supplemental superstar

A thorough overview of the many attributes of the supplement astaxanthin. I haven't tried this yet but I'm seriously thinking about it. Yet, it does sound almost too good to be true.

 

~♥~

you're not crazy

Here's a nutshell answer from Dr. Oz to the question of why we* gain weight after reaching fifty or if not gaining weight, finding it harder, much harder to lose weight than it was in our 20s,30s, & 40s:

By age 50, you’re burning 200 fewer calories every day than you did at age 30. This is caused by estrogen loss that occurs during menopause. Unfortunately, your body turns to alternative sources, such as fat cells in the belly, which can produce estrogen. Fat cells grow bigger, resulting in an expanding waistline. ...Women in their 50s need to consume alternative sources of estrogen, like phyto-estrogens, such as flaxseed.

On this same topic is an excellent post about this very thing over at Cranky Fitness.

* Women, that is. Men can blame their expanding waistlines at any age on beer.

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summer daze are gone

Wrights Lake taken with iPhone kayak cam.

Summer days, summer nights are gone
Summer days and summer nights are gone
I know a place where there's still somethin' going on
[Bob Dylan, Summer Days]

Well, as much as I'm resistant to accept it, summer ended yesterday (I guess). This particular summer stands out for awesome weather which means there were many fantastic moments spent outside. This was also a summer in which I sported all kinds of bruises on my legs and arms from falls from my bikes. The giant bruise on my left outer thigh is still slightly discolored and tender. To add to the bruises and scrapes in various degrees of healing, I was stung on my bum by a wasp. Yep, my ass was on fire! I'd never been stung before so at first I didn't realize what it was. Then as the night wore on and the allergic reaction set in (felt like I'd sat down on a fire-hot hibachi), I was prompted to do a quick google image search on wasp stings. Bingo. 

 Despite the painful incidents, I'm going to remember the summer of '11 by the complete happiness I felt while kayaking one afternoon. Think I had a big smile on my face the entire time.

 Onward to fall and all things pumpkin.

~♥~

quotable

"All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better." 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

~♥~

change is good

How do you like the new look around here? Sometimes, you just have to change things up and keep moving along. One thing I'm going to begin to do is feature products, things, food I have discovered* that I like. I still intend to keep this blog ad free but I've benefited from what others have shared on their blogs and feel it's only fair that I "give back."

The first thing out of the gate is this moisturizer with sunscreen. It lives up to the marketing promises: it makes my skin look and feel great. It smells wonderful too. I love to be outdoors so it makes sense to develop a habit of using sunscreen on my face, neck and chest. It's too bad I've arrived late to this party though as I already have some sun exposure damage. I'll give the SPF 30 version a try next time.

Have you tried this product or something similar?

* I discovered quite a few new (to me) skincare and cosmetics when I was prevented from working out while recovering from oral surgeries and bursitis in my right hip.

~♥~

choose your bad

[When I add peanut butter or almond butter to apple slices, I never feel deprived.]


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dignity is a metal bikini

Congrats to Carrie Fisher for strengthening her health by losing a lot of weight. Hopefully, her success will inspire other women over the age of 50 to make efforts to improve their health and fitness levels. But, for the love of god, please leave the metal bikini to our fond memories.

 

~♥~

Went for an end of the day walk. What a gorgeous day & evening in the Sierra foothills.

~♥~

the learning curve

I went mountain biking with my sister and her family last Friday. Great trail in the woods. It was fun until I fell on my arm -- not while doing an amazing trick, however. I was actually walking my bike in a semi-treacherous part and slipped! The left side of my body looks like it should belong to an active 10 yr old boy instead of a woman pushing 52. Bruises on my leg from the goofy tip overs on my road bike and now my left arm near my elbow has scabs and bruises.

~♥~