Showing posts with label caring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label caring. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 17, 2012


Avoiding And Dealing With Falls While Caring For The Elderly

Anyone that has even a tiny amount of experience in caring for the elderly will be able to alert you to the pitfalls and hazards of the job as primary caregiver. One of the first things that any of these individuals will mention to you that relate directly to your role is the constant danger of falls. The elderly, as a collective, have an astonishing number of falls every year.

 

This can be attributed to a variety of factors but is primarily a result of feeling and being unstable on their feet. Their bodies are not agile enough to avoid falls and repeated episode could cause more harm than good. As elderly bones are more brittle that those of younger generations then they can easily be broken. Dislocated and fractured hips are the bone break of choice for most elderly individuals and can be extremely painful and debilitating. As a result, you need to be aware of the hazard and prevent it before it happens.

 

As prevention is better than cure when it comes to elderly falls and resultant hospital trips, it may be wise to put preventative measure in place to head off falls before they occur. Maintaining the safety and security of an elderly individual can be very difficult initially because you do not have eyes in the back of your head. It can take a while to become used to their movements, habits and routines. If you watch them closely enough over a period of time then you will soon be able to anticipate their moves before they make them. This can help to prevent falls because you will be able to spot danger a mile off. However, it is not a solution that can be used in the short term, and you do need to be able to prevent falls occurring as soon as possible after you become their primary caregiver.

 

The first thing that you should do to prevent trips and falls actually has nothing to do with the elderly individual in general terms. Instead, you should focus on their immediate environment. You should remove all possible tripping hazards in their home. Everything from rugs and loose carpeting to small objects that are used to decorate a room should be removed. They can all be hazardous in the right situation, or wrong situation as the case may be! You should also look into effective methods of controlling falls.

 

If the elderly individual that you look after does experience a fall in the home, then it is of the utmost importance that you know exactly how to deal with the situation. Firstly, you need to remove all hazards from around the individual to allow you to get closer and assess the damage. You must then administer first aid if it is appropriate to do so. Try not to move the individual until you are certain that there is no damage to joints and limbs. If there is or you think that he or she may have sustained a head injury, then you should immediately call an ambulance. Just keep your relative warm and as comfortable as possible until the paramedics arrive.

 

Falls represent very real hazards in the home and you must always be prepared to deal with them. You will inevitably have to deal with them at some stage, no matter how well prepared you are, but removing the means will reduce the amount of falls and hopefully lower the severity of the injuries.

 

Jim  Pollard, Co-host

Fabulous Fifties and Beyond

http://TheFabulousFifties.net 

Friday, September 23, 2011

Giving Happiness




We all want happiness. We all need appreciation. We all crave for recognition. We all want to be applauded. We all desire to be called good and lovely human beings. We are all looking for this certificate from our friends, family and our partner. This makes us happy. This makes us feel good about ourselves. This gives us new confidence in ourselves. This all gives us a new and positive self esteem, which is very important.

How to get it? Let us do all this for others. If no one is praising us, let us praise others. Let us do all that we want others to do to us. Let us give love, affection, appreciation, and let us applaud others even for a very small victory. Will this help us? It helps us immediately. The first feeling we get after doing a good deed is a feeling of satisfaction. This raises our self esteem in our own eyes. This makes us feel good. By making others happy, we get happiness. So let us become proactive and get all we want by not asking for it, but giving it.

What will happen to others when they get such praise from us? They will feel very happy. They will be happy with us. They will like us even more. They will like to do something in return. They will do all that we have been wishing for. Send happiness to get happiness. The shortest route to a lovely life.

Happiness is a state of mind, when one feels contented with oneself. One feels cheerful with one's life and circumstances. Remaining unhappy is not our goal in life, but happiness is our goal. If we are not happy, life become a burden. One lives, but only because one has no choice. Why not make happiness a part of everyday living?


Jim Pollard
The Best Christmas Gift http://www.SantaSpeaks.com

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9/11/2001 Remembered




9/11/2001 Remembered

I was in my home office with the tv on. All of a sudden Matt Lauer sais “something is happening in downtown New York.
All news then went to the first tower where the plane had flown into it. I called for my wife to come into the office to watch. The next thing was the second plane flying into the second tower. We knew we were being attacked. By whom, no one knew.
The news then came that a plane had flown into the Pentagon. I heart skipped a beat, knowing that our foster son Alex was there. Alex, a Naval Intelligence Officer  assigned to the Pentagon .
The news  about the Pentagon began to escalate, first the plane had flown into the Navy, Marine section,
Then it was stated that it was the Intelligencer section, I knew that was Alex’s section. I really began to be concerned about Alex’s safety . I immediately tried to call Alex to no avail. All the phones were totally tied up.
By this time we had talked with Valerie and Barry, our two birth children. Barry, lived in Florida, he said he would try from there to do all he could to try to get in touch with him.
We spent the next five hours in agony as we watched the television account of all that was happening, all the time not knowing anything about Alex.
At 1;00 o’clock we received an email from Alex. He was safe. The plane had stuck his office but he was ten minutes away from it. God had answered our prayers Alex was safe.
There were many  days of concern after that. Alex was one of the first men to go to Afghanistan chasing
Al Queda. He was awarded the Bronze Star for bravery while there.
One of the highlights of my life was to be able to take part in his retirement service from the Navy at the Pentagon.
After his retirement from the Navy he is still chasing the “bad guys” as an “counter-terrorism”  specialist.
We are very proud of Alex and all he does. We are also very proud of our other two children Valerie and Barry and all the do.

Jim Pollard.
Jim@TheFabulousFifties.net

Monday, September 05, 2011

Eating Right in Healthy Aging


Eating Right in Healthy Aging

You have to eat right in order to stay healthy. If you do not eat right, your body does not receive the nutrients it needs to stay healthy. You have to eat so it fuels your body. Similar to a motor vehicle, which you add gas to travel; the body requires food that promotes energy, making it go. Too much food is not good for you and not enough of the right food can be harmful to your health.

Choosing good foods to eat:
Not all foods is good for you, yet liver is loaded with iron which is good for your blood, but to much isn’t good for you either. Fruits and vegetables are good for you but again not too much because the fruit will turn into sugar and that’s not good for you. Too much may give you the gibes, especially if you have to watch your weight. You can get high cholesterol as well from food if your not careful. High cholesterol can lead to harden arteries, which follows by strokes or heart attacks. So you need to eat but watch what you are eating and how much of it in a days time.

How will I know if am not eating right?
When you go to your doctor, he will tell you if you need to go on a diet. Your doctor will be able to tell by your weight. Then he may put you on a diet to lose weight or a diet to help you gain weight. He will tell you want to eat and how much as well as what not to eat. Then he may tell you to excise everyday. You have to be able to burn up what you take in so it will not turn into sugar or fat.

Remember that you should try to feast from the four food groups. Try to make sure that you only eat the amount your suppose to, and get your excise that you need to make you healthy. You can always call your family doctor to ask him how to do something if you don’t know how they will also help you to learn how to count your calories as well it is a big job when it comes to dieting you have to know how to count your calories and weigh your food. If you don’t you are not going to do want your suppose to do.

The world is filled with support groups that will help you if need support. More then likely you can go to your local hospital and they will know how to get you in touch with a group. These groups are great. The groups will give you support during the time that you need help. At group meetings, you will meet people with the same problems you have and you can give each other the support. Just remember to set a goal but don’t make it so high that you can’t do it and give up. Start out a little at a time and then as you get better you can get a increase your plans. In addition, what ever you do try to stick to it, it takes will power and control.

Willpower the master:
Willpower is a powerful mechanism inside you. If you want to find this willpower take a seat, sit down and talk with you to see what you can find. As you learn more about you, you gain willpower that takes you beyond your abilities, which means you will have a healthy aging in the future.

Jeanetta and Jim Pollard
http://www.TheFabulousFifties.net

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Activities Promoting Healthy Aging



Lack of activities can prevent you from living healthy. When you do not enjoy activities, you may feel fatigue or find it difficult to sleep at night. When you awake in the morning, you may feel tired until you finally fall asleep. As we, age our body change and we have to make changes to accommodate our lives.

Having a good night sleep makes the mind think more clearly. A good night sleep also boosts your energy while controlling your weight. You can also make decisions with less stress. Sleeping well at night makes our immune system stronger to keep us healthier.  Researchers have proved that a good nights sleep is necessary for our health.  Researchers have found that lack of sleep reduces the growth hormones in our bodies, since it changes muscles to fat. Sleep overall is most important, yet it stands behind activities. To improve your health, try walking each day.

Walking will help to loosen our muscles, reduces stress and depression along with anxiety. By reliving these things, it will help us to sleep for a longer and deeper period.  So, when we wake up in the morning we feel happier and more rested.

When you exercise, you get a good night sleep, which promotes metabolism. Without the right amount of sleep, our bodies crave energy. Our body will release insulin or glucose into the bloodstream, which slows down metabolism. This action causes the body to gain weight, rather than control weight.

When a person feels exhausted, they will feel weak and repressed from enjoying activities. This leads to additional problems. Sleeping right balances out our bodies giving us, more energy leading to more activities that will satisfy our sleep needs.

What to avoid:
To rest proper and feel active you must reduce your intake of caffeine, nicotine, harmful chemicals, such as over-the-counter meds that keep you awake, alcohol and so on. The chemicals and substances will keep you awake. Try to avoid drinking anything after 8 p.m. in the evening. Nicotine should be avoid if possible, yet if you must smoke try to avoid smoking after 8 p.m.

Start a walking program in the morning to help wake you up, while boosting your energy. You will feel better since the joints will feel flexible enough to move freely. In addition, walking will help you burn fat and calories. You’ll notice a big change in how you feel the rest of the day.  Start out walking at a slow steady pace for as far as your comfortable.  Each day pick up the pace a bit and walk further. Just remember when walking that you want to work up to a steady brisk walk to make you sweat but not out of breath. Take a short walk before and after meals to calm your nerves, and burn calories too, it will give you energy, relieve that stress from the long day and help you sleep.

If you start a walking program for yourself, it is a lot more fun if you have someone to go with you. Talk to that neighbor you don’t know and maybe they’ll walk with you. Just think about it; you’ll be acquainted with someone new, talk about new things will relieve stress and get in you exercise as well. This might help that neighbor too who maybe hasn’t seen or talked to anyone in a couple of days and than they can sleep better at night.

After walking that brisk walk your doing be sure to cool down. When walking at a vigorous pace your heart rate will go up and it needs to be back to normal. Just walk a bit slow and relaxing until you’ve cooled down.

If you can’t go to sleep at night instead of getting up and turning on the TV try pacing around the house. Do some stretching and shake your arms and legs. Even walking around the house can relax you especially when everyone else is in bed and you can relax more.

Jim and Jeanetta Pollard
Co-host and producers
"The Fabulous Fifties and Beyond" TV Show
Jim@JimPollard.com
http://jimpollardministry.blogspot.com/


Friday, July 22, 2011

Take It Easy and Enjoy Life



Can you remember your childhood days? During those times, nothing yet seemed complicated – all we had to think about were crayons, cookies, or Santa Claus. We didn’t care about the things we didn’t know because we were just too oblivious of the things that might bother us.

But as we grow older, we get anxious with the things that surround us – life and death, loving and parting, success and failure, to name a few. We find that almost everyday, we are obliged to be concerned about people or events.

Nevertheless, always keep this in mind: Don’t take things as if they are responsible for the way you feel. Events or situations do not trouble you. How you look at them does.

If you miss those carefree days, you just have to look back at how you used to view things then, and you will know what to do now. Here’s a guide to make sure you won’t lose your way:

Cherish the simple things: Trust in the power of a smile or laughter, a kiss or a hug. Believe in kindness, honesty, dreams, and imagination. Living positively is the first step to becoming happy.

Loosen up. Laugh at your mistakes. You might remember the time when you were delivering your speech and your mind went completely blank right in the middle of delivering it. It’s embarrassing. But most likely, your audience will forget about it in a day or two. We all mess up occasionally. The good thing is that people tend to forget such situations.

Surround yourself with what you love. Get a pet. Retain film moments as keepsakes. Keep away from those that drag you down. If that high-paying job makes you sulk at the thought of having to go to work, find a job you like first before quitting. If some people force you to comply even if you think of doing otherwise, stay away from their company.

Don’t put off. Go on that trip. Take your Master’s. You’ll never know the extent of your life. Do something, while you can.

Don’t push yourself too hard trying to please everyone. You just can’t. And it never seems to be worth it anyway. When you want to make somebody’s day, start with your loved ones.

Keep fit. Be that attractive person you always picture yourself to be. Cherish your health. It’s the best way of showing you are putting your best face forward.

Do not assume. Don’t fret about forgetting your speech before you actually do it. Don’t worry about not getting the job you want because you might mess up at the interview. It’s good to expect the worst; but don’t end up expecting only the worst. 

Alter your way of thinking. When you’re being ridiculed, criticized about your family background, or condemned for past mistakes, put on deaf ears. Don’t believe everything you hear. You know yourself better than everybody else does. Never wallow in self-pity.

Remember: Don’t get upset over things just because it’s how most people would react when faced with the same situation. When you find yourself being negative – angry, down, jealous, etc. – you also unknowingly drain your energy and enthusiasm. You just have to try keeping these negative feelings in the low, because giving in to these emotions would sometimes make you unreasonable, and you might end up making bad decisions.

Happiness is always in your grasp. You can attain it, as long as you know how.

Bro. Jim Pollard
Minister, Author, Real Bearded Santa, Professional Speaker

Friday, May 27, 2011

Tips to make your Memorial Day weekend and the rest of the Summer more enjoyable.

Bounce This Along
 
 
Mail carriers have said that the U.S. Postal service sent out a message to all letter carriers to put a sheet of Bounce in their uniform pockets to keep yellow-jackets away.

Use them all the time when playing baseball and soccer. Use it when you are working outside. It really works. The insects just veer around you.

All this time you've just been putting Bounce in the dryer!

1. 
It will chase ants away when you lay a sheet near them. It also repels mice.

2. 
Spread sheets around foundation areas, or in trailers, or cars that are sitting and it keeps mice from entering your vehicle.

3. 
It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

4. 
It repels mosquitoes. Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop when outdoors during mosquito season.

5. 
Eliminate static electricity from your television (or computer) screen.

6. 
Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling.

7. 
Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

8. 
To freshen the air in your home, place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

9. Put Bounce sheet in vacuum cleaner.

10. 
Prevent thread from tangling. Run a threaded needle through a sheet of Bounce before beginning to sew.

11. 
Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

12. 
To freshen the air in your car, place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

13. 
Clean baked-on foods from a cooking pan. Put a sheet in a pan, fill with water, let sit overnight, and sponge clean. The anti-static agent apparently weakens the bond between the food and the pan.

14. 
Eliminate odors in wastebaskets. Place a sheet of Bounce at the bottom of the wastebasket.

15. 
Collect cat hair. Rubbing the area with a sheet of Bounce will magnetically attract all the lose hairs.

16. Eliminate static electricity from Venetian blinds. Wipe the blinds with a sheet of Bounce to prevent dust from resettling.

17. 
Wipe up sawdust from drilling or sand papering. A used sheet of Bounce will collect sawdust like a tack cloth.

18. 
Eliminate odors in dirty laundry. Place an individual sheet of Bounce at the bottom of a laundry bag or hamper.

19. 
Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight.

20. 
Golfers put a Bounce sheet in their back pocket to keep the bees away.

21. 
Put a Bounce sheet in your sleeping bag and tent before folding and storing them. It will keep them smelling fresh.

22. 
Wet a Bounce sheet, hose down your car, and wipe lovebugs off easily with the wet Bounce. 


Santa Jim Pollard
http://www.TheFabulousFifties.net

Friday, March 25, 2011

The Stressful Actions behind Healthy Aging

Learning to manage stress can help you feel better about yourself, since you will feel healthier. Stress can be a bad thing, yet you have the power to control stress. If you let stress control you, it will affect your health. You will likely feel sick all the time, or feel like there is no
hope in your world even if there is hope. For this reason, you want to learn how to take control.

How can I take control of stress?
The first thing you need to do is to take a long look. Is your situation so demanding that it stresses you? Get a view on life and decide if you want the positive or negative things offered to you. Figure out how stress will affect your health to see if it is worth hanging onto the negative. Next, ask do you eat right and do you get enough rest? How’s your diet? Is it a healthy diet or is it a junk food diet?

How do people learn to deal with stress?
People learn to deal with stress all the time. It will take time, yet if you want it bad enough you will do it. You have to learn how to cope with the stress before you can deal with it. However, if you do this it will make it easier for you and you will stay healthy. Therefore, the answer to your question is to learn new coping skills.

How can stress affect my health?
Stress can affect you in many ways. Stress can make you feel sick more then normal. Stress can make it difficult for you to make decisions, since it affects your concentrating. Your normal sleeping patterns can be affected by stress. Some people experience off balance eating habits. Some people will eat more then normal and others will not eat at all. You might develop high blood pressure. You could also be affected to the point of living with heart disease. Stress causes anxiety and depression. Stress can affect your overall mental and physical character. You need to learn how to control stress before it takes over you and controls you. You cannot just jump in and take control however, since it takes time to learn how to control stress. Still, the effort you put forth is the gain you get back.

How do I find the ways to control my stress?
You have many options. To learn how you can control stress, consider who you are and what you want from life. You can write down things that stress you the most. Keep in mind some things in life you have no control. For instance, you have children who will cause you stress. Perhaps you have a job, and sometimes it causes you stress. As you age, sometimes as a parent you feel helpless, since you have no control over your adult children. Remember, these children have a right to make their own choices, which may affect you, but you have no control. Let it go. Do not spend your time worrying or yelling at the children, since they are grown and will do what they please, just as you did in your youthful years. Work on you, not anyone else, since it is the key to finding ways to control your stress.



Learn how to say no and mean it. This is a great way to reduce stress. Do not be afraid of hurting someone’s feelings. If they cannot handle no, then the person likely feels rejection and needs help for self. Setting limits mean you have to do what has to be done first for you before someone.

Learning to manage your stress is not going to be easy but it can be done with some work and will power.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Discover Effective Anti-Aging Strategies

Discover Effective Anti-Aging Strategies

Some people feel that aging or growing old is like paying for something you haven’t consumed. But, if aging is understood properly and preventive measures are done in an orderly manner, then aging shouldn't feel like a torture or a punishment for something you haven't done.

USE AND DEVELOP YOUR OWN ANTI-AGING STRATEGY

The following are just some of the simple anti-aging strategies you can apply to your daily life. These are generic so that is why you are also encouraged to develop your own anti-aging strategy that can suit you and your needs best.

1. Do everything you can to maintain a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight that corresponds to your height is one of the best ways to avoid early signs of aging. By maintaining a healthy weight, you can also avoid various coronary heart diseases and other conditions that can be linked with obesity.

By keeping your weight in check, you can achieve a healthy life that can veer you away from aging. Keeping a healthy weight is also possible by eating fruits and vegetables, limiting fat and calorie intake, and with regular work out and exercise.

2. Quit smoking. Smoking is truly dangerous not only to your health but also to those people surrounding you. If you can, you must start developing a routine in order to quit smoking. When you stop smoking, you can reduce the risk of having heart diseases and lung diseases such as cancer.

3. Shield yourself from the sun's damaging rays. Protecting yourself from the sun's deadly rays is one of the best anti-aging strategies out there. Since exposure to the sun is one of the major causes of skin aging, less exposure to it can help you reduce the risk factor of skin cancer. To protect your skin further, avoid sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and always apply sun block on your skin when you're outdoors.

4. Drink plenty of water. Hydrating your skin is also one of the best anti-aging skin strategies out there. Make sure that you provide your body enough water and not with fluids that can damage organs in the body and weaken the immune system such as alcohol.

5. Stay happy. Most people would agree that staying happy is the best anti-aging strategy out there because it gives you a positive outlook in life that makes him or her stay young in body, mind and soul.

Jim and Jeanetta Pollard, Host of Television Show, "The Fabulous Fifties and Beyond"

Check out their new releaseGuide To Dealing With and Caring For The Elderly

Monday, September 06, 2010

Anti-Aging For Dummies

Anti-Aging For Dummies

Want to live a long and healthy life while successfully preventing the appearance of aging on your skin? Before embarking on an anti-aging regimen, treatment of products, you must first be able to properly manage your expectations.

First of all, aging is a natural process and an obsession against aging isn't healthy. However, it is quite important and beneficial to try to maintain health and promote longevity by staying generally healthy. Health maintains youthfulness and it ensures that you won't grow old or show signs of it before it is absolutely time.

Next, you must understand that anti-aging management needs to be handled through several lifestyle enhancements and aging problems can't be solved miraculously by a pill or panacea. Health and well being is achieved only through the existence of balance among three components needed in your life and these are: mental health; physical health; and emotional health.

Healthy body

The physical health aspect is achieved with constant proper nutrition and regular exercise. Keeping the body healthy and functioning healthily ensures that its processes aren't disrupted. Disruption in bodily functions caused by poor health and the predisposition to illnesses causes damage in cell tissues and this accumulated damage is what we call aging.

Healthy mind

When we age we lose irreplaceable brain cells. In fact, in old age, damages to the brain begin to manifest itself in the form of dementia. While is a natural fact of life that we will indeed lose brain cells along the way, there are certain stimuli and factors that speed up the loss of brain cells and affect our mental faculties. Aside from keeping an open mind and trying to continue to learn as we grow older, proper nutrition and physical exercise are essential to maintaining the brain's health.

Healthy feelings

Our emotions are actually a result of the chemical reactions in our body. Certain chemicals and hormones are triggered depending on the stimuli we experience, These chemicals and hormones then send signals to the brain and our cognitive functions then in turn dictate our emotions. This is why it is important to combine mental and physical health.

A good balance between the two ensures a healthy well being. If we are unable to control our emotions we may succumb to stress. which in turn has the power to alter our overall health. Stress takes a toll on our body and makes us act irrationally.

It is important that we remain active. Write a book, paint a picture, make a piece of pottery, volunteer at your local hospital, do something.

"Remember Use It or Lose It"

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Activities Promoting Healthy Aging


Activities Promoting Healthy Aging

Lack of activities can prevent you from living healthy. When you do not enjoy activities, you may feel fatigue or find it difficult to sleep at night. When you awake in the morning, you may feel tired until you finally fall asleep. As we, age our body change and we have to make changes to accommodate our lives.

Having a good night sleep makes the mind think more clearly. A good night sleep also boosts your energy while controlling your weight. You can also make decisions with less stress. Sleeping well at night makes our immune system stronger to keep us healthier.  Researchers have proved that a good nights sleep is necessary for our health.  Researchers have found that lack of sleep reduces the growth hormones in our bodies, since it changes muscles to fat. Sleep overall is most important, yet it stands behind activities. To improve your health, try walking each day.

Walking will help to loosen our muscles, reduces stress and depression along with anxiety. By reliving these things, it will help us to sleep for a longer and deeper period.  So, when we wake up in the morning we feel happier and more rested.

When you exercise, you get a good night sleep, which promotes metabolism. Without the right amount of sleep, our bodies crave energy. Our body will release insulin or glucose into the bloodstream, which slows down metabolism. This action causes the body to gain weight, rather than control weight. 

When a person feels exhausted, they will feel weak and repressed from enjoying activities. This leads to additional problems. Sleeping right balances out our bodies giving us, more energy leading to more activities that will satisfy our sleep needs.

What to avoid:
To rest proper and feel active you must reduce your intake of caffeine, nicotine, harmful chemicals, such as over-the-counter meds that keep you awake, alcohol and so on. The chemicals and substances will keep you awake. Try to avoid drinking anything after 8 p.m. in the evening. Nicotine should be avoid if possible, yet if you must smoke try to avoid smoking after 8 p.m.

Start a walking program in the morning to help wake you up, while boosting your energy. You will feel better since the joints will feel flexible enough to move freely. In addition, walking will help you burn fat and calories. You’ll notice a big change in how you feel the rest of the day.  Start out walking at a slow steady pace for as far as your comfortable.  Each day pick up the pace a bit and walk further. Just remember when walking that you want to work up to a steady brisk walk to make you sweat but not out of breath. Take a short walk before and after meals to calm your nerves, and burn calories too, it will give you energy, relieve that stress from the long day and help you sleep.

If you start a walking program for yourself, it is a lot more fun if you have someone to go with you. Talk to that neighbor you don’t know and maybe they’ll walk with you. Just think about it; you’ll be acquainted with someone new, talk about new things will relieve stress and get in you exercise as well. This might help that neighbor too who maybe hasn’t seen or talked to anyone in a couple of days and than they can sleep better at night.

After walking that brisk walk your doing be sure to cool down. When walking at a vigorous pace your heart rate will go up and it needs to be back to normal. Just walk a bit slow and relaxing until you’ve cooled down.

If you can’t go to sleep at night instead of getting up and turning on the TV try pacing around the house. Do some stretching and shake your arms and legs. Even walking around the house can relax you especially when everyone else is in bed and you can relax more.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Five Simple Ways To Prevent Aging

Five Simple Ways To Prevent Aging

People don’t always have to apply creams, go to the gym or undergo surgery to look young. This is because everything we need is right in front of us and all we have to do is make the most of it. Here are a few simple ways to prevent aging.

1. Studies show that exercise allows you to stay fit and strong. But did you know that sweating allows the body to exfoliate bacteria hidden in the pores? This is the reason you should bring a towel to the gym or while jogging so it can be wiped off.

2. The human body just like the planet earth is composed mainly of water. Every time we exert energy, this element is used and has to be replaced. This is the reason that doctors advise us to drink at least 8 glasses a day. Of course, there is nothing wrong with drinking more than the required volume especially after an exercise.

3. Exercise isn't enough to control anti-aging if nothing is done to improve the diet. When kids grow up, most of the food should be high in carbohydrates. Adults should substitute that with those that are high in proteins. You can do research on the web or read books about this to know which ones should be part of the lifestyle change.

4. We have always heard health experts say that people should get at least 8 hours of sleep but despite this advice, there are those who rest for only 4 to 6 everyday. One way to increase this is by reducing the time watching late night television or partying till the early morning so the body will be ready for the challenges of the following day.

5. Stress contributes to aging and the best way to control it is by being organized. You can jot things down on note pads instead of remembering important details in the head. Studies have shown that doing this aids in memory retention and lets the subconscious work on ideas that will just pop up in the morning.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

The Cab Ride



The following story was taken from the Internet. The author is unknown. This is such a powerful story that we feel everyone would benefit from it.

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute and then drive away.
But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.
So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute,” answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being drug across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80’s stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie.
By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. “Would you carry my bag out to the car?” she asked. I took the suitcase to the cab and then returned to assist the woman.
She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.
“It’s nothing,” I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good boy,” she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, “Could you drive through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.”
I looked in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were glistening. “I don’t have any family left,” she continued. “The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. “What route would you like me to take?” I asked.
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. “How much do I owe you?” she asked, reaching into her purse.
“Nothing,” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered.
“There are other passengers,” I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. “You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. “Thank you.”
I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.
I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of the day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life. We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware – beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, - BUT – THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU TREATED THEM.



Submitted by Jim and Jeanetta Pollard
9312 St. Rt. 131
Hickory, Ky. 42051
270-851-7699 or cell # 270-493-0281
santa1@bellsouth.net

Wednesday, May 02, 2001

Mother's Day ... THE LEGACY OF A MOTHER

THE LEGACY OF A MOTHER
By Mrs. Claus, Jeanette Pollard

When I think back on my life and think of my mother, I think of the wonderful legacy that she left us.
Hers was not an easy life. We lived on a farm. There were always cows to milk, gardens to plant and hoe, canning to be done and clothes to be made. Most of our food and clothes were all made at home. I remember when I went to school I would take my lunch. I would always have a piece of homemade cake. Two of my good friends would always have “bought” cakes. We would trade desserts. My homemade cake was a treat for them as their “bought” ones were for me.
I think the thing I remember most about my mother was her gift of caring for others. I remember when I was a child and daddy would be gone in our one car. She would hear of someone who was sick. This person might live one, two miles or more away, but that wouldn’t keep her from walking to go see them.
Recently I was in the beauty shop and saw one of Mother’s friends. She told me she remembered Mother walking about a mile in the snow to visit someone who was ill.
Not only did she visit sick people, but she and my dad would always be some of the first people to a home where a family member had just died. They would come bringing food.
Mother lived alone for almost fifteen years after my dad died. The last few years she was alive we had to have someone with her all the time. We hired someone to stay with her five days a week. We four girls stayed with her nights and weekends.
When we first hired someone, the lady was staying twenty-four hours a day for five days a week. She was only charging $30 a day. We thought surely Mother wouldn’t think that was too much, but she did. After a couple of weeks, she fired her. She fired the second lady who was charging about the same. I think she lasted three weeks. After this we just had to start paying the sitter without Mother knowing we were paying her. She just couldn’t understand that people no longer went and sat with people just because they loved people and wanted to help them. The day of the paid sitters had arrived.
I know she is now being paid in a way that is far better than any earthly monetary rewards. She was investing for eternity.
A few months ago our daughter was supposed to come and visit us. She called and said she couldn’t come. A friend of hers mother had died. She had promised her that when this happened, she would keep her children for her. Valerie’s comment to us was, “If you all hadn’t taught me to help others, I probably wouldn’t be doing this.”
When you have departed this world, what kind of legacy will you leave your children and grandchildren? Will they remember you taking the time to do kind deeds for others or will they only remember you working so you can buy some more “stuff” and rushing to and fro – always in a hurry?
Take time now to let your children and grandchildren see you going about doing good. Tomorrow may be too late. We are only guaranteed today.


Jeanetta Pollard has authored two books “Mrs. Claus Shares Stories From The Heart” and “Stories Of Hope”. She lives in Kentucky with her husband known as“The Real Santa” Jim.Pollard http://TheFaoulasFifties.net