Contemporary Retirement Coaching Blog

Hello and welcome

Hello, my name is Ann Harrison.  I’m passionate about helping people like you to get the happiest, healthiest, most vital, productive, energetic, prosperous and fulfilling retirement you could possibly have, whilst, at the same time, helping you to balance having the kind of retirement you want and deserve to have, with planning to meet your future needs.

I'm a Retirement Options™ trained retirement coach and trainer and a Too Young To Retire™ facilitator.   I'm also the author of The Retirement Detox Programme: 40 days to get your retirement back on track.  You can find out more about me here.  But enough about me.  What about you?

If you're due to retire in the near future, how will you make the most of the freedom, choice and opportunities available to you? How much thought have you given to the life and lifestyle transitions that retirement will bring?  Are you aware of the potential pitfalls associated with retirement and do you have strategies to overcome them?  How will you get the retirement you deserve?

And if you're already retired, is your retirement everything you hoped it would be?  Do you have the retirement you deserve?

Here are some of the ways that I can help you:

Free Resources 
Retirement Courses (UK)
Too Young To Retire Telecourses (Worldwide)
The Retirement Success Profile (Worldwide)
Retirement Coaching (Worldwide) 
The Retirement Detox Programme Ebook

‘100 Things’ co-author Dave Freeman dies at 47

I was saddened to hear that Dave Freeman, the co-author of '100 Things to Do Before You Die', has died at the age of 47 following an accident at his home. 

According to his relatives, Freeman had achieved about half the items on his list before he died.  His co-author of '100 Things', Neil Teplica said, “He didn't have enough days, but he lived them like he should have.”  A fitting epitaph.

Plumpy Nut Video

Blogging Boomers Carnival #83

This week's Blogging Boomers Carnival is being hosted by Janet Wendy Spiegel over at Gen Plus.  It's up, ready and waiting for you now at: http://genplus.blogspot.com/2008/08/its-here-blogging-boomers-carnival.html.

10 reasons you're not losing that weight

Could you be screwing up your attempts to lose weight without even realizing it?  By sleeping for less than 7 hours a night, for example?  Or by drinking too little alcohol?  (I've immediately screwed up with those two - try as I might, I can never sleep for longer than 6 hours, and I haven't had a drink since Christmas!) 

Discover the other roadblocks to successful weight loss at 10 Reasons You're Not Losing That Weight. 

Note - This article refers to clothing Sizes 2 and 6 - these are US sizes. Equivalent UK sizes would be 6 and 10.  (Personally speaking, I'd be over the moon to be able to fit into a UK Size 12 again - anything less sounds a bit unrealistic and, unless you have a tiny frame, in my opinion, potentially unhealthy.  It's a better strategy to determine your ideal weight and then focus on living at or near that weight.) 

Fruit juices may stop drugs working

An article about the fact that fruit juices, such as grapefruit, orange and apple, can seriously reduce the effectiveness of heart, cancer and organ transplant rejection drugs, caught my eye yesterday. 

The juices are thought to reduce the drug's absorption into the body when they are taken at the same time, for example, to help with swallowing the drug or when the drug is routinely taken at breakfast time.  Find out more in Fruit juices may stop drugs working.

China's hip-hop grannies

Here's a great story from China...

When 66 year old retired accountant, Wu Ying, saw the first National Hip-Hop Dancing Competition on Chinese television, she became intrigued by the dancers and inspired by "the look they had in their eyes, the way they moved their fingers, heads and bodies".  She was so inspired, in fact, that she set out to learn hip-hop dancing at a local gym and to study whatever she could about the activity.

Undeterred by the ridicule she received, in February 2004 Wu put together a five-member troupe to promote hip-hop dancing by touring the country and by performing on Chinese TV.  The Hip-Hop Granny Dance Team (with an average of 60, at the time) made its debut at the Beijing qualifier for the National Hip-Hop Dancing Competition, eventually walking off with third prize.

Over the years, the Hip Hop Grannies have attracted at least 1,000 different women - the oldest of whom is a 74-year-old. Wu, who is now 70, says she plans to dance for as long as she physically can, adding that, "I think that dancing hip-hop has made me younger, happier, [and] improved my memory." 

To find out more, read China's hip-hop grannies shake up tradition.

5 Facts You Should Know About Sunscreen

Anyone who lives in the UK will probably be snarling when they discover the subject of today's post, since the British summer is turning out to be an absolute washout.  However, just in case the sun does get his hat on...  An article entitled 5 Facts You Should Know About Sunscreen by the Revolution Health Group states that:

• Anything less than SPF 15 is worthless
• If you have half a bottle of sunscreen left over at the end of the summer, you haven't been using enough
• You need to use at least an SPF 30 for prolonged periods of time outside (e.g., playing golf or tennis or watching an outdoor sporting event)
• Fair-skinned and redheaded people should be using SPF 50 and higher, and
• Even though dark-skinned people don't burn as easily as fair-skinned people, they should still wear sunscreen because they're not immune from skin cancer.

To find out more detail, read the article for yourself here.

Blogging Boomers Carnival #82

The Blogging Boomers Carnival comes full circle once again and is back with co-founders Wesley and Greg at LifeTwo this week.  You can find them (and the rest of the Blogging Boomers) at:
http://lifetwo.com/production/node/20080816-bloggingboomers-carnival-82-here-lifetwo

Artist enjoys a successful career late in life

Here's a heartwarming story to get the weekend off to a good start...

There's some debate about whether artist Frank Calloway is 112 years old or a mere 93 years old (available records indicate that he's 93), but whatever his age, he's still pretty remarkable. 

Frank of Tuscaloosa, Alabama has lived approximately half his life in state mental health centres since he was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1952.  Every day, he spends seven to nine hours using ballpoint pens, markers and crayons to create murals showing rural agricultural scenes containing buildings, trains and vehicles straight out of the early 20th century.  The murals, which are all drawn on butcher paper and can stretch up to 30 feet long, are about to form part of an exhibit at the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.  Read Frank's story here.

Tooth Whitening - What works and what doesn't

I'm thinking that I might have my teeth whitened.  They're not bad, considering that they've been in daily use for the last 45 years or so, and I do look after them well - bordering on obsessively...  I visit my dentist every 6 months, I clean at least twice a day, I floss, I use those flossette thingies behind the hard-to-reach back teeth, I use 2 different sizes of interdental brushes, I rinse my mouth out with water after every sugary drink and I chew sugar-free gum after I eat anything. 

I've been using whitening toothpastes for years now but I'd like my gnashers to be whiter still, so I'm investigating my options.  If you're also considering having your teeth whitened (and, apparently, it's very popular with boomers wanting to remain as young and attractive-looking for as long as we possibly can), here's an article that examines some of the various methods and gives the low-down on what works and what doesn't...