How to Age Successfully

There's a saying that what you do in the dark will eventually come to the light. For some baby boomers who survived the drug crazed 60s, that might be a frightening thought.

Now it appears that what you do before the age of 50 will determine how well you age. Who knew?

According to researchers from the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging, people are more likely to be successful to age successfully if:

1) They are educated,

2) Never been in prison,

3) Married

4) Drink in moderation or not at all

5) Work for pay or do volunteer work.

The lead author of the research study, Dr. Rachel Pruchino, says "Our research shows how aging is a lifelong process. The person you become at a very old age is really a function of how you lived your earlier years."

Funny, there's nothing in the research that talks about exercise or eating healthy.

The Price of Living Longer

Living longer is going to cost many baby boomers, according to a recent study conducted by The Employee Benefit Research Institute.

A third of middle-income workers will likely run out of money after 20 years of retirement and significantly more lower-income workers will deplete their savings after 10 years, according to the new study.

The nonpartisan research group based in Washington says its retirement readiness study found that living longer, saving too little and inadequate planning for health care costs will leave many retirees short of money to pay basic living expenses.

The study finds that 64 percent of workers earning less than $30,000 a year will run out of money within 10 years of retiring. About a third of workers making between $30,000 and $70,000 will run out of money after 20 years of retirement. One in 10 workers making more than $70,000 won't have enough money.

"Early" baby boomers, meaning people who now aged 56 to 62, have a 47 percent chance of not having enough money to pay basic retirement costs and uninsured medical expenses, the study concluded.

"Late" boomers aged 46 to 55, as well as Generation X workers aged 36 to 45, have about a 45 percent chance of running short on cash.

Jack VanDerhei, research director for EBRI and author of the study, says baby boomers need to stop deceiving themselves into thinking they are going to have enough money for retirement.

Many workers will likely be forced to continue working beyond retirement age.

Time Flies in Boomer World

Today is Ringo Starr's birthday. The oldest of The Beatles turns 70. Hard to believe that the drummer of the young English rock group that took America by storm in the 60s is a member of the post boomer generation.

In my mind, The Beatles have never aged. I still see them as four handsome young musicians with the bowl-type haircuts playing for millions of screaming, adoring fans. I was seven years old when I sat glued to my TV set watching them on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Ringo's birthday is a reminder that I, too, am getting older.

They say time flies when you're having fun. I say time flies whether you're having fun or not. Ask Ringo.

By the way, what was your all-time favorite Beatles' song?

To learn more about what Ringo is doing on his birthday, click on the title of this blog post.

Are You Wearing Grannies Panties?

Twenty or thirty years ago, I would never have any problem deciding what to wear on a hot day like today. Tube top and bikini shots, along with my sandals and some cool shades. But now at 50-something, that attire is definitely out.

So what's a poor baby boomer woman to do when she wants to look cute and cool for the summer even though she's having to deal with a little middle-age spread?

Lifestyle writer Aliceann Toole offers her thoughts on fashion for boomer women. She says, "Just because we reach that certain age, we don’t throw our fashion sense out the window. Just because our bodies have changed over the years, we aren’t ready for shapeless “granny” clothes … even if we’re grannies."

I agree with her synopsis but then the question becomes, "Did I have any fashion sense to begin with?"

I still have the right to wear grannies panties, if I want to, don't I?

How has your fashion changed over the years?

Senior Tips on Making Whoopee

1. Wear your glasses to make sure your partner is really there.

2. Set timer for 3 minutes, in case you doze off in the middle.

3. Set the mood with lighting. (Turn them ALL OFF!)

4. Make sure you put 911 on your speed dial before you begin.

5. Write partner's name on your hand in case you can't remember.

6. Use extra poly-grip so your teeth don't end up under the bed.

7. Have Tylenol ready in case you actually complete the act..

8. Make all the noise you want....the neighbors are deaf, too.

9. If it works, call everyone you know with the good news!!

10. Don't even think about trying it twice.

***I love emails like this that make their way into my mailbox***

The Very Next Time...Consider This

This morning I received a blessing in a blog post. It came from my Fabulously 40 and Facebook friend, Tori Fisher. She reminded me of how important it is for us not to be so quick to pass judgement on others and to be thankful for what we have.

Seeing this post this morning reaffirms how important social media has become in my life---where someone I've never met who lives hundreds of miles away can touch my life in a special, positive way.

Here's a portion of her blog post:

The very next time you get upset because someone cut you off in traffic; consider that they might be rushing to get to a loved one who needs them…

The very next time a clerk is rude to you at a grocery store, consider that they just received their paycheck and it’s been confirmed that they simply cannot feed their children…

The very next time you say something hurtful, mean or just downright ignorant to someone, consider how that might make you feel if someone said it to you or your mother…

THANKS TORI!

To read her entire post, please click on the title of this post and it will take you directly to her blog.

Gym Etiquette for Baby Boomer Women

In my aerobics class today, one of the women broke her beaded bracelet while swinging her arms to the beat of the music. As a result, beads flew all across the floor, creating a possible hazard for anyone who would've stepped on them during our dance step routine. As she proceeded to pick them up she said, "I knew this would happen." I thought to myself, "Then why did you wear it in the first place?"

I am always amazed at the boomer women who come into the Duke Center for Living for a workout. As a fellow boomer, I feel I must've missed the memo on the appropriate attire to wear because I am no where near looking like they do. Nearly every women who comes in has on make-up and is loaded down with very nice jewelry. It's almost as if they're afraid to be seen in public without being made up and they fear robbery if they leave their valuables at home.

I even saw one woman in the locker room actually putting on eyeliner BEFORE she began the aerobics class.

The purpose of going to the gym is to get a good workout so you can increase your endurance and burn some calories. It's not about what you look like going in....but rather what you feel like after the workout.

Besides, makeup and sweat just don't mix.