It is quite timely that today, on June 1st, a majority of Americans have been protected with COVID-19 miracle vaccines. I offer my cameo role in thanking our heroic drug developers and first responders with my virtual Hug!
Remember that hugging, OR just thinking about hugging, is a darned good boost to morale in good times and not-so-good times. We are chemical wonders when we can naturally generate OXYTOCIN – that wonderful hormone for peaceful, easy feelings
As hugs can lead to other intimate acts, THANK YOU Juno for helping couples with weddings and fertility. Face-to-face weddings are here – hopefully to stay!
We are social critters, as the past 15-months of suspended COVID animation reinforced. And now we can row, play pickleball, and interact without MASKS! I did a double-take today in today’s pre-dawn hours as NO masks were needed at the Boathouse.
Yippee!
Can you tell that I am excited about this new month? Here are otther reasons for my happy Midsummer Night’s dreams:
The Boys of Summer are soon to play before full crowds in ballparks around our country.
I can set aside my masked man haberdashery for most summer activities
I can help spread the good word for Men’s Health Month
I will wear Blue on June 18th, 2021
I will see my primary care physician in a few weeks – – – coincidental for Men’s Health Month’s mission:
“to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.”
If lucky, I will get a tad spoiled on Father’s Day (Sunday, June 20th), and
We all can celebrate the official first day of Summer on Monday, June 21st. For San Diegans like me, that means that we can revel in 14+ hours of daylight.
Then, let’s all celebrate our Midsummer Night’s Dream on June 24th – which in days of your was the midpoint of growing seasons. YEA for great “VITAMIN P” that is the source of so many vital micronutrients needed to help each of us thrive and strive.
Thank you Juno!
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Our merry month of May is known for Derby races, flowers blooming, a Wall Street arguable adage about “invest in May and go away”, plus Mental Health Month. Please don’t go…
I’ll bet a nickel that most boomers hope that equities will continue to climb a wall of worry. And another nickel that most of us “Encore aged” folks in America had some darker than “normal” days in our lockdown year. Are there any takers on my wagers?
But wait, even in the best of times – mental health problems stagger most casual observers and professionals! Three statistics follow for your consideration;
You might [correctly] imagine that Military Veterans, folks in the Criminal Justice System, and minorities are well past tipping points as outliers for UNhealthy mental states. We know more, too!
SCIENTIA IMPERIUM
Now, today’s entry is a layman’s Public Service Announcement (PSA), and hope that readers can know enough about possible symptoms to say something IF they see something. That “something” could be a red flag in a family member, friend, or community member. It could be depression, suicide risk, major sleep problems or PTSD. Knowledge is indeed POWER – in ancient tongues or in modern English.
Feeling very sad or withdrawn for more than two weeks
Trying to harm or end one’s life or making plans to do so
Severe, out-of-control, risk-taking behavior that causes harm to self or others
Sudden overwhelming fear for no reason, sometimes with a racing heart, physical discomfort, or difficulty breathing
Significant weight loss or gain
Seeing, hearing, or believing unreal things
Excessive use of alcohol or drugs
Drastic changes in mood, behavior, personality, or sleeping habits
Extreme difficulty in concentrating or staying still
Intense worries or fears get in the way of daily activities.
And, most certainly EXERCISE can help one’s mental health in good times or bad. This British site summarizes the positive role of exercise to improve mental health better than I…And, this infographic about older people and mental health strikes home!
Before getting to Groundedness and Earth Month ’21 matters – I tip my ballcap to Queen Elizabeth II. Her stately countenance at last week’s funeral for her husband prompted me to ponder, what’s next for this regal widow? One answer was in a newspaper article this week. The Queen advised,
” If you stop…you drop.”
Amen. I offer that this 95-years young ruler is indeed grounded, perhaps like a Beech which is considered to be the queen of native English trees.
Credit: tinybuddha.com
Another leader I admire, Teddy Roosevelt, offered a groundedness challenge from his bully pulpit:
“TR” wasn’t just a rough rider, he was an outdoorsy visionary who established our National Park system. We don’t call him the Conservation President for nuttin :). We encore-aged folks get free access to most of our wonderful National Parks!
And, as our Down Under Friends offer, “The main aim is to keep your mind and body connected and working together.”
Credit: Twin Peaks – Mind Body Spirit are up to the Task!
Whether we seek to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide in our global village or stay on our personal journeys for mind-body alignment (aka stamininety) – let’s commit to groundedness to make the best of every moment. And God Save the Queen!
Go barefooted often, breathe mindfully, and stay well past forty.
When you’re ready to join our KABOOMER Movement, just contact Koach Dave (below), or opt-in to get text message tips: Type WP40 to #41259. KABOOM.
I’m excited about this spring’s new romantic comedy titled “SENIOR MOMENT.” One of my favorite actors – Christopher Lloyd, supports the William Shatner character and the delightful Jean Smart in Palm Springs sagas. I don’t know if these folks got their COVID vaccinations, yet I hope so. Sometimes we boomers get an advantage over younger folks, according to Saturday Night Live…
As an aside, I nearly played a cameo role in a sports movie with Christopher Lloyd and the notable James Gandolfini. Yet Galdolfini’s untimely death means that the Best Supporting Actor won’t be moi. Stay tuned for a “10” movie cameo in a few paragraphs.
Just one more aside – – – March and April Madness. John Wooden must be smiling after that ever-memorable semi-final game between GONZAGA and the UCLA Bruins. That overtime thriller was one for the Ages! As I share in my sport of Rowing when my crew doesn’t prevail; we didn’t lose, we just ran out of time… Wowza!
Back to this Spring season and Senior Moments. In a spirit of diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Urban Dictionary also defines “Millenial Moments.” Yup…
As we advance in calendar years, most of us boomers wonder if we’re a bit more forgetful, or experiencing something worse. In full and open disclosure, a client gave me a TILE device to help me find my car key after I missed her training session. Oy… I remake a case that teenagers can also be forgetful.
Dementia Diseases
What we definitely do not want to have are chronic attention deficits that can be precursors to sad and costly dementia diseases, possibly the most common dementia called Alzheimer’s. If a loved one or you seem to frequently forget where those reading glasses or car keys are – please be proactive and address a potential life shortener before it is too late. If/when lapses of memory or cognitive failures impact one’s activities of daily life (ADL) – it is time to seek professional care. As the Alzheimer’s Association advises,
“Professional evaluation may detect a treatable condition. And even if symptoms suggest dementia, early diagnosis allows a person to get the maximum benefit from available treatments…”
Some of us are more pre-disposed to mental fog and forgetfulness than others. We can’t choose better parents for our crystal clear mind-fit body alignment or misalignment that we inherited – right?
Yet, we do know that our brains function best when exercise and sleep keep those cranial blood vessels tuned. As the British arm of Alzheimer’s non-profits advises, “regular exercise appears to be one of the best things that you can do to reduce your risk of getting dementia.”
I, as your KABOOMER KOACH, believe that counter-dementia focus on EXERCISE without questions. Our amazing human brains need three basic inputs [oxygen, glucose, and restorative rest] to thrive, strive, and hopefully generate neuroplasticity, I implore all to take the appears to be one of the best things that you can do to reduce your risk of getting dementia theme of MOTION as MEDICINE seriously for your Encore Years.
Thrive and Strive
Should you hesitate to believe me, perhaps these perfect “10″ – Bo Derek’s – thoughts will inspire you:
Adding to Motion (exercise) – – – other fun ways to keep our inner brain wires humming are; travel, mind games, and enjoying art forms (visual, musical). You might have enjoyed the MASTER’s Golf Tournament this past weekend, with vicarious images of Augusta in springtime. And, I hope that you can soon enjoy Grand Masters artwork in not-too-distant travels.
Don’t miss the Rijks Museum in lovely Amsterdam – only 7300 kilometers from the Wall Drug Store in South Dakota :).
You’ll have to Drive Route 16 in South Dakota to see for yourself if The Wall Drug Store is a liquor in the front and poker in the rear kinda place.
Fine Arts offer a wonderful way to stay mentally young. As April 24th marks another birthday of the Bard, DO get to a Shakesperian play to celebrate timeless trials, triumphs, and yes – tribulations of amazing personae (take John Falstaff for example). Motion, laughter and the Arts are great for KABOOMER minds and bodies. Don’t be strangers to them as we crawl out of our pandemic pot-hole… And, watch “10” (if you like RAVEL music…) and SENIOR MOMENT this spring.
Please test WP40 to Text # 41259 to join the KABOOMER Movement – with weekly fitness and lifestyle tidbits.
Or, please send Well Past Forty (Koach Dave Frost) your note of interest and commitment for thriving and striving.
Thanks, Coach! I’m certain to seek a fuller life, looking ahead to new challenges in my encore years. I’ll remember my Gap Year, as I’m sure that you will.
Let’s remember that too much of a good thing, too quickly may NOT be wonderful.
Your and my encore-age journeys for fresh, springy steps and motion should be deliberate, measured, and safe.
Today’s Wall Street Journal column by Anne-Marie Chaker offered some easing reminders to get one’s MOJO back in our great outdoors. Her summary observations and recommendations are totally in-stride with KABOOMER themes:
Go Slowly
Get your Rest
Eat Clean nutrients
Include resistance training, and
Add variety as a good Mix-It-Up.
KABOOM,
Koach Dave
Should you desire or need a Coach, as Champion Dan Gable suggested, please reach out for your FREE Fitness and Wellness Orientation.
With the Day of Cupid in our rear-view sights, we can and should still relish those XXXOOO symbols for lovin’ spoonfuls:.
How about the OX paired letters? As in this new Chinese Lunar Year of the OX?
I learn new things every day, such as this is now the Year of the METAL OX, according to CNN.com Travel and fengshui expert, Thierry Chow. Wait wait for her prescient thoughts about syringes and movement – – –
“The metal element represents anything sparkly from jewelry to the needle of a syringe. So we can see a bigger emphasis on industries related to metal in 2021.
“The ox, …is a hardworking zodiac sign. It usually signifies movements so, hopefully, the world will be less static than last year and get moving again in the second half of the year.”
I am a big fan of 15-day Festivals to begin a New Year. Although as a Vietnam-era veteran, the synonym TET for Lunar New Year brings back unhealthy memories. This year’s Lunar Festival ends on February 26th – occasionally called the Chinese Valentine’s Day.
As I penned, this is a good time to consider Xs and Os, and sturdy, moving Oxen…
Why don’t we all party on to celebrate this NEW Year of Metal, successful syringe Vaccinations, and Movement as really GOOD medicine?
KABOOM,
Koach Dave
As always, I stand ready to help you on your journey to party past ninety and to improve your physical banking account.
Just text WP40 to #41259 for your weekly tips.
And, or fill out this Contact form below to Join our Movement – – Be safe!
I commend to you this blog post about Waist to Hip Ratios (WHR).
Why? Body Mass Indices (BMI) do notcredibly gauge healthy body composition for many Americans – female and male. If you are a muscular, “big boned” KABOOMER – BMI might label you as a statistically overweight or fat person, even though your measired body fat is impressively low!
Most of our body dimensions and ratios shapes are different than Barbie’s hourglass figure or and Ken’s ectomorph physique. Yet – most of us can and should strive to be more “Pear-like” rather than Apple-shaped. Repeat after your Koach: Good Pears, Bad Apples!
Please know what your WHR is, and try to keep it “low” as suggested by this credible Table from a dated yet credible 2008 World Health Organization report:
Table A1: World Health Organization cut-off points and risk of metabolic complications Indicator Cut-off points Risk of metabolic complications
Waist circumference >94 cm (M); >80 cm (W) Increased
Waist circumference >102 cm (M); >88 cm (W) Substantially increased Waist–hip ratio ≥0.90 cm (M); ≥0.85 cm (W) Substantially increased
M, men; W, women
Assuming that we KABOOMERs want to avoid or mitigate Metabolic Complications from central fat – we must know the risks and work to change our WHRs. Click here to gauge your WHR:
Number Seven is the most popular number picked when folks are asked to name their FAVE… Pinball machines and dice games often celebrate LUCKY SEVENS…And there is even a ballad called LUCKY SEVENS by The Mechanism band:
“Well, the Lucky Sevens, they rule the streets
The dice are loaded an’ they play for keeps
The fire burns bright
In the cool, dark night
When the Sevens are in luck.”
Let’s ponder 7 Sevens with relevance for KABOOMERS on this ultimate day of a calendar year which many sources offer was horrible, awful, and tragic. Let’s create our own luck, good fortune and rule our streets as we play for keeps!
Credit: media.giphy.com
Unplanned pandemic deaths of both commoners and big-name personae added up to natural mortality causes to make 2020 a deadly numbers year. Since Thanksgiving, our great nation has said goodbye – every day – to mortal numbers that exceed either Pearl Harbor or 9/11/2001 World Trade Center deaths.
I tried to do my part with public service announcements in this weblog and in varied podcasts for HANDS, MASKS, and SPACING [H-M-S].
Credit: gov.uk
I suspect that many who dislike these personal privacy matters will queue up for vaccines just the same when their category is called upon?! Short term symptoms and long-tail awful afters make COVID-19 our once-a century plague. But I digress . . .
On this Seventh Day of Christmas – even if you can’t locate:
Credit: Matt Cook on Dribble
Our First Seven – let’s start with those “7 S” elements of your KABOOMER’s Physical Bank. Six pluses and one thief – STRESS.
Credit: KABOOMER: Thriving and Striving into your 90s
2. Seven #2 – The 7 Deadly Sins. Many boomers remember Gilligan’s Island as do I. One of 2020’s big names CoVID-19 deaths was Dawn Wells: the actress who played Mary Anne in that hit show. Do you buy into a linkage of 7 Gilligan’s Island castaways to the “Seven Deadly Sins” as fact? Even a trusted radio channel (NPR) argued for a dark side to this comedy.
Mary Ann represented ENVY as a Sin. Do you know what Koach Dave offers about this sin?
Don’tEnvy or covet other’s success or good fortune.
Do invest and gain your unique assets for your own physical bank. And, be grateful as you build your chart of accounts.
NPR writer, Lindsay Totte, made a key observation which reflects Tom Cahill’s “YOU VERSUS YOU” predicament which many find in themselves,
“…each of us has our own inner Gilligan, that sweet-natured, well-meaning part of us that
always sabotages us from getting what we really want.”
Perhaps we can ask ourselves 7 questions as we start the Roaring 20s tomorrow on 01/01/2021:
What do I really want?
What stands in my way from gaining that?
How can I look at the man or woman in the mirror as a Gainer? Note: This Gainer meaning comes sfrom the Cambridge Dictionary, rather than the Urban Dictionary! I’m not speaking of weight gain…
Am I committed to working on my livingto100 calculator?
Will I lower my fitness age to party past ninety?
Do I place as much focus on my Physical Bank accounts as I do on my fical 401(K) accounts?
Do I live a Stamininety mantra that MOTION is MEDICINE?
3. Third Seven (not to be confused with that regional bank – Fifth Third…)
Mimic Morpheus with about seven hours of restorative sleep. Reboot your Sleep habits with KABOOMER hacks, and/or check out credible Sleep Science!
Credit: media.giply.com
4. Seven Characteristics can keep you STRONG, emotionally STRONG, to max out your Mind-Body-Alignment (what your Koach called “MBA”). Consider these 7 KABOOMER life skills that can help you and me in our activities of daily life:
a. Motivation
b. Empathy
c. Self Realization
d, Gratitude
e. Persistence
f. Humor, and
g. Be Like CELEBS(see your Stress-not Chapter of KABOOMER for details).
5. Seven possible Epitaphs of Luminaries who departed us in 2020:
“In the standing on one leg with eyes closed test, men and women were able to hold the position for less than two seconds were three times more likely to die before the age of 66 than those who could hold it for 10 seconds or more”
f. Shoulder Girdle Strength –
g. Crunches or Bent LEg Situp (or equivalent Core exercises if a KABOOMER has lower back issues)
7. Seven Work(out) from Home Necessities
a. Sweatpants (the new office casual attire for Pandemics)
b. Non-BPA water bottles
c. Comfy and cozy slippers or wild socks
d. Get outside for your Vitamin D3 – whenever, wherever…
e. Get in touch with Nature
f. Take warm, Epsom-slat baths (adding essential oils if you desire) – 90 minutes before shutout time
g. Celebrate each daily orbit as best you can while acknowledging that you can’t change why bad things can happen to nice folks.
I wish I was in Pasadena for a Tournament of Roses spectacle tomorrow. Shucks. And, the Rose Bowl may be re-christened the Yellow Rose of Texas Bowl – Shucks again.
Tomorrow is a blessed WRAP! Peggy Noonan’s premier summary of a most horrible year can be read here. Yet, KABOOMERs are glasses-half-full types, and we NEVER WASTE CRISES…
Here’s to vaccines, public health, America’s common good, gratitude, and KABOOMing in our imminent New Year. And – here’s to your Significant leverage of MOST THINGS SEVEN (skipping ENVY as a Deadly Sin) to Party Past Ninety.
Onward!
Koach Dave
As always – Join the KABOOMERR Movement by texting WP40 to #41259.
2. I share with you one of my favorite BOXING DAYtunes – by a local San Diego Group – Blink 182.
When it comes to your KABOOMER wellness – it is always good to recall these BLINK lyrics:
“Reignite like fireflies, like an atom bomb
At all hours…”
As we bid adieu to 2020 – here’s my challenge to you . . . REIGNITE to Thrive and Strive!
3. Compliments of San Diego County’s Aging and Independence group, and Kim Gallo – please take these noble GRAPES to heart and action for your Roarin’ Twenty decade:
G – Gratitude
R – Relax
A – Appreciate
P – Pleasure
E – Exercise and
S – Socialize.
As Ms. Gallo offers,
aim to keep perspective and to introduce healthy
and balanced thoughts throughout the day.
…Regardless of how we feel in any
given moment, we can make the choice to take action that
aligns with our values. For example, if health is something you value, there may be small steps you can take to look after
your health in regard to exercise, diet, sleep, or alcohol use…”
On this ultimate Sunday in a most unusual year – GRAPES is a darned good homily.
Should you not find a FEELING FIT or Silver Sneakers Hui nearby – >
do START YOUR OWN group to help you party past 90!
Thinking of December sixteenths in history – I can pinpoint two extraordinary anniversaries that still impact our topsy-turvy world…
Brewer patriots had their Boston Tea Party in 1773. We know what those rebel yells led to!
The Battle of the Bulge began on this date in 1944 around the quaint town of Bastogne, Belgium. When life was precarious for our fabled, yet outmanned and outgunned 101st Airborne, General A. McAuliffe offered one of the mojo mottos of all time – “Surrender? NUTS!”
That, as we look in our rearview mirrors, is history. Now, a rhetorical query time . . .
Is there a Better time spot to start our own EXTRAordinary history channels?
Think of these pandemic Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Festivus days as best ever times to establish the important differences between ordinary and extraordinary performance.
If not me, who? If not now, when?
Recall how I differentiated between two notional Baby Boomers – Decent Deb and Great George in KABOOMER.
Sure, Decent Deb did her minimum and hoped for better days. Great George stretched for a little bit EXTRA to stay EXTRAordinary.
George’s Gym or Fitness Age is far lower than his calendar age. And that can be exciting personal history.
Many of us can stretch out to build our extraordinary physical banker portfolios too! Trust your Koach.
Listento your Koach, too, finding discretionary time to invest in an information-rich podcast or two. We could be seeing an added DECADE of your personal history – and a quality-filled history – as your Physical Bank Portfolio grows. KABOOM.
This podcast is also available on other major podcast portals – Apple, Google Play…
My analog calendar advises me that we’ve got just eight days and a wake-up until Christmas 2020. What better time will there be to write your non-fiction greatness?
Be a KABOOMER EXTRAordinaire! Strive to be a Great George. Find your “NUTS” chutzpah like McAuliffe did. Yes, You Can!
Credit: tinybuddha.com
:). 
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Bad Apple! 
Credit: media.giphy.com
Credit: gov.uk
Credit: Matt Cook on Dribble
Credit: KABOOMER: Thriving and Striving into your 90s
Credit: media.giply.com
