My skin - what happened?

Stebby said:
Getting old is not for sissies.

Stebby
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Or getting old is not for the faint of heart. As my grandmother use to say.

I'm 61. At this point in life you have to come to grips that it's only going to get worse. wrinkles, sagging... No more does the creams work. However, there is hope. Staying active, losing the attitude and focusing on what I do have is a great gift. Keeping myself busy with my art and crafts work, exercises, and family, keep me intact.

Cathe's workouts keep me going and I'm stronger than I've ever been before. I pick up those 50 pound bags of food for birds at the store like it was a grocery bag. I have no problems except with reflux disease and that is completely under control. I'm very independent and can stay that way for a very long long time.

Attitude: That's where it's at now. Finding humor in the little things, and excepting getting older is really the only thing you can do at my age anyway. Continue being kind to people, living honestly and truthfully is the best thing. Memories and loved ones are dear and thank goodness there are still lots of room for more of them.

Hope this helps.

Janie
 
janiejoey said:
Or getting old is not for the faint of heart. As my grandmother use to say.

I'm 61. At this point in life you have to come to grips that it's only going to get worse. wrinkles, sagging... No more does the creams work. However, there is hope. Staying active, losing the attitude and focusing on what I do have is a great gift. Keeping myself busy with my art and crafts work, exercises, and family, keep me intact.

Cathe's workouts keep me going and I'm stronger than I've ever been before. I pick up those 50 pound bags of food for birds at the store like it was a grocery bag. I have no problems except with reflux disease and that is completely under control. I'm very independent and can stay that way for a very long long time.

Attitude: That's where it's at now. Finding humor in the little things, and excepting getting older is really the only thing you can do at my age anyway. Continue being kind to people, living honestly and truthfully is the best thing. Memories and loved ones are dear and thank goodness there are still lots of room for more of them.

Hope this helps.

Janie
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highfive.gif
Ditto!!
 
janiejoey said:
Or getting old is not for the faint of heart. As my grandmother use to say.

I'm 61. At this point in life you have to come to grips that it's only going to get worse. wrinkles, sagging... No more does the creams work. However, there is hope. Staying active, losing the attitude and focusing on what I do have is a great gift. Keeping myself busy with my art and crafts work, exercises, and family, keep me intact.

Cathe's workouts keep me going and I'm stronger than I've ever been before. I pick up those 50 pound bags of food for birds at the store like it was a grocery bag. I have no problems except with reflux disease and that is completely under control. I'm very independent and can stay that way for a very long long time.

Attitude: That's where it's at now. Finding humor in the little things, and excepting getting older is really the only thing you can do at my age anyway. Continue being kind to people, living honestly and truthfully is the best thing. Memories and loved ones are dear and thank goodness there are still lots of room for more of them.

Hope this helps.

Janie
Click to expand...

Janie,
I love this philosophy! I was never a raging beauty and was "lucky" enough to have to develop intellect and wit to get through life since there was no way I was coasting by on my looks (ha-ha!). I feel that I improve mentally with age and am more relaxed about life in general as the years go by. I am so greatful for a healthy body; being able to tackle tough hikes & Cathe workouts ;); having an abundance of energy while the young folks around me are dropping like flies :rolleyes:; and looking ahead to the future with anticipation of what's going to come my way next. I have wrinkles, cellulite, weird veiny things, and a general thickening all over...but that is not what defines me. Your line about "being kind to people, living honestly and truthfully" is a wonderful guide...especially when aimed at ourselves!
 
I haven't ever done kettle bells. I'll have to try that.

Cathe gets my cardio endurance up and her strength workouts allow me to lift bales of hay and heavy feed sacks. BUT the most helpful to me with all areas of horseback riding is Pilates. I have developed my core strength by taking Pilates 2 - 3 times a week. That really holds me in the saddle. Have you done any Pilates? It's not much fun, but it's so effective!
 
Yes, for some reason Pilates isn't at its best on DVDs. Having a good instructor correcting your position and giving modifications when you first start is best, I think. Cathe has a Pilates segment on Ab circuits that is quite good. I add it on sometimes.
 
Try using a gycolic acid peel which you can buy on Amazon.com, and Retin A or renova on your face. Always wear the highest sunblock you can. I am fifty, and most take me for 38 or 40. I started using retin A when I was 39. These two things are miracle workers. Start with a lower percentage for the peel, and perhaps use renova every other day. I would even say use the peel every other day in the beginning. I hope this helps. You use the peel when you rise, and you need to use a heavy moisturizer after. You also have to use a heavy cream after the Renova at night, and I have found Cetaphil cream for sensitive skin to be the best, and it is not expensive. The best thing you are doing for yourself is that you are still exercising.
 
Eminenz:

I sympathize, I truly do.

In the last 2 months my body has decided to enter perimenopuase and one of the delightful symptoms of this is spots, spots, spots, all over my face, nearly all the time! Great. So I look even worse than my 15 year old daughter because, while she will grow out of hers to reveal hidden depths of beauty, my best days are over! Spots and wrinkles, dark spots too and discolouration. Sigh. What can you do?

As Nancy and Janie say, it's all in the attitude, it really is. I know that, but it still doesn't make it easier. I think we are allowed a few months to feel crappy and commiserate with ourselves and each other and then, together, we can declare "ah, to hell with it" and just get back to living life and squeezing every last bit of experience, living, joy and fun out of it that we can.

I am scheduling my "to hell with it" moment for some time in November. Join me!

Clare
 
"The purpose of life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave with a well-preserved body, but rather, to slide in sideways, completely used up, yelling and screaming, 'What a ride!'" — Author Unknown

i love that quote!!

While I think all the advice for creams, supplements, hydration, etc. are all great, I love janiejoey's reply because that gets to the heart of it. Getting older is going to happen, and things are not going to stay the way they once were...it's something that, no matter what you do, you can't completely stop. If you can work on accepting the inevitable, and then work to make the best of it, it saves a lot of stress, time and money.

I'm not talking about giving up in despair, but of focusing on the important things - being alive is not about looking 20-something perfect at all times. i workout and eat right so I feel healthy and energetic and can do all the things I want to do. Wrinkles won't stop me from running, and cellulite won't keep me from dancing. When I'm volunteering, the people i'm helping don't care if I look my age or 10 years younger (or older, for that matter). A smile and positive energy do a heck of a lot more for your appearance than any vitamin or cream!!

Another thing is to appreciate what you have - really appreciate it. There are people out there who are terminally ill or who have terrible health problems to deal with every minute of every day. Whenever I really feel down about some age-related something or other, I remind myself that just waking up in the morning is a gift, and that there are thousands of people who would give anything to trade their problems for my cellulite and wrinkles. :)

All that being said, just knowing that you're doing all the right things should give you a boost. Sometimes it's the effort that you put into something that matters, not the result. When you take care of yourself, you're reinforcing that you are worth taking care of, and that feeling is what other people respond to. I think you may be being a little hard on yourself - you SOUND beautiful, so how could you look anything less?! :D
 
Thanks for the commiseration! November sounds great-I'll have my self-esteem call your self-esteem and we can do a crabby lunch.

'Cos it's not just my face-it's the way my whole body is changing. I've been exercising, but very half-heartedly. It's like I'm riding 'The Hell With It Train'. Eat too much? Gain weight. Eat too little? Stop losing.

I lost a bit of weight last summer and jeezy-peezy! Loose skin everywhere! That's the reward now for all the effort and deprivation and effort? Of course, I gained it all back. Sugar. Ugh.

I can't win!

Anyway, thanks for replying!

PS GraceNote-you do know I survived stage III breast cancer, right? And that I also deal with depression? Thanks for your advice.
 
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No, I didn't! That's wonderful that you have come through so much - we are in the midst of a battle with stage IV with my SIL, and I know how grueling the fight is... Sometimes it's just day to day, as I'm sure you know. Every day is "One More Day" and we are grateful for that. Knowing that MANY people are having days like that makes me so humble about my own problems, and so aware of the little things. My SIL was crying happy tears one day just because she could wash her own hair in the shower. She and I talk about how amazing life is when you live it from one little thing to another... She is not the first in our family to have cancer, so we are realistic about the possible future outcomes but hopeful.

I am sorry you have to deal with depression. It sounds like you're doing a lot of the right things, though. Does exercise help? Hang in there!! I know what you mean about getting fed up with no results - it's hard enough to find the time and motivation to workout, but when there are no tangible results, you wonder why you bothered... I keep trying, though, because I'm scared - scared of what i'd look and feel like if I quit! I mean, if this is what I look like WITH the workouts and clean(ish) eating, what would happen if i totally gave it all up?! I keep telling myself 'use it or lose it' - i want to stay strong and functional as far into the future as I can.

A friend of mine refers to working out as 'paying the rent' - you have make regular payments to keep up the 'house'. I don't want my house to be a 'double wide' LOL but I really think it's a 'fixer upper'. Or a 'money pit' considering all the effort that goes in compared to the way it looks!
 
Hello,

Has anyone tried the Olay proX anti aging starting protocol? I had been using the youth code spf 30, but switch to Aveeno anti aging SPF 30, but it's a bit to greasy for me. I'm looking for something new to try or a daily moistirizer with spf 30. Thanks!
 
I was looking at that stuff at Target today and I really didn't know what to think. Like every brand has an entire battery of products to use but seriously, I don't think one brand is better than the other. I looked at a few L'Oreal products and most of them have demithicone - whoopee. So does most shampoo and conditioner, so nothing exciting there.

I am most hyper about sunscreen. I use it everyday, sometimes twice - face and body. In the morning I use a cleansing product I found at Whole Foods. I don't think it's particulary remarkable. In fact, I don't think any of the products I use are that super-duper at making a difference. Olay Foaming Face Wash at the end of the day to get makeup off (I've used it for years), Olay Oil Minimizing Toner for the T-zone, and Pore Minimizing cleanser and scrub for days I've been at the barn for a long time and feel particularly grimy. I'm not sure if any of my pores are minimized!:p
 
"A friend of mine refers to working out as 'paying the rent' -"

That's a very good way of putting it! Exercise is boring, the newest Cathe workouts are uninspiring anymore (something shifted during the whole STS phase and I haven't felt welcome/comfortable doing her workouts since then. I don't know why I keep preordering them. Habit, I think. ;))

I am thinking good thoughts for your SIL. A lady I ride with has Stage IV lymphoma and she's been riding at our barn for almost two years! She asked me what I thought about her buying another horse 'cos her family is giving her grief about it and I said, "Screw them, it's your money. Get another horse!" I just like her 'screw you, cancer" attitude. I feel guilty a lot though because I'm still healthy and made it out to the other side. I feel guilty about a lot of things. Survivor's guilt is just one of them. :confused:

Anyway, thanks for your kind words!
 
GraceNote said:
A friend of mine refers to working out as 'paying the rent' - you have make regular payments to keep up the 'house'. I don't want my house to be a 'double wide' LOL but I really think it's a 'fixer upper'. Or a 'money pit' considering all the effort that goes in compared to the way it looks!
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Excellent metaphor! My body is the almighty money pit!!!! LOL :p
 
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