Summer is a great time to increase your fitness level for a better quality of life. Fitness should involve more than just improving your appearance; it is really about maintaining your health. Please remember to talk to your doctor before starting any exercise Regimen. Aerobic exercise - loosely defined as any physical activity that makes your muscles, heart and lungs work harder - is best. Walking is one of the safest, most effective and easiest forms of exercise. Experts say 30 minutes of walking 3-5 times a week can bring about significant improvements in your fitness level. Walking can lower bad cholesterol and blood pressure while helping to maintain bone density and strengthen muscles. It also boosts your metabolism, helping your body burn more calories. Exercise releases mood-elevating endorphins.
A pedometer can help keep you accountable in your goal to become more active. It accurately counts your steps. You can get them for as little as $10 at Walmart. The more sophisticated ones cost around $30-40. Daily step count roughly correlates with these activity levels:
Less than 5,000 steps = sedentary
5,000-7,499 = low activity
7,500-9,999 = somewhat active
10,000-12,499 = active
12,500 or more = highly active
I recently discovered on days I do not purposely exercise I get less than 2,000 steps. YIKES! I GOTTA GET MOVING! Lets Go!
When I talk to clients they often share with me that they feel overwhelmed with the accumulation of their “stuff”. If you have been living in your home for 10, 20 or even 60 years, you might have quite a bit of “stuff” accumulated.
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Don’t be. Not everyone has the resources to outsource help in getting rid of their accumulated riches.
Use these helpful tips and resources to get organized.
Set small goals: Every week set a goal to go through a drawer or closet vs. saying to yourself “This weekend I am going to clear out the garage.” It is easy to overwhelm yourself. Set goals that feel good.
Get in contact with one or two charities. Am Vets has my contact information logged in their data base. When I call, they have my address and I can set up a pick up date from their automatic system.
Have an area in the house or garage called the “Charity Pile”. Anytime you view or pick something up you would like to give to charity, put it in the pile. When you have enough stuff for pickup, call your charity. They will come out every month if you request them to.
When you are cleaning a drawer or area of the house, ask yourself these questions:
Do I use it?
Do I need it?
Does it bring joy to my life?
Is it damaged, broken or inoperable? If so, am I willing to repair it right now?
If I lost it in a fire would I replace it exactly as it is?
Does it reflect who I am in my life now?
If I had to move three times next year, would I pack it and pay to move it that often?
I think you will find these questions “freeing” in the process of clearing the clutter from your life.
My friend Jo Lodato of the Joy of Organizing also gave me the “FAT” program that is immensely helpful.
Whenever you pick up a piece of paper “FAT” it:
F: File it
A: (take) Action on it
T: Toss it
If you have things of value that you are hesitant in parting with, consider using a consignment shop or contacting someone who will consign your things on EBay. Be aware that you will probably only receive 40% of what it is sold for. However, 40% of something that you wouldn’t use need or want can be worth your additional feeling of lightness. I wish you well.
If you have a reverse mortgage question, Call Angella 866-949-7030.
This is a great article on Senior Pet Adoption. An excerpt of the article is below along with the link. Consider using www.petfinder.com. It is a search site with pets that need homes all over the country. I hear it said that if everyone who apopted an animal, adopted from an animal shelter, we would no need animal euthanasia.
There’s no question that pet adoption can be good for some seniors. The benefits are well-documented:
Lower blood pressure
Reduced cardiovascular disease
Reduced feelings of stress
Lower cholesterol levels
improved overall health means fewer doctor appointments
Increased sense of responsibility and alertness
Reduced sense of loneliness
Increased activity during the day
Increased fun!
Sounds great, doesn’t it? But before you rush out and buy that dog, cat, or ferret, make sure you are making the right pet adoption decision.
Things to Consider About Pet Adoption for Seniors
Don’t surprise anyone with pet adoption. Ever. No matter how wonderful the animal is, pet ownership is a big responsibility. The American Humane Society encourages people not to purchase pets as a surprise, so discuss pet adoption and pet ownership with the senior before you acquire the animal.
Let the person choose their own pet. You may love Beagles, but your grandmother might want a quieter dog. And while your grandfather says he would love to have a cat, perhaps grooming a long-haired cat isn't what he had in mind.
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reverse mortgages help seniors strapped for cash More seniors are turning to a reverse mortgage loans these days. A reverse mortgage is a loan that allows seniors to tap into their home equity and use the money to pay for things such as medical bills, groceries and even home repair.
FHA is overwelmed with condo projects to be approved HUD, did away with condo projects ability to be approved with "Spot Condo" proceedures to get a better hold of the data of how many FHA loans exist in what projects. Approvals are adding another month in the process of attaining a reverse mortgage for condo owners.
Older American Home Values are flattening Golden Gateway Financial released new usage data from its online reverse mortgage calculator showing that average home values for older Americans have halted their slide after remaining flat or declining for seven consecutive quarters.
A new survey from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College found that 40 percent of individuals 45-59 expect to retire later than they had before the downturn, with most of the respondents intending to work an additional four or more years before retirement.
Financial Planning Exchange Forum This is an excellent forum, set up by my friend Bryan Wisda who has a passion in helping seniors and people with finances in general
Obama to Promote Annuities and Other Forms of Guaranteed Life Income The Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury (the “Agencies”) are soliciting comments whether the agencies could or should enhance the use of lifetime income or other arrangements designed to provide a stream of income after retirement.
One of the questions is related to reverse mortgages:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of approaches that combine annuities with other products (reverse mortgages, long term care insurance), and how prevalent are these combined products in the marketplace?
Why the sudden interest in how the government can enhance the use of lifetime income arrangements?
The New York times recently reported that the Obama Administration is promoting annuities as a tool to give Americans a better shot at a more secure retirement.
Is Reverse Mortgage Interest Deductable? Reverse Mortgage interest deduction rules are the same for traditional loans and for reverse mortgages:
Reverse mortgages are meant for the elderly who will most likely be paying their mortgage and the accrued interest only after they die so the interest deduction is usually just an afterthought. Upon death and on their personal tax returns mortgage interest may be deductible for the original acquisition debt interest, home improvement debt interest and possibly up to $100k of debt on the home for any other use but not deductible for AMT (but it probably won't make that much of a dent in their personal taxes)
Qualified Residence Interest Expense.
Congressional Justification Docs Detail Possible Changes to FHA Reverse Mortgage Program The US Department of Housing and Urban Development published the 2011 Congressional Justifications for the FY 2011 Budget which provides more information regarding the OMB’s $250 million credit subsidy request for the Federal Housing Administration’s reverse mortgage program.
