Love is in the Air!

• Everywhere we look there are reminders that in just two short weeks that

  special day to express our love will be here-Valentine's Day! While a bit

  commercialized, it’s a sweet and fun holiday to celebrate those closest to us.

  And while we should let those we love know it all the time, sometimes we

  don't, so it’s a great excuse to do something special.

  Aside from flowers and candy, jewelry is often on the agenda. If you are

  looking for a special gift I found a recent collection from Ana Gutierrez at the

  Grand Bazaar Shops quite the treat! The line is gorgeous and Ana is a

  designer with heart, giving back and keeping the environment clean are at

  the forefront of her business decisions.

  If the evening calls for dinner, then aside from our favorite dress, makeup

  must be perfect too! Before actually applying any cosmetics though,

  preparation is the first step! Starting with a clean face is so important. As we

  age, our skin can become problematic, so washing without drying it out can

  be tricky. In search of a solution, I recently discovered a face cleanser call

  Better Cleansing Oil by Dermasensa, a local Henderson company. It leaves

  your skin moist, but not oily and it rinses clean. They have a great line of

  products and much to my happiness many of them are aimed at the over 50

  set!

  Once you have a clean canvas to work with, here are a couple of my favorite

  makeup tricks for the lips and eyes!

  As the creator of Fullips, a temporary lip enhancer, lips is obviously one of

  my specialties! Plumping my pout is the first thing I do before applying my

  makeup. As we age that lip line can seem to disappear so using our lipstick

  and liner can be harder to apply!

  After I plump my lips, but before starting other makeup, I use an eye cream

  prior to concealer under my eyes. A fun tip I learned at a product

  demonstration, if you have bags under your eyes, apply your eye cream with

  a slight smile. Dab in a gentle tapping motion, smoothing the skin to the

  outside towards your temple. This helps the skin be a little smoother to prep

  for the concealer. Top with your concealer in the same way, gently tapping in

  an outward direction.

  The last thing I do in my routine is my lip color. Having used my Fullips

  enhancer and now with them nice and plumped up, I first use a lip colored

  liner. Liner can keep your lipstick from bleeding and when lined just outside

  the lip line can add extra fullness too! If you use a waterproof liner, your lips

  will still have shape as the liner will last even if your lipstick doesn’t. If you

  blend the liner partially onto your lips, and then apply your favorite lipstick
• over it, again, even as the lipstick wears off, you will still have color. Our lip

  color also tends to fade as we get older, so anything to keep our lips looking

  young, full and sexy helps! The key is to blend, not fully color in your lips.

  I hope everyone has a warm and loving Valentine's Day, but you don't have

  to wait until then to let someone know you love them! Love to you all!

The Benefits of Giving

Thank you to Our Guest Blogger for January, a Seniorly Contributor

The benefits of giving are numerous. It has been scientifically proven to decrease depression, improve longevity, and foster social connections that can lead to better quality of life. No matter how little you have to give, even a few dollars can make a huge difference in the lives of people in need. Discover the top ways that volunteering can benefit you and others:

Improving Mood

One of the major ways that giving impacts your mood is by fostering gratitude in your life. In fact, “Barbara Fredrickson, a pioneering happiness researcher, suggests that cultivating gratitude in everyday life is one of the keys to increasing personal happiness.” In her book Positivity, she writes that “When you express your gratitude in words or actions, you not only boost your own positivity but [other people’s] as well.” So it’s really no wonder that you feel better and more motivated after volunteering. The energy you put out into the world is reciprocated, leaving you feeling refreshed and grateful for all of the wonderful things you have.

Improving Health

Giving has also been proven to increase your overall quality of life. According to good sources, “A wide range of research has linked different forms of generosity to better health, even among the sick and elderly.” This season, consider making volunteering a family event, and get grandparents and grandchildren involved in activities that make a difference. Volunteering may help aging relatives remain healthier for longer. “A 1999 study led by Doug Oman of the University of California, Berkeley, found that elderly people who volunteered for two or more organizations were 44 percent less likely to die over a five-year period than were non-volunteers.” If longevity isn’t a great reason to volunteer this season, I don’t know what is! Get out there and give back to the community in some tangible way.

Social Connections

Last but not least, giving has been proven to foster social connections that are beneficial to all parties involved. Whether you are serving food at a local soup kitchen or cleaning up a park with fellow volunteers, “These exchanges promote a sense of trust and cooperation that strengthens our ties to others—and research has shown that having positive social interactions is central to good mental and physical health.” Elderly isolation can be a major concern, and volunteering can relieve this by sparking friendships that help elders feel more socially connected.

What’s more, giving can improve our opinions of others and coincidentally make us feel better about ourselves. “When we give to others, we don’t only make them feel closer to us; we also feel closer to them.” Writer Sonja Lyubomirsky writes in her book The How of Happiness, “Being kind and generous leads you to perceive others more positively and more charitably.” This creates a positive feedback loop, in which the volunteering community supports one another and perceives everyone in their best light.

So take some time to give back to your community. Chances are, it will not only spread love to those in need, but also improve your overall quality of life and lead to better health down the road.

Find more topics that matter to you at Seniorly.com >>

~

Seniorly.com is a free service for families seeking elder care communities for their loved ones in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and beyond.

We all need community. Seniorly can help you find yours!

In With the New...Off With the Old!

• Happy New Year! For many of us, kicking off 2016 means dealing with what

  we picked up in 2015, like those extra pounds!

  By our age, we've all tried crazy fad diets that don't work, or we wouldn't be

  back in this same boat! While there are no “quick fixes”, the best rule of

  thumb to shed those extra pounds safely and permanently comes down to

  common sense.

  First, always check with your doctor before starting any diet, especially if

  you have a health condition. A check-up to make sure your weight gain does

  not have underlying medical issues too, like a hormone imbalance, is

  important and helpful!

  Aside from a check-up and counting calories, here are a few simple tips that

  can add up to big losses!

  1) Don't finish what's on your plate. Whatever you leave on your plate will

  not follow you to the scale.

  2) Don't eat late. The more hours between your last snack and bedtime, the

  better.

  3) Substitute your side dishes. Trade something like tomatoes for those

  buttered potatoes. You'll still be satisfied and you'll save unnecessary

  calories.

  4) Cut back on sugar and cutout soda completely!

  You'll also need to increase your physical activity, yes… exercise. Don’t dread

  it! It can and should be fun.

  1) Exercise with a partner! Neighbors, friends, or your significant other make

  exercising more fun. My favorite exercise partners are my grandchildren.

  When your partners are 2 and 5, it means hula hoops, jump rope, dancing,

  chasing or being chased by them. Children make wonderful partners because

  they're always anxious to participate. Remember though, there's a big age

  difference, just because they can do something, doesn't mean we can or

  should. Proceed with caution!

  2) Walking is a great exercise! Increase the distance each day and you’ll be

  burning extra calories in no time! Note: when your body gets used to a

  routine it doesn't burn as efficiently, so every three weeks change your
• pattern or direction to keep your body and mind guessing! Sports like tennis,

  golf or swimming are great too.

  3) Stretch, it’s important! Starting each morning with gentle stretching will

  keep you limber and help to avoid injury, especially before exercise. Be

  mindful of surgeries or joint and back issues.

  4) Sex....Partner and good health permitting, sex is great exercise! It's good

  for your health and great for your relationship.

  A few minor adjustments and before you know it you'll find yourself starting

  2016 with a great body and a lifestyle you can actually maintain! Look

  better, feel better!

  Next month’s column will focus on favorite beauty tips. If you have one you

  would be willing to share, I would love to hear from you!

  Please contact me at TimelessBeauty2020@gmail.com or www.fullips.com