WHAT HAPPENED, I AM LOSING MY HAIR!!!

Some twenty five years ago I decided to wear my hair in it's natural state. No more relaxers or any kind of chemicals. So after years of "Jerri curls & relaxers" I was free.  Now we know as we get older they tell us certain things are just going to happen because we're getting older. For example: at forty your eye sight changes. All of a sudden your eye doctor is mentioning "bifocals ".  Extra weight seems to have a permanent place on your hips no matter what you do to lose it. So I thought, " at least I will have my hair." Well after wearing extensions for several years, I noticed my hair was thinning at the top of my head. I thought it was the braids, so I stop wearing them.  However the area just seemed to get bigger and wearing wigs seemed to make it worst. I just figured it was another sign of getting older and I prepared myself for the bald look.

About a year ago my daughter attended a presentation by a dermatologist and said I see her. Of course I didn't because I figured what could she do for me. Basically I had given up. Fortunately for me my daughter signed me up for a consultation visit. Well it seems that it wasn't old age taking my hair but Central Centrifugal Cicatricial Alopecia (CCCA). CCCA is a hair disorder that leads to the destruction of hair follicles, scarring and permanent hair loss (alopecia). This condition is seen most frequently in African-American women. It can progress very slowly with gradual hair loss with no symptoms or rapidly with tingling, burning, pain or itching of the scalp.  So it turns out that this it treatable if you catch it in time. So now,  a year later , my hair is growing back.  It's still a little thin on top but there's enough that I can put off shaving my head for a while and wearing wigs all the time. 

What I have learned is that sometimes we have to go back to the beginning and start over.  My advice from this experience is that if your hair is thinning at the top or sides go see a dermatologist. Your hair dresser, wigs or meaningful friends will not be able to help. Be proactive and you may end up keeping all your hair well into old age.  Don't be like me and wake up one day confused thinking "WHAT HAPPENED, I AM LOSING MY HAIR!!!

Shirley 

Spring means Renewal!!!

When you think of Spring you think of a time of renewal. Look around  your neighborhood and what do you see.  Lawns being tilled, flowers being planted, houses painted and gardens growing.  Trees are bursting with green leaves giving everything a new and exciting look.

Spring is not only a time of renewal for our neighborhoods but for our bodies as well.  It is a time to renew our mind, body and spirit.  During the winter you may have been sitting more than usual because of the cold and now your joints are a little stiff.  After a long dark winter it's time to get out and feel the sun on your face. You will need to wake your body up slowly. Start with a walk or bike ride to get re-acquainted with your neighbors and friends.Get out of the office at lunchtime for 5 - 10 minutes. Take the kids to the park or zoo. Instead of joining a  gym to get in shape look for activities that you can do outside and in the sunshine. Try finding something new and exciting that will keep you from getting bored.  If you like to dance try line dancing. It's something you can do anywhere, in your back yard, in your basement and at a park with the kids.  It's fun and exciting and guess what: great exercise. Check out: http://www.dancepartythrive.com.

Remember: "Spring is a time for Renewal", so get out of the house, smell the roses and find something new to start your renewal process.

Shirley

How Do You Face Fear???

How many of us let fear run our lives? Every day you can see advertisements for new medications for illnesses that (according to some statistic) one out of every five people will soon have.  If you are not diabetic now, you soon will be. Every ache, pain or headache could lead to an incurable disease.  It is no wonder that we fear going to the doctor for a checkup. Our fear of the unknown lets us live with back aches, headaches that never go away, and pains in our chest that we call indigestion. If we all looked hard enough, we would see that we let fear run many aspects of our lives from health, to relationships to our jobs.   

Fear is not an easy thing, but if we tackle it one day at time we may defeat it.  Maybe you aren't feeling well and are afraid to find out why. Remember there are people who care about you and will be there for you no matter what. Are you being passed over for someone younger with a degree at your job?  Think about going back to school one class at a time.  

I worked in the Human Service field as an Executive Administrative Assistant for twenty-five years.  I figured that my experience was as good as any degree.  However in the real world, my experience meant nothing without the degree to back it up. I lived in fear of being the first to get let go when the budget was cut and fear of losing my job to someone younger with a degree. So I faced my fear and went back to school.  At 52 I got my Associates, at 56 I received my Bachelor’s and at 61 I received my Master’s in Business Administration.  This is how I faced by fear, how will you face yours???

Shirley

Relax and Enjoy Life!

Why it is so hard for us to enjoy life as adults? Do you remember when you were a kid and how easy it was to laugh and have a good time?  When did we as adults forget to play? When did our lives  become extension of our jobs?   Something is wrong with the picture when you want to go to work because you are bored at home.

If you remember, when you were a child life was far from perfect, however you still managed to have fun.  You found joy in running outside, biking, roller skating and jumping rope. How could we forget the fun we had hoola hooping?

Tell me, what do you do now for fun? I know we have to work hard during the week because of our responsibilities.  But, on the weekend, think hard about having fun.  Instead of making plans to clean the house, plan to be outside, hiking, biking or just smelling the flowers. Read that book about absolute nothing (but will make you laugh),  watch a movie, call a friend and go to dinner. Just get in the habit of  putting something fun into your life.  Remember, we have one life to live,  so enjoy every moment because you can't get those moments back!!

Shirley

Retirement - Re-Invent Yourself!!!

Are you looking at retiring within the next couple of years?  Have you make plans or are you dreading the whole process?  I am sixty -two (62) years old and I am  looking forward to retiring as early as next year.     However as I speak with persons my age around this issue I get mixed feelings on the subject.  Most of us have been working since our teens so the question becomes "What will I do when I stop working?".  Also there are issues around money and being able to maintain your present lifestyle. Some said they would be bored.

How  nice would it be to wake up and not have to worry about being late and punching that time clock? What about not having to figure out how much time you have to take that vacation you want.  Or just waking up and doing whatever pops into your head. Our generation has spent most of our lives taking care of husbands, kids, grand kids and our jobs. We work hard to make the company we work for grow. We are good employees, getting to work on time, staying late to finish that project that was due yesterday, and never using a sick day. While all of this looks good for the job, what are they doing for you? Younger people are being hired and you are training them. Those promotions elude you because you don't have a degree even though you been on the job more than twenty  years.

I say stop dreading the process and embrace it. I suggest several years before you plan to retire you do a couple of things.  First, you start with a financial plan and then a plan to reinvent yourself.  The possibilities are endless. You could write that book or turn that hobby into a business. Maybe you like gardening or painting. You could even take cooking classes to prepare that gourmet meal you always wanted.  You could travel, or just read all those books you never had time for.  With the Internet at our fingertips there is an  app for almost anything you want to do. So relax, and don't see boredom in your future but the beginning of the next chapter in your life.  Remember: Re-Invent Yourself and Enjoy !!

Thinking Outside the Box!

Have you noticed that we tend to follow a pattern in the way we live our lives.  But where did that pattern come from?  We raise our children the way our parents raised us, we eat the same foods that we were taught to cook, and sometimes we even work in the same jobs just like our parents and grandparents.

So is it no wonder that we carry the same problems generation to generation.  Those wonderful recipes passed down  through the years tend to yield the same health problems for each generation. Some things are heredity but some are just us doing the same thing over and over again.

Why not try  thinking outside of the box and  look at changing how and why we do things. We might need to bake sometimes rather than fry.  Maybe we need to look outside of the "food pyramid" for our healthy eating choices. What might have been a healthy choice twenty or thirty years ago may be the wrong choice today.  Dare to be different and start a new trend for the next generation. Throw out that old way of thinking and embrace "thinking outside of the box".

Shirley

Choices, Choices, O MY!!!

Everything we do in life involves making a choice. From what car to get, where to live, what to wear or what to cook for dinner, a choice must be made. The choices we make every day have a profound effect on us as well as the people in our lives.  So, let me ask this, how much thought do you put into making choices that will change how you feel and live?   I am sure that it is was  not any one's choice to gain weight and to then become burdened with  health issues.  However, it is your choice whether or not to address these issues or to let them ride.

It came to me one day that I had made a choice and I didn't like it very much.   The choice was to ignore the fact that I felt bad and was tired all the time.  I choose to  listen to  "you are just getting old" as a answer to all my health problems. ( yes that answer was for the weight gain as well) One day I made a choice to become serious about living a healthier life.  I chose to be an active participant  in making my life better and healthier. What choices are you ready to make to live a healthier lifestyle???  Choices, Choices O MY!!! 

Shirley

What's My Motivation?

 

 

One of our Twitter followers posted a list called, “10 reasons for weight loss”.  I was so disgusted by that list!  I’m not going to share it because I don’t want to spread I what I consider to be negative ideas about people who are overweight.  But I will say that the list further promotes the stereotypes that our society seems to have about people with extra weight.  They lack confidence, don’t love themselves, and are embarrassed by their personal appearance.  WTH?  Do you have to have extra weight to have any of these issues? Aren’t these issues that anyone can have? 

After I calmed down, I started thinking about my motivations for losing weight.  The real motivations that moved me from trying to lose weight to actually losing weight.  They are:

·         Age

·         Health

·         Quality of Life

How many people do you know who started complaining about various ailments once they turned 40 or 50?  I know quite a few.   I told myself I didn’t want to be one of those people who start falling apart at 40. 

I’ve read too many articles, books, magazines that talk about the link between overweight, obesity and disease--cancers (some), diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and probably a few others. 

As I grow older, I want to enjoy the same quality of life I have now, if not better.  I don’t want to spend my mornings taking ten different medications; I don’t want to travel with an oxygen tank; I don’t want to spend three days a week in dialysis, and I want to maintain as much mobility as possible. 

So those are my reasons, my motivations not just to lose weight but to be healthy.  What are yours?

Antoinette