SMART Living 365

Ideas to create a more happy, peaceful and rewarding life--365!

Social Integration and What It Has to Do with Positive Aging

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Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized

This week SMART Living 365 is pleased to introduce you to Donna from Retirement Reflections as guest blogger while I am traveling.  I have been reading Donna’s blog for nearly two years and believe she offers ideas that are inspiring, practical and SMART regardless of whether you are retired or not.   Thank you, Donna, for filling in and sharing your thoughts with us this week.

When cleaning out a box of old letters and memorabilia recently, I came across a few of my old school report cards. I smiled at the recurring comment, “Donna spends much time chatting with others.” This behavior was definitely in the “things that could be improved” category. What my teachers failed to add was “If Donna continues this behaviour…it could lengthen her life!”

Researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill combined data from 148 studies that looked at factors that lengthen our lives. Within this research, numerous lifestyle behaviors were examined and ranked based on their impact on longevity (diet, exercise, heart health, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, doctor visits, flu vaccines, air quality, etc.). Two factors were consistently found to impact health and longevity much more significantly than previously realized. One was close, dependable relationships with friends and family. The other was social integration.  [Read more…]

10 Food & Lifestyle Strategies For A Long, Healthy & Happy Life

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, SMART Book Reviews

 

As you may have guessed, I am always on the lookout for ways to stay happy and healthy.  At 62 I’m also increasingly interested in any new information that shares innovative research and actions for those of us who want to continue living that way in the years to come.  So, when I heard about a new book called The Longevity List—Myth Busting The Top Ways to Live A Long & Healthy Life I immediately requested a review copy.   Authored by Professor Merlin Thomas from Melbourne, Australia, this book both confirms what many of us have learned through the years and shares new insights about what it takes to stay healthy.  Regardless of your age today, anyone who plans to live as long as possible would be SMART to consider his ideas. [Read more…]

Thoughts On Overcoming Fear And The Work of Byron Katie

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

This morning I listened to a podcast created by author and speaker Byron Katie about overcoming our fears. I realize that writing about fear isn’t always popular. In fact, some people are adamant that they don’t have any fear to begin with.  But I’m convinced that much of the current anger, outrage, hatred, and denial coming out of the news, on social media, and in conversation, is grounded in fear.  So, when Byron Katie applied her “work” on a willing participant in the aforementioned podcast around the subject of current events, the foundation of fear was evident. I found her solution helpful.  And perhaps because it so applied to some of my own shadow thoughts, I thought today was a perfect opportunity to bring them out in the open.

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Lessons on How To Thrive, Live With Uncertainty, and Trust Ourselves

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Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized, SMART Book Reviews

A few weeks ago, Thom and I attended a Sunday brunch hosted by a longtime friend.  Both Joanne and her husband are in their seventies. Yet, you’d never guess their age by their bright and curious minds. Nearly all their guests were as old or older, but again, everyone was curious, open-minded and talkative.  At some point, the conversation touched on how, as many grow older, most seem to shrink back as the years add up. Instead of trying new things and being willing to experiment and explore, there is a strong tendency for seniors to resist the unfamiliar. Many seek safety and comfort rather than possibility and opportunity.  Of course, this isn’t just limited to seniors.  Lots of people seem stuck these days.  So once again it was highly synchronistic when I received a review copy of a book that challenges that outlook, regardless of our age. [Read more…]

How To Profit And Find Fulfillment In The Coming Longevity Economy

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Filed under: Rightsized, SMART Book Reviews

We live in exciting times. Some of that enthusiasm comes after reading the book The Longevity Economy—Unlocking The World’s Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market by Joseph F. Coughlin. Why? Even though the book appears to approach the topic from an economics point of view, the vision it paints for the coming years is provocative, uplifting and filled with potential for anyone over 50. While no one can deny that we all face challenges on a global, national and even personal level depending upon individual circumstances, the cresting wave of baby boomers signals something momentous. The question is: Are we going to ride the surge or just sit on the sidelines? Are we going to create a better future, or just attempt to maintain ourselves until we die? Those are questions for business, governments and every single person alive today.    [Read more…]

Easing Into The Holidays By Celebrating The Best & Letting Go Of The Rest

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Thankful

smartliving365.comMost people I know here in the U.S. are focused on the coming holidays.  Everywhere you turn the music, the decorations, and the celebrations are overlapping with festivities.  It’s very easy to get swept up in cramming the calendar with every possible event and trying to do it all.  It’s also tempting to compare one’s experience with the past, or the other people we see on Facebook.  Or how about those Christmas movies where every relationship drama is resolved in less than two hours so that everyone is happy and in love by the end of the movie?  That’s why it is SMART to remember that our expectations can either provide us with a wonderful experience—OR—they can make us miserable.  Like so many things, if we stay conscious and aware we can choose to embrace the best and let go of the rest. [Read more…]

The Gift of Boredom and How To Master Your Digital Literacy

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized

I have a confession to make. I’m an information addict. In case you aren’t aware, I love reading about all sorts of things in books, magazines, online and just about anywhere I can find it. But a report I discovered yesterday reminded me that too much of anything is not always good. In fact, information-overload is the consequence of a constant search for all things new and interesting. And as I’ve just learned, by cramming every moment with either information or entertainment, I distract myself from the gifts of boredom. As any creative person knows, that downtime is where new original ideas flow. In other words, if we want to be inspired, we would do well to give ourselves the gift of boredom on a regular basis and learn to master our digital literacy. [Read more…]

10 Ways To Rightsize Your Christmas And Have The Best Holiday Ever

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Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Rightsized

SMART Living 365.comWith Thanksgiving behind us, those living in the U.S. can expect to be swamped with messages of consumerism for the next 34 days. In fact, Black Friday, which many retailers have named as the most heavily shopped day of the year, is today. If you are anything like me, even with the best of intentions it’s easy to be mesmerized by the glamor of things being advertised everywhere—even when we know better. But rather than give in to the impulse, I instead decided to sit down and write out a few simple, but important, ways I want to stay rightsized over the coming holiday season. If you could use some help with your resolve, please check out my list and add some of your own suggestions in the comments below.  [Read more…]

Your Big, Empty-Nest House Could Be the Solution to 3 Problems

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Filed under: Aware, Rightsized, Sustainable

This week SMART Living 365 introduces you to Lynne Spreen as our last guest blogger before returning from our trip.  I am a friend as well as a reader of Lynne’s blog Any Shiny Thing.  On her blog, Lynne often writes about positive aging and other SMART ideas that I find valuable.   Thank you, Lynne, for filling in and sharing these great ideas.

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In 2007, a billboard in my town advertised a new housing tract that featured two master bedroom suites, available in their biggest model. It sticks in my memory because I was appalled. Who would buy a house with two master suites?

This was just before the Great Recession, a period of real estate excess when people were buying way too much house and, in some cases, flipping homes like pancakes. [Read more…]

Rightsizing In Place Using S.P.O.T. Goals

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Filed under: Rightsized, Sustainable

This week SMART Living 365 is delighted to introduce you to Janis Heppell as our guest blogger while I am traveling.  I have been reading Janis’ blog Retirementlly Challenged for a couple of years and believe her perspective on rightsizing is something many of you will appreciate.   Thank you, Janis, for filling in with SMART thoughts while I’m traveling.

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Janis and her husband during a recent trip to Oaxaca.

When my husband and I bought our home almost 25 years ago, retirement was a distant dream. We had been preparing for it most of our working lives, but we still had quite a few years before we’d be in the position to take the plunge. We chose our home based on its general location and the particular neighborhood, not on its suitability after we left the work-world.

Now that we are retired, how our home functions in our day-to-day lives has supplanted our concern with work commutes. [Read more…]