Leslie Newlife

Can’t Wait to Become a Grandparent or Great-Granparent? Plan a Gender Reveal at Your Senior Community!

Many retirees look forward to being grandparents and even great-grandparents. Those already with grandkids are excited about having more free time to spend with them, while those waiting on their children to become parents of their own are eager to spoil them rotten right out of the gate. 

If your daughter, daughter-in-law, or grandaughter is currently expecting, chances are you’re counting down the months, weeks, and days along with her. If so, you might want to consider helping plan a shower or gender reveal party as a way to focus your excitement and anticipation. Just because you may live at a retirement community is no reason not to host. Make use of your beautiful community & the common areas & party rooms available to you.

But how do you put together a special gender reveal for your pregnant daughter? Simply follow the suggested steps below:

Ask Your Son or Daughter

Before you start getting ahead of yourself with gender reveal ideas, ask your son or daughter if it’s alright for you to host such an event. Some couples do not want to know the gender of their child until the baby is born. They may also have planned something on their own and you don’t want those events to clash. You can always consider a small shower instead.

If they agree, talk with them about their personal wants, needs, and ideas. Find out if they have any special people they’d like to invite, destinations they’d prefer, and type of cuisine. These days it is less about the surprise and more about hosting a party your expectant child will enjoy. 

Find Out the Gender

The next thing you want to do is find out the gender of the baby. Your pregnant daughter may already be aware of the baby’s gender. If not, they can certainly provide permission for the doctor’s office to provide you with the information so you can plan and keep the gender a surprise. If they aren’t aware of the gender, just do your best to hold that secret in. 

Choose a Place to Host

Where are you going to host the gender reveal party? If you have a nice size home or yard, you may prefer to do it at your place to save money. If you live in a senior home that has a community or recreational room, talk with the staff about reserving the room for the party well in advance as you never know what other events could be going on. What about your local senior center? You might also consider options like restaurants or reception halls for larger crowds or more lavish events.

Decide on Decor/Theme

Now that you’ve nailed down a place to host the gender reveal party, consider the theme or decor of the event. Are you going to keep it basic with pink and blue decor or do you want to try something different like a prince and princess, bowties and hair ribbons, or an athlete and cheerleader theme? There are a ton of gender reveal ideas you can draw inspiration from online and through social media platforms.

Menu

Next up is the menu. Decide whether you’ll be making the food yourself or having it catered. If you’re going to cook yourself, you may want to stick to things that can be cooked in large quantities easily like spaghetti and meat sauce with a side of salad. If it’s being catered, then start looking for catering companies in the area to get an idea of how much it will cost. While deciding on what will be served, don’t forget to consider any dietary, religious, or medical requests when it comes to the guest list. You don’t want anyone getting sick or unable to eat at the event. It’s always good to have at the very least, a vegetarian dish or plenty of fruits and veggies in case someone doesn’t eat meat.

Reveal and Other Activities

Last, on the list of things to do for the gender reveal party is to decide how you’ll make the reveal and what other activities will take place to keep the guests entertained. You could hand out a Chinese gender predictor to each guest and provide them with a few facts to see if they can determine whether there will be a boy or a girl. Then, for the grand reveal you might have a cake with pink or blue interior. You could host a raffle where guests are allowed to guess whether it’s a boy or a girl and the winning guesses receive a gift. 

Hosting a gender reveal party can be a fun and memorable way for retirees to share in the joys of pregnancy and the arrival of a grandchild. If you follow the suggested steps provided above, you should have no problem putting together a special event no one will soon forget.

How Retirees Can Use Rental Property for Better Cash Flow

As we approach the end of our working life and inch closer to retirement, many people worry about ensuring they have reliable income streams established.  With this in mind, recent retirees and those soon to be retired should consider owning rental property. Rental property ownership is one of the best investments one can make to provide the financial security they desire to allow them to enjoy a happy and stress-free retirement.

Rental properties can add an extra stream of income to your retirement portfolio.  Buying a property or two could provide enough income to even allow you to retire sooner.  However, you’ll need to ensure your rental properties will become a steady, positive cash flow throughout your retired life.  You don’t want a rental property to become a drain on your retirement resources. Here are a few tips to make sure your rental investment will work to your advantage.

Location, Location, Location

If you choose to make rental income the foundation of your retirement plan, be sure that you purchase the right properties.  Choosing a property in the right school district, or in an attractive neighborhood, has a huge impact on the type of tenants your property will attract.  For example, single-family homes in good school districts tend to attract families with children who are less likely to break a lease and remain tenants of yours for an extended period of time.  Consistent tenants are crucial to creating positive cash flow. 

Buying cheap won’t help you earn a return on your investment if you can’t find renters who want to be your tenants.  Using an experienced real estate agent to help you find rentals near downtown, a college campus, or in an attractive neighborhood may cost you more upfront, but it will pay off over the long term to help ensure that you find an attractive property that will be a consistent source of positive cash flow.

Less is More

As a retiree, your goal should be to focus less on the headaches and hassles of maintaining, repairing, and managing your rental properties, and spending more time on the things that bring you joy.  Finding a dependable property management service in your city will help achieve this goal. For example, retirees in central Florida looking at Orlando property management companies will want to find one with a reputation for being honest and reliable. Having someone on your side to screen out problem tenants, act as the point of contact for tenant concerns, and market your rental for you are just a few of the advantages of having a reliable and trustworthy property management firm working for you.  The less you as a retiree have to stress about your tenant’s rent being paid on time, the more you can enjoy the free time you worked so long to finally have.

Inflation Protection

Another reason a portfolio of rental properties is such a great investment in retirement is due to the value of your rental property as it appreciates over time.  As your property appreciates, you’ll also be paying down your mortgage, and your mortgage payment doesn’t increase. If you borrow a 30-year fixed mortgage, with a $1,000 payment, you’ll still be paying $1,000 per month 20 years from now.  This acts as a shield from the rise of inflation– your rental becomes more valuable (also allowing you to charge more for rent), but your mortgage payment stays the same. This provides a secure and reliable source of income and is just another reason why real estate investment is such a good choice for retirees who want to generate wealth and create financial security in their post-work life.

Meeting your retirement financial goals can be as simple as owning a few rental properties.  The wealth that real estate investment can create for you will help ensure that you expire long before your wealth does.

4 of the Best Hobbies for New Retirees

One of the biggest struggles for new retirees is finding things to keep themselves busy and productive. Fortunately, retirement is the perfect time to learn or try something new, and you can often find plenty of opportunities to do so in your town or retirement community. When you’re searching for the best hobbies for new retirees, try these options that will keep you creative, social, and active.

Volunteering

The number of different volunteering options to choose from is nearly limitless. You can join a local charity organization or fundraise for a nationwide cause you support. Volunteer organizations are great ways to meet new people, and they provide opportunities for trying different things. You can participate in a charity run or walk, work a fundraising or information booth, and attend many other kinds of events with your organization.

Beekeeping

Throughout our working lives, finding the time to get out and reconnect with nature can be difficult. One hobby that lets you catch up on your time in the great outdoors is beekeeping. There’s a growing love for honeybees, and the beekeeping community is growing along with it. This pastime takes a bit of investment, especially when you’re just getting started, but it’s a great way to care for something and benefit your local environment. You can also make some extra cash by selling honey or other bee-related products down the road.

Art

The best hobbies for new retirees are often the ones that teach you new skills, which is why art in all its various forms is an excellent choice. You can teach yourself to paint or knit with online tutorials, pick up an instrument and join a local band, or attend classes to learn pottery, glass-blowing, or woodworking. As with many of these hobbies, joining art or music classes doubles as a way to get involved with your community and meet new people.

Book Clubs

Book clubs are great opportunities for any age, and if you haven’t had the time to join one before, now’s the perfect chance to start. You’ll get to have fantastic discussions with a diverse group of people, and you’ll be introduced to an entire list of new books to enjoy. Find a club that reads in your favorite genre, or branch out and use your book club as an opportunity to read books you would otherwise never pick up. Either way, it’s a great way to satisfy both your social side and your scholarly side during retirement.

There are so many activities and hobbie available these days, from good old fashioned fishing to golf, cards and yoga. Try them all! You never know what might tickle your fancy.

6 Things That Every Senior Citizen Should Have

As people age, they become more and more dependent on others. It is never a good feeling to have your basic needs being fulfilled by someone, but as children or relatives, it is our duty to help take care of them. By providing seniors with things that increase their independence and dignity, they are more likely to feel happy and confident.

Fortunately, there are a lot of products and safety devices that can be used to make the lives of senior citizens a lot easier. With the help of these items, they can carry out their daily tasks a lot more easily and more efficiently. This will be a great boost to their self-confidence. So, without further ado, let’s continue with the list of items every elderly should have.

Pill Organizer

One of the worst things about old age is taking medicine and lots of them. Many senior citizens are suffering from more than one conditions are may regularly need to take necessary vitamins and supplements. As taking medicine is one of the most important chores of the day, you should provide them with an electronic or manual pill organizer so that they don’t get confused.

Electronic pill dispensers are a great way to ensure that they take all of their pills on time. However, if it isn’t available, you can put the pills in separate compartments yourself every week.

Cell Phones

Loneliness can kill a person from the inside. With such busy daily schedules, we don’t have much time to visit our parents or even talk to them. I know it’s a blunder on our part but what you can do to remedy it is to buy a cell phone for seniors. These cell phones are specially designed for the elderly with a simple interface, bigger buttons and larger screen so that they can easily use it. Cell phones are also very crucial in case of emergencies as they can be used to call for help.

Adaptive Clothes

These are clothes that are specially designed to meet the needs of people who might have difficulty dressing up themselves. Having easy to wear clothes without needing the help of anyone else gives senior citizens the independence they crave. These clothes curtail to the needs of every gender, even those with disabilities and special needs. Not only are these clothes easy to wear, but they are also comfortable so that people with skin conditions can carry out their day normally.

Health Insurance

There are a lot of insurance programs out there that provide senior citizens with the counseling and help they need. These medical beneficiaries layout health plans for senior citizens to help with any medical bills for prescriptions drugs or treatment they might have to face. They also provide them with knowledge about their rights and details about how they can save money on medical costs.

Customized Home

Whether you are taking care of a senior at your home or have chosen an assisted living community, you must make sure that the place they are living in is customized to their needs. Installing railings alongside stairs makes sure that they don’t fall. Using grab bars in showers help you avert any unforeseen accidents. Moreover, you should also buy adjustable beds to help them relax and remove any extra furniture from your home so that they can move around easily.

A Personal Lock Box

Many of us, including those living in a senior living community have a tendency to misplace items. Sadly, valuable items such as cash or jewelry get stolen. Having a personal lockbox will not only secure your loved one’s personal belongings, but it will also provide them with a place to keep things instead of misplacing them.

With so many helpful items available, why not put them to use to help the senior in your life. 

How Technology Is Changing The Senior Living Industry

The senior living industry is about to experience a major tech transformation, according to the Perkins Eastman 2019 report “The State of Senior Living”. In a survey conducted among approximately 200 C-suite industry leaders, technology emerged as the second biggest disruptor for the industry.

But how exactly can technology disrupt senior living and what does it mean for the future of senior living communities?

Remote care and monitoring

From “smart” spoons for seniors that will offset the hand tremor to automated medication reminders, technology can offer ingenious solutions for caregiving. But with the growing availability of the Internet of Things (IoT), the potential grows tremendously.

Connected devices allow for real-time remote monitoring and caregiving in a way we haven’t seen before. A smart insulin pump, for example, takes regular blood sugar readings and adjusts the insulin dose for the patients, preventing lows and highs. But that’s not all. The same pump can be connected to an app and send regular updates to a caregiver with insights and stats.

IoT caregiving can also come in the form of sensors and cameras that detect a fall and automatically alert the caregivers and/or the nearest hospital. Such technology would increase the level of autonomy of seniors both living at home and in senior living communities.

But all these benefits aside, it’s important to remember that connected device security remains an issue. The stories of hackable insulin pumps, hijacked pacemakers, and stolen sensitive data serve as a warning to curb our optimism about this technology.

Until there are better security testing and more stringent regulations, seniors and caregivers can still take action to increase security. Changing the pre-installed password is always a good first step as manufacturers tend to ship all devices with the same password. Another strategy is installing a VPN on the Wi-Fi router in the senior living community. A VPN encrypts all traffic coming in and out of the devices, securing the data from snooping eyes and making it more difficult for hackers to infiltrate.

Data management

With blockchain gaining ground, implementing this technology for business becomes more feasible. For senior and assisted living facilities, this might mean improvements in data management.

Blockchain’s biggest selling point is that it’s decentralized and immutable. That means that once a data is input in the system, no one can change it without it leaving a trace back to them. These qualities would make it easier for a facility to manage data across several locations. It also reduces the chance of fraud and increases trust between various stakeholders, including insurance companies, healthcare organizations, and seniors’ families.

Staying out of care longer

In the long run, technology might actually keep seniors out of senior living facilities longer. This is not only thanks to advanced remote care methods but also better prevention.

Fitness trackers and other devices allow users to get to know their bodies better and strive for a healthier lifestyle. They can also help with earlier detection of common issues such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. With movements such as Quantified Self inspiring people to gain data insights on their health, the future seniors have a chance of staying in shape longer and being more aware of their health condition.

Senior living communities of the future

The future of senior living communities and senior facilities is likely going to look very different from the present. Seniors will be given more autonomy while, paradoxically, being monitored more than ever. Caregivers and family members will receive updates and data insights that are collected automatically.

What is important to keep in mind is that more data creates more challenges. To some extent, blockchain can come to the rescue here, providing a single source of truth for all stakeholders and protecting data from fraud. But cybersecurity will remain a serious threat and ensuring device safety will need to be on every caregiver’s agenda.

4 Ways to Increase the Safety of Seniors Who Have Fallen

Falls are the primary cause of injuries in seniors, and 1 in 4 Americans aged 65 and over falls every year. They naturally have a fear of falling again and so limit their social life. With just a few changes in their lives, however, they can more safely enjoy their golden years.

Safety Handles

Long past the days of Life Alert, safety handles are anyone’s best friend, but especially that of seniors. Install in bathtubs, on the wall opposite that of the staircase rail, and anywhere else your senior needs better balance or assistance standing up. Some are angled for corners and smoother upward mobility. Toilet safety frames are popular, too, and are adjustable.

Floor Mats

Polka dots, starfish, flowers, stripes, and other shapes make up shower safety stickers. Alternately, your senior might prefer a non-skin shower mat. Both of these options prevent falling on the slippery floor. Combine with handles for maximum safety.

Mobility Devices

Granny carts aren’t just for seniors anymore! They are popular with the younger crowd for a reason: They’re convenient for pedestrians and allow people to bring their groceries onto buses. Some of them fold up for easy storage, others are covered and most allow for placement of reusable canvas bags.

For disabled seniors, a variety of walkers with baskets and electric mobility scooters exist. The modern alternative to wheelchairs allows for greater speeds and independence. The risk of falling increases if the senior using a scooter is ill or weak, however.

Service Dog

Believe it or not, the creation of a service dog is not limited to special breeding and training from puppyhood. It is possible for a senior’s existing dog to be registered as a service animal. If their dog is well-mannered, stays on a leash, and can be trained to help the senior with a task or an emergency, they are eligible.

If a fall has occurred and rehab is needed, click to find a rehab. provider.

How Technology Is Helping Seniors Age in Place

Baby boomers are aging.  The number of Americans over the age of 65 could increase by 75% in the coming years.  More seniors will need care than ever, and companies are coming up with creative solutions to the senior care shortage.  In fact, baby boomers may have a better time aging than their parents. They’ll have more options for how they age than any previous generation.  Technology is making up for lack of caregivers, and for caregivers who live far away. Here are three particularly creative products helping seniors age in place:

  • Lively Home.  The Lively Home system employs ‘passive’ monitoring.  Sensors are placed strategically throughout the patient’s home.  These sensors detect a senior’s sleeping, eating, and even toileting patterns.  The company uses predictive analytics to alert caregivers when a change in pattern means trouble.  For example, if a sensor picks up more time in bed, it could mean that there’s a physical problem. In seniors, even minor illnesses can get serious if not addressed quickly.  On the other hand, a healthy senior could forget that they have the system installed. There’s no way for the patient to interact with the system, so seniors can go about their normal lives.
  • IbisHub.  This system enables remote communication and monitoring.  The patient enters their data in the hub, which is basically a big touch screen tablet.  The care team has immediate access to the data. Any concerning value can be addressed immediately.  The hub works both ways, so the care team can communicate back to the patient if needed. Like with the Lively system, the IbisHub uses analytics to identify changes that might indicate a problem.
  • Grandcare system.  The cool thing about this system is that it combines social and physical health in one product.  The Grandcare system allows seniors to log blood pressure, glucose and others vitals directly from their monitors.  There’s no manual entry. The system is customizable, so if you want to add more sensors and devices you can do so as needed.  The elders also receive messages and reminders from their family, which may help ease the loneliness that is common in the elderly.  Seniors can even use the touch screen device for online entertainment.

These technologies aren’t just for individual caretakers.  Insurance companies, provider organizations, and other companies that care for seniors are using these solutions for their patients.  As these types of tech solutions become more popular, they’ll likely revolutionize the senior housing industry. They can be used in senior apartments, assisted living facilities, or continuing care retirement communities to help seniors age in place safely, with minimal cost.

Hosting An International Food Day at Your Senior Center

Senior centers have been long thought of as the focal point of communities across the country for aging adults. They provide a means for seniors to explore, have fun, learn, connect, and engage in life to the fullest. Though the health and fitness programs and senior assistance services are essential, it is often the fun activities and socialization that keeps elderly members of the community coming back. 

It’s essential to have an array of activities that meet the varying abilities and tastes of the center’s residents or visitors. While there are many activities and events to consider, hosting an International Food Day at Your Senior Center is an idea the seniors, staff, and community are sure to enjoy. 

Why Have an International Food Day? 

As most senior centers provide free or affordable meals to the elderly, making mealtime a bit more festive can really be fun. Providing them with a spread of international dishes exposes them to the many cultures around the world. Not to mention, the power of taste can make seniors reminisce and even share their own childhoods. With a bit of decor, a cultured menu, great music, and a few activities, this international food day is sure to be a hit. Below is a bit of advice. 

International Food Day Planning Tips

Below are a few pointers to keep in mind as you plan your International Food Day for seniors. 

Decor Ideas

When it comes to decorating the place there are a ton of ideas. You can make banners out of international flags and hang them around the rooms. Another idea might be to set up each side of the room as a different country. Using the country’s main colors, you can put down tablecloths, hang flags, and get colored paper products to keep with the theme. 

Decide on a Menu

The idea is to pick the most popular dishes from a variety of countries and cultures while also keeping health and diet restrictions in mind. It may be a good idea to work with a catering company that specializes in a variety of cuisines while using fresh ingredients. You can review a catering menu to get an idea of what you’d like to serve at your senior center’s International Food Day. Here are a few things you might look for: 

 

  • Margherita Pizza

 

If you’ve always wanted to travel through Italy, stuffing yourself with traditional Italian pizza and wine, you need to add “trying Margherita pizza” to your bucket list. It’s probably the most famous pizza in Italy, though Napoletana and Romana are also popular choices. In Italy, Margherita pizza is made with tomato sauce, basil, and thick slices of mozzarella, but in the states, you’ll more likely to find it made using marinara sauce instead.

 

  • Elotes (aka Mexican Street Corn)

 

Elotes originated in Mexico and quickly became a popular late-night snack for many Mexicans. Thankfully, it’s a dish immigrant brought to the states with them, because it’s now a popular snack in the U.S. too. Typically, elotes are made by placing a section of corn on the cob on a stick then slathering it with a combination of mayonnaise or butter, chili powder, cilantro, chihuahua cheese, lime, and salt. 

 

  • Empanadas

 

In the U.S., you can find empanadas served in Columbian and Mexican restaurants, but the dish originated in Argentina. Empanadas are stuffed pastries, typically savory, not sweet. There are a lot of different varieties of empanadas, which isn’t surprising when you consider their popularity throughout Latin American, the U.S., and the Philippines. 

For the most part, though, traditional Argentine empanadas are made with a filling that’s a mixture of ground beef or chicken, onions, bell peppers, oil, salt, black pepper, sugar, ground cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, chicken stock, and reserved beef. 

 

  • Armenian Beef Kebabs

 

You can find various versions of kebabs throughout Middle Eastern countries, including shish kebabs, which are popular in the U.S. However, Armenian beef kebabs are a common street food that’s slightly different. It’s still served on a stick or skewer, but it’s wrapped in lavash, an Amerian flatbread.

Decide on Entertainment

Though visitors will spend most of their time eating and socializing, you want to have a bit of entertainment lined up to make the event more fun. You can create a playlist of popular songs from around the world for seniors to dance to if they’d like. Another fun option would be to have seniors to perform for their peers! They could do dances, songs, or other fun activities from their own countries. You can also hire or look for volunteers to come in and teach seniors how to cook traditional dishes, learn international dances, or perhaps to do a play that depicts a certain moment in time. 

Hosting an International Food Day at your senior center is sure to be a hit. The seniors get to taste foods they don’t always get to eat, reminisce about the good old days, learn about other cultures and countries around the world, and have a ton of fun while doing it. Use the tips listed above to begin planning an international event the community will be talking about all year. 

Vacation Ideas for Improving Health and Wellbeing

A healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be bland and uneventful. Just like eating tasty foods made from whole, natural ingredients and listening to your favorite music while exercising, vacations can also be healthy without having to sacrifice the fun and relaxation of a getaway.

Surfing lessons can be both fun and health-giving. Some beach resorts offer lessons as part of their vacation packages. This means more time in the ocean, out amongst the waves under the invigorating sun. This idea may appeal to swimmers and others who enjoy spending most of their time on beaches. In addition to surfing lessons, some resorts also offer scuba-diving lessons that allow you to safely venture beneath the water for extended periods of time.

On the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of weather, you can have a healthy vacation skiing on the mountain slopes in the states (Wyoming or New York), or abroad, in the likes of Switzerland and Italy. Lessons are almost always available at ski resorts and is a fun experience for the whole family. Just don’t forget to bundle up.

Going on a health retreat to boost well being is another option for those looking for a healthy getaway. There are many retreats that offer spa services that include massages for the muscles, hot baths and saunas to flush the skin and sooth muscles, and group meditations to quell the mind. Yoga and Pilates classes are also usually included in package deals.

The next option for a healthy vacation is for those who like interacting with nature up close. Camping is a great way to bond with loved ones while becoming “one” with the environment. The fresh air and sun are enough to attract some who may otherwise not want to try this kind of vacation experience. There are also so many things to do; first off, you can go hiking through the woods or on a trail if there is one near your campgrounds. Take in the sights, bring a camera along to capture the natural beauty all around you, the opportunities will be endless and the exercise beneficial.

There is plenty to do on a ranch. Maybe it could be the destination for your next healthy vacation. In the American Midwest, many families take part in the ranch experience, exploring the landscape on horseback. There’s also the campfire where everyone enjoys dinner while bonding over stories under the starry night sky. Animal lovers will love the chance to interact with all the animals a ranch has to offer. There are family-friendly ranches in Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, and Montana.

A vacation in the countryside sounds relaxing to most, especially when there’s a vineyard nearby. Wine lovers would get the chance to witness the wine-making process and would eventually get the chance to sample the many varieties. A serving of wine is actually beneficial since it contains antioxidants and may help combat heart disease. Vacationers can also ride bikes through the countryside to take in the sights–many resorts in the countryside offer bike rentals. Despite this, some choose to go on foot, which is also nice.

There are many options to choose from when it comes to settling on a healthy vacation. Whether it’s a journey between two lovers, a group of friends or a family, all participants can expect to have a good, healthy time. 

Looking and Feeling Your Best After 60

As we accumulate chronological years, we don’t have to age biologically. We can still look and feel great well beyond the age of 60. But in order to maintain this static biological aging process, and stay independent, we have to make certain lifestyle choices. And when we know what to do, we can make those specific changes that have the biggest impact on how we look and feel. You can look and feel like a kid again if you follow all of the following tips.

#1: Workout Regularly

Although many people in the United States have desk jobs in the services industry, there are still plenty of times and places to workout. Whether you like to go jogging, swimming, or cross-training at the gym, fitness is the key to reversing the biological clock.

When you exercise regularly, you increase your metabolic rate and burn up the excess stores of fat that release toxins into the body. You will also have the initiative to do more things, in general, when you are light and lean. Maintaining high energy levels and stamina are critical components of feeling young as we age.

#2: Dress Young

Don’t wear those bell-bottom pants that were popular when you were a teenager. You have to change and adapt to the times. Dressing up in trendy outfits that young and hip people would wear is part of creating the illusion of youth. You would never think that anyone wearing polyester red pants was a young man if there was any evidence to the contrary.

You can also wear a body shaper for added confidence. Although it is better to eliminate any fat and flab through diet and exercise, you can still tighten things up by using shapewear to replace the loss of the collagen that once firmed up your skin.

#3: Eat Healthy

Eating healthy is just as important as exercising. If you don’t eat healthy, burning off the extra calories and fat is pointless. One of the biggest poisons in the American diet is sugar. Sugar and simple starches are absolutely the worst ingredients in any food.

Sugar is essentially the glucose that our cells burn for energy. But when we eat processed and refined sugars and foods that contain them, our body doesn’t know what to do with it. Therefore, it releases a huge insulin spike for the cells to absorb the sugar and convert it into stored energy as white fat.

This white fat is very hard to get rid of because our body rarely needs such high volumes of energy to function at any given time and will only open up these reserves in brief emergencies. This is why we only lose a little bit of sugar fat at a time and wind up burning muscle and other cells first.

Of course, eating a well-balanced and natural diet full of vitamins and minerals goes beyond avoiding sugar and simple starches that are easily converted into sugar.

#4: Stay Mentally Acute

In order to maintain a sharp and healthy mind, you have to keep on forcing your brain to think. You can’t rely on looking everything up. Don’t use a calculator to make computations; do them in your head. If you can learn to play a musical instrument, this will also help to build new neural pathways by growing synapses. The more that you challenge yourself, the easier it will be to maintain mental dexterity as you age.