We all know regular exercise is beneficial: mentally, physically and emotionally. We also know it can be hard to motivate ourselves sometimes, especially if we are dealing with the pain of osteoarthritis.

One of my special interests is arthritis. This includes osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis which is a whole new kettle of fish and is an inflammatory disorder.

I love finding the results of new research and exercise which can help keep you moving. You just can’t escape a medical background sometimes!

Osteoarthritis

Once thought to be a wear and tear ailment, scientists now believe that OA is a disease of the joints, although joint damage caused by joint stress is still considered a major cause!

OA can be severely debilitating and can cause great pain, most especially in those joints that have been used and abused the most: knees, hands, fingers, spine. There are a variety of methods for treatment, and exercise is crucial to maintaining movement and easing stiffness. There is no cure.

Why Do We Get Osteoarthritis?

According to latest research, genetics play a huge part in the occurrence of OA. Joint injury can cause wear and tear. Occupation can be responsible if you had a job that involved repetitive strain on your joints, especially hands, knees and hips.

Another cause is stress on the joints from playing sports. Finally, being overweight, or having excess weight, makes it harder for the joints to perform and harder for you to exercise.

Reading About Exercise for Arthritis

An excellent article on exercise for those over 60 is Living with Arthritis from the NHS. It covers everything from finding solutions to difficult tasks, to diet, to exercise.

The Arthritis Organisation in the US provides a series of videos that cover range of motion, posture, floor exercises, stretching and endurance.

Each video is two minutes long, and there are a different number of videos per section. They are FREE to view and are excellent for those whose arthritis is slowing them down.

Moving and Its Impact on Arthritis

The approach of moving regularly (2 minutes every 20 minutes) for general health is known to be effective. In fact, the most effective non-drug treatment for reducing pain and improving movement in osteoarthritis is exercise! It may not feel as though it is, but not moving causes stiffness which can be difficult to ease.

Start Stretching

It is necessary to stretch daily! It increases mobility and maintains the range of motion. Some studies suggest that regular stretching battles signs of aging, and all studies recommend stretching for osteoarthritis!

Walking Is Surprisingly Powerful for Arthritis

Walking can be very painful, especially when the weather is damp. It’s fairly low impact on the joints, and the only other form of exercise that beats walking is swimming.

Staying weightless and warm is good for your arthritic joints. But, if walking is a trial, why not try some trekking poles? They ease the strain on your knees and ankles and gets you moving all over.

Walk or swim or try something else that appeals but keep moving.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you have osteoarthritis? What do you do to keep moving? Do you watch your diet? Do you take supplements? What do you think of the connection between exercise and arthritis? Let’s pool our information and see how many people we can help with this painful and debilitating part of aging. Please join the conversation below.

As we ring in another year, I think it’s important that we keep the celebration alive way beyond the first weeks of January.

I don’t know about you, but I really had no idea what to expect as I entered ‘Midlife’. I never really thought about it because I was certain it wasn’t going to happen to me. For the longest time, I didn’t equate celebrating with getting older.

Clearly, aging wouldn’t happen to me. I may have ignored the signs. I ignored them for a very long time.

Until I really couldn’t any longer. Acceptance took a lot of work on my end; opening my mind and having an entirely new perspective meant finding a unique vantage point. I realized that later is definitely greater, and am privileged to share this with my clients as I help them get visible with their confidence and style in this unbelievable time of our lives.

We have choices on how we view, handle, and react to situations, people, and other issues. I’m all about energy and making sure I’m living and acting with positive intentions. Some days are harder than others, but it is possible. I want to share some tips that work for me and help me celebrate this wonderful stage of life!

So, if you are grateful or perhaps need some inspiration for embracing and thriving in this decade and beyond, I invite you to continue reading.

Age Is Simply an Image!

We get to portray what that image is EVERY SINGLE DAY! We define how we want to show up simply by our attitudes. And what better way to reveal how good we feel than with what we wear?

There is a whole psychology of dressing. Clothing represents who we are, our uniqueness! What we wear and our perceptions are related to whether we like it; no matter our age, we portray a particular image with our clothing.

We evaluate others each day based on their appearance, and they do the same.

Let the world know just how fantastic you are simply by showing up in clothes you love and which love you back!

Act on Your Bucket List!

Do you have a list of things you’ve always wanted to do but have yet to have the time, money, or gumption to do in your younger years? Well, now is the time to re-address these things.

If you don’t have a bucket list, create one. It doesn’t have to be as crazy as skydiving but should include something you have always been interested in and intrigued by but, for whatever reason, have never done. It could be mastering a type of cooking, channeling your creativity through a painting course, or taking a foreign language. You get to decide!

Make sure you go all in and embrace what you put on this list. Make it something you can do with no obstacles. And when you’ve done one, move to the next one!

Have fun with your bucket list and see how this elevates your mood and sense of accomplishment!

Change Up Your Style!

Change can be so fun when it involves your style! This is what I love most about working with my clients! This is the time you can weave what you love, who you are, and what makes you happy into your wardrobe! Yes, that’s right! Dressing for who you are is liberating.

Make sure the clothes in your closet today align with your current lifestyle. Remove the clutter of things that are no longer serving you. Change up the colors of your clothes. In Midlife and beyond, updating your colors is so important as our inherent colors (eyes, skin, and hair) change, and what was once our “IT” color is no longer true. All that means is another fabulous color is waiting for you to wear!

Start changing your style from head to toe! Get the haircut you’ve always wanted and add highlights or another color. Change your glasses.

If you need help, schedule a free consultation with me to discover how you can change up your style!

Trust Yourself!

After all you’ve experienced in your life, marriage, motherhood, divorce, loss, careers, and more, you have earned the right to trust yourself. You’ve made many decisions, some difficult, others easy. I see too many Midlife women second-guessing themselves and not making the best choices, or worse, not making any choices. That stops today!

Listen to that inner voice, your intuition, or whatever is speaking to you when you’re faced with making a decision. I can tell you the exact number of times my intuition was wrong – zero!

You know what you want, so go out and get it, and ask for it without regret! It doesn’t matter what others think; what matters is what you think and how you feel.

There’s a saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you’ve always got.” Step into your power, lovelies. It’s time!

Get Visible!

“I feel like nobody sees me.”

“It’s as if I am invisible.”

These are actual quotes from my clients. Perhaps one of the most well-known “stereotypes” of being in our 60s is the fact that we believe we are no longer seen.

Well, that can only be true if you let it be true. I help women across the globe make sure they are visible with their attitude, their actions and what they wear.

Are you being seen? What do I mean by this? Are you getting out, so others see you? This can be as simple as volunteering, meeting friends for lunch, dinner, a play or whatever you love to do – it can be anything.

Of course, I have ideas for how to be seen with your style. And I will tell you it has made a BIG difference in how my clients feel about themselves.

Just because we are a certain age does not mean we cannot be seen.

Refer to your bucket list and see how that can help you become more visible. When you decide to change up your style, you are sure to be seen and not invisible.

We are so lucky to be this age, and my five ways to celebrate 60 and beyond will make it even more fun.

Enjoy, lovelies!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How have you changed your style after 60? What new colors and styles have you discovered? What makes you feel visible as a mature woman?

Robyn Dixon’s Pink Sheer Turtleneck Dress in Mexico

Real Housewives of Potomac Season 7 Episode 13 Fashion

Robyn Dixon looked hot in her pink sheer turtleneck dress in Mexico. Or shall I say she looked muy caliente in it. But no matter what language you speak it’s clearly understandable that a dress like this is a must. And that we all need to hurry to the link and Style Stealers below to get our hands on one like it rapido.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her AFRM Dress

Originally posted at: Robyn Dixon’s Pink Sheer Turtleneck Dress

There are millions of products you could buy to maintain smooth hair, but if none of those have done the trick for you in the past, it’s time to think outside of the box. Amazon shoppers are, per usual, already on it, and have found a hack that prevents hair from getting frizzy and tangled. The secret weapon product on hand is Mulberry’s Silk Pillowcase.

You’re likely wondering how a mere pillowcase can affect hair in such a positive way. As you already know, silk is super smooth to the touch. According to the brand, its texture reduces friction on hair, especially curly hair. “Silk pillowcases are soft on your hair. Pillowcases made of other fabrics can cause friction to the hair, leading to hair damage and hair fall,” per eMediHealth. They are also known to not absorb moisture from hair and skin, which is great for when you want to keep both looking and feeling healthy.

Besides the benefits for your hair and skin, silk pillowcases are also just really comfortable. These ones from Suatien are durable, and several shoppers also praise their cooling effect. Hot sleepers, consider this a done deal.

And if you fall in love with these silk pillowcases, make sure you reorder more as gifts to your loved ones. They’re practical and super affordable at only $13 a piece on Amazon. Just remember to clip the coupon to save an extra 10 percent.

RELATED: Reviewers Say Their Hair Has ‘Never Been So Full & Beautiful’ With the Help of This Purifying Scalp Oil 

Photo: Suatien.

Available in 19 colorways (and also sets and different sizes), there’s sure to be a shade that matches the sheets that are already on your bed. Go for white or brown if your bedding follows a neutral color scheme, or add a pop of color to your room with a light blue or sage green. You can also choose from patterned versions in case you really want to spice things up. Regardless, you can’t go wrong with any of the options, since the material itself is the true standout. It’ll give you a cozy night’s sleep, and when you wake up, your hair won’t be a poofy bird’s nest.

You should know, however, that there are special care instructions for these pillowcases. Zip them into a mesh laundry bag and toss them into the washing machine, or clean them by hand. Either way, make sure you dry them in the shade to avoid causing wrinkles.

Amazon shoppers have given these soft pillowcases an overall rating of 4.6 stars, which is truly impressive. 

One five-star reviewer wrote, “I have tried the silk-lined bonnets to sleep in and they always come off so the silk pillowcase helps keep my hair from frizzing and tangling.”

Another shopper raved, “These are dreamy to lay my head on—easy to follow wash instructions. My hair and skin have never been happier with a night’s rest.”

And lastly, another one wrote, “Got this pillowcase for myself after reading how good silk pillowcases are for your hair and skin. I have curly hair and I don’t wash it every day. This pillow protects my curls so it’s easier to style the next day and is much less frizzy than it would be otherwise.”

Now that you know what you’ve been missing out on this whole time, get shopping! Your hair will be all the better for it.

Chemistry class is where I first heard the term “litmus test” used where it is literally a test (usually a paper strip) that determines if a solution is acidic. In politics, a litmus test is a question asked of candidates to determine if their nomination proceeded.

A Definite Way of Deciding Something

A litmus test is a definite way of deciding something. In life, if you need to decide should or shouldn’t you do/say/spend something, a litmus test can help you make that decision.

I like to think of a litmus test as waving a red or green flag to myself to stop or proceed. For example, I have heard litmus test questions related to spending like, “If I don’t buy this today, will I miss not having it next week?” “If I make this purchase, will it bring more joy to my life?” “If I sleep on this decision, will I still go that path tomorrow?”

Decisions, Decisions…

Right now, in your life, you may have various decisions you are considering. “Should I work, quit, retire, work part-time/start or continue a business?” “Do I want to buy/sell this or that?” ‘Should I enter/stay in this relationship?” “Do I want to travel/move/live here or there?” “What should I do in my free time?”

Perhaps, as a starting point to making those decisions, you pause and ask yourself a series of litmus test questions. I don’t mean to oversimplify, but I believe these questions can help you remind yourself of what is important to you in life. Then, those questions you might be asking yourself, are a valuable guide in finding your answer.

Three Important Questions

When I help families with financial planning, after the typical financial discussion of the current financial situation, I often ask three questions. These are meant to help each person stop to identify what they value in life. Often, we have not thought about these things ourselves let alone discussed them with anyone else.

The first question is related to money and is a good segue into the discussion. It is one that many of us may have daydreamed about, but we have not spent too much time really thinking about the future details.

How Would You Change Your Life If You Won the Lottery (Assume It’s Millions of Dollars)?

Thoughts about work, home, travel, “stuff” and people you know often come to mind. Those are the top-of-mind decisions. Then I press, “And after that?” “And after that?” “And after that?” in order to help with longer-term thinking. It can reveal current money worries, unspoken concerns, relationship situations, personal dreams, and interest in specific causes.

The second question gets more time focused.

If You Only Had 5 Years Left to Live, How Would You Change Your Life Now?

We tend to begin to prioritize in answering this one. “What would I stop doing or at least do less of?” “What would I start doing or do more of?” The urgency of a time constraint reshuffles our To Do lists, creates a bucket list if we didn’t already have one, and laser focuses our intentions.

The last question feels super negative but is intended to help avoid remorse and disappointment.

If You Knew You Were Going to Die in a Month, What Would You Most Regret Not Having Done in Your Life?

We may find there would still be time to do some of the things that come to mind. But other goals would take more time than available to accomplish. Or perhaps some couldn’t happen until the future, which you no longer have.

Use Your Answers

If you were to write down your answers to those three questions as words, phrases, thoughts, and ideas, I think you may find that you have created your own litmus test. When you are asking yourself, “Should I do this or that,” maybe part of the answer is, “Well, will it help me…” and insert your words, phrases, thoughts, and ideas from the three questions you answered.

If the action you are debating does not meet the litmus test of getting you closer to accomplishing the feelings, values, ambitions, or relationships you wrote down, then is it really worth doing right now?

Identify Your Intentions

I heard this the other day in church and totally agree with it: Life is like vapor. If you aren’t intentional, you blink, and it will be gone.

We can’t live intentionally if we don’t first identify our intentions. This month, I hope you take a Gawk Walk or breathe in some hot tea on the back porch or treat yourself to a few moments of your favorite way to enjoy solitude and discuss these three questions with yourself. Write down your thoughts and use that as your new litmus test, for now.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you have a litmus test question that has helped you in decision-making? What can you share to help others on this topic?