If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

If you want to know the truth about a product, head to the reviews. You can always tell the difference between someone who’s, well, a bot, versus someone who’s genuinely excited about the product and just had to share it with the rest of the world. The latter is definitely the case with RoC’s five-in-one anti-aging moisturizer that has SPF built right in.

“I’m 47 and get told repeatedly that I have a baby face and look younger as I get older,” wrote one shopper. “This cream is my base and a staple.”

As if that review didn’t already sell me, there’s an even better one right underneath it: “This magical potion has single handedly done more for my middle aged, sun damaged skin, than anything else I’ve ever tried.”

Multiple customers report that this cream not only helped prevent future signs of aging, thanks to the SPF 30 and vitamin complex in the formula, but it actually helped to reverse existing signs of aging and damaged skin.

I’m a beauty writer and I can definitely attest: There aren’t many products on the market that can claim to do that, so you should definitely pay attention to this RoC option. The brand owes its success to its Hexyl-R Complex that contains a mix of lipids and antioxidants that targets the signs of aging four times more than competitors. Because the formula also includes shea butter, it’s gentle and hydrating on your skin, too. It can be used daily and even reapplied multiple times throughout the day after you’ve been exposed to excessive sunlight to prevent further harm.

Courtesy of Amazon.

RoC Multi Correxion Daily Moisturizer

One shopper said the results were so drastic, they immediately regretted not taking before-and-after photos. “I look 10 years younger, they added. “Just take my word for it is awesome.” If you’re looking for a product with drastic results, make sure to take your own before photos so you can compare after you’ve been using this product for a few weeks.

“People guess my age 15 years younger than I am,” wrote another shopper. “I’ve been using it about four years. Wrinkles, sags and bags are GONE! Skin firmed up, a dark patch on my jawline just vanished!” There are so many testimonies from people who were shocked that the cream helped to clear up existing damage on the skin.

The five-in-one capabilities the label promises includes improving discolorations, firming the skin, reducing dullness and restoring radiance, reducing fine lines and wrinkles and using SPF to prevent future damage. If you’re looking for an easy product to reach for and keep in your bag this summer, shoppers say you can’t go wrong with this cream that’s currently on sale for just $19.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

If you want to know the truth about a product, head to the reviews. You can always tell the difference between someone who’s, well, a bot, versus someone who’s genuinely excited about the product and just had to share it with the rest of the world. The latter is definitely the case with RoC’s five-in-one anti-aging moisturizer that has SPF built right in.

“I’m 47 and get told repeatedly that I have a baby face and look younger as I get older,” wrote one shopper. “This cream is my base and a staple.”

As if that review didn’t already sell me, there’s an even better one right underneath it: “This magical potion has single handedly done more for my middle aged, sun damaged skin, than anything else I’ve ever tried.”

Multiple customers report that this cream not only helped prevent future signs of aging, thanks to the SPF 30 and vitamin complex in the formula, but it actually helped to reverse existing signs of aging and damaged skin.

I’m a beauty writer and I can definitely attest: There aren’t many products on the market that can claim to do that, so you should definitely pay attention to this RoC option. The brand owes its success to its Hexyl-R Complex that contains a mix of lipids and antioxidants that targets the signs of aging four times more than competitors. Because the formula also includes shea butter, it’s gentle and hydrating on your skin, too. It can be used daily and even reapplied multiple times throughout the day after you’ve been exposed to excessive sunlight to prevent further harm.

Courtesy of Amazon.

RoC Multi Correxion Daily Moisturizer

One shopper said the results were so drastic, they immediately regretted not taking before-and-after photos. “I look 10 years younger, they added. “Just take my word for it is awesome.” If you’re looking for a product with drastic results, make sure to take your own before photos so you can compare after you’ve been using this product for a few weeks.

“People guess my age 15 years younger than I am,” wrote another shopper. “I’ve been using it about four years. Wrinkles, sags and bags are GONE! Skin firmed up, a dark patch on my jawline just vanished!” There are so many testimonies from people who were shocked that the cream helped to clear up existing damage on the skin.

The five-in-one capabilities the label promises includes improving discolorations, firming the skin, reducing dullness and restoring radiance, reducing fine lines and wrinkles and using SPF to prevent future damage. If you’re looking for an easy product to reach for and keep in your bag this summer, shoppers say you can’t go wrong with this cream that’s currently on sale for just $19.

Welcome to another installment of my “living like a millionaire on a retirement budget” series. No matter what our financial situation, we all have budgets. Living beautifully – or luxuriously – can hinge on changing a perception or making an attitude adjustment.

Living alone is like being rich. Wow, what a thought!

Today I want to celebrate people who live alone. As I said in my article on being single, living alone brings up a different set of challenges than family or partnered living. Singles often feel excluded and yet, so many of us live alone.

Loneliness is a cause for depression among all age groups, not only the elderly. The reason why loneliness is prevalent amongst retired people is that we don’t have the community of school mothers, or the social networks we create from working. Perhaps we’ve moved to a new place and are just beginning to make friends.

So I offer up these tips to celebrate solitude with a positive mindset. Ready? Here’s how living alone is like being rich.

I Command. Everything Is My Way

When I think of a wealthy person, I think of someone who has the freedom to do whatever she wishes because she’s not held back by financial restraints. She can also get things done exactly how she pleases because, “money talks.”

Well when you live alone, you can adopt this same behavior for an abundant, life embracing mentality. Just think, you have no negotiations, and no justifications to make for your tastes or desires. The flowers I like. The furniture this way. I can watch the shows I want at the hour I want to see them. I can channel flip if I feel like it.

I spend my money however I want to spend it. I can dress exactly how I want, in whatever makes me feel fabulous. I overhead two women in the dressing room yesterday: “I can’t buy this. Ralph wouldn’t like it.” Enough said.

I feel free. There is nothing to weigh me down, hold me back. No support duties. Everything I do is for pleasure: my pleasure.

Time Is On My Schedule

The super rich own their planes and fly whenever they want to, not on some airline’s schedule. While I don’t own a plane, nor can I force an airline to fly when I feel like it, there are many things I can determine on my own schedule. I can sleep as late or as early as I want I, not connected to someone else’s schedule.

If I wake in the middle of the night I can play Candy Crush on my iPad, or listen to a Maisie Dobbs novel on Audible. (I love being read to! Now that’s a luxury!) I often check in the with NY Times in the wee hours to see what’s going on in the world before anyone in my time zone. Sometimes I get up and make myself a cup of tea to bring back to bed.

Managing my life entirely on my own schedule is endlessly positive. I can travel without having to consider another person’s vacation schedule or finances. I can eat whenever I want, speaking of which…

Eating a La Carte

What I want, when I want it. I’m not catering to anyone’s tastes, just my own. Every meal is considered: what do I feel like eating? I do watch my weight, but I do it beautifully. Restaurant chefs should take a lesson from me when it comes to crafting a lusty salad. One morning a week I take myself out to breakfast to mingle with cafe patrons and feel the beat of the working city.

Yesterday I got inspired by GBBO and baked all afternoon. That evening, I brought the cake to a dinner party, making me most valued guest. If I want gummy bears and cheese popcorn for dinner, so be it. I had a hankering for Greek spinach pie and made one, savoring it for two days until it was gone.

There is no “what’s for dinner?” which I heard for umpteen years. This is pleasure and freedom. If I want company I invite a friend for dinner. No one ever says no.

I Am Free

To do whatever I want, whenever I want to. I can move to a new city. I can spend the entire day reading a book or writing blog posts for you, interspersed with watching knitting tutorials on you tube. The ability to be spontaneous is a luxury, don’t you think?

I mean, think of all the years you said, “I can’t, because…” Now I can go to a movie on the spur of the moment. I can decide to bake a lemon drizzle because I’d like to have some for tea time. I can leave the house a mess if I want to. There is no one to yell at me, no one to disappoint or displease. I can be indulgent with no guilt.

I Am the Star of the Show

I am the star of my life. The writer, director, heroine. I am free to discover exactly who I am, at my own pace.

All The Money I Have I Can Spend On… Me!

I’m not sending anyone to college anymore, covering someone else’s medical bills, paying someone else’s car insurance. Of course I’m on a budget, we all are. But I can be more generous with myself in many small ways.

I live alone, and I know that sometimes it can be lonely and scary. I’m not denying that. I’m not saying that living alone or with someone is better than the other. Life has its circumstances. At our age, we are complex people with baggage – good and bad – from our past. But you can live alone and have a good social life with support and backup systems in place.

Bottom line: I get to do what I want, when I want to do it. And that sounds pretty damn luxurious to me.

How do you feel about living alone? How do you feel about living in a couple or with family members? Do you have any tips about luxuriating in your solitude? Please join the conversation.

You may feel a little overwhelmed if you have been diagnosed with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). Don’t worry, though – we are here to help! This blog post will give you five tips for exercising safely and effectively with Peripheral Artery Disease. Follow these tips, and you will be on your way to living a healthier life!

As usual, make sure to first consult with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your routine!

What Is Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)?

Peripheral Artery Disease is when the arteries that supply blood to your limbs (peripheral arteries) become narrowed or blocked. This can cause symptoms such as leg pain when walking (claudication). Patients may feel mild pain with even short walking distances.

PAD is caused by atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the arteries. Plaque comprises fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. If you have PAD, you may be wondering if it is safe for you to exercise. The good news is that, in most cases, exercise is safe and beneficial for people with PAD.

How Can Exercise Relieve PAD Symptoms?

Studies show that exercise therapy improves blood flow and helps prevent plaque buildup in your arteries. It also helps to improve your overall cardiovascular health, reducing your risk of developing PAD or experiencing a heart attack or stroke.

Exercise therapy has even been shown to help relieve symptoms of PAD, such as pain, fatigue, and cramping. So, exercise is a great place to start if you are looking for ways to improve your PAD symptoms!

Tips for Exercising Safely with PAD

If you have been diagnosed with PAD, there are a few things you should keep in mind when starting any physical training program.

1. It is essential to consult with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine. They can help you to create an exercise plan that is safe and effective for you. Doctors can also help evaluate your walking ability and confirm that exercise intervention is appropriate for you.
2. Start slowly and gradually increase the intensity of your workouts as your symptoms allow. It is important not to push yourself too hard, as this can worsen your symptoms. Understand your pain limits and find your own optimal program duration.
3. Focus on low-impact activities, such as walking, swimming, and cycling. These activities are ideal for people with PAD because they do not put too much stress on your heart or your arteries and can minimize medical complications.
4. Pay attention to your symptoms while you exercise. Stop exercising and rest if you experience pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness. These may be signs that you are overdoing it.
5. Make sure to cool down after your workout and stretch your muscles to help prevent cramping.

5 PAD Exercises You Can Do at Home

Walking

Walking is a great way to pump your heart and improve blood flow. Start with a slow walk, and gradually increase your speed as you are able. Walking is an excellent activity for people with the Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). Don’t get too worried about your initial treadmill walking performance. The important thing in any exercise rehabilitation program is to start!

Patients with PAD have narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to the extremities, leading to classic claudication symptoms such as pain, numbness, and cramping in the legs during physical activity. Walking is a low-impact activity that can help improve symptoms by increasing blood flow to the calf and thigh muscles.

Treadmill walking or walking outdoors is a great way to get your steps in for the day.

It is essential to start slowly and gradually increase your pain-free walking distance and speed as you are able. There is no maximal walking distance; instead, go with what is comfortable, and if you are hesitant, speak to a physical therapist about supervised treadmill exercise.

A short walking therapy program like this one can help you get started:

1. Warm up for 5 minutes by walking at a slow pace.
2. Walk at a moderate pace for 10 minutes.
3. Walk at a brisk pace for 5 minutes.
4. Cool down for 5 minutes by walking at a slow pace.
5. Repeat this circuit 2-3 times per week.

Swimming to Improve Blood Flow

Swimming is an excellent low-impact exercise for patients with PAD. The water can help take some weight off your legs and reduce pain. Here is a short program for swimming with Peripheral Artery Disease:

1. Start by walking in the water to warm up your muscles.
2. Then, start swimming laps at a moderate pace.
3. Take a break to rest your muscles and catch your breath.
4. When you are finished, walk in the water again to cool down your muscles.
5. Repeat this routine 2-3 times per week for best results.

Cycling to Exercise Calf and Thigh Muscles

Cycling is a great way to exercise without putting too much stress on your joints and improve lower extremity functioning. If you have access to a stationary bike, start with low resistance and increase as you can. For seniors, electric tricycles or recumbent bikes can be a great way to exercise for PAD without additional stress on joints.

Here’s a short program so start on a bike with PAD:

1. Start with 5 minutes of easy spinning.
2. Increase the resistance and pedal for 3 minutes at a moderate pace.
3. Return to an easy spinning for 2 minutes to catch your breath.
4. Increase the resistance again and finish with 1 minute of hard pedaling.
5. Repeat this cycle 3-5 times, depending on your fitness level.

Remember to warm up before starting and cool down after you’re done. Cycling is an excellent workout for your legs, but it’s also low-impact so that it won’t aggravate your PAD symptoms.

Yoga

People with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) often have reduced flexibility and increased stress. Yoga can help improve both of these conditions. Many different yoga poses can be beneficial for people with PAD. Some PAD exercises that can help improve flexibility include the following:

The Cat-Cow Pose: This pose helps to stretch the back and neck. It also helps to massage the spinal cord and relax the nervous system.

The Cobra Pose: This pose helps to stretch the chest, shoulders, and abdomen. It also helps to strengthen the back muscles.

The Triangle Pose: This pose helps to stretch the sides of the body and the hips. It also helps to open up the chest and lungs.

The Bridge Pose: This pose helps to stretch the back and chest. It also helps to strengthen the back muscles.

The Child’s Pose: This pose helps to calm the mind and relax the body. It is often used as a resting position between other yoga poses.

The Corpse Pose: This pose helps to relax the entire body deeply. It is often done at the end of a yoga practice.

Yoga can also help reduce stress by promoting relaxation.

Pilates

Pilates is a type of exercise that focuses on strengthening the core muscles. This can help to improve balance and reduce pain. For people with Peripheral Artery Disease, there are some specific Pilates exercises that can be helpful.

PAD exercises involve movements that help to increase blood flow and circulation in the legs and feet. In addition, Pilates can help to reduce pain and swelling and improve range of motion.

In addition, PAD exercises can help strengthen the muscles around the hips and thighs, improving balance and stability.

If you have Peripheral Artery Disease, talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise program. But incorporating some specific Pilates exercises into your routine can significantly reduce pain and improve your overall health.

Do you have peripheral artery disease? What do you do to manage your symptoms? What exercises help you to keep your body active and pain-free?

As a child (and into adulthood), I experienced abuse: sexual, physical, verbal, and emotional. Both my parents were narcissists, one more severe than the other: my mother was an alcoholic, and my father had a sex addiction. As a result, I was highly insecure and had low self-esteem and shame.

I felt alienated, betrayed by those I trusted the most, and came to doubt every feeling of my own. Later on, my three wasbands replicated the unsavory parts of one or both of my parents in life. That resulted in similar emotions, bringing me back to my unhappy childhood (no wonder they say repeating the same thing and expecting different results is “insane”).

You Are Responsible for Your Own Life

Even until my late 60s, I thought my nuclear family and inherited in-laws were the sole sources of my sorrow, pain, and disappointments. Through hard-earned life lessons, therapies – and boy, there were so many I got dizzy – I learned the hard way that we are players in the dramas and traumas of our life.

We are, willingly or not, participants in, whether passive or active, unconscious or aware, every situation in our lives. We are the other half of the cauldron of despair.

Why is it so hard to admit that we cannot blame anyone else for what we allowed? Think about the limited TV series, Inventing Anna. She made no bones about being arrested. She knew what her part in the actuality was. Do you know what your part is in a painful relationship?

Taking full responsibility is no mean feat. It requires deep archeological research. Throughout the years, I tried, sometimes successfully, to see my part in what I formerly considered failed relationships.

Disregarding Your Body’s Signals Is Unhealthy

From the neighborhood kids to my dysfunctional nuclear family, I was a natural ringleader who fought back as best (with fists and later through words) I could, yet continuously felt under pressure. At four years old, I swallowed an entire bottle of aspirin to rid myself of the crime committed upon my little body; from that point forward, I catered to my mother’s needs while forgetting mine.

I was a teenager when my parents announced their divorce on Valentine’s Day. My lungs failed, and I experienced asthma, which required a ventilator and hospitalization, causing one of two nervous breakdowns.

I came to think of the hospital as a safe space. I looked closely at the relationship between physical pain and my emotional state. The writings of Louise Hay taught me how the prowling dog of negative thought corners one into physical suffering, a result of inner conflicts untended.

Lifelong lower back pain and sharp pains in my hip subsided and eventually dissipated as I implemented techniques to cure the emotional trauma inside my cells. Little by little physical pain declined whereby mirroring a progressively healthier emotional state.

Acting Upon Your Emotions Is Not the Same as Acting Upon Your Intuition

I channeled my rage and shame into music and writing through arduous suffering masked by humor, denial, and a tenacious will to achieve external success in all my creative endeavors. How did my intuition guide me? Although I was a firebomb, I wrote articles, reviewed concerts, and submitted my stories to magazines.

This intuitive guidance system told me, “Don’t give up.” At 18, Circus Magazine published an article of mine. At 19, I toured with KISS to Japan as one of 10 journalists on a press junket and made a name for myself in the music industry.

But when someone pissed me off (and that seemed to happen with regularity as a teenager and young adult), I would fly off the handle without any filter. My uncontrolled rage usually ended in fights; I acted without remorse since I wasn’t following my gut.

Looking back at the continued traumas that I normalized and even expected from my family of origin and those I inherited from my 20s well into my 50s, I can recount a blitzkrieg of other things such as suicide attempts, divorces, treachery, drug-addicted brother, a con-man of a father, hysterical mother and her twin, my stepmother… Need I say more?

At 64, I found a new lease on life. The unsettling toxicity of my past shaped me but didn’t knock me out of the ring because I found a way to remove the scars and heal the wounds, not just through therapy! Having a bluntly honest son who calls attention to my infirmities and hypocrisy helped me face my demons.

Risk-Taking Is Necessary for Success and to Expand Your Mental Horizons

Can you imagine what it’s like to be suppressed emotionally while being given free rein to manage your own life from 14? Given might be too generous a compliment to my mother. Although she demanded rigid perfectionism – how to behave, react and speak in public – she allowed me to express myself artistically, for which I am forever grateful.

Likewise, the life or death risks I took were due to her having no boundaries. Crazy as it was, I am deeply appreciative of this “freedom” I had to explore the world, pursuing whatever I wanted. I had three businesses in various countries: a music talent and booking agency in Japan, a cross-cultural marketing agency in New York City, and a digital publishing company in Switzerland and Holland. I took risks that sometimes I was woefully unprepared for, yet managed and succeeded.

We Attract What We Want… and What We Don’t Want

At 44, I became a mother and raised my son independently. I wanted a husband who would be my emotional support and a family man, yet instead found he was an emotional vampire. I tried to communicate deeply with the man who would be the father of my child. Yet my wasband was emotionally aloof and away from the family 40% of the time.

What did I truly want? Why did I settle? It goes back to what I wrote earlier: when you know your part in your life’s drama and follow your intuition, you won’t get involved with people who do not serve your higher purpose.

Alienation from one’s soul is the cause of loneliness, no matter how active or busy you are.

Fill the emptiness by listening quietly to your GPS: your intuition.

My willingness to face the darkest parts of myself required finding the strength to admit my role in the horror show of my life. It was an excruciating process, where I found myself lonely and alone for long periods. Yet I chose that. I took it on.

I had to do deep work to face the world again. I didn’t understand that the shadow side was a friend, a helper. As I practiced sitting quietly with my demonic emotions, I found that self-remorse healed my heart. I peeled the layers away from the mental mind that prevented me from hearing my intuition. Now I can say that I’ve come out unscathed and you can too.

What trauma have you experienced in your life? Have you conquered it? Do you think that trauma has been dictating your life ever since or have you come out unscathed?