Exercise to Increase Bone Density

Photo by smcgee.

In September of this year, I found out that my bones are below the ideal limits for density.  I don't have osteoporosis--yet.  The range I'm in is a newly defined zone called osteopenia.  All is not lost. I still have a lot of control over my bone density. I can improve my diet with calcium-rich foods, and I can do bone-strengthening exercises.

Give Holiday Cheer

makelessnoise.

The holidays can be a joyous time of gathering with friends and family. However, some older adults struggle with loneliness and depression at this time of year.  

People of any age who have limited income, limited mobility or the loss of a loved one  can struggle to maintain the traditions of the season.  

These limits and losses are often more prevalent for older adults, which can lead to feelings of loneliness, regret or depression unless addressed.  

Also some diseases, some medications can push people further into depression.  And excessive alcohol consumption compounds the problem.  

If you see signs of depression in a loved one at any time of the year, encourage him or her to seek the help of a physician, psychologist or psychiatrist.  These signs might include the following:

Mismatched Gifts

Photo by reikhavoc.

When it's close to Christmas, people will ask me, "What do you want?"  I have a hard time answering.

After the holidays, people will ask, "What did you get?" and "What was your favorite gift?"

I'm always hard-pressed to answer these questions as well. Why? I'm not really a "thing" person.  I enjoy more just spending time with friends and family and talking.

The greatest gift I ever received was an email listing 51 positive affirmations about me.

This post is part of a Blog Hop hosted by Midlife Boulevard,
a network of midlife women bloggers.
Because the links below will expire soon, here are a few post on the same topic:
"Self-Reflection, A Gift That Continues to Give" by Beth Havey @BoomerHighway 

"The Best Gift that I Ever Received" by Jenn Mitchelle @comebackmomma
"A Flight Home for the Holidays with my Baby" by Pat McKinzie @PattyMacKZ

2013 Top Ten Posts

Photo by LEOL30.

As 2013 comes to a close, I'm looking over the statistics to see which posts written this year got the most views.

As with 2012, posts about films dominate the list.

However, a new genre of posts make an even stronger showing: blog hop posts.

I joined some network groups in 2013 that gave me the opportunity to connect with other midlife blogging women.  I enjoyed reading their posts, so I am sharing my findings.

Just click through to the posts marked "blog hop" to find links to my peers' posts.

So without further ado, here are the standout posts published in 2013--in descending order of popularity:

Benediction: Book Review

Published Feb 2013 by Knopf.

Kent Haruf presents a novel spoken sotto voce and focused on the last days of a 77-year-old hardware store owner, Dad Lewis and his family living in east of Denver in the fictional town of Holt, Colorado.

Lewis learns in the opening chapter that he has cancer that will claim him in a matter of weeks.  During this time, Lewis reviews his life--his business relationships, his parenting choices, and his marriage.

While the title implies a sustained focus on achieving closure for a dying man, other characters from the same small town of Haruf's storyworld are taking stock of their lives as well.

The preacher and his family, newly arrived from Denver, must ask themselves if their lives have meaning, and if they should make a change. A mature woman long widowed and her never-married daughter make decisions on what "love your neighbor" really means One considers the meaning of romantic love in relationships now lost. An 8-year-old girl seeks to claim a sense of family in the wake of her mother's death from breast cancer.

Most of the novel brings the reader's attention to the dulled beauty and muffled joy of every day activities. This isn't a fast-paced novel filled with back-to-back conflicts. It's a Sunday drive through the countryside of people's ordinary lives.

Widowed Support Groups

Photo by megaroo.

The loss of a spouse is one of the most devastating events of a person's life. In fact, the Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory lists "death of spouse" as the most stress-inducing life event.

While scholars attempt to study grief objectively, the reality is that each loss of a spouse is unique to the individual.

Even though I like to draw on evidenced-based research when confronted with conflict, I recognize that the bereaved don't need scholarly journals as much as they need a compassionate friend or comforting community.