Financial independence is everyone’s goal as they approach retirement. But if you’re financially secure, is that enough to ensure you can enjoy your golden years?

Unfortunately, no.

Many of us who are 60+ see ourselves getting older in good health; we envision being active – traveling and socializing with our family and friends. And we see ourselves living on our own terms – doing things “our way.”

Ask anyone and they will say, “Of course I want to stay in my own home forever!” No one would willingly say, “Oh, I plan on entering a nursing home of some sort when I turn 68.”

But sadly, very few of us consider what action we have to consciously take to ensure the vision for our golden years actually matches reality. Here are a few healthy aging essentials to help you stay independent in retirement.

Exercise and Physical Activity

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Use it or lose it!” Well, after 60, you actually have to “use it” more to stay ahead of the decline we so often associate with getting older.

Honestly ask yourself how much you sit versus how much you are active in a typical day. Keep a journal for a few days and track your activity. You might be surprised.

Physical activities get your body moving. Consider what you physically do each day such as gardening, walking the dog, housework, shopping and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. And, by the way, watching TV does not count!

Exercise on the other hand is specifically planned, structured and repetitive, such as yoga, weight training, tai chi, swimming, aerobics, or walking 7,000 – 10,000 steps a day. What exercise do you engage in every day?

If you truly want to stay independent in your golden years you have to make a conscious decision and plan to keep moving to reap the benefits. Keeping in mind the old familiar slogan of, “Just do it!” will help you…

Prevent or delay diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and dementia…

• Avoid becoming a fall risk
• Manage stress
• Improve your sleep
• Release endorphins, the happy hormones!

No matter how you analyze it, increasing your physical activity will improve your quality of life.

A Healthy Diet

Good nutrition is key to aging well. Vitamins and minerals keep your muscles, bones, organs, and other body parts strong for the long haul. A healthy diet supports your goal of living longer, helps sharpen your mind, and simply makes you feel better.

A diet of toast and tea is simply not enough if you want to:

• Maintain clear thinking
• Resist illness and disease
• Have higher energy levels
• Recuperate faster from illnesses and injuries
• Fuel your muscles and support your bones

Preparing healthy meals or going out for a bite is also a good excuse to include a friend. Make eating fun and you can increase your socialization at the same time!

Ensuring Your Home Will be Both Safe and Comfortable

We know that the vast majority of older adults want to remain in their own home as long as possible. But that doesn’t mean it has to be the 3,000 square foot home with 3 levels that you had when you raised your children!

As you reach retirement age it’s time to do some planning to make sure your home will be able to accommodate your needs as you get older. This may include downsizing to a smaller home, apartment, or condo. It may mean moving to a one-floor bungalow plan. Or it may mean ensuring that you can at least access everything you need on one floor if necessary.

There are many qualified licensed contractors who can help you assess your current living arrangements with a view to your long-term needs. Some questions to consider:

Is your home on a bus route?

Is it close to your family, friends, and the shops and services you might like to access?

Could you renovate to put a bedroom, washroom, and the washer and dryer on the main floor?

Is the outside maintenance manageable?

Can steps be replaced with a ramp?

If necessary, could you maneuver with a wheelchair?

Can the shower or tub be adapted to be more accessible?

Will your home need a lot of maintenance in the future? Will it become a money pit?

Thinking about your home when you’re healthy and active will be much easier than after an illness sets in or a crisis occurs.

Downsizing and purging can also be a great mental health booster!

Independence Is More Than Financial

Our visions of the future may vary but chances are pretty darn good we all want to maintain our independence as long as possible. Independence – if we are safe and comfortable – can boost our mental health and our outlook on life. But independence requires some planning.

Stay active and maintain your strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility – keys to staying strong and healthy. Nourish both your body and your soul with nutritious food that provides the fuel you need to live on your terms. Begin to make a plan to ensure the home you choose to live in will be one that can provide safety and comfort for years to come. If you do all of these things, you will maximize your chances of experiencing healthy aging and achieving independence in retirement.

What does independence mean to you? What steps are you taking to experience healthy aging and get the most from retirement? Please join the conversation.

As a holistic health counselor and bodyworker, I help mostly over-50 women figure out the best way to care for themselves. As we talk, what often comes up is a sense of disconnect when it comes to their relationship with their medical practitioners.

They go in for an appointment, perhaps have a physical exam, and are told the results via email from their medical records platform. The relationship begins at the appointment and ends with an email that might include a prescription for a medication based on the test results.

The Health Care Partnership

True health care can be much better than that – and is, if you take the time to find the right practitioners. Having quality care comes when you are an active participant in the process. More and more women are seeking to be involved in their health care as they understand the importance of forming a partnership with their practitioners who understand and support their health goals.

After all, it is your body, your life. An ideal vision of a successful health care team includes the person (patient), medical team as needed, and some form(s) of complimentary care.

What have your health care experiences been like? When you go for care, is the provider interested in what you have to say? Do you have a primary care doctor who evaluates your overall health? Do you prepare for your visit and bring questions with you to help your doctor? Do you feel comfortable asking questions? Do you feel pressured for time?

As we grow older, we need both education from our doctors on prevention of the diseases associated with aging as well as a doctor who understands our health goals. Some women may feel that medication is the better choice when something is amiss while others may prefer a supplement or a lifestyle change that improves their health status.

You need to be clear about your health goals and be able to communicate those goals to a doctor who is willing to support them.

The Essential Elements

The following are 5 essential elements for transforming your health future:

#1: Find Practitioners Who View Health Care as a Practitioner/Patient Partnership

This means one who listens to you and clearly explains their findings. If it’s a medical diagnosis, there should be a mutual discussion of options available for treatment.

How do you find a practitioner like this? Talk to trusted friends who have similar health goals. For physicians, read doctor profiles on healthgrades.com or other websites that review and rate doctors.

Boston magazine (and perhaps other regional publications) has an annual list of best doctors as rated by their peers. For complimentary practitioners, check with friends who use them and read their credentials carefully. Most have websites where you can learn more about their certifications.

2#: Tell Your Practitioners What You Want

To help you, they need to know how much time and energy you want to put into your health. If he/she makes a lifestyle recommendation you know you won’t do, don’t nod your head and leave the impression you will do what is recommended. Allow your practitioners the chance to guide you toward whatever will have the greatest benefit to your future health.

#3: Give Your Practitioners the Information They Need to Help You

Let’s say you’ve been experiencing urinary incontinence and you’re too embarrassed to say anything. How can your practitioner help you? If you are forthcoming you may be referred to a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor disorders. Remember, it’s a partnership. Communicate honestly so you can get the best outcome.

#4: Read Test Results

I can’t tell you how many people don’t read test results. Most blood work results are laid out in columns, showing the numbers. Beside the numbers are three columns indicating whether the results are below normal, normal, or high.

A quick glance through them will alert you to any result that is way out of the norm. Compare results year to year so you can see if a category’s number is sneaking up into a range that may be a warning sign. (Rising glucose or LDL are examples.)

It’s always good to have an extra pair of eyes reviewing these results. Ask questions if you don’t understand them. Refer to reliable websites like WebMD or Mayo Clinic for information.

#5: What If Something Goes Wrong?

In an ideal world, health care should be viewed as preventive care, not disease care. But sometimes, despite best efforts, things can go wrong. A serious diagnosis is a time like no other when you want to have an already established partnership with your doctor and other practitioners.

When your doctor truly knows you, he/she can refer you to a specialist who will support your approach to health and healing. The specialist will immediately understand you as one who seeks a partnership with him/her and to have an active say in the treatment of your illness.

A wonderful book that illustrates the power of participation in healing from a serious illness is Radical Hope by Kelly Turner. I encourage everyone to read it and keep her findings in mind as you heal from any illness.

Let’s Talk about Complimentary Health Care

Alternative or complimentary care techniques have been around since way before Western medicine. Traditional Chinese practitioners, Indian Ayurvedic practitioners, herbalists and Shamanic healers are just a few examples, and they remain a part of health care practices today.

Whether one chooses to use these approaches to wellness or not, they serve a vital purpose in demonstrating that there are many ways to support and heal. In my practice, I see people who use shiatsu acupressure treatments for balancing energy flow and stress reduction.

These are motivated people who are attuned to their bodies’ needs. Conventional medical doctors who welcome you as an active participant, coupled with one or more complimentary forms of health care, creates a dynamic way of honoring the potential for lifelong wellness.

Think about your best life. How much time do you give to imagining a healthy life going forward? Please share your ideas in the comments section.

Have you ever wondered why some women get the guy while you struggle with dating? Today, I want to share 3 major flubs women make that keep them from attracting a good man who could be an amazing companion to share their life with.

Flub #1: Your Dating Mojo Is Missing

As confident as you might feel in real life – and why wouldn’t you be? You’ve been doing it forever and you’ve learned the tools and developed the resources that make you good at what you do – this confidence doesn’t necessarily translate to how you might feel today as a woman over 60 stepping into the dating world.

Yikes… this part of your life means having to meet new men with a totally different body than you had when you last dated in your late teens or 20s. And you might worry that he might judge you or not like you and reject you. Pretty scary!

I’ve had clients who were powerhouses in their chosen fields and in their lives. If you asked them what their confidence level was on a scale from 1-10, it would be 10+++ but asked the same question about dating today, the number often plummeted to 2 or even into negative numbers.

As we all know, our bodies and our faces have changed with age. In such a youth oriented culture, it’s easy to forget just how amazing you really are at this time in your life. And you really are! You have wisdom and a passion for life from knowing who you are and what you bring to the world.

This is called inner beauty and it’s something that makes you glow from the inside out enhancing your outer beauty. This whole package is something young women don’t have yet. And yes, you are beautiful just as you are today.

The secret is to stop comparing yourself to how you looked in your 20s. A man doesn’t know how you looked then. If he’s reaching out to you, it’s because he likes you as you are today.

Your inner beauty comes from your passion about life. You shine with excitement when you talk about the things that mean the most to you. This is something men are highly attracted to in the women they want to date. Take the time to rediscover your inner and outer beauty and bring both out into the world for all to see.

Flub #2: Only Looking for a George Clooney Type of Guy Who Is Handsome and Rich

Last time you dated, chances are the guys you were attracted to looked much different than those faces you see online today. The men of our youth were young, hot, had longer hair, toned bodies and handsome faces.

Where are they now? Well, I’ll let you in on a secret… they are the over 60s men you see online with grey hair, glasses and bellies who want to date you. And what you are probably thinking when you look at them is, My friends tell me I look young, and these men look so old.

George and the men who look like him have one thing going for them you can see right away… they are handsome on the outside. But it doesn’t mean they are great guys on the inside. That’s a story we’ve made up about the beautiful people. If they are beautiful, they must be the best.

It’s not necessarily true. What’s in a man’s heart and how he treats a woman is what really counts. Some of those older looking, grey haired, fuddy duddies are amazing men that women pass over daily. I’ve had clients date men they’d have said no to in the past. They find these men are fun, caring, and just want to make them happy. Try going out of your comfort zone by giving one of them a chance. He just might turn out to be a great catch.

Flub #3: Needing to Feel Instant Attraction or Chemistry to Go Out with a Man Again

Want to know a secret about instant attraction and chemistry? That tingle and excitement you feel in your body is a hormonal release, oxytocin that makes you feel good. It doesn’t mean a man is your soul mate just because you feel it when you meet. It’s likely he’s your type and if your type was good for you, you’d be with him.

When you were younger, you were looking for a mate to build a life with that included children, a dog, a house, vacations, and maybe a retirement plan. You were hormone driven because you needed to find a man you could have babies with.

Today, as a woman over 60, it’s not about building a lifelike you did in your 20s. Today, it’s about finding someone to create and share a good life with who will make a great companion for you. And who will be there to support you and you support him… through both the good times and the challenging times that can come with aging.

Instead of looking for chemistry, consider looking for a man who shares the same values as you and enjoys some of the things you love to do. And try men who aren’t your type. My clients do all the time and end up telling me it’s the best relationship they’ve ever had. I know it can be for you too.

What type of man are you attracted to? Do you find you’re always falling for that type? Have you tried dating a different sort of man? How did that turn out? What other flubs have you done in your dating life? Let’s swap stories!

What do Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Becky G all have in common? They all launched makeup and/or skincare companies! Jennifer Aniston is next with her LolaVie beauty brand. The Morning Show actor is already the chief creative officer at Vital Proteins and has long been the face of Aveeno. So, this isn’t her first time getting into the beauty and/or wellness industry.

Back in 2010, Aniston actually released a perfume called LolaVie, but changed it to Jennifer Aniston “It turned out as we were getting close to the launch, there was something out there that was very similar and it was just going to get very confusing in the marketplace,” she told Reuters Television back in 2010. When speaking to WWD at the same event, she declined to explain what the name means to her, saying, “It’s a long story and honestly it’s too personal to tell, but it has a special significance.”

Source: Instagram

This new brand will seemingly have a little bit of everything. She filed a trademark for body care, deodorant, skincare, haircare, soaps, nail care and candles. And it looks like she’s already teasing the first product! When LolaVie first launched its Instagram account, I thought for sure skincare was going to be the first to launch. But this recent picture is of Aniston’s wavy blonde hair, which makes me think maybe it’s actually haircare we’re getting right off the bat. Although it could just be a photo of her in a LolaVie meeting.

Fans seem very excited about this launch, which is already coming on September 8. “I don’t know exactly what this is, but I’m sure it’s going to be awesome! I am excited,” wrote one fan on Instagram. “I’m so in love with this aesthetic,” wrote another.

We’ve reached out to LolaVie for more information and will update you as soon as we know more.

What do Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Becky G all have in common? They all launched makeup and/or skincare companies! Jennifer Aniston is next with her LolaVie beauty brand. The Morning Show actor is already the chief creative officer at Vital Proteins and has long been the face of Aveeno. So, this isn’t her first time getting into the beauty and/or wellness industry.

Back in 2010, Aniston actually released a perfume called LolaVie, but changed it to Jennifer Aniston “It turned out as we were getting close to the launch, there was something out there that was very similar and it was just going to get very confusing in the marketplace,” she told Reuters Television back in 2010. When speaking to WWD at the same event, she declined to explain what the name means to her, saying, “It’s a long story and honestly it’s too personal to tell, but it has a special significance.”

Source: Instagram

This new brand will seemingly have a little bit of everything. She filed a trademark for body care, deodorant, skincare, haircare, soaps, nail care and candles. And it looks like she’s already teasing the first product! When LolaVie first launched its Instagram account, I thought for sure skincare was going to be the first to launch. But this recent picture is of Aniston’s wavy blonde hair, which makes me think maybe it’s actually haircare we’re getting right off the bat. Although it could just be a photo of her in a LolaVie meeting.

Fans seem very excited about this launch, which is already coming on September 8. “I don’t know exactly what this is, but I’m sure it’s going to be awesome! I am excited,” wrote one fan on Instagram. “I’m so in love with this aesthetic,” wrote another.

We’ve reached out to LolaVie for more information and will update you as soon as we know more.