WOULD YOU LIKE BOTOX WITH THAT?

Marion Pellicano Ambrose


What topic is of concern to almost every 40 something woman? Aging!  Who hasn’t started checking the mirror for the rogue wrinkle or patted the chin to try and regain that tight, firm jawline?  It seems at 40 we all start to have some troublesome symptoms:

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/roseanne-rosanadana-on-smoking/2402/

Looking young has become not only an obsession but a multi-million dollar business! Women (and men) are going to plastic surgeons, GP’s, Dentists, and even Optometrists who advertise Botox injections or laser treatments.Next thing you know we'll be able to get it at Starbuck's! And it’s not only the 40 and over set. Young teens are begging for Botox or plastic surgery! I recently read that on the child beauty queen circuit moms may actually inject their little models with Botox, Restylane, or Juvederm to give them a little edge in competition. dawn's take on this was, Botox for kids, what's next? 

Of course, society says we women must be thin, have huge boobs, silken hair and soft, supple skin. (Men, while under less pressure, worry about hair loss, belly fat, and male enhancement.)

Unfortunately, most of us over 40’s are not the “Cougars” Jillian talks about in "A Walk on the Cougar Side”

We are working mothers with stress and years of wear on our face and bodies. We don’t have the money for nips and tucks, injections or lasers. Our waistlines start spreading, fat does not burn off as easily, we’re more prone to cellulite, we get tired easily, our skin begins to sag and we begin to look older than our age. This is because most of us don/t change our eating habits or lifestyle as we age. It’s necessary to try to speed up our metabolism as we approach 40.

After 40, we are more prone to weight gain since we lose muscle mass, and we also lose bone density which can ultimately lead to osteoporosis. Since our metabolism slows down, there is more fat storage and the average and we gain 1 lb per year in our weight.  Sounds pretty hopeless, but there is good news. Physical activity lowers the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, improves sleep and reduces stress. It steps up our metabolism and keeps us looking and feeling young. Even walking can make a difference, but strength training can be an important part of the exercise routine. It can help burn up to twice as many calories and body fat and adds muscle mass. It increases flexibility, balance, strength and endurance.

Building strong muscles at this age is most essential, and that is why including strength training in your exercise routine is very important. People who have added strength training to their exercise programs after the age of 30 burn twice as many calories and body fat than people who haven’t. Strength training helps to add muscle mass, increase cardiovascular endurance and firm sagging. This form of training includes physical activity to build strength, balance, flexibility and endurance.

I’ve watched Barbara change her life, her vitality and her appearance and have been inspired by her. She fought the aging process and is beating it back each day. Because of her, I’ve started drastically restricting bad carbs, adding lots of veggies and trying to be as active as my disease allows. I’ve lost 12 pounds so far. Not much compared to Barb’s 90 plus, but I’m on my way! I already have more energy and am sleeping less. I hope that soon my clothes will start to show a difference. I especially hope that in the not too distant future, my husband will look at me and see something of the girl he married 22 years ago, and without the benefit of Botox!

AGING (Not So) GRACEFULLY

The Good Girl


Lately, I've found myself thinking about aging. Usually, I try to avoid that line of thinking. Aging can be wicked. Birthdays haven't been something I've looked forward to since, well the early Clinton administration. Funny, in my mind I think of myself as much younger than my actual years. I don't have an exact number in my head but it's no where near the real one. It's a disconnect, but I can live with it. I tell myself that I am still young. Immaturity helps. Denial also works wonders.

Then something happened that I couldn't deny. The wrinkle. It suddenly appeared, under my left eye. The dreaded "crepe-paper" type of wrinkle, too! I hoped it was from not enough sleep and being sick recently. Then came the thought that I should have listened to my mother warning me about all that sun exposure as a teen. Did I listen? Of course not. I wore no sunscreen. My friends brought baby oil to the beach. I did everything but have one of those shinny aluminum pans under my face. And this wrinkle was the result.

In reality, it wasn't just the sun's fault. I'm getting older, despite the number in my head. Over 40 million Gen-Xers are going into their forties. I had believed that aging wouldn't bother me. Yet when I saw that wrinkle, I had to fight back. I started slathering on under-eye creams. Kept my sunglasses on. I felt very self-conscious about it. I was surprised at my level of vanity. I wasn't ready to look old! Fighting the aging process is big business. A search for wrinkle prevention brought up three million results. Roughly $14 billion is spent on cosmetic procedures yearly. Yes, that was a "b."

In the end, the wrinkle that has caused me such distress turned out to be dry skin that stubbornly stuck around for a couple of weeks. A tiny nuisance that quickly passed. It became clear to me that the thought of getting older scares me more than I care to admit.

Age may just be a number and it all in your head. But for me it was a different matter when it was on my face. My hope that my next age-related freak out will be on a lesser scale. It took awhile for me to feel comfortable in my own skin, so it may take a little longer to adjust to the fact the skin isn't as wrinkle-free as it was once. 

AGING GRACEFULLY

Marion Pellicano Ambrose    

 I’ve spent more years than I’d like to admit, looking in the mirror. While I was never overly thrilled with what I saw, it wasn’t too bad. I mean, I wasn’t hideous or scary to look at! But lately, I just don’t know!  Suddenly I’m asking myself, “Since when did I get a turkey neck?” and “Why do my eyes look like they have railroad tracks coming from the sides?” Unfortunately, 40  happened! Then it wasn’t long before life had other surprises for me. While most of me started getting wider and fuller, where the heck were my lips going? The roots of my hair suddenly went from healthy reddish brown to dull, dry white! (Of course you’ll never see it, thanks to my new best friend, L’Oreal!)

     It’s been a frightening journey, but I know from watching my mom and my friends’ moms, that this is just the beginning! When they get together, the conversation naturally turns to their gallbladders or hysterectomies. They compare medications and blood pressure, playing “can you top this?”  And it gets worse! Eventually, instead of thinking about meeting new people and enjoying the spontaneity of life, the major concern of the day becomes “will my Activia start working or will I be miserable all day?”