Mia Thornton’s Nude and Clear Heels

Real Housewives of Potomac Season 6 Episode 2 Fashion

Mia Thornton is taking a step in the right Housewife direction in her nude and clear heels. We know PVC pumps are popular among our beloved Bravo-lebs. Which means that the are popular among us regular folk. And if you’re like myself and not on the Bravo pay-roll there are AMAZING looks for less in our Style Stealers that will have you head over heels in love.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her Gianvito Rossi Pumps

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Originally posted at: Mia Thornton’s Nude and Clear Heels

Robyn Dixon’s Tan Sweater Dress

Real Housewives of Potomac Season 6 Episode 2 Fashion

It’s just the mere beginning of RHOP and there’s already tension at the table. But isn’t that why we love it? Indeed it is. We are always left wanting more drama and more clothing after watching. For example, Robyn Dixon’s tan sweater dress she has on here. It’s the perfect piece to have to keep you warm when your girlfriends are being a little cold.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to See Her All in Favor Sweater Dress in Grey

Originally posted at: Robyn Dixon’s Tan Sweater Dress

Robyn Dixon’s Floral Print Shorts on Instagram

Real Housewives of Potomac 2021 Instagram Fashion

Robyn Dixon understood the assignment for the RHOP premiere party. She totally matched the floral wall in her floral print shorts. Honestly when I first looked I thought she legitimately didn’t have pants on she matched it so well.  But indeed she did and thankfully too because they are super cute AND in stock. And I know another wall that they will match perfectly, in my closet.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her PatBo Blossom Shorts

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Photo: @robyndixon10

Originally posted at: Robyn Dixon’s Floral Print Shorts

What’s the secret to living a fuller, more content life? For John Leland, an award-winning New York Times reporter and author of the New York Times bestseller Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year among the Oldest Old, the answer came from an unexpected place: the lives of six people age 85 and up.

He expected them to educate him in the
hardships of old age. Instead, they taught him lessons of resilience,
gratitude, purpose, and perspective that apply to people of any age. They
defined their lives by the things they could still do, not by what they had
lost.

The good news about old age is that
there is good news. And the better news is that we can all learn from our
elders’ wisdom and experience.

I interviewed John as part of this
year’s Caregiver
Smile Summit.

Older People Not
Represented

John’s journey started when he reviewed U.S. census numbers and
saw the growth of the 85+ population. He did not see these people represented
on television, in the movies, in the newspapers, in the news. 

John expected to find changes in the lives of these elders as his
project developed. He did not expect changes in himself.

It Starts with Gratitude

John told me about those six people.
Fred Jones was 87 when they met, and he lived in a walk-up apartment and had
lost two toes to gangrene. His closest daughter was dying of
stage four breast cancer. He was isolated and had health problems.

When John asked him what the happiest day of his life was, Fred
said, “Right now.” His favorite part of
the day was waking up in the morning and saying thank God for another
day on his way to a 110. 

John came to understand what gratitude meant to Fred. And it came down to thinking about what is not worrying about what isn’t.

Don’t Worry, Keep
Moving

Helen Moses found the second love of her life in a nursing home,
and they have had an on-again off-again wedding plan for years. They are hoping
for this fall.

John Sorenson is a gay man who lost his partner of 60 years. Every
time he and John get together, he says he wants to die. There is a lesson in
that to follow.

Ping Wong came from China and lives on $700 a month. Ping told John, “When you’re old you have to make yourself happy, otherwise you get older.” Great attitude despite the deaths of her husband and only son.

Ruth Willig had to move out of her assisted living building when
the owner decided to sell it for luxury condo development. At 90, she had to start
all over again in a strange neighborhood far from her daughter. 

Jonas Mekas died the week before I interviewed John. He was 96
and a pioneering filmmaker. His attitude was carried by the motto: “I’ll start
to worry when something happens; why worry when it’s not happening?” 

John’s mother, Dorothy, is also his teacher. He is her
caregiver. She is 98. Her opinion –
old age stinks!

Lessons He Has
Learned as a Caregiver

One of the most important lessons John has learned as a caregiver is not to try to change the person you are caring for. He had a one-way relationship with his mother, and she felt useless in that relationship. According to John, he was building up debt on her part that she could never repay.

Yet, here he was spending all this time with these other people,
and they were giving him so much valuable wisdom. It forced him to figure out
how to start appreciating what he was getting out of caring for his mother.

With the others, he was an objective journalist. He was not trying
to fix anything. With his mother, he was, and as soon as he stopped trying to
be a fixer, their relationship changed.

One of the secrets of old age is having good relationships with the
people around you. John couldn’t fix his mom, but he could work to improve their
relationship and that was a better goal. John Sorenson, his gay friend who
wanted to die, taught John to live every day as if it’s your last.

Ruth taught him how to focus on the people that you really care about. She just poured her attention into her kids and she allowed them to do some things for her as much as it killed her to do so. She learned to accept interdependence.

Interestingly, none of the lessons John shared in our interview had
anything to do with what caregivers do for the people for whom they were caring.
It’s the things that older people are doing for themselves that’s important.

Caregivers can facilitate that process, but the enlightenment comes when you let mom or dad do what they can do, and you become a care partner on whom they can depend on when necessary.

Choose Happy

Trying to change people is always a mistake, says John. If you
are in a fixed state of mind, where you believe some people are happy and
others are not and you fall in the latter, then you will not change. There are
simple things we can do to change that fixed state:

Gratitude

Cultivating gratitude is one. And you can do it just by getting yourself to practice it. John says you have to first choose to be grateful. Turn that practice into a routine so it becomes something that you do without having to think about it.

Purpose

None of us can live a fulfilled life
without purpose. Think about purpose as something you have to create. 

Usefulness

Be useful to people even in simple ways. Being a little patient
with somebody in front of you in a supermarket is one small step. 

Same Needs,
Different Age

John discovered that whatever your age, you have a life which
includes desires, wishes, hopes and fears, and, yes, health conditions. But the
health conditions don’t define the person.

When you start to look at the whole person as an independent
being, that is when you have that eureka moment. And then you see the balance. Yes,
there is struggle but there is also meaning in life, a sense of gratitude and connection
with other human beings. 

Embrace what your life is today. That is a message for anyone no
matter what your age!

What do you do to keep yourself happy? Do you think happiness is
a feeling you can create? How can you help others to feel happy? What are some
acts of kindness that you know can lift a person’s mood when they can’t live
independently? Please share in the comments below.

As women age, we experience numerous changes throughout our bodies. With hormones beginning to fluctuate, decreasing estrogen levels and muscles that aren’t as active as they once were, we are sent on a path to navigate our bodies once again.

As part of these changes to the overall body, come changes to the pelvic floor. Specifically, hormonal changes which cause the pelvic floor to weaken and often lead to connective tissues becoming rigid and offering less support.

In fact, close to 30% of women will develop a pelvic floor disorder as they age, which is why it becomes increasingly important for women to be on the lookout for symptoms that could indicate larger issues and know how to manage these conditions. 

What Are Some Symptoms You Should Be Aware of?

There are several signs women can closely monitor which serve as good indicators that it’s time to visit a pelvic floor specialist for an evaluation.

The first and most obvious symptom is incontinence, where you’re unable to control your bladder when active, causing unexpected leakage. Incontinence is also paired with the urgency to urinate and inability to hold in your bowel movements until you get to a restroom, which is another type of incontinence common among older women. 

Although common, incontinence is not normal and can have numerous causes, including vaginal infections or irritation, UTIs and constipation. However, in older women, incontinence most likely occurs due to weakened bladder muscles, weak pelvic floor muscles, damage from diseases that control the bladder, such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis, and even diseases that make it hard to get to the bathroom in time, like arthritis. 

Women can also suffer from what’s called pelvic organ prolapse, which occurs when organs including the bladder, rectum, vagina or uterus are not properly supported and sit lower than they normally should. If not treated, any of these organs can show outside of the vaginal opening. If a woman lives past the age of 80, she will have an 11% chance of needing an operation for this condition. 

Pain is another symptom that can be an indicator of pelvic floor dysfunction. It’s important for women to look out for pelvic pain or rectal pain, which can oftentimes be mistaken for bladder pain.

Lower back pain is also not to be overlooked as pelvic floor muscles also work to support the spine and pelvis. When these muscles are strained, chances of lower back pain increase. Painful intercourse and any other signs of sexual dysfunction are another red flag that you should get your pelvic floor checked out. 

What Should You Do to Maintain Good Urological Health?

There are many ways women can maintain good urological health, especially as they age.

Water Intake

Something as simple as drinking water regularly has proven to be extremely beneficial to your urological health as it prevents urinary tract infections (UTI’s) and other irritations in the urethra. However, the amount of water you drink is key.

Typically, it’s recommended to drink half your body weight in ounces every day in order to truly improve your urological health. Further, drinking the correct amount throughout the day is very important, in that you should be spreading your water intake throughout the day and avoid drinking water at least two hours before your bedtime. 

Diet

In addition to drinking enough water, your bladder health also greatly relies on your diet. The types of foods and liquids you consume daily is a key component in how your bladder functions and may even increase your risk of incontinence.

Consuming too much of a specific type of food/liquid can cause bladder irritation, leading the bladder to spasm and creating a strong urge to go.

In order to prevent these instances of incontinence, it’s important to limit your intake of coffee (both caffeinated and decaf), tea, carbonated beverages, alcohol, citrus fruits (grapefruit, lemon, limes, orange), tomato based products (yes, even ketchup), and certain spices.

Exercises

Exercise is another important part of maintaining a strong pelvic floor. There are exercises you can do on your own in order to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles like Kegels and bridges, which are known to help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.

However, sometimes these at-home exercises aren’t enough and seeing a pelvic floor therapist becomes necessary to improve pelvic floor function. Unlike an OBGYN, pelvic floor therapists specialize in caring for the muscles in the pelvis and have an in-depth understanding of how the pelvic floor operates.

Through repeat sessions, they will be able to provide specific treatment plans that will target any pelvic floor issues you may be experiencing, which can range from muscle/connective tissue tension, weakness, poor habits and/or scar tissue to name a few.

Hormone Therapy

Vulvovaginal hormone therapy is an additional way women can improve their urological health. There are hormone receptors in the lower urinary tract and applying localized hormone therapy can greatly improve the microbiome of the genitourinary system, balancing the pH and therefore minimizing the risk of urinary and vulvovaginal infections.

The Golden Rule

Lastly, the golden rule – if you have to go, go! Holding it in for a prolonged amount of time when you have to go to the bathroom can cause serious cases of UTI’s, kidney failure and bladder muscle weakness which can ultimately lead to incontinence.

Seeing as a healthy bladder can hold 400 to 500 mL before voiding on itself, it’s important to feel the need to urinate at least 2-3 times a day – any more or any less can indicate an issue, whether it be dehydration or an overactive bladder.

Maintenance Is Key!

Aging is a normal part of life and comes with many expected changes to the body. It also means paying attention to your body more so than when you were younger, and for women, that means paying attention to their pelvic floor and urological health.

By looking out for the various symptoms listed above and using best practices to maintain good urological health, you can avoid and even treat changes that may occur to your pelvic floor.

Have you experienced any symptoms of incontinence? Have you seen a professional and what was their advice? How do you manage your symptoms on a daily basis? Let’s have a conversation!