Author: Easin' Along

By now, Easin’ Along readers are aware that we have used the beginning of a new year to focus on a commitment to improving our overall health and well being. I’m well into the fourth week of the Nutrisystem diet and delighted to report a loss of seventeen pounds. After a challenging start, I feel great. The exercise routine is ongoing as well and is made easier now that I’m not lugging around the extra weight I was carrying at the end of last year.

The effort to add a few hours of sleep per night is still a work in progress although I’ve had some wonderful suggestions and words of encouragement from our readers. The comments both here and by email, to last week’s article on sleep suggest that this issue is one that affects many. I plan to adopt a few of the suggestions and hope readers will continue to comment on this subject so that I may share your thoughts with others. One reader sent me an article on sleep segmentation that was especially informative and I have placed a link to it here (link).

Writing this series of articles has allowed me to focus on the fact that Helen (adorable wife) and I are truly blessed to have good health. We also know that at our age, things could change in an instant. While helping to organize my 50^th high school class reunion I made the sobering discovery that 37 of my classmates out of a class of 215 are no longer with us. Several more are not well. Therefore, being blessed as we are, we consider it almost an obligation to ourselves and to each other to maintain that good health regardless of the lifestyle we choose – active or otherwise.

Obviously, there are steps in this process other than the few that we have touched on here. It is rare that I have to see a doctor for any reason, but that is not an excuse to take my good health for granted. Without fail, I schedule a physical exam every year and eagerly await the results of any tests performed. I am astounded by the number of people that I know personally who do not do the same

Procedures to screen for diabetes, prostate and colon cancer among other illnesses are also part of monitoring my health. I see my dermatologist regularly and it’s rare when she fails to find something to remove from my body and send off to biopsy. My fair skin and my refusal to wear hats in my younger days can be blamed for that. Those visits will continue as will my semi-annual appointments with our dentist.

Medications, in relatively small doses, are necessary to augment our health program. Helen requires an assortment of pharmaceuticals for a thyroid condition, but I only take one prescription drug, Nexium, for acid reflux. I do, however, take a few daily supplements and have for many years. I’m not certain why or when I began the practice of adding supplements to my diet but it was probably at some point in my twenties. At that time I was not eating breakfast; I was eating fast food for lunch and I probably felt that I had to do something before bad things began to happen. The fact that most of the statements or claims made by supplement manufacturers are not evaluated by the FDA does not overly concern me since I tend to buy them from reputable companies like GNC.

Presently, I take a supplement for eye health; saw palmetto for men’s health and, until a few months ago, a multivitamin from GNC for men over 50. I have persisted in taking them because I assume that a history of relatively good health indicates that perhaps something is working and, since I don’t notice any side effects, there is no reason to stop. Frankly, side effects notwithstanding, I don’t notice much of anything with one exception, and it is the exception to which I want to dedicate a few words.

A few months ago I was contacted by an Easin’ Along reader who wanted to place an ad on our website. I was somewhat reluctant at first. I have never taken ads, preferring instead to share our experiences in retirement with others who might have similar interests and leave it at that. Furthermore, just as I do not write about things that do not interest me, I would not advertise a product I would not use. At any rate, I wanted to be polite, so I accepted some information and samples of the product–a vitamin and mineral supplement–while giving the assurance that I would try it.

Within a few days of receiving the samples and, having emptied the bottle of my GNC multivitamins, I opened the bottle of RestoreV (click here for link) and swallowed two capsules. Another dose followed the next morning. On the third day I went to my regular Tuesday morning exercise class at the YMCA and felt a noticeable elevation in both my mood and my energy which continued through most of the afternoon. My immediate suspicion was that the supplement contained caffeine, so I reached out to the reader who initially contacted me for some information. I was told that this supplement had no caffeine and that the energy and lift I was noticing was due to the nutritional ingredients being absorbed more efficiently than other vitamin I was using. All I know is that the product worked and, as a result, I use it in the place of the multivitamin that I have taken for years. Helen also takes it and has experienced the same result…in fact; she insisted that I order another bottle before we exhaust the sample. 

Going forward, our intention is to stay the course. By the time this article is published we will be in the second month of 2017.  All too often in the past my New Year’s resolutions would have been cast aside long before now and old habits had resumed their familiar place in the daily routine. However, age does bring wisdom and, hopefully, a smattering of discipline which is essential in the quest for improved health.  One of my favorite quotes related to the pursuit of a personal accomplishment is “If it is to be, it is up to me”. That quotation seems apropos as we continue our pursuit of an active lifestyle…and continue Easin’ Along.

Next week another retirement road trip – Florida!

This month, Easin’ Along is focused on our approach to improving our health and well being as we pursue an active lifestyle in our retirement. As a supplement to that effort, I thought it might be an opportune time to include a few articles related to the pursuit of better financial health as well. I offer these articles not as recommendations, but as options to consider.

This post was written by guest blogger Lingke Wang. Lingke is the Co-Founder of Ovid Corp., a life settlement exchange where consumers can sell their life insurance policies through an auction to institutional investors. He believes in helping consumers to understand all of their financial options so they can make the most out of their hard-earned dollars. You can learn more about Ovid at www.ovidlife.com.

Helping Seniors Fund Retirement with Life Settlements

Many people with permanent (whole or universal) life insurance policies believe they must choose between surrendering or lapsing a policy. The policyholder gets to keep any accrued cash value on a permanent life insurance policy, but they may not realize that there is a third and possibly much more lucrative option.

Reputable companies offer seniors who don’t need their permanent life insurance policies a chance to do the things they’ve always dreamed of

 

For many people, accessing the cash value of a life insurance policy makes perfect sense after they’ve raised their family and no longer need to replace future income upon death.

Permanent life insurance policy holders are allowed to surrender their policy any time, but people who have this type of insurance are often unaware that they may get more money from a life settlement.

Is it safe to seek a life settlement?

 

Selling a life insurance policy to an investor for a percentage of its value is an option that many seniors choose. The industry is now highly regulated and much safer for consumers than it was decades ago.

Policy holders are entitled to receive comprehensive consumer disclosures in most states. This includes the risks related to government assistance eligibility and taxation. Most states require life settlement companies to obey federal and state privacy laws. Life settlement firms also must submit their anti-fraud plans to the states where they operate.

Life settlement transactions are now some of the most regulated and transparent in the entire insurance industry. In fact, according to LISA, 42 states are now protected by life settlement regulations. This includes covers 90% of the US population.

As life settlements become more popular, individual states are beginning to recognize the need to protect their residents. Their efforts to make life settlements a safe option have effectively overhauled the industry. Since January of 2012, there have been only two nationally reported complaints that involved settlements.

Surprisingly, the newest legislation enacted aims to protect people from their insurance companies – when they have to choose whether or not to lapse or surrender a permanent life insurance policy.

Life settlements decrease profits for insurance companies. Because choosing a life settlement can be much more financially rewarding to policy holders than simply accessing the cash value of the policy from the insurance company, some states have recently created laws that require insurance companies to inform their customers that life settlement is an option to consider. 

How can a life settlement help?

 

Many people in retirement or on the cusp of a life changing event wish they had more money; a bigger nest egg, a larger traveling fund, extra money for health care, or a more substantial financial cushion as a fall-back for starting a new business venture. While it’s true that the longer a policy has been in force and active, the larger the pay out at surrender, it’s also true that in many cases the policy holder will be much better off financially if they seek a life settlement with a reputable company.

Most policy holders haven’t thought about their life insurance as anything other than a means by which to provide for their loved ones in the future. New laws recognize that permanent life insurance is so much more versatile with life settlements as an option.

Easin’ Along is grateful to Ovid Corporation for providing this information to our readers.

 

This is the third article in a series on the steps we are taking to improve our health in order to participate in and maintain an active lifestyle as we make that slow walk through our Golden Years.

Two weeks ago we discussed weight loss as I began the Nutrisystem program in an attempt to lose an unwanted twenty pounds.  While the first week was not fun, the discipline required to stick to the program has not been an issue for me. Now, near the end of the third week, I am down fifteen pounds, and have almost reached my goal. Learning to eat smaller, more frequent meals has been very beneficial to the process.

Last week I made the point that exercise, in one form or another, has always been a constant in my life and will be as long as I am able to move at least one body part. Therefore, with two of the elements of my approach to better health practices now  underway, I am turning my attention to improving my sleep habits. Of all of the elements necessary to maintain good health and an active lifestyle, sleep is the one I struggle with the most.

I am very envious of those who have the ability to fall asleep on demand. Helen (adorable wife) is one of those. She can lie down and be asleep in less than five minutes. Moreover, I’m convinced that she could remain asleep through a category five hurricane. Not so with me, and it has been this way for most of my adult life. I trace this condition back to two sources.

First, once I graduated college, I have never been in a position where I was permitted to sleep late. I entered the Army where I usually had to be on duty by 6:00 am at the latest.  Admittedly, I was young; I was in in good physical condition and didn’t think much about it at the time, but an “early to rise” habit was being formed.

After I left active duty and entered the construction business, I was always on the job by 7: 00 am on six (and sometimes seven) days a week for the next thirty years or more. By the time I retired, a habit had been set in stone and waking up at 5 or 5:30 was the norm regardless of what time I went to bed—and I’m rarely sleepy before 11:00 pm.

Another very relevant factor in my sleep habits is that I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about fifteen years ago. I really didn’t need the diagnosis. I knew that I had issues from the time I was in my teens and shared a room with my brother who would wake me in the middle of the night with the hope that my loud snoring would cease. On occasion, Helen would do the same, but thankfully, as described above, she was able to endure the noise. Finally, after a series of episodes where I found myself sitting erect in the bed and gasping for breath, I decided it was time for a sleep study. The sleep analyst who monitored the study determined that I was waking up sixty times an hour and suffered from severe sleep apnea. I was a stroke waiting to happen.

I now wear a mask connected to a CPAP device which is a small compressor that forces air in to my nasal passages and enables me to breathe more easily. To Helen’s great delight (and to anyone forced to share a room with me) my snoring has been eliminated entirely. The immediate result was that quality of my sleep greatly improved and I finally felt more rested. Nevertheless, the mask can be uncomfortable.  At times I will wake up in at around 3:00 am and, with four good hours of sleep accomplished and a somewhat bulky mask on my face to deal with, I will just lay there until 5:00 rolls around and give up.

This week, the National Sleep Foundation issued a statement that outlined their definition of a good night’s sleep. Noted first was the strong recommendation that an individual age 65 and older sleep seven to eight hours per night. It further stated (without elaborating) that five to six hours “may” be appropriate. Hopefully I’m appropriate. This amount of sleep assists with mood, alertness, decision making and the avoidance of many health issues. It also promotes weight loss through the production of leptin, a hormone which signals your body to eat less.

The other noteworthy item on this list was that people who take longer than 41 minutes to fall back to sleep after waking up, may have a problem. We have a problem…

So, with the problem is outlined, what is the approach to finding a solution going forward?

Frankly, I don’t have an answer to the waking up at 3:00 am situation. The problem is vexing to be sure and I would love to have suggestions from Easin’ Along readers as to a remedy.  I especially invite readers who have overcome sleep issues to share their success stories.  At the same time, if there are readers who have an issue of their own and would like suggestion for solutions, feel free to comment below. I would love to create a forum on this topic.

In the meantime, I plan to follow the basics of better sleep that most have read in search of help with this problem. Listed below are a few of them here that I obtained from WebMD:

• Shut down your computer, cell phone, and TV at least an hour before you hit the sack.
• Save your bedroom for sleep and intimacy. Think relaxation and release, rather than work or entertainment.
• Create a bedtime ritual. It’s not the time to tackle big issues. Instead, take a warm bath, meditate, or read.
• Stick to a schedule, waking up and retiring at the same times every day, even on weekends.
• Watch what and when you eat. Avoid eating heavy meals and alcohol close to bedtime, which may cause heartburn and make it hard to fall asleep and steer clear of soda, tea, coffee, and chocolate after 2 p.m. Caffeine can stay in your system for 5 to 6 hours.
• Turn out the lights. Darkness cues your body to release the natural sleep hormone melatonin, while light suppresses it.

When I retired I made a vow that one of the first things I would do is turn off the alarm clock. Looking back, it may be that an alarm clock was never needed in the first place.

At any rate, we’re going to work on the problem in our quest for better health.  Good health leads to happiness, and happiness is what we’re all about as we continue Easin’ Along.