The effects of living on this earth for more than half a century have begun to take their toll. But I refuse to believe that accepting “aging” and becoming less active is my only option. However, no matter how hard I have tried to convince myself I like to exercise, I just don’t enjoy it.

But, now that I am in my Third Third (age 60-90), I know that it is more important than ever to find some way to stay active. So, here are 11 ways I convince myself to keep moving. Maybe one or two will boost you along as well.

Find the Right Motivation

Keeping up with grandkids and being able to enjoy their activities requires climbing bleachers, carrying camp chairs and other movement.

I like to travel and being able to get in and out of a vehicle and making it to an airport gate are easier if you are somewhat fit.

Do you want to start a business? You’ll need energy and stamina.

What will motivate *you* to get moving?

Be Satisfied with Reality

You don’t have to run a marathon or even a 5K to be fit. My husband loves to run. I have tried and tried to love running with him, but I just don’t.

Walking, I can do. But I don’t think that walking in an organized event that times me and compares me to others is fun.

The reality is that taking a walk alone and listening to podcasts gets me moving, so that is what I do. I will do yoga classes and watch yoga CDs.

Find Something, Anything

Don’t like to run? Swim. Don’t like to be in cold water? Walk. Don’t like to be outside? Find an indoor track. Want to be outdoors? Try a kayak.

Just find some way to keep moving and active that you will do regularly.

Get Convinced… It’s Important!

Recently, I read that 95% of disease is life-style related. I also read that the number one reason people enter assisted living is because they need help to get themselves off a toilet.

Those two statistics motivate me to keep moving. They also encourage me to eat intentionally to control my weight.

Find your Motivation

My motivation has changed over the years. For a while, I was motivated to look better than my sisters. Not the purest motivation, but it worked for me for a long time.

Today, one of my motivation mantras for the BEST Third Third is:

“It’s easier to keep it off, so take it off.”

The older I get, the stronger my motivation needs to be.

Be Realistic

Something is better than nothing and you don’t have to prove anything to anyone.

If a walk around the block is what you can do, then do it every day. If you used to run marathons and now a 10K is what you are able to do, enjoy a 10K. If Pilates or weight lifting has become too strenuous, find an appropriate yoga or tai chi class. Injuries or aches and pains will de-motivate, so start where you are able.

Dress for Comfort

If you are going to walk or run, get shoes that will give you the support. Invest in some non-binding, stretchy clothes that make moving comfortable.

If you are joining a class, ask or observe the best clothes to wear. This is not a place to make fashion too important. Comfort is key.

Dress for Fun

Exercise can also be a great excuse to try some fun colors and styles. Try some yoga pants. Get some bright shoes. Find a t-shirt with a slogan you believe in. Move proudly in fun clothing.

Take a Class

It is not hard to find a class that will accommodate any level of fitness. In our small community of 150,000, there are multiple gyms and park districts that offer a myriad of classes. Water aerobics, yoga for seniors, weights, Pilates, spinning, walking, etc., etc. A class is a good way to try something new and it is also a great social outlet.

Start Somewhere

Buy the shoes, get the membership, find a partner or walk around the block after dinner.

Do something to get yourself moving. Anything. This one step can make a big difference in the quality of your life going forward.

Reward Yourself

No chocolate until the walk is complete? An extra half-glass of wine if you’ve had a good bit of movement? A nice soak in the tub with bubbles and a good book?

Be sure you pat yourself on the back for making the effort at staying as fit as possible.

How do you feel about your level of fitness? People are motivated either by avoiding something they fear or by being rewarded by something they enjoy. What works for you? Do you have some good ways to reward yourself for being active? What keeps you moving?

When we think about retirement planning mistakes, most of us think of things like “not starting to save young enough,” “taking on too much debt,” “not buying a house,” or “not saving 10%.” What these mistakes have in common is that they are all things that we do (or don’t do!) in our 20s, 30s and 40s.

By the time we reach our 50s and 60s, it’s tempting to think that “the damage has been done.” We have either saved enough for retirement or we haven’t. So, from this point on, it really doesn’t matter if we save any more. Or does it?

In reality, as I learned when I spoke with financial expert Pam Krueger, today, is that many of the most important decisions that we make are actually made in our 50s and 60s. So, if you are approaching retirement, don’t give up! There is still plenty that you can do to change the direction of your financial future!

I hope that you enjoy today’s discussion! If you want to find out more about Pam and her work, please visit her website, Wealthramp.

Retirement Planning Mistake #1: Acting Out of Fear

There is an old saying that fear and greed drive the stock market. Well, this is not just true for stocks… it’s also true for most things that involve money.

This is especially true as we get a little older and we start to realize that we have fewer years ahead of us to make up for any mistakes. So, ironically, in trying to avoid mistakes, we often give in to our fear and make the wrong moves at the wrong time.

As Pam said, “If the stock market goes down and, acting out of fear, you pull your money out, you’re making a big mistake! In fact, you’re making a mistake that could be really hard to recover from.” She continued, “When you feel like you are about to make an emotional decision, try to give yourself time and space. When you stop yourself from reacting immediately, you’ll see more clearly.”

Retirement Planning Mistake #2: Not Knowing Where You Stand, Financially

Facing the reality of our financial lives is difficult. In fact, as Pam said, emotionally, it can feel like looking at yourself, naked, in the mirror. It’s much easier just to avoid looking at our retirement accounts, financial documents and other evidence of “how well we’ve done.”

Of course, life is not a competition. The only person that we have to prove something to is ourselves. So, overcoming this tendency to “stick our heads in the sand” is one of the best things that we can do to get back on track, financially, in the years leading up to retirement.

Pam hit this point home when she said, “This one mistake can derail your entire retirement, because, you don’t have time to go back and make up for it. Don’t let this happen to you. Again, carve out some time. It could be that Sunday morning, where you begin the process of reacquainting yourself with your financial life.”

Retirement Planning Mistake #3: Claiming Social Security Benefits Too Early

Many people don’t realize this, but, the time that you choose to start taking your Social Security benefits can have a huge impact on how much you actually receive. This is true, not only because of the size of your Social Security check, which decreases the earlier you take it, but, also because you may be more likely to retire early… even if you can’t afford it.

As Pam said, “Just because you’re eligible [to take Social Security benefits] doesn’t mean that this is in your best interest. Most people can start taking Social Security at age 62, but, if you wait until ‘full retirement age,’ at 66 or 67 years old, you are going to get 8% more every year in your Social Security checks. If you can wait until 70, the results are even better!”

Retirement Planning Mistake #4: Ignoring the 70.5-Years-Old Requirement for Withdrawing Some Retirement Savings

Did you know that, when you reach age 70.5, you may be required to start withdrawing (and paying tax on!) some money from your 401K?

As if this wasn’t bad enough, you may actually be setting yourself up for penalties if you forget to make the required withdrawals… or just ignore the letters entirely.

This is definitely a topic to discuss with a Financial Planner to make sure that you don’t get caught in a bad situation with the IRS.

At this point in our lives, it’s not about blaming ourselves for the decisions that we have made in the past. It’s all about starting to make better decisions now. So, I hope that you find today’s interview useful and inspiring! If you do, please share it with a friend!

What mistakes did you make in the years leading up to retirement that you would like others to learn from? What are you doing now to get your life back on track? Let’s have a conversation!

Raquel Leviss’ White Buckle Dress at Nightingale

Vanderpump Rules Season 8 Episode 16 Fashion

If I had to choose whether to hang out with the original Vanderpump crew or with Pump crew 2.0, I would say the original crew, especially now that I’ve see what these newbies wear to the club. Between Raquel Leviss’ white buckle dress and the rest of the ladies lack of fabric looks I truly felt old AF watching them at Nightingale tonight. However, even if I can’t squeeze my way into their hot lewks these days, please allow me live vicariously through those of you who are about to steal Raquel’s style.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Click Here to See her I.AM.GIA Spectrum Strapless Dress

Originally posted at: Raquel Leviss’ White Buckle Dress

Hands up from all the women in our community who never made a mistake. If we were in a room together, I can guarantee that no-one would be waving. Ok, maybe there would be one “class clown,” waving her hand, but, anyone who took the request seriously, would be sitting still.

Just as in my case, I assume your time on this planet has been a wonderful collage of brilliant decisions, silly misjudgments and a few soul crushing mistakes.

Along the way, you have probably experienced loss and disappointment. You have been hurt and you have seen others go through equally difficult times. As you get a little older, your natural response may be to withdraw to a safe place. You may think that avoidance is the easiest way to avoid pain and the phrase “never again” may become your mantra.

You Can’t Find Happiness by Avoiding Sadness

There is no denying that getting hurt changes us. Depending on the circumstances, it can change our entire perspective on life. When trust is shattered, you lose more than happiness – you lose hope.

Intellectually, we know that, when hard times come, it is best to stay in the present and learn what we can from a difficult situation. This is the only way to get back on the path to happiness. Since we are not robots, this is easier said than done!

I have heard so many women in the Sixty and Me Community say they would rather not love again if it meant being hurt.

Martha Raye captured this struggle when she said, “Don’t give up the search for happiness because you are afraid of getting hurt.” I couldn’t agree more!

Life is all about finding joy and happiness in a shifting and unpredictable world. Things, by their very nature, have to change. We cannot, should not, give up on our search for happiness. We must take decisive action and be passionate about happiness again.

Life after 60 can be anything that we want it to be. But, in order to find happiness in our 60s, we cannot allow ourselves to be weighed down by the other decades of our lives. We must risk a little hurt in order to find the pleasure and happiness that we deserve.

Do you have a fear of getting hurt? Do you agree that getting hurt is sometimes a gift that makes us better people? Do you think that, in order to find happiness, we need to risk being hurt again? Please join the conversation.

With more than a month of social distancing and hair salons still being closed, celebrities are taking their hair into their own hands, for better or for worse. While hunkering down in Miami, Camila Cabello’s mom cut her daughter’s bangs instead of the pop star trimming her fringe herself. At first, it didn’t look like things were going so well as Cabello’s mom snipped her daughter’s bangs while they’re still wet. Oops.

“Alright guys, so, this is what it’s come to. The bangs are too long, can’t go outside,” Cabello said on her Instagram story. “I’m going to have to trust this woman with my bangs because I can’t trust myself. They look like mountains because that’s what I used to do in seventh grade. I used to cut my own bangs and they looked like mountains. I’ve been seeing a lot of posts warning people not to do this. Let’s see how it turns out. Right now, I look like Snape.”

Cabello’s mom seems to just start cutting, which panics her daughter a bit. Cabello explains that her bangs are shorter in the middle and longer, more curtain style bangs, on the sides. “Not great. She already fucked it up,” Cabello says, laughing with her mom. “She just horizontal-lined that shit.”

Source: Instagram

The duo is obviously joking around trying to make the best of a unique situation. “It ended up looking not that bad,” admits Cabello. But she had to add a little jab to her mom: “She gave me a pedicure this morning. Made my foot bleed.”

We think they’re both looking forward to spas and salons coming back into our lives.