Aging Youthfully Is Our Choice

by Linda Franklin

We are all aging and that’s something we can do nothing about.  But, what we do have control over is how we age.

Aging youthfully is our choice.  In fact, lifestyle choices account for 33 percent of how old a woman looks.  Living an unhealthy lifestyle can age a woman’s skin by over ten years, an in-depth international study has just revealed.

The true damage caused by sun beds, smoking, not moisturizing your skin, and not eating enough fruit can accelerate the aging process – not by a little but by a lot.

Dr. Andrew Mayes, who led the study for Simple skin care, said: ‘We already knew genetics accounted for about 50 per cent of how old people look, but we didn’t know how much would be accounted for by their lifestyles.

‘Even we were surprised by just how much it was; both in terms of the number of years and the percentage.’

The study which was carried out over the last eight years involved women aged 45 to 75 in the UK, Spain and China.

Those who took part were asked a string of questions about their lifestyles including whether or not they liked to sun tan and if they were smokers or non-smokers.

Other questions included how often the women used moisturizer, whether they eat fruit and vegetables, how often they brush their teeth and if they have all their own teeth.

The research team also took digital images of the women which were then assessed for how old they looked to identify their perceived age and whether they looked younger or older than their actual age.

When they got their data the research team compared the perceived ages of those with good versus bad lifestyles.

They concluded the difference was 10.4 years. Dr. Mayes said, “The number of years’ difference was most staggering.  We had just seen some data out of a group of plastic surgeons in the US and Canada suggesting that a face and neck lift (together with eyelid and forehead modifications) could take an average of about 8.5 years off your facial age.

‘Then we got our data through demonstrating a saving of over 10 years. It’s fair to say at first we couldn’t quite believe it”.

‘Simply put; good skin health is about more than fancy creams and lotions – it’s about how we live our lives and how we treat our bodies and the steps we need to take do not need to be extreme.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says, ”there’s no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Stop Wrinkles Dead In Their Tracks

by Linda Franklin

You hear it all the time – slather on the sunscreen before you leave the house.  You might be delusional and think you are immune to the sun’s harmful rays, but skin cancer is very real.  And, using sunscreen is very beneficial for another reason near and dear to most women.  It keeps us looking younger.  Now it has been proven sunscreen stops wrinkles dead in their tracks.

A new Australian study has found the daily use of sunscreen significantly slows the aging of skin caused by the sun’s ultraviolet rays..

‘This has been one of those beauty tips you often hear quoted, but for the first time we can back it with science,’ Queensland Institute of Medical Research senior scientist and lead author of the trial Adele Green said.

The study found that adults who regularly applied broad spectrum sunscreen – which protects against both ultraviolet B and ultraviolet A rays – over a four-and-a-half year period had no detectable aging of the skin. 

They also had 24 per cent less skin aging than people who used sunscreen less frequently, according to study.

The randomized, controlled trial, published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, is the first study of its kind. Previously, the only scientific evidence for the beneficial effects of sun screen on wrinkling was in hairless mice.

The researchers randomly assigned 903 adults, ages 25-55, to use SPF15+ every day on their face, arms and hands with frequent reapplication or to use sunscreen at their discretion.

Silicone impressions, or molds, were taken from the backs of all participants’ hands at the start and end of the trial to grade the damage over the four-and-a-half years of the study.

The adults were all aged under 55 to ensure the changes noted were primarily due to photo-aging rather than chronological aging.

The researchers found those using daily sunscreen were 24 per cent less likely to show increased wrinkling over the period.

Regardless of sex, age, skin color, occupation, skin cancer history, weight and smoking, everyone benefited from daily sunscreen use. ‘And the study has shown that up to middle age, it’s not too late to make a difference,’ Green said.

Any sunscreen stronger than SPF15+ might have had only a marginal additional effect, according to Green as SPF15+ blocks about 94 percent of ultraviolet B rays, which are responsible for sunburn, while one with an SPF of 40 filters about 97.5 percent.

And don’t forget this important warning.  Apply sunscreen well and reapply often.

Previous research suggested that sunscreen could lull sun-worshipers into a false sense of safety, and see them staying out longer in the sun.

‘The sunscreen has to be applied thick enough and in all areas to be effective,’ Dr. Thomas Ruenger, a professor of dermatology at Boston University, told NBC News.

Ruenger recommends using a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 20 or 30 and reapplying every two hours and after sweating or bathing.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says, ”there’s no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Women Unhappy With Their Body Image

by Linda Franklin

Did you ever meet a woman who was satisfied with her body?  I haven’t.  You think you are too big here, too small there, and whatever you do to look better –  it’s never enough.

But, how deep do these insecurities really lie and how much do they affect our day-to-day lives?

Dr. Bijal Chheda-Varma, a psychologist specializing in body image at London’s Capio Nightingale Hospital, decided to find out using the silhouette test.  She says: ‘The silhouette test is widely used among psychologists because it’s a very simple way to determine how unhappy a woman is with her shape’.

The women involved in the test were asked to identify the size they think they are from a range of body shapes, ranked from one to nine (with one being very underweight and nine very overweight).

Next, they were asked to pick the size they’d like to be.

The difference between the two numbers is their body dissatisfaction score and, with a little computer trickery, they were shown how they see their bodies compared to reality.

‘Basically, the bigger the gap between the shape a woman thinks she is and the shape she’d like to be, the more upset she is about her body. Most women tend to have a distorted view.

‘While men tend to be more accurate, the average woman is likely to pick a shape one or two points from reality.

According to Dr Chheda-Varma, body dissatisfaction in women is on the rise.

She says: ‘I’m seeing a growing number who do not have eating disorders, but even so they have increasing body dissatisfaction scores.

‘They often come to me for different reasons, like depression and anxiety, and it emerges that body image and food consumption are underlying factors.

‘From what these women tell me, it’s clear how the high standards they are setting themselves and how anxious the pressure to be perfect can make women feel.’

Ladies, what we do to ourselves is criminal.  You have to ask yourself why are you so hard on yourself?

. The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says, ”there’s no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

 

Undereye Bags Gone In 10 Minutes

by Linda Franklin

Sometimes you just get fed up with people telling you how tired you look.  It’s those dark circles and under eye bags that make you look like you haven’t slept in weeks.  Concealer can help but too often it just accentuates what you are trying to hide.

Now there is a more permanent solution to heavy under eye bags.

Promising to soften dark circles in just ten minutes, cosmetic surgeons are injecting filler into the eye bags for the new treatment that lasts two to four years.

Dr Alexander Rivkin, a Los Angeles based-facial cosmetic surgeon, said of the in-office procedure which does not require anesthesia: ‘It really is the fountain of youth for the eyes.’

Tear-trough fillers: Promising to soften dark circles in just ten minutes, cosmetic surgeons are injecting filler into the eye bags for the new treatment that lasts two to four years. 

The dermatologist-offered procedure called tear-trough fillers, where hyaluronic acid such as Restylane or Juvéderm is injected to make the eyes appear better rested, costs from $600 to $1,000.

However injecting the eye area is not without risks. If the filler blocks a retinal artery, it can cause blindness, but that’s rare.  The usual side effects of the tear-trough treatment range from puffy eyes to possible bruising, which usually subsides within one week.

Melissa Beretich told Good Morning America: ‘What I’m hoping to come out with is to be able to go back to what I was doing four to five years ago, and not wear makeup. The ten minute procedure with New York City-based plastic surgeon, Dr Steven Pearlman, Ms Beretich said she ‘absolutely’ saw a difference in her eyes and felt no pain at all.

Dr Pearlman explained: ‘What this treatment is doing is camouflaging the bags. For people who only have mild [eye] bags, it’s a way to stave off the need for surgery by filling in that hollow.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says, ”there’s no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Dove Proves Women Are Prettier Than We Think We Are

By Linda Franklin

Do other people see you differently than you see yourself, especially in the looks department?  A new Dove campaign “Real Beauty Sketches”, says yes  – and offers proof, in the form of forensic sketches.

Dove recruited seven women of different ages and backgrounds and had FBI-trained forensic artist Gil Zamora create composite sketches of them based on descriptions of their own facial features. In this video, produced for the campaign, you can hear the women use phrases like “my mom told me I had a big jaw,” “I kind of have a fat, rounder face,” “I’d say I have a pretty big forehead.”

The women had been asked to spend time with strangers, though neither party was told why. These strangers were later brought one by one into a room with Zamora and asked to describe the women who had been sketched earlier. The two resulting drawings of each woman were then hung side-by-side — and the contrast is pretty stark. The tagline of the campaign is: “You are more beautiful than you think.”

And it’s women’s existing shame that the Dove campaign does a good job of exposing through its sketches.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says, ”there’s no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Vajacial: Pampering Down Below

by Linda Franklin

The quest for perfect skin has led us to a new frontier – The Vajcacial.     That’s the new term for beautifying your vagina with a

• 50-minute ‘facial’.  You get plucked, cleansed moisturized and covered in a mask.

 

Women are always looking for the what’s next and this remedy for ingrown hairs and red bumps that often accompany shaving or a bikini wax is it.

In San Francisco Stript Wax Bar owner Katherine Goldman said that demand for the service has increased 30 percent each year since she started offering it in 2010.

They are particularly beneficial after a Brazilian wax, to make sure the area looks perfect after the heavy-duty procedure.

The Vajacial was a ‘lifesaver’ for Christina from San Francisco, she told ABC news. She was heading off on her honeymoon trip when she realized her usual Brazilian wax had gone wrong.

Her bikini area broke out in red bumps. ‘It looked like I had an STD,’ she said. ‘There was no way I could sit by the pool, nothing.’

Other salons around the US offer the service under different names. One New York salon calls it a Peach Smoothie.

So what do you think?  Have we gone overboard in the care and maintenance of our bodies?  Having your nether regions plucked, moisturized and massaged might be carrying things a little too far.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Cougar Women Have Trouble Trusting

By Linda Frankin

Trust is something we all want and deserve from a partner, but often our past experiences make that difficult to achieve.

Here’s an email I received from a woman who isn’t quite sure if her boyfriend is being totally honest about his intentions.

Dear Linda:

I have read your book “Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am” and I really enjoyed it. I was wondering if you could be so kind as to help me out and give me some of your wise words regarding a new relationship.

I recently met a man who is a police officer. (Nothing like a man in uniform and I’ve never dated one before.) He is 10 years younger, we’re both single and we both have special needs children. We have a lot in common.We have the same likes and he understands the Spiritual Path that I follow. 

 Here is my concern. I am a very curvaceous, full-figured woman with auburn hair and blue-green eyes. I don’t look my age of 49 – more like I’m in my 30′s. I take good care of myself and I am very confident. It’s just that on a previous occasion, quite a few years ago, another man in uniform told me he liked me, found me very attractive but wouldn’t date me because firefighters and police officers don’t date women like me. They date petite blondes, who are a size 6.  They have to date hot women to keep an image, so to speak.

I know that all men are not the same. But I’m a little leery of getting involved with this police officer. I do not want to be out with him, run into some of his co-workers and end up being the butt of some joke. I have talked to him about it and he says he doesn’t care. But his previous girlfriend was, guess what? Petite blonde, size 6 with big breasts.

Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

Dear Unsure: 

Don’t let your past experience influence the present.  All men aren’t that shallow.  Your guy said the age difference doesn’t bother him – but it sure is bothering you.  STOP trying to read his mind – it’s impossible to do.  Instead, enjoy each other, take one step at a time and silence that nagging voice in your head from ruling your life.  Live for now and enjoy the moment. Fear can stop us from doing many things that are beneficial for our growth.  Don’t let it rob you of your chance at happiness.

Linda

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Younger Men Think Cougars Are Hot

by Linda Franklin

Allure did another one of those fluffy surveys.  This time it was to find out how men and women really feel about a woman’s changing looks, the effects of plastic surgery, and whether sex gets better with age.  Allure polled 2,000 people nationwide.

Survey says:

- women believe their beauty peaks at 31 – but agree with men that 30 is the most seductive age for a woman.

- men are the most confident in bed between the ages of 50 and 69, while women experience their peak of sexual confidence between age 18 and 29.

-57% of the men and women polled agreed that sex gets better with age, only a third of male baby boomers said they were attracted to women their own age.

-36% of men between 18 and 29 say that ’cougars are hot’.

-women are more pressured to look young.

-grey hair makes a women look old, but on a man it’s considered distinguished…although 63% of men color their hair to look younger, compared to only 36% of women.

Overall, 70% of men and women say they take non-invasive anti-aging measures, and only 1% admit to getting cosmetic surgery, injections and/or laser treatments.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Men’s Obsession with Our Boobs

By Linda Franklin

Men’s attitudes toward women actually influence their attitude toward the perfect breast size.  

A recent study from the University of Westminster, published in  the Archives of Sexual Behavior, showed results after interviewing 361 white, heterosexual men, ranging in age from 18 to 68.  Each man was shown five different 3-D models of women, each with a different breast size, and then asked to record which “woman” he found most physically attractive.

Afterward, the participants were given surveys which measured each man’s level of hostility toward women, his attitudes about relationships between men and women, benevolent sexism and how much he objectified women.

The researchers found that the largest percentage of participants (32.7 percent) rated medium-sized breasts as “most attractive,” followed by large (24.4 percent), very large (19.1 percent), small (15.5 percent) and very small (8.3 percent). However, a preference for large and very large breasts was significantly correlated with overt sexism, benevolent sexism, female objectification and hostile attitudes toward women.

In other words, men who tend to idealize “traditional” femininity and perceive women as meek and weak, are also the most likely to prefer big boobs.

Obviously, these findings don’t mean that all men who find big breasts attractive are sexist.  But this research is a good reminder that social ideas about what makes a woman sexually desirable don’t just impact the way women feel about themselves or how they imagine men perceive them. Those ideas impact the way that men view women — both how attractive and how powerful men think they are.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Middle Age Sexy Is The Best

by Linda Franklin

It seems that scarcely a day passes without seeing a survey on some aspect of the middle-aged female experience. Maybe we should feel grateful, because according to one of the surveys I read, pollsters are the only people who find ladies of a certain age even slightly interesting.

This is a sad commentary, but unfortunately it’s true.  Of 2,000 women who were surveyed, most agreed that 46 is the age that they become invisible to men.. 

The good news (according to this survey) is that by the time we get to 60 we start feeling better. That’s the good news????  How about the 14 years we are sitting crying in our beer?  If we’re smart, and I know we are, we won’t let that happen.  We will appreciate who we are, the woman we have grown into at any age we happen to be.

None of us can turn back the clock.  In my middle 40′s, I believed I could.   I was wrong.   I had to figure out for myself, and we all do, how to hold onto your sexy and that fire in your belly.

Here’s a couple of tips I’ll pass on to you if you’re feeling blue because of our age:

• Play up your assets – now it’s time to do what feels good to you  - it’s your turn
• Stop Listening to the naysayers who say life is over at 50
• Don’t hold on to relationships that no longer nurture your soul
• Change your look – go from just OK to sexy sophisticated
• Take a risk – get out of your head – say screw you to the fear  - and watch what happens

We are powerful, fabulous females and even though we may have to play up different assets as we go through the decades, our confidence, our sexy, and appreciation of life will shine through.  Your passion for life will be recognized.

I am convinced that middle-aged women of today are creating another template for aging and it’s not what the pollsters are telling us.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality.  Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.