Month: October 2023

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Originally posted at: Erin Lichy’s Black Scalloped Jumpsuit

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Originally posted at: Jenna Lyons’ Pink Ruffle Maxi Skirt

One of the most significant functions I check with new clients is their breathing patterns. As a result, I often find people take short, shallow breaths. They may also hold their breath when performing a strenuous task. 

What Can Contribute to Dysfunctional Breathing?

There are many variable situations, but here are some of the most common factors when it comes to dysfunctional breathing:

• Sitting hunched over at desks.
• Chronic pain.
• Stress, anxiety, and mental health conditions.
• Repetitive movement over long periods of time.
• Medium to heavy lifting.

How Do I Know If I Am Shallow Breathing?

Lay on your back in a comfortable position and place your hands on your lower ribcage. As you take a breath in, feel your ribcage expand gently, and then as you exhale, it should contract. If your belly moves but not your ribcage, this indicates shallow breathing. 

Try this: As you inhale, think about sending your breath all the way down into your lower belly. Then let your belly contract as you exhale. 

What About Chest Breathing?

Lay on your back placing one hand on your chest, the other on your belly. Inhale and exhale gently. If your chest moves, but not your belly, this is a sign of only breathing into your chest. 

Try this: Place your hand on your belly and imagine your hand is a boat. Inhale, and imagine the boat lifting as a wave of water washes over it, then as you exhale, the boat lowers and the wave disperses. 

Is Holding Your Breath Good for You?

If you perform an exercise, like picking up a heavy basket, notice how you breathe as you lift the basket. Did you hold your breath? I often see this with first time clients, and we work on reversing this incorrect breathing pattern. It can take time and patience to get it right.

But why is it not recommended? When we hold our breath, we can build up what we call intra-abdominal pressure within our belly and pelvis. This can cause our pelvic floor to bear downwards, putting pressure on our pelvic organs. 

Try this: Next time you need to lift something heavy, inhale first and exhale as you perform the task. For instance, inhale while preparing to lift heavy grocery bags, then exhale as you lift them. You will feel better and have more power. 

Check out my video tutorial below:

Who would have thought breathing was such a difficult thing to get right? We do it day in and day out. Yet somehow, and for differing reasons, we can forget to breathe efficiently.

For many women who have had children, the synergy between their diaphragm and pelvic floor needs to be re-trained due to the ordeal of pregnancy and birthing which can result in “core amnesia.” This is common and with support and breathing exercises from a Women’s health physiotherapist can improve.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you breathing the correct way? When did you notice you were not breathing right? What effect has shallow breathing had on your body? Have you tried breathing exercises? Which ones have helped you? Please share with the community!

YouTube launched in 2005 and has since become the fastest growing social media platform. According to YouTube, they have over 2.5 billion users every month and over 1 billion hours of YouTube videos are watched a day. YouTube’s influence is massive.

So, Why Is YouTube So Popular?

YouTube provides endless content that entertains and educates. From mindless, but funny, cat videos to instructional guides on how to change the oil in your car, you can find almost anything.

According to Google, the top four content categories watched by YouTube users are comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture, and ‘how-to’.

The how-to videos have changed the way people learn everyday tasks or complicated skills. If you ever think, “I wonder how to…?” just look it up on YouTube. Chances are, there are hundreds or thousands of videos that can teach you.

YouTube is the perfect resource for the 60+ crowd. It provides educational material, entertainment, ideas, and recommendations for anything from retirement planning to cooking, exercise, and travel. YouTube is also an excellent source for learning how to use technology and to stay current on the latest devices, software, or games.

Sorting Through the Clutter

Anyone can upload videos to YouTube – which can be both a good and a bad thing. While there is a lot of helpful, engaging, and entertaining content, not all content is well-presented.

But how do you sort through the billions of videos?

You can find what you want to watch by searching keywords/phrases, topics/categories, what is most popular or trending at any given time. Once you start exploring and watching videos, YouTube will begin to learn your preferences and provide recommendations about new content.

Look at the number of views, subscribers, and ratings to evaluate a producer’s content. The more views and likes, the more likely the quality of the material will be higher. When you find someone you really like, you can ‘subscribe’ to their channel, meaning you will see their content directly on your homepage.

On your homepage, you will see recommended videos that YouTube thinks are within your likes. Make changes to the recommendations by clicking on the little three dots next to the title to choose Not Interested, Add to Watch Later, Add to playlist or Report. This gives YouTube further insights into what you want to see.

YouTube makes It very easy to share content with others via a message on YouTube, email or social media. This is how great content can ‘go viral’ very quickly.

As with anything on the Internet, you need to be aware of what you are sharing. YouTube is a platform that has been used to spread ‘fake news’ numerous times. Always verify the validity of the content before sharing, so you aren’t contributing to the fake news epidemic.

Getting Started with YouTube

YouTube is a free service, though there are pay-to-view elements as well. All Gmail users also have a YouTube account, but it needs to be activated.

If you don’t have Gmail, you can create an account for YouTube using your current email address, but you need a new password as it’s an entirely separate account from your email.

Once logged into YouTube, you have many features available for ease of viewing. Logging in will give you personalized results, allow you to subscribe to channels you are interested in, and comment on videos.

When you activate your account, you can also create your own channel. Channels serve as your homepage and can be customized with your header images and personal information. This is also where all the videos that you upload can be accessed.

If people find your content interesting or relevant, they can subscribe to your channel. If you’ve subscribed to any channels, you can see them under Subscriptions from the menu on the left side of the page.

Be a Video Star

Are you ready to start creating and posting your own videos? That’s a great pastime for those over 60. However, keep in mind that building a robust YouTube channel takes a lot of planning and editing.

Always be cautious about what you post on social media platforms. The visibility settings in YouTube help you control who sees your videos. This can be helpful if you are posting videos of your kids or grandkids that you don’t want to be viewed by the general public. The visibility setting options are:

• Public – anyone can find the video and view it.
• Private – it can be seen by you and only the people you choose.
• Unlisted – the video won’t show up in searches or get posted on your channel, but anyone that has the link is able to view the content.

The Expanding YouTube World

YouTube continues to expand beyond their free video hosting service. Some of the upgraded features aren’t available everywhere so they may not be visible in your area… yet.

• YouTube Music Premium provides songs and videos without ads. It also allows you to download music directly to your device, so you can listen without Wi-Fi.
• YouTube Premium in addition to the benefits of “music premium,” lets you watch all videos without ads, download videos to your device, and access “YouTube Original” series and movies.
• YouTube TV allows you to stream live TV and record shows without DVR storage. It is an alternative to traditional cable and satellite TV. YouTube TV features live sports, news, and shows depending upon your location for a flat fee. Additional channels may be available for added costs.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What are your favorite YouTube channels? I love Sixty and Me’s channel  do you watch it too? Do you watch to learn new stuff or just to be entertained? What’s your YouTube experience to date? Please share your thoughts in the box below.

Contrary to what we’re used to, retirement is a recent idea. When people lived an average of 47 years in the 19^th century, retirement wasn’t an option. But now we define retirement as “the end of your working life.”

The concept of retirement is evolving as Boomers create a different retirement environment compared to their parents. Some differences when comparing the generations are:

• lifespan vs retirement age,
• wellness and fitness levels, and
• expectations.

But, in addition to these differences, the concept of retirement may be disappearing as more and more people of all ages are redefining how they want to structure their working life.

Differences in Current Retirees’ Expectations

The average life span has increased 20 years in two generations. The Boomers’ grandparents expected a few years in retirement while the Boomers are expecting 20-30 years of post-working life. Boomers are:

• healthier,
• better educated and
• more vocal about what they want in retirement.

Are We Discarding the Concept of Retirement?

Are different conditions the only reason retirement is changing? I recently discussed with Australia’s People’s Gardener Peter Nicholls’ research into new forms of work and retirement. The current work progression of preparing for work, working and then retiring from work seems to be withering away.

This accepted structure may already be dead in other countries which have a high percentage of older citizens. People are starting to look at cycles of work: preparing for work, working, and then leaving work to explore other interests for extended periods.

Boomers, Gen X, millennials, and retirees are all experimenting with this model to see if it is more satisfying.

Do We Want to Retire Anymore?

Many Boomers question the need for retirement. Some wonder if they ever want to retire, and if so, when? They feel vital and young, they have more to give and find 20-30 years of unstructured time unattractive. They are questioning what to do with a quarter of their life.

Another trend is early retirement. People in their 20s, 30s, and 40s are saving to retire early. They want to contribute value to others, instead of adding profit to corporations. FIRE – Financial Independence, Early Retirement – is entering the mainstream.

Younger workers are open to the idea of working cycles instead of decades of continuous work. Some are saving the majority of their income to take their first early retirement.

They can save an amazing amount of their salaries by cutting down on their acquisition of ‘things’. They value what makes them happy, not what they have accumulated. Sounds pretty smart!

Contributing Value in and out of Retirement

Most people want to add value to others, and we all need to be a contributing member of a social network. This can be a particular need of retirees.

How many retirees have you known that retired and, a short time later, returned to paid or volunteer work? Some have financial reasons, but many want to experience the satisfying aspects of work.

Taking extended breaks from one’s career to develop and explore other interests may become the norm. And the term ‘career’ may also become superfluous or at least different from its current definition.

Finding new interests and fulfilling pastimes based on experience, knowledge and values can happen at any age – including ‘retirement’.

Retirement age individuals – seniorpreneurs – are the fastest growing group starting new businesses in Australia. People 55-64 years old created 25% of all new start-ups in the US, a much larger percentage than start-ups by people in their 30s.

Many seniorpreneurs are starting their own companies or non-profits to experience the positive aspects of work and creating organisations to give back to their community. Some may be volunteering to level up their community organisations to meet the needs of the public.

Work cycles consisting of preparation, work and then extended breaks are becoming acceptable at any age. Retirement is no longer a given, and the Boomers are again questioning the status quo. And all ages are asking: what will retirement be and what could it be?

Which aspects of your work do you enjoy? How can you replicate those aspects when you are no longer working? Are you open to new ideas and opportunities even if you are not looking for new activities? If so, what would be your criteria to decide if you will pursue this new activity?

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Can you see yourself as a seniorpreneur and starting a business or non-profit? If so, what would that look like? What are the elements you want in your job if you decide to return to work after retiring? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!