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Creative Aging Expert
January 2009
In This Issue
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From Turmoil to Tranquility
Commentary by Ken and Mary Gergen, in
their Positive Aging Newsletter, Nov/Dec
2008
One of our guiding hopes for this Newsletter
is to replace the tendency to view aging in
terms of what we lose with an emphasis on
what we gain. Among the gains we have
reported is a generalized increase in
feelings of emotional well-being with age.
Replacing the gut wrenching agonies of the
earlier years are feelings of greater
tranquility. One has a more balanced
understanding of life and its ups and downs.
Researchers Michaela Riediger and Alexandra
Freund now add a new dimension to the earlier
work.
Daily life in the adult world is often one of
breathless turmoil. It is not simply that one
so often feels "behind" in one's work, but
there is never time enough to care for family
and friends, for attending to one's personal
needs, for repair and upkeep of one's living
place or possessions, and this is to say
nothing of planning for a vacation or one's
financial or professional future. The
personal investments are enormous, and we are
spread all too thin. Particularly agonizing
for many is the sense of unrest that
accompanies virtually all one's activities.
Time and effort devoted to one need, desire,
or ideal are always at the cost of something
else. Catching up on work is often at the
expense of family; time with family may mean
the loss of friends; immersion in the social
world means no time for personal needs, and
so on.
It is here that the research of Riediger and
Freund is very helpful. In two studies, with
over 140 participants ranging in age from
20-70 years of age, the researchers took
measures of motivational conflict (i.e. the
feeling that one wants to or should be doing
something else in a given situation). As both
studies demonstrated, such conflicts tend to
disappear with increasing years. Possibly
there are fewer tasks or commitments as one
ages, and more time available. Further, one
may have learned to move more gracefully and
confidently through a multiplicity of
motivational goals. These researchers also
took measures of emotional well-being.
Similar to preceding studies, these measures
also showed increases in feelings of
well-being with age. And, most significantly,
the increase in feelings of well-being were
correlated with reductions in motivational
conflict.
Comment: This piece caught me by
surprise. I'm not sure tranquility has
totally conquered turmoil in my life. Perhaps
I have too many commitments - from writing to
planning trips to running a business. I do,
however, experience a feeling of emotional
well-being, as well as gratitude for my long
life and my health. How about you? How do you
respond to this piece? Write and tell me if
your turmoil has turned more towards
tranquility as you age.
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Gloria Steinem: Past 70
At age 29 she was a Playboy Bunny; later on,
a crusading feminist. Now times have changed,
and Gloria Steinem (age 74) is thinking about
age. "Fifty was more about defiance for me:
'I'm just going to go on doing everything I
did before.' And it wasn't until I was about
54 that I realized that doing everything I
did before was not progress. Hello? And 60
was exciting. Sixty was like the new country.
And 70 does sound like mortality. And it does
make you think about dying." For more on her
thoughts about age, see Gloria Steinem,
Doing Sixty and Seventy (Elders
Academy Press, 2006).
From Human Values and Aging Newsletter,
January 1, 2009.
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Margaret Morganroth Gullette
I have just finished reading Aged by
Culture by Margaret Morganroth Gullette
who is described as a cultural critic,
prize-winning writer of non-fiction,
internationally known age critic, essayist,
and activist. She is currently a Women's
Studies Research Scholar at Brandeis
University. I found the book very dense
reading. I had to meditate on each paragraph
it was so chock full of ideas and new
thoughts about how aging should be studied.
It was chosen as a "Noteworthy Book of the
Year" by the Christian Science
Monitor. Read
more of her provocative articles.
The University of Chicago press offers this
synopsis of Aged by Culture:
Americans enjoy longer lives and better
health, yet we are becoming increasingly
obsessed with trying to stay young. What
drives the fear of turning 30, the boom in
anti-aging products, the wars between
generations? What men and women of all ages
have in common is that we are being
insidiously aged by the culture in which we
live.
In this illuminating book, Margaret
Morganroth Gullette reveals that aging
doesn't start in our chromosomes, but in
midlife downsizing, the erosion of workplace
seniority, threats to Social Security, or
media portrayals of "aging Xers" and "greedy"
Baby Boomers. To combat the forces aging us
prematurely, Gullette invites us to change
our attitudes, our life storytelling, and our
society. Part intimate autobiography, part
startling cultural expose, this book does for
age what gender and race studies have done
for their categories. Aged by Culture
is an impassioned manifesto against the
pernicious ideologies that steal hope from
every stage of our lives.
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Hopping and Skipping to Health
Forget the treadmill and the barbells for
encouraging fitness. The latest idea in
exercise is called Plyometrics, which means
using your own body weight as the
instrumental source. Simply put, we are
encouraged to return to some childhood play.
Jumping, hopping, and skipping are all forms
of exercise that increase muscle power,
strength, and explosiveness. A study at
Loughborough University in England found that
regular hopping was among the best ways for
women to improve their bone density. The
amount and strenuousness of the plyometric
activity depends upon the condition of one's
joints, so don't stress your knees or hips.
The following are some ways do plyometric
exercises.
- Climbing up stairs two at a time
- Drop jumping: Stand on a box a few
inches off the ground. Drop to the ground and
then jump upwards and forwards as high as you
can. Repeat 10 times (or less).
- Skipping: The U.S. National Institute of
Health claims that skipping burns more
calories than any other popular exercise
except running. Start with a one to three
ratio. For every minute skipping, rest for
three.
- Lateral hops: Place an object by your
right foot. Hop over it to the left then back
again. Do this 15 times, if you can. Then
repeat this with your left foot.
From: Plyometrics by Peta Bee. The London
Times, July 14, 2008, (as published in
The Positive Aging Newsletter, December
2008).
Comment: This article made me want to
go out and buy a jump rope and to try
skipping around the block! (Be careful though.)
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Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica
Have you been trying to learn Spanish by
taking classes here and there and listening
to tapes? Try a new approach and go to Costa
Rica for a Spanish immersion program. It's
called Spanish and Fun, and it is run by
three people: a former Peace Corps member, a
certified English teacher, and a local Costa
Rican Spanish teacher. A two week stay is
recommended. One is not only immersed in the
language, but also the culture. Living with a
local host family, doing a service project at
a school or farm, participating in the
holidays and cultural traditions while having
3-4 hours of Spanish instruction each day. I
find their prices quite reasonable. Here is
what one participant says about the
program.
"I had an amazing experience with Spanish and
Fun. It was perfect for learning intensive
Spanish in a short period of time. The
program was very well organized and the
instructors were fantastic! My host family
was incredible, so welcoming, kind and always
with amazing typical foods! I would highly
recommend this program to people of all ages
and all language levels! It was the perfect
start to a six month tour of Central and
South America." Emma Cohlmeyer, Sociologist,
USA
For more details check out their web
site or e-mail
them.
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Free Cruises
If you are able to give lectures on lifestyle
issues such as retirement, reducing stress,
or having adventures, you can be a life
enrichment speaker on a cruise ship. Good at
dancing? Sign on to be a "gentleman host"
whose main job is to dance with the single
women! Applicants must demonstrate their
steps before being chosen for this position.
Dance teachers are needed as well as
masseuses, bridge instructors, and every ship
has a religious leader aboard. Different
cruise lines have different regulations. I
have worked three cruises as a life
enrichment speaker. Sometimes I am charged
the port tax which might be $150 which I
split with my friend who accompanies me for
free. I give a workshop each day the ship is
out at sea, and occasionally when they are in
port. For more information: click here: Google
Parlay Your Expertise into a Free Cruise.
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New Senior Center Models
The intergenerational, community-based dinner
theater of the Donelson Senior Center in
Nashville, Tennessee, is ranked as one of the
25 top attractions in middle Tennessee! "The
theater program has been an opportunity for
older adults to showcase their abilities and
socialize with the youth," said Janet
Jernigan, executive director of Senior
Citizens, Inc. Gone is the stereotypical
center with rectangular tables aligned in
rows, stark walls, and "old folks" playing
bingo. Centers are adding fitness wings,
computer labs, atriums with sunlight, lounges
with high-definition, flat-screen
televisions. Even under budget restraints
such simple things as placing round tables in
the dining room to encourage socializing or
starting up an intergenerational band are
possible.
The programs in Columbus, Indiana, were
scattered around the city - first located in
a house, then moving to a 14,000-square-foot
historic former water works building. Later a
satellite center was opened in a shopping
center. Now all those programs are being
brought together at Mill Race Center in a
sprawling 30,000-square-feet facility which
will open its doors in a downtown park in
2010. Their motto is, "Community Center for
Active Adults," and their center will be open
from early in the morning to late at night.
Many senior centers are partnering with
existing organizations to offer programs. In
Charlottesville, Virginia, the Senior Center
In, directed by Peter Thompson, has brought
in yoga for people with Parkinson's disease
by working with the National Parkinson's
Foundation, and offers one of the best
aquatic exercise programs in the country in
collaboration with Atlantic Coast Athletic
Club, a private wellness organization. The
Sunshine Center in St. Petersburg, Florida,
has been involved with 150 agencies over the
years and provides office space to many that
offer resources to center participants free
of charge or for a nominal fee. Examples
include a consumer protection program of the
Attorney General's office and community-based
mental health services sponsored by the Older
Americans Act.
This information comes from an article
authored by Arlene Karidis, A new Act for
Senior Centers, published by the Journal
of the National Council on the Aging,
Innovations, Issue 1, Spring 2008.
Comment: Take another look at the
senior center near you. It might be offering
some exciting programs that will enrich your
life and bring you new friends of all ages.
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Join a Hiking Club!
Belonging to your local hiking club can offer
you many adventures. The Old Dominion
Appalachian Trail Club (ODATC) in Richmond,
Virginia, sponsors hikes every weekend, as
well as a Wednesday hike for retirees. They
also put together some exciting adventures
elsewhere. This summer found eight of us
hiking the high Sierras in Sequoia National
Park in southern California on a
club-sponsored trip. In late January I will
head to the Florida Everglades to participate
in an ODATC kayaking trip. Along the way we
will spend time camping at Cumberland Island
National Seashore in southern Georgia and in
Everglades National Park in Florida. These
parks are some of the most amazing natural
areas I have ever visited so I am wild with
anticipation for the many birds, mammals, and
alligators we will see.
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Surfing the Age Wave
The next excitement for me is my keynote,
Redefining Old Age for the 21st
Century March 10th at the Forum on Aging
in Newport News, Virginia. It is sponsored by
the Peninsula Agency on Aging, and the theme
is Surfing the Age Wave! It should be fun.
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Emily Kimball
3220A West Grace Street
Richmond, VA 23221-1306
(804) 358-5536
Fax (804) 358-2415
web: TheAgingAdventurer.com
email:
etkimball@aol.com
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