habits or should practice living healthy. She should also exercise regularly for about 30 minutes a day to increase her heart rate. To avoid feelings of isolation, she should join some community such as YMCA and interact with people who share the same interests. Advice from Cassandra Cassandra also gives out words of wisdom who want to be proactive about their aging. She tells us to invite an Aging in Home designer who can come and assess your house. They can suggest a number of changes which might help you in living healthy and happy for a long time. Such considerations include putting slides in the shower, taking up rugs and so on. Talking on the subject it turns out that falls are really common with senior people. Most of the falls happen in the bathroom facilitated by factors such as water and slippery floors.

Randy Gardner's Retirement Experience In today’s episode, we have Randy Gardner who is going to tell us about his retirement experience. Randy just recently retired. In fact, as of our recording, he had only been retired 1 week. Randy serves as an inspiration for the many listeners of my show who want to retire early or planning to retire but are may have some reservations. Incidentally, Randy is also a big fan of the Rock Your Retirement Show and started to follow it a few years back. He had to travel for three hours between cities and grew the habit of listening to podcasts. That’s exactly when he discovered my show and started listening to it! Soon, he got the idea to retire himself but wasn’t sure of his financial situation. He also had his wife to convince who was an artist but also quite adept when it came to finances. How a financial advisor can help you decide if you are ready for retirement Randy sat with his financial advisor and went through his financial position. He tried to evaluate how his retirement may turn out if he chose to quit his technical job. Interestingly, both of them realized that he would be doing quite well even if he chose to retire right now! They worked on the finances and his income including Social Security to get a detailed picture of his financial scenario into the retirement years. Randy got his wife to sit down with his financial advisor who made the picture clear to his wife and answered all her questions. Getting the confidence he needed, Randy decided to give up his job and spend a life of retirement. Randy is a Rock your Retirement listener! I know that many of you are worried about being bored in retirement. Randy was also plagued by the same thought. He wondered how he could fill up his week which was earlier spent in working for over 40 hours. Let's take a look at Randy's retirement experience. Randy had already started listening to my show and started taking cues and notes from the stories people had to contribute. He started to develop a list of things to do in his retirement life which will keep him busy. To his surprise, both Randy and his wife had quite a few things which they had put off due to various reasons. Here are some things Randy wants to do to have a great retirement experience For starters, Randy wants to play a lot of golf which he enjoys to the fullest! He is also thinking about continuing his interest in music and maybe start learning piano which he had gave up at the age of 12. Both Randy and his wife also want to travel a lot! They would like to go on some train trips and cruises that they've always had their eyes on. Randy even wants to learn a foreign language and makes notes of things he wants to do in his iPad or iPhone all the time. Another impetus to retire was to spend more time with their daughter and son-in-law. Being retired they were now free to move to Austin, where their daughter lived. They also bought a house in the city which is located only a short distance away from their daughter’s home. Randy is also free to spend time with his mother who is single and over 90 years old. Retiring has also brought other pleasures which he could not enjoy during his working life. He can go to bed late and wake up late. Although by his standards 6 am is as late as it could be! Randy loves to watch the sunrise with a cup of coffee. He believes it to be the best time to spend with family. He can begin the day with his daughter, son-in-law, and wife and talk about all the day has to offer. Advice from Randy based on his retirement experience: Randy believes that we all should have a routine and purpose to get up the next day. It doesn’t have to be something extraordinary but simple things like going to the gym or taking a walk in the park. He inherited the habit from his father who was a stern believer of a routine life.

In this episode of the Rock Your Retirement Show, Betsy makes a triumphant return to update host Kathe Kline on her exciting journey since retiring four months ago. From embarking on an exhilarating trip to Morocco to settling into the rhythm of retired life, Betsy shares her experiences and offers valuable insight into making the most of this newfound freedom. Adapting to retirement initially proved to be an adventure in itself, but Betsy quickly found her groove. She discusses the importance of keeping up with appointments, errands, and chores while still finding ample time for self-care and enjoyable activities. A typical day for Betsy involves relishing in a leisurely cup of coffee, engaging in a stimulating Wordle puzzle, and prioritizing her physical well-being through invigorating Pilates sessions or leisurely walks and bike rides. Ever the seeker of knowledge and enrichment, Betsy makes a point to incorporate intriguing experiences into her weekly routine. She recently attended a captivating photography class at the Apple store, where she delved into the art of capturing architectural wonders. Betsy generously shares helpful tips she acquired, such as utilizing grid lines, employing the rule of thirds composition, and exploring unique angles and reflections. Betsy's retirement also grants her the opportunity to devote quality time to her loved ones. She visits her mother-in-law at an assisted living facility, cherishing the moments shared together. Furthermore, she embraces learning Italian on the Babbel app, eagerly preparing for an upcoming trip to Italy. Betsy also reconnects with former colleagues and her boss, reinforcing her sheer contentment with the retirement lifestyle. Amidst her fulfilling activities, Betsy finds solace in simpler pleasures. From diving into captivating books to nurturing her garden, complete with homegrown vegetables, she revels in the tranquility of her own home. Despite her husband continuing to work, the beauty of his remote setup allows him to witness firsthand Betsy's radiant enjoyment of retirement. As the first four months of retirement pass by, it becomes abundantly clear that Betsy's enthusiasm and zest for life show no signs of wavering. Join us on this episode as Betsy reflects on her remarkable journey and imparts valuable wisdom on embracing the joys and endless possibilities that retirement brings.

Retire Early and Travel! Part 2 of 2 In this episode, I continue my conversation with Keith and Tina Paul who are early retirees with a zeal to travel. We have been talking about how to retire so that you can travel overseas and maybe even live there! Our guests also tell us how you can have a tight budget and still travel like you have desired. As we shall see from them, it’s easy to retire early and travel! Keith and Tina tell us about their exciting appearance on HGTV’s International House Hunters. They sent an email to be on the show but didn’t get any reply for six months. They received an email asking them to be on the show just as they planned to move to Cuenca in Ecuador. After answering 25 pages of questions and making an 8-minute promo video, they got to be on the show. Keith and Tina wrote a whole article about the “staged reality” show on their blog detailing the back of the scene events. The couple became famous after their appearance on television and people started to recognize them even on their travels. People even asked to take pictures with them and recognized them from the HGTV show. They became a symbol of all that you can do if you retire early and travel. What is it like to retire early and travel? I ask Tina and Keith to tell us about some experiences in their travel and how we can look forward to retiring early. They tell us that many people resist the idea of traveling as they can’t speak the foreign language. But Keith says you don’t need to be a language expert to visit or stay in other countries. Both of them manages on broken Spanish and you can undertake your travel if you can speak a bit of the language. You can always take classes and learn the language to make things easy. Also, there are many countries that speak English. Safety I proceed to ask Keith and Tina about their experience of living abroad and the things that they liked. I was amazed to know that Cuenca is a super safe place where kids walk to school or take the public transport by themselves. The place is also safe for walking at nights and there are no worries of being mugged or robbed. They feel like living in the 1950s when you didn’t need to fear about leaving your kids alone or going out in the dark. Healthcare Healthcare is also another major vertical which differs from the USA. The doctors are compassionate and even give their personal number to patients. Medical procedures are almost 25% cheaper than the USA and you can visit an eye specialist in $40- which even includes the charges for all follow-up visits! Supplies When I asked them to relate the things they didn’t like, it amounted to just a few things. They cannot get most American brand foods in the supermarkets. So if you have become used to something then it may be a problem. But some people in Ecuador sell American things for an extra charge, so there isn’t much of a problem, and you can always find domestic alternatives. One of the biggest challenges of living in a place like Cuenca is lack of connectivity. It doesn’t have an international airport and you have to fly to Quito to catch an international flight. They had once missed a cruise as the local flight to Quito was canceled. Another problem is that you don’t get Amazon deliveries on the same day and have to pay tariffs and high shipping charges on top of it. Also, you cannot carry more than 2 phones into the city. The drawbacks of living abroad are never enough to hold you back. Like Keith and Tina, you can also retire early and travel! Connect with Keith and Tina * E-mail: keith-tina@retireearlyandtravel.com * Website:

Retire Early and Travel! Many people have the dream to retire early and enjoy a peaceful and happy life. Some have special reasons to retire early and this episode is all about how to retire early and travel to your heart’s content. Our guests Keith and Tina Paul will enlighten us on how you can retire early and travel even if you have a tight budget. Both Tina and Keith are early retirees and live abroad in Cuenca, Ecuador. The retired just at the age of 55 to travel and see the world and Keith never wants to go to work for a single day in his life again! How they decided to retire early and travel Tina and Keith have known each other since they were 18 years old and got married at 24. They shared a strong love and passion for traveling and chanced upon the idea of living abroad when they were visiting Guatemala. They met a couple living there and found that they could live there for less money than in the USA. Their kids also worked and lived abroad, and Tina and Keith wanted a glimpse of their lifestyle. They got to working on their plans as soon as they got home. Keith did the math to make sure that financially they could retire, and they would be able to live off their money in some less expensive country. They started Googling places to live and zeroed in on Cuenca in Ecuador. Advice for someone who wants to retire early and live abroad Keith and Tina tell us that we don’t need a lot of money to live abroad or travel. It helps to have savings, but you can also live off your Social Security check in a place like Cuenca. The couple runs a website Retire Early and Travel where they write their experiences and post pictures of their travels. How did they choose WHERE to live? Just a simple process of elimination really. They made a wish list of 10 things they wanted and checked places off as it matched them. Tina and Keith wanted a walkable city and a nice climate like Southern California. They already loved Latin culture and spoke a bit of Spanish which made them fall for Cuenca. Another advantage was that they could travel back to the USA whenever they pleased due to geographical proximity. They decided to live in  Cuenca, Ecuador! Cuenca became the destination of their dreams. It has a lot of expats, pleasant 70-degree weather with very less seasonal changes and a buy city which ensured they don’t end up getting bored! Cuenca is situated at 8,500 feet, and you don’t find any bugs and mosquitoes to ruin your peace. The best thing about Cuenca is that you can live here on a monthly income of about $1,000. This was was never possible back in the United States. For a couple, you can live comfortably for $2,000 a month which includes everything like rent and food plus extras for things like eating out and entertainment! They even live in a 4,600 sq. ft. house for which they pay $1000 a month in rent. Keith says that they have everything they need to have a comfortable lifestyle. They may not get all American brands but they can eat organic vegetables brought fresh from the farm without any harmful chemicals, pesticides, or preservatives. They even get produce for a lot cheaper than in the United States. When I asked them about the things they find difficult in Cuenca, Keith only had to complain about high shipping charges and lack of same-day delivery from Amazon! If you want to know how to retire early, you can visit their website Retire Early and Travel. It also has some nice articles on how to earn while you are retired and gives you best travel deals and hacks to make your dreams real! Connect with Keith and Tina * E-mail: keith-tina@retireearlyandtravel.com * Website: https://www.retireearlyandtravel.com * Twitter: @retiretravel

Writing memoirs for loved ones: Expectations vs. Reality Loved ones like our parents have a lot of stories to tell but don’t always get the opportunity to do so. In this episode, Nicola Davidson tells us how to write autobiographies and memoirs for your loved one or for yourself. Working as a journalist and editor for multiple newspapers in Australia and UK, Nicola has interviewed many people who had fascinating stories to tell. But the format of the newspaper didn’t allow such elaborate memoirs. This gave the idea to Nicola about writing autobiographies for your loved ones and she came up with the website Forever Young Autobiographies.com. You can learn how to write a bio for yourself or a loved one’s memoir. I feel that I should have written down the stories of my father before dementia and Parkinson’s made it impossible. You may also want to write down and pass on the stories of your loved ones before it is too late. We don't need to be writers Nicola tells us that we don’t need to be writers or someone famous to write down our memoirs. But we should come up with a “why”- the purpose of telling or writing your story. For many people, it can be an inter-family thing with parents passing down their stories to their children. Having a “why” gives you a head start and gives you the desire to write down your story. You shouldn’t also worry about where to begin! Just get the energy going and start writing whatever you remember first. That way you can write down several memories or short stories and arrange them according to a timeline later. Writing is a creative process and you shouldn’t let the inner critic prevent you from writing whatever you feel. The best thing to do is to leave your inner critic for the second draft, according to Nicola. You can write or type out everything you remember and go take a break. After some time, you can come back to it and scan it with a fresh mind and eyes. You will be amazed that you had done a great job and can edit or modify your writing. Nicola also gives us helpful tips on writing memoirs for seniors. You can help them write down their stories as Nicola is helping her 98-year-old grandmother to do so. Your loved ones can relate or speak out the stories and you can record the speech and transcribe it later. Some people may find it difficult to remember their memories. Nicola advises us to start with long-term memories which are the richest. She also describes a few exercises to churn up all the memories- You can take a walk around the house and stumble on things which stir up some memories associated with them. Others find it helpful to look through their photo albums or vinyl collection to get the memories going. You can even remember things from certain smells like food from childhood. Nicola suggests you write down everything- your childhood years, high school memories, marriage stories- anything and everything that can go towards making an interesting memoir. Connect with Nicola: * info@foreveryoungautobiographies.com * https://www.foreveryoungautobiographies.com * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foreveryoungautobiographies/ BONUS! Click HERE to get Nicola's first few chapters of her book for FREE! Also includes a discount code if you buy the book. Image already added