Top Ten Things for Women After Age 50 To Do - Not Know - Do

Do you know a woman over 50?

Do you love a woman over 50?

Are YOU a woman over 50?

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, the following ten things are things you really need to make an active part of your life.

Volumes have been written on what to do, what not to do, what you should know, what you probably don’t know, and on and on and on concerning women as they do what our culture tells us is the worst thing a woman in 21st Century America can do: get older.

If you are one of these over 50 women, as I am, it’s all just a little bit disconcerting. And I can’t help but think, at the bottom of most of this onslaught of information is the motivation to separate me from the hard-earned cash I’ve finally accumulated a little of after more than a half century on the planet. Yes, I have age spots. Yes, I have wrinkles. Yes, I have gray hair. No, I don’t think you or your latest version of snake oil can do very much about any of that. Why? Because, as everyone has pointed out to me, I wasn’t born yesterday.

After some dedicated research, and more than a little bit of effort to separate the facts from the hype, I’ve established my own list of the top ten things every woman over the age of 50 needs to know and put into action for her own benefit. For better or worse, here they are:

1. Don’t underestimate your own knowledge of your own body. If something feels not exactly right, it probably isn’t right. Check it out with a doctor you both trust and can easily talk to. (If you can’t do one, you can’t do the other.) Heart disease is our greatest threat. And it is nobody’s fault but our own if we ignore or minimize the symptoms when they present themselves. It is well documented as the leading killer of women.
2. Move. Walk, dance, swim, stand when you are talking on the phone, intentionally park in the middle of the lot, take the stairs, wear a weight belt around the house for some strength training. But move.
3. Stop eating what you know is not good for you. Less processed. More natural. Less red meat. More fruits and vegetables. Less salt and sugar. More water.
4. Are you still smoking? Seriously? After all these years and all you now know? Enough said.
5. Enjoy your one glass of wine each day, or your one bottle of beer or wine cooler, or your one mixed drink. But that’s it. Only one.
6. Have sex.
7. Sleep at least eight hours every night. I know. I know. If only I could, right? Watch your alcohol and caffeine intake in the evening. Take a hot bath and/or read a good book before bedtime instead of watching an action movie. Turn out all the lights and turn down the heat in your bedroom. Have a mental “going to sleep” routine, turning off the worries and letting your thoughts go to a happy place. (Reference number two and six.)
8. Forgive someone. Start with just that one person who has so wronged you. You know what will happen next? You’ll forgive someone else, then someone else, then someone else. You set the pattern for forgiveness just like you set the pattern for holding grudges. Nothing ages us more than holding grudges.
9. Listen to uplifting music, however you define that. If jazz floats your boat, go with jazz. Maybe you whistle a happy tune to show tunes. Classical music might be your cup of tea. Or you might be a believer that Rock rocks. Gospel may be what speaks to your soul. Or you might be more than a little bit country. Pick one or all of them. The benefits would be a great topic for another hub.
10. Do something each and every day for someone besides yourself. This generosity gets the focus off your own limited universe and motivates you to expand your comfort zone, stay connected with the outside world, and continue to explore and learn every single day.
    
    
    For more information on women's health, this is a great clip from ABC News, but HP doesn't support the format. Go to http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=13776020 on your own Internet browser to watch.
11. Just learned this: Brush your teeth with the hand you don't normally use. It's an easy routine to get into on a daily basis, and it will significantly help fight off dementia.