Community Living for Women – Back to Hippiedom?

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Mrs. BBT

Photo by Rojer on Flickr

A recent article in HealthNewsDigest.com tells us about the newest trend among women in their sixties.  They are increasingly choosing community living so they can pool their resources and spend their retirement years in the company of like-minded women.

One of the reasons for the upsurge of this trend of community living is that women tend to live longer than men, and men also tend to remarry more quickly after the death of a spouse, or even after a divorce.  Most women take longer to remarry, if indeed they do so at all, so alternative living arrangements can be very comforting and satisfying.

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According to an analysis by the AARP, over 480,000 baby boomer women lived with at least one non-related female, and the idea of home sharing has become increasingly popular on both the East and West coast of the US, as well as in Europe.

Far from being a move based on any perceived weakness, women in their sixties are often actively pursuing the community living lifestyle to “actively age with the camaraderie, laughter, understanding and support of other women who share their ideas of healthy lifestyles, good food from their own gardens, green living, and myriad activities on a moment’s notice,” according to the article from Health News Digest.

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Recently, the idea of community living for women has been formalized in the organization Women for Living in Community, which also expands their embrace to include women’s families, and their partners, male or female.  The organization also welcomes single women.  Women for Living in Community offer a variety of services, including:

  • Speaking related to the community and how to make the decision to join
  • Workshops designed to suit individual and group needs for building community
  • Coaching, consulting, and training for individuals and core groups
  • Conferences designed to bring women together to learn, share and inspire each other
  • Webinars, online trainings, and mentoring

I can certainly see the benefit of such an arrangement, especially financially and for security and safety purposes. But, I am really not so certain it would work for me – it definitely bears checking out to see if this type of living fits your personality.  After having lived a good part of one’s life alone, or in the company of just one other person, I can see where moving into a communal living arrangement could be difficult to handle.    However, if the arrangements were such that a person had at least a room to herself as a private living space, that might work out quite well.  What do you think?

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Do you want to live in a retirement community?

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Mrs. BBT

In my previous blog post, I asked about your retirement plans.  Of course, many of you aren’t retired, and really aren’t all that close (that would be me, for one).  The economic downturn has caused quite a few of us to reconsider how long we are going to work, but now there’s good news!  At least, that’s what “they” say.  Many who are already retired, though, are considering living in a retirement community during their golden years.

Photo: charliej on Flickr

According to the latest reports, the figures show that payrolls rose quite a bit in February, putting the unemployment rate at 8.3 percent.  But what about baby boomers?  Although many boomers are working longer, many wonder whether the jobs will still be there for the older workforce, or whether “do you want fries with that” will be come the battle cry of the aged.  Those who have professional skills likely won’t need to worry about this.

Many other boomers, though, unwilling to give in so easily, are taking classes to update their skills in their current occupation, or even going for advanced degrees and possibly changing careers at this late date. I think many believe that working as long as possible will give them the best ability to choose whether they want to eventually live in a retirement community, or to stay in their own homes.

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According to a story in the Chicago Tribune Primetime,  many builders and resort owners are hoping that boomers will join a retirement community.  Approximately 77% of the baby-boomer generation is likely to at least think about joining a retirement community, once it becomes difficult to live at home alone (or even before that).  A continuing care retirement community is a place where “residents live independently, with meals, services, activities and transportation available. Residents may transition through higher levels of care without ever having to move.”

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I can see the attraction of these retirement communities. Sometimes, just to think, no mowing the grass, no working on the plumbing, no worrying about whether the a/c is on its last legs (or not)…sounds blissful.  Some of the better retirement communities have absolutely wonderful amenities, including spas, golf courses, pools, exercise centers, restaurants and movie theaters. These nicer retirement communities come at a steep price, of course, and my ultimate desire is to be able to enter one of these communities (and afford it), whether I actually do so, or not.

How about you?  Do you want to live in a retirement community eventually?

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What are your retirement plans so far?

Posted on March 10, 2012 by Mrs. BBT

Do you have retirement plans?  Are you already retired?  Do you wonder whether you’ll ever be able to retire?  Well, you’re not alone!   Although, according to many sources, almost half of the elderly women and nearly 20% of elderly men are single, to their financial detriment, because single people tend to have a much more precarious financial situation than marrieds do.

What’s the problem with retirement plans?

Photo: Adam Jones, Ph.D. on Flickr/CC Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.

The problem occurs when people don’t get enough growth out of their retirement funds, or, for one reason or another, find that they must retire before they’re ready.  They find themselves in the precarious position of outliving their money, and their retirement plans go far awry.

This is one reason why it’s a good idea to work as long as possible, and save up as much money as possible, though sometimes the economy makes this hard – or impossible.  Well-known money manager Rob Arnott, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal talked about what he calls a “3-D Hurricane of deficit, debt, and demography” which he expects will affect market returns, and thus retirement plans, for many years to come.
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How will you pay your living expenses in retirement?

I have long wondered, if retired people are expecting to provide their living income by selling their stock and bond holdings, if the biggest part of the population is also retiring, who are they going to sell these assets to?  In order to sell, you must have a buyer, and for the seller, at least, it’s better to have more buyers than sellers.  That keeps the price up.  I am afraid that many people in their retirement years are going to find the value of their assets declining simply because there aren’t enough buyers.  So, all those carefully-crafted retirement plans are going to be for naught.

According to Mr. Arnott, for the first time in the history of the U.S., “the population of senior citizens rises faster than the working age population.”  He predicts even worse in another ten years, with an additional hit on the price of goods going up because there will be fewer active producers and more buyers.  Of course, if China keeps cranking out goods, I suppose that won’t be a problem.

Work through your retirement?

So, what to do?  Work until you drop?  That hardly sounds like an attractive retirement plan.  Mr. Arnott also suggests looking to the stock and bond markets of other nations who have a younger population and lower levels of debt.  They will likely have higher returns on investment. However, this is not a move for the faint of heart.  Be sure if you decide to look at other investment options, you get advice from a financial professional, not the writer of a blog!
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What are your plans for retirement?  Are you close?  Not close enough?  Do you wish you could retire right now, or do you enjoy your job enough that you keep it because you like it, not because you have to work?

 

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Do you remember the Low Fat Fad Diet?

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Mrs. BBT

Do you remember?

Do you remember back in the day when fat was “bad for you”?  Do you remember all the headlines about how Ancel Keys did this great study that proved that fat – particularly satuated fat – caused heart disease? Are you aware that your doctor probably still believes this?  Do you still believe this?

Well, guess what?  Ancel Keys was not only wrong, he falsified his data!  Yep, he kept the data that confirmed the lipid hypothesis he had already decided on, and threw away everything that didn’t fit!

What Tom Naughton has to say about this…

Now, I’m not just imagining this, as you will soon see.  However, it would be folly for you to believe me, because who am I?  Really, nobody, when it comes to authority on diet and exercise.  Many recognized authorities have now come to the conclusion, under their own power, that the lipid hypothesis – and its attendant low fat diet a la Ornish – is way, way wrong. I came to the same conclusion, based on my unwelcome diagnosis of diabetes back in 1997.  I struggled with the low fat diet for two years before, in frustration, I decided to try low carb.   You know, just because I was desperate.  What a life change that was, and I never looked back!

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Now, I’m not going to try to stuff hoity-toity research and science down your throats.  I don’t want to run everybody off!  BUT, if you would enjoy having some great fun while you learn, I urge you to visit my friend Tom Naughton’s website.  Tom bills himself as an “Edutainer,” and he certainly lives up to the name.  On Tom’s site, you can order a copy of his DVD, Fat Head, or really, if you insist, it’s free on Hulu.  (Either way, I don’t earn a nickel, but buying the DVD would be a nice to way to support Tom’s educational and entertainment efforts, and besides, he’s a nice,  nice guy.)  Fat Head is a laugh-out-loud funny response to Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me.  Trust me, it’s WAY better, and the message is excellent.

Has this become a recipe blog? 

So, now I am sure you are wondering whether I’m trying to turn this blog into a recipe or diet blog.  Nope, not.  However, I kind of have to write about what’s on my mind (please leave a comment if you have a particular interest), and right now, it’s almost time for dinner!

This is an excellent main-dish that can also be a complete meal!  It combines the mild flavors of chicken and cream with the sharper taste of spinach and parmesan for a very filling dinner.  Note that you can easily substitute fish for the chicken and have an even more nutritious dinner, particularly if you are watching calories.  By the way, don’t be derailed by the long list of ingredients.  Most of them are spices, and you probably have them all in your cabinets already.
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Low Carb Chicken Alfredo

Low Carb Chicken Alfredo

  • 8 Frozen Chicken Breasts, fresh or frozen
  • Salt, Pepper to taste
  • 2 T. Butter
  • 2 T. Olive Oil
  • 16 oz package frozen spinach, thawed & drained
  • 3 oz. Cream Cheese
  • 1 C. Heavy Cream
  • ½ C. Water
  • 1 ½ tsp. Onion powder
  • 1 ½ tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1 ½ tsp. Chicken base or chicken bouillon, dissolved in
  • ¼ C. water
  • ¼ C. Parmesan Cheese, grated or shredded

Heat oven to 350°.  Melt butter with olive oil in 2″ deep skillet.  Salt and pepper the chicken breasts, cook in skillet in the oil and butter mixture until lightly browned and most of inside is cooked.  Place in 9″ X 13″ baking pan.

Add the cream cheese to the skillet, slowly, adding cream as the cream cheese starts to melt.  Once the cream and cream cheese are well combined, add the water, stirring well.

Once the water is incorporated, add the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, top with parmesan cheese and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes for some nice browning.

Serves 8.  Per Serving:  Calories: 511, Protein 48 gr., Carb 4 gr., Fiber 1 gr., Fat 33.4 gr.

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Fred Hahn Talks About Strength for Senior Citizens

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Mrs. BBT

Fred Hahn on Dr. Robert Su’s Podcast!

Breaking news!  On October 5th’s Carbohydrates Can Kill blog, Dr. Robert Su interviews my real-life friend Fred Hahn.  Fred is the author, with Drs. Mike and Mary Ann Eades, of  The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution: The Slow Motion Exercise That Will Change Your Body in 30 Minutes a Week.  This particular podcast,  entitled Fred Hahn on Strength Training for Seniors, can be heard here.  Fred is an expert in physical training.  He has a great deal of experience in helping people – including and especially seniors – reshape their bodies, reduce their blood glucose, and generally improve their health and fitness.  I met Fred on last year’s Fourth Annual Low Carb Cruise, where he demonstrated (and let me experience) his Slow Burn method to me and my husband.
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Fred – the trainer we baby boomers need!

I was so impressed with Fred and his patient demeanor.  He’s not one of those standard-issue “musclehead” exercise trainers (Fred is no Arnold…and that’s a compliment!)  He uses real science to get real results, in a way you can respect, and more importantly, understand.

Having experienced the Slow Burn method, let me be the first to say: just because it’s slow, that doesn’t mean it’s easy.  In fact, believe me when I tell you:  it’s HARD. I remember clearly when Fred told me, in essence, that it was necessary to put forth the biggest effort in order to get results, and that’s true.  I guess it’s a good thing it doesn’t last long, because, when done correctly, it’s fast, but hard.

Enjoy listening to Fred!  He knows what he is talking about.  I can hardly wait to see him again on the Fifth Annual Low Carb Cruise (topic to be covered soon).

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