With the rise of all the scary stats among seniors (like Alzheimer’s, loneliness, depression, divorce, and nursing home occupancy), and that’s without Covid in the picture, it’s becoming more and more difficult to lead an active, healthy, and engaged retirement lifestyle.

The media and our culture push our seniors to believe that normal aging means becoming sedentary and stagnant once you hit a certain age… which is so wrong.

In actuality, you have more control over the way you age.

According to the World Health Organization, three-quarters of your aging process depends on factors in your control, like your lifestyle and behavioral choices, and only 25% is dependent on your genes.

That’s exactly why it’s so important to be proactive – starting now – in taking control of your lifestyle habits.

So, I’ve put together these three powerful morning routine benefits, which make up concept #2 in these 3 Key Strategies for Living Your Best Retirement Life.

Benefit #1: Your Willpower Is the Strongest in the Morning

Your willpower is the highest in the morning right after you sleep. It gets used up and depleted throughout the day.

According to this Stanford Medicine article:

“The research also shows that willpower decreases over the course of the day, as your energy gets ‘spent’ on stress and self-control. This has become known as ‘the muscle model’ of willpower. Like your biceps or quadriceps the willpower ‘muscle’ can get exhausted from effort.”

And it’s also important to follow your natural circadian rhythm. According to Steve Kay, a professor of molecular and computational biology at the University of Southern California, “Disruption of circadian rhythms has been linked to such problems as diabetes, depression, dementia and obesity.”

Tip: To increase your willpower strength, meditation and exercise are two activities that can help build up grey matter in your prefrontal cortex, the decision-making part of your brain. This’ll help increase your ability to make better choices throughout the day, increasing your willpower.

Bonus Tip: If you have the time, use your willpower strength in your morning routine and work on something challenging. It’s a great time to incorporate an exercise routine, a healthy eating habit, or even an important project you’re working on.

Take advantage of your willpower being the greatest in the mornings, and work into your morning ritual something that’ll truly get you closer to your goals.

Benefit #2: Your Morning Mood Dictates the Productivity of Your Day

According to research from Ohio State University, your mood in the morning dictates how productive you are that day. The study found that “employee mood had a clear impact on performance, including both how much work employees did and how well they did it.”

If you pull it out of the working environment context and apply it to how productive you are in your personal life, this perspective shift can really help you shake up your life… in an amazing way.

If you can get your morning right, you can get your day right, which of course means… you can get your life right. You’ll make progress on things that actually matter to you, and you’ll likely be energized doing it.

Sounds simple enough, but deceptively, this isn’t the easiest thing to do.

To really succeed, you need to create a consistent routine that you use repeatedly, so it replaces your current, non-impactful habits with healthy ones.

Benefit #3: Routines and Habits Control Your Life

At least 40% of human behavior is made up of habits. According to a study by Phillippa Lally at the University College London, habits are formed for an average of 66 days and can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to form.

Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit, outlines a three-step loop that happens when we create habits:

• Cue – a trigger that tells your brain when and which habit to use.
• Routine – an activity, emotion, or behavior.
• Reward – how your brain determines if a loop is good for you or not.

Being repeatedly self-disciplined in your healthy morning routine can help you create good habits over time. You simply need the right cue to trigger them and the right reward for the aftermath, so keep in mind the sandwiching of those two steps around your morning routine.

This is why your morning routine can help create some of your best results. Otherwise, your bad habits are likely to remain.

Tip: As part of your morning routine, set a goal for yourself to make progress on a ‘good habit’ later that day. By being self-aware and setting yourself up in the morning you can be that much more intentional with your mini-goals that you want to accomplish throughout the day.

Want to take it to the next level? Find out the most effective habit to include in your morning routine in these 3 Key Strategies for Living Your Best Retirement Life.

What does your current morning routine look like? How will you switch it up to make your morning routine more effective for you? Please share you thoughts below.

Twice a year, Bath & Body Works pulls out all the stops and discounts holiday and everyday favorites up to 75 percent off, which new discounts throughout the week. The Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual sale for holiday 2020 is no different—actually, it might be even better. We’ve got the details on all the goods so you can game-plan your shopping trip.

Of course, deals will be online as well as in-store so if you feel safer shopping from your couch, you can still stock up on Bath & Body Works favorites. Now’s the chance to score the beloved holiday fragrances before they’re gone (until next year), as well as throwbacks including Secret Wonderland, Honeysuckle and Sensual Amber brought back just for this sale. Christmas body care will be just $4.95 and select Christmas 3-Wick Candles will be $11.95.

Source: Instagram

For the best of the best deals, you’ll want to dig for those 75 percent off products. These include body care, candles, hand soaps and tons of non-holiday items you’ll want to use all-year round. You’ll even be able to find some best-selling fall body scare scents and ones you haven’t smelled for months. It’s basically like a rummage sale where you never know exactly what you’ll find.

The sale begins Saturday, December 26. If you’re shopping in store, don’t forget your face mask and hand sanitizer and maybe even consider going on off hours to avoid the crowds. Or, there’s always delivery! As much as we want to shop and treat ourselves this year (we deserve it), we also have to stay safe too. Set your iCal and get ready to get your haul on. Then, have big New Year zoom with friends to share exactly what you got.

Usually, we look to Black Friday for a brand’s biggest sale of the year but Lush does things differently. On Black Friday, the retailer rolls out new products as part of the Green Friday campaign. The UK-based company’s big sale is on Boxing Day instead, which starts the day after Christmas. Lush’s Boxing Day sale for 2020 is its only big sale of the year and trust us—it’s worth the wait. 

Get 50 percent off on selected items (look for the items with the ’50 percent off’ tag online or in-store). As products fly off the shelves—and virtual shelves—Lush will continue to restock so you’ll want to check back. Holiday products and gift sets are included in the half-off sale, of course, as well as non-seasonal items like soap, shower goodies, fragrance, skincare and haircare.

Need some last-minute gifts? Here’s your chance to grab them at a discount. But don’t forget to pick up some self-care items for yourself, too. The holidays might look a little different this year but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your own celebration.

The Lush Boxing Day sale starts on December 26. Check out a few must-haves, below.

Lush.

Show Showers Gift Set

Be set with shower gel for the year, with yummy Sleepy, Yog Nog and Roasting Chestnuts on an Open Fire scents.

Lush.

Veganese Conditioner

This lightweight vegan conditioner is perfect for anyone with fine hair, including curls.

Lush.

Clean & Calm Hand Care Kit

Get your dry hands in check with hydrating 13 Soap Unlucky For Dirt and Sleepy soap, Dream Cream lotion, Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter and Tiny Hands Hands Serum.

Lush.

Jingle Bells Bath Bomb

This festive bath bomb has a gentle orange-patchouli scent.

Lush.

Once Upon a Time Body Lotion

Hydrate your body with murumuru butter and jojoba oil.

How did you sleep last night? I was up at 3:30 a.m. and found myself finishing Why We Sleep by neuro-scientist and sleep researcher, Matthew Walker.

I had always been a good sleeper. That is, until I hit my 60s. If that is true for you, you’re not alone. A plethora of sleep research is now revolutionizing our understanding of sleep and its role in our lives.

Walker claims that sleeping less than six or seven hours a night “demolishes your immune systems,” raises the risk of Alzheimer’s, and the likelihood of “cardiovascular disease, stroke, and congestive heart failure,” causes weight gain, and can even shorten your lifespan.

While these facts are disturbing, Walker provides the research to backs up his claims.

Our lifestyles are hectic and sleep sometimes becomes the last priority. For 12 years, I proudly woke up at 4:15 a.m. and commuted to work at the crack of dawn to “beat the traffic.” That was after the years of raising young children and we know what that does to our sleep.

Now, with more time on my hands, armed with this recent research on sleep from the book, I can make some different choices.

Benefits of Sleep

Our pride should go the other way. We should proudly proclaim we get plenty of sleep. Here are just a few benefits:

Enhances Memory

Your brain is active while asleep, locking in learning by binding new memories to old ones.

Promotes Creativity

It helps your brain “fuse together disparate sets of knowledge that foster problem-solving.” One great example is Mendeleev. In 1869, he spent hours and hours of wakeful analysis of chemical elements. Then a dream revealed the periodic table.

Lowers Food Cravings

Having food issues? Sleep helps with the absorption of nutrients, regulates appetite, and helps with healthy food selection through impulse control.

Keeps Your Immune System Healthy

Another benefit of sleeping well is that it helps fight infection and has been found to help protect against cold and flu. Recent research found that sleep protects against some cancers by reducing inflammation.

Helps You Feel Happier and Less Anxious

Improving sleep quality is used as a therapeutic tool for people with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.

Seniors Do Not Need Less Sleep

You may have heard that we need less sleep as we age. Walker explains that is not true. He does validate sleep problems by explaining that as we get older we may have fragmented sleep.

We may have trouble falling asleep or waking up multiple times in the night and then having trouble getting back to sleep. This is part of a natural progression of what Walker calls sleep degradation, influenced by three factors.

First, we have fewer hours of deep NREM sleep. Second, circadian rhythms shift for seniors, making us sleepier early in the evening and triggering waking up earlier in the morning. Third, frequent trips to the bathroom disrupt sleep.

However, Walker points to the dangers of sleep deficiency for seniors. Lower amounts of good quality sleep can lead to forgetfulness and decreased cognitive function. It can even lead to dementia and cause diseases.

The bathroom trips can lead to a greater risk of falling and fracturing bones. He also is honest when he says there are no quick fixes for these risks.

I did walk away with a few important suggestions:

What Not to Do if You Want to Sleep Well at Any Age

• Avoid alcohol and caffeine within 8 hours of bedtime. Alcohol may relax you but it actually can impair breathing and rob you of REM sleep.
• Also, avoid naps after 3 p.m.
• Do not exercise near bedtime.
• Avoid sleep medications: drugs allow sleep but inhibit the deep sleep that we need. One exception is melatonin, an enzyme which lets the brain know that it’s time to sleep. It aids in falling asleep but does not keep you in that state.

What to Do to Sleep Better After 60

• Aim for a minimum of 8 hours of sleep with a regular sleep/wake schedule.
• Take a hot bath before bed. Cooling of the body after the bath is what aids falling asleep.
• Sleep in a cool, dark, gadget-free bedroom.
• Get outside in natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes daily. Aim for morning sunlight. Turn down lights before bedtime, avoiding blue LED light.
• Share these ideas with younger people in our lives and encourage them to do their best to get 8 hours of sleep.

Some of the information was a bit concerning. Walker’s message suggests that modern society is fundamentally heading for a cliff due to lack of sleep.

However, as Guardian journalist Marc O’Connell wrote, “I suppose it’s churlish to take issue with the prose of a person who is trying to save you from an existence of exhaustion and misery, terminating in early death – a bit like grumbling about insufficient legroom in a life raft.”

Meanwhile, I will use these tips when I go to sleep tonight and aim to not be up awake at 3:30 a.m.!

What tips do you have for having a good night’s sleep? Have you tried any of them and have they worked? What is the reason you don’t get enough sleep? Please share in the comments below.

So you want to declutter but are inundated with stuff and need to create some space. Working through your home methodically and systematically is the goal but sometimes you just need to make a dent in your clutter… quickly!

Here are 5 decluttering tasks that will have a big impact in your home. They are big, bulky, or voluminous items so are going to create that space that we need to have some clarity in our minds before tackling a big project.

Suitcases

Suitcases are something we may have invested heavily in at certain points in our lives, and there’s no doubt they are built to last. They have lots of life in them and they are useful – but are they?

Travel has evolved and with it the restrictions on luggage allowances have changed. Lightweight, wheeled suitcases are everyone’s go-to luggage now, but we still keep the old heavy, bulky suitcases that we haven’t used for years because we think we will return to them one day. But the chances are we won’t.

Create some valuable space by only keeping those cases you have used on the last few trips you went on.

Appliance Boxes

We just can’t help ourselves. There’s a voice inside our heads telling us that we NEED to keep appliance boxes for ever and a day. And even if we don’t have that voice ourselves, someone else in our family undoubtedly will. But why do we keep them cluttering up garages, attics, and basements for years or decades?

For when you move? For when you sell the appliance? In case it’s faulty and has to be returned? Here’s a little secret – you’ll probably forget you have it when you move, will never sell it, and the shop is fine without the original packaging if it’s faulty.

So, be brave and chuck out those boxes today!

Coats

We all love a coat and amass so many over the years. They are big, heavy, and bulky. We have our go-tos, our favorites that we wear again and again. Sometimes we wear the same one every day.

We buy new ones because the old ones are not quite right. But we still keep hold of the old ones because they cost a lot of money and we feel guilty. Is it time to let them go?

Go right to the underneath of your coat storage – that’s where you will find all the seldom used coats. You’ll either uncover a gem that you forgot you had or more likely find plenty to declutter and create some valuable space for those you do love. Either way, it’s a win-win.

Pots and Pans

You’d be surprised how many pots and pans we amass over the years. There are very few people who have all their pots and pans neat, accessible, and perfectly placed. Normally, pots and pans storage is awkward and unruly. Why? Because we have way more than we can sensibly use.

Take a good look at your pots and pans. Do you use that huge wok or is it just taking up valuable space? Has your scorched milk pan seen better days? Have you not used that pan with a wonky handle for years? Time to let some go and create some order in your pan storage.

Books

Are you double stacking books? Are they stored in boxes in your basement, loft, or garage? This is a red flag that you have too many to handle but I’m guessing you already know that. It’s so hard to declutter books because you love them so much!

As hard as book decluttering may be, I can guarantee that once you allow yourself the opportunity to look at books one by one, there will undoubtedly be some that can go.

Whilst the emotions involved in decluttering books are amongst the most tricky there is in the decluttering world, the key is to stop looking at your books as a collection. When you want to declutter them, take them off the shelf and look at them one by one.

I promise you there will be some books that you no longer love. And ten books decluttered is a huge amount of space created. Be strong, be brave, and tackle a few of those books today.

If you can tackle just one of the categories above you will create some space in your home for the things that you truly need, love, and use. That is what life is all about. To have only those things in our lives that reflect our current lifestyle.

If some of the emotions we mentioned above have resonated with you, there are lots more than that holding us back and keeping us stuck. Life is too short to be surrounded by clutter!

If you want 2021 to be the year you take control of your clutter and stop it from controlling you, then we would love you to come and join our Reset Your Home Challenge starting on January 4^th, 2021. Lots of like-minded people are destined to make 2021 a clutter-free reality.

Are you inundated with appliance boxes? Is tackling your book collection an absolute no-no? Let us know in the comments how you are affected by clutter.