evilE's guide to getting older

1) Get enough sleep. More than that. Sleep as much as you can. Modern humans live in a state of almost perpetual sleep deprivation, and it's killing us. 

Some sleep helpers:

• Plant Guru essential oils sleep blend. If you don't have that one, lavender essential oil is also pretty good. Pat a drop onto wrists and temples at bedtime, get comfortable in bed and let it work!

• Solaray Sleep Blend. I like this one because it doesn't have melatonin, which makes me groggy in the morning if I take it anytime after 9pm or so. This one doesn't have that effect,for me, so I can take it if I'm having insomnia at midnight or whatever. Knocks me out, I sleep good, I wake up at the normal time feeling good. But, if you like melatonin, I like this one: Olly Sleep gummies
  
  

2) move daily. I walk the dogs twice a day, we walk and go to the dog park on weekends. It's not a lot, it's not a marathon or a long bike ride or a big run, but it's something.   Yoga, weights, exercise bike are all options in my life too,and I do sometimes manage to do them. But the dogs are my best exercise buddies, they keep me at least doing two walks daily.

3) collagen in your morning coffee or tea has great benefits to  joint movement & I'm pretty sure it's helping my skin, too. 

4) Speaking of skin, you need more moisturizing when you get older. Lotions that would have made me feel greasy and gross all day as a young'un are absorbed and used easily by my older skin.  Lanolin is a great moisturizer. Plain lanonin is a bit goopy and I don't care for the smell, but it works! I've used Wild Ferns hand and nail on my hands and also face and neck. These days I'm liking Duke Cannon's Bloody Knuckles - unscented and affordable. Has had an amazing effect on both hands, nails,cuticles, the wrinkles that were developing above my upper lip, and the skin on upper chest and neck that looks crepey.  Love it. Morning and night.

5) AMLA!! I discovered this by accident . I had been drinking sunwink lemonade for a day or two and suddenly had NO pain in my bad knee & it was the only thing I'd changed in my routine. Studied up on the ingredients and pinpointed Amla!. Better antiinflammatory than turmeric. Swanson vitamins carries an 'amlaki complex' that is more affordable than the sunwink lemonade, I recommend both or either.

6) incrediwear- it works! They make socks, knee and elbow braces, back brace, etc. Its crazy how well it works. Pricey but worth it!! I have a knee sleeve, a pair of socks, and an elastic 'ace' bandage, and they are fantastic. 

I turn 52 in a couple of weeks, I'm hovering at about 240 lbs for the last at least 5 years, not ideal but all my blood work and heart stuff says I'm good. I'm doing alright.