The Baby Boomer Years! They were supposed to be our golden years where everything is just keen and peachy. Now there seems to be another ache or pain every time we wake up.

Staying healthy isn’t easy, but it’s all worth while. By following some basic principles, things will fall into place. And even if there is some major catastrophe, being in strong mental and physical shape helps in dealing with it. Strength body wise and the right “head thinking” gives you a success rate far greater than others.

So here are some tips:
1. Take all medication on time every day and monitor body functions that you need to. Don’t ignore what the doctor says just because you think you feel better.
2. Use appropriate supplements to bolster your immune system. Be sure they don’t interfere with any of the medications you are on.
3. Move every day. Swimming and walking are the two easiest things on your joints. Weight training can be done in a seated position if necessary. You can move shoulders, ankles, the neck and stretch your arms and torso without too much trouble.
4. Keep your mind sharp. Do puzzles, learn a new skill, try a computer game, but learn something new every day. With the speed of change we have today, it shouldn’t be hard to find something you don’t know.
5. Hang around positive people. You won’t have any trouble finding people who will tell you what you can’t do. Find those who will tell you what you can—even if they’re under the age of eight. They believe you can do anything!
6. Appreciate what you do have. You may not be as fast or energetic as you were at 30, or you may be even better. Many people are actually healthier, saner and more at peace than back in their early days.
7. Lastly, many times wellness is a state of mind. If you think you are healthy, live your life the way you want, are mentally alert and inquisitive, enjoy the people around you and they enjoy you, you have achieved wellness.

Baby Boomers Unite! Happiness has no age limits, so why not spend your time the best way you can in the most extraordinary manner enjoying fantastic people, places and health. The fact that you are active and involved does as much for you as anything else.

There’s a bunch of us out there! Spunky Old Broads who refuse to have a midlife crisis! This is the best thing that could have happened to you. You’re fun, enthusiastic, interested and interesting, intelligent, curious and most of all, delightful to have around.

Old is a state of mind and has nothing to do with chronology. S.O.B’s wake up intending to have a great day with a smile on your face and a challenge in your heart.

Some people think we’re a little crazy and that’s o.k. because you only have to follow the steps below to earn the S.O.B. title:

1. Spunky Old Broads carry on with spirit and persistence.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast every morning to start you off on the right foot.
3. Next is a burst of exercise. It could be jogging, walking, yoga, spinning or anything your heart desires. But you get your heart pumping for at least 30 minutes. Remember, physical activity increases your endorphins which increase your energy and resistance to disease which allows you to do even more!
4. Think about your day the night before. Have a good idea of where you go next. Whether it’s lunch with a friend, a matinee that came to town, or volunteering at a hospital, when people see your cheery face, they can’t help but feel better or happy.
5. Check the newspapers and online social calendars to find appropriate groups and venues for you to go to. You will find other people with interests like you and develop new friendships.
6. Most good health comes from mind, body and spirit. Translated that means stimulation of thoughts, learning a new skill, thinking positive thoughts and awareness. For the body, it is movement, keeping active and utilizing the physical abilities you have. Spirituality encompasses who and what you surround yourself with, your entire thought process and how you lead your life morally and ethically.

Midlife crisis? I should say not. Enjoy every day because it is just that—another day to live, love and enjoy. Eat right, play right and live right. And if some crisis occurs, just handle it with your S.O.B. spirit and aplomb.

How exciting! You’re midway through your life, you’ve put some money away, you’ve successfully raised your family and you’ve left your own mark on the world.

What?? You haven’t?? None of these things describe you? You need extra money? You aren’t close to anyone? Time has passed you by?

Well, this is YOUR time! You can be anything you want to be.

Would you like to be an interim CEO? Take over a company and turn it around? Be the one responsible for a company’s second chance? If you’ve had a successful career as head of a company or division, you just may be the one. Some organizations need someone strong in sales and marketing, while others need someone with financial and operational skills. Others need a strategist and someone who can put the right people in the right places.

Turn around specialists are hard to find and if you’ve done that in your past life, this may be your chance at a whole new kind of career.

Let’s look at some ideas as to how you can re-invent yourself with vim, vigor and gusto. If you don’t do that, it isn’t worth it.

1. Perhaps there is something fun on your list that you could never do because of all your responsibilities. You cannot believe the educators, retired execs, business owners, scientists etc., who I have met, who are now driving shuttle vans, acting as tour guides and greeters, simply because they meet interesting people, have fun and little responsibility except for insuring people are treated well

2. Some of you have been pursuing hobbies both difficult and intricate, and have become insanely proficient at them. Are those things you can turn into a part-time business or something you can teach at neighborhood
community centers. Perhaps you can write a column for the local paper or do a talk show on it if it appeals to the public. Things like gardening, cooking, embroidery and decorating are things that the public really likes.

3. Perhaps you always wanted to have a particular career, and because of
circumstances and responsibilities you weren’t able to accomplish it. Now’s your chance. It’s the perfect time. I know people who went to law school at 50, or went back and got a college degree and even moved to a different part of the country or world!

4. You may not want to work at all, but go on adventure trips, have a second home in an exotic locale, or spend time with grandchildren.

5. Get those special skills if you don’t have them, figure out a time frame that works for you and work your plan.

6. Some of you who are already putting up road blocks. “I don’t have the money.” “I don’t have the energy.” “I have too many responsibilities.”
“Other people depend on me.” Those are your roadblocks. And you can make them go away. It depends on what you want more.

It doesn’t matter. This is your time so make the most of it. It really does work. You’ve paid your dues, raised your family, paid your bills, taken care of others and gone the extra mile

If you could wave a magic wand and do anything you wanted—what would it be? Most people haven’t stopped long enough to even think about it. Do it now—do it quietly—breathe and relax and let your mind just be.

Visualize your special day. If you’re clear enough, your sub-conscious mind will see that you get it.

How would you rate your life on a scale of 1 to 5? If you said a 5, just keep reading and enjoying. If you’re down around the 1’s, try some of the suggestions I provide.

1. It is up to you to take control of your finances. Have the information you need to make sure you are fully knowledgeable of how you stack up financially. No one is going to rescue you but you. What is your net worth? What kind of credit score do you have? What are your assets?
2. What is your wellness quotient? You need to be able to move and enjoy yourself. To stay healthy, you must exercise, eat properly, get your check-ups and take your medication and supplements. The better care you take of yourself, the more you can deal with any problems that come up.
3. Do a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day. Cardio gets your heart rate up, stretching is for flexibility and resistance/weight training is for bone density. Eliminate any of these and your regimen is compromised.
4. Proper eating habits mean becoming aware of what goes in your mouth. Don’t diet, just monitor how and what you eat. It’s a way of life that becomes a habit and you won’t even think about it.
5. 3500 calories equal one pound. To lose a pound, you must eliminate 3500 calories that you need. To gain a pound, you must eat 3500 calories that you don’t burn up. Sure, the more active you are, the more calories you burn, but starving yourself is not the answer. Your body thinks you “are starving” it and adjusts the amount it burns.
6. Lifestyle and a social community are important. Find people to go to the theatre with, have book reviews, go on cruises of simple dinners. While some of you may have spouses or significant others, they may not enjoy these things—so have a set of girlfriends you can go places with.
7. Find a safe, stable, comfortable environment in which to have fun and enjoy yourself. And try going to a new place or event at least once a month.

You owe it to yourself, to have your finances, health and community all in place. If you don’t, you will continue to have your midlife crisis with no one around to help you

Why does this mid-crisis coach say the above? Because I have survived it three times and am going strong, not only as the “Spunky Old Broad,” but as an aging baby boomer.
I can’t focus on the “why me.” I have to discover all the opportunities there are to embrace the positive things.

With a total of 12 surgeries, chemo and twice daily radiation visits under my belt, I can speak to this subject with great authority. I have been poked, prodded and stuck continuously, lost my hair, and look like a giant roadmap.

You need to step back into your power and discover the other things in your life that make you happy. Focus on moving forward. Don’t get stuck in grief, anger or denial. They’re natural and important reactions, but aren’t forever. Every minute you spend feeling sorry for yourself, is a moment you don’t have to focus on another opportunity to embrace the positive things surrounding you.

So here are the steps you need to get through all of this in the best way possible. It’s the Spunky Old Broad’s formula to surviving breast cancer with a vengeance and kick breast cancer in the butt!

1. If you know you’re getting the best medical help possible, then relax, follow directions and focus your energy on getting healthy.
2. Consult with a nutritionist to find out the food and liquids you should eat and drink to maintain your energy and resistance to infections and germs.
3. Take the time every day to renew your self by focusing on your spiritual side, a pet project, one of your real pets or a passion that distracts you from feeling sorry for yourself.
4. Keep that smile on your face. I was called “Little Miss Sunshine” just because I walked in for treatments with a smile plastered on my face. When asked why I was so happy, I simply said, “I’m getting cured.”
5. Do some form of physical exercise daily. Whether it is five minutes or an hour is up to you and your ability. Contrary to what you might think, working out will increase your stamina. It may not feel it for the first few days, but within five days, you’ll be cracking.
6. If you’re working, keep it up as long as you can. When you are performing a task, talking with a customer, or looking for an answer, you forget your aches and pains. So keep as busy as you can without overdoing it.
7. Use the support you need. While I was fortunate that I could handle everything by myself, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Just don’t be a whiner or complainer. No one enjoys listening to sob stories and while empathy is terrific, you need to take responsibility for you.
8. Listen to your heart. Everyone is thrown a curve. This is an episode in your life. It doesn’t define you. How you handle it or any adversity ultimately defines you. When you are done, you will emerge not only as the person you were, but a better person overall because you appreciate so much more.
9. Statistics bear out staying in the right mind set. Five minutes of negative thinking takes the body 24 hours to recover from. You don’t have 24 hours at this time. You need every precious minute.

There you go! Isn’t that better than staying home and feeling sorry for yourself? At the end, you can broadcast you’re a champion. And a terrific one at that!