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.

 

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.

Diet Myths That Keep You Fat

by Linda Franklin

We are bombarded daily by the do’s and dont’s of proper eating. Tune into any daytime television show and there’s a discussion going on about healthy eating.  But despite the constant stream of experts trying to scare us thin, there are several dieting myths that keep us fat.

Here are 6 of the beliefs that sabotage our success despite our best intentions:

1.  SKIPPING BREAKFAST

Myth –  Not having breakfast encourages your body to burn fat

Fact –  Thin people eat breakfast; fat people don’t‘

Missing breakfast leads to overeating later in the day as blood sugar drops mid-morning, making you more compulsive around food and less likely to resist that double mocha and danish.  Plus, you are more likely to binge at night as your body plays catch-up on missed calories, making you more likely to store the calories as fat.

2. WEEKEND BINGING

Myth –  If you eat healthily all week, it’s fine to treat yourself at weekends

Fact - Even after five days of restraint, two days of freestyle carbicide will make you gain weight

Carbs are first stored as glucose and water, and will turn into fat if it isn’t worked off, so you’ll need to do extra exercise during the  week.

To avoid the temptation to binge, pepper your working week with small amounts of what you love to eat, maybe a nice glass of wine, some cheese and a few squares of dark chocolate.

3. DIET DRINKS

Myth –  Diet drinks have no calories so they won’t impact on weight

Fact –  People who drink diet drinks are fatter than those who don’t

A study from the University of Texas Health Science Centre found that people who drank 21 diet drinks a week were twice as likely to be overweight.

Another study that followed diet drinkers over a ten-year period found their waists grew a staggering 70 per cent more than non-diet drinkers’ waistlines.

‘Diet drinks feed a sweet tooth. When the body receives a sweet taste without the calories it expects, it triggers sweet cravings that make you eat more.

Sweeteners have also been shown to have a similar effect to real sugar on blood glucose and insulin levels.

4.  ‘BUT IT’S HEALTHY’

Myth –  I can eat as much healthy food as I like

Fact  – Healthy food has calories too

Hummus, pistachios and peanuts contain healthy fats but come with masses of calories and often fail the ‘eat just one’ test. Such foods can act as triggers for those with a tendency to overeat.

Being “healthy” doesn’t give people carte blanche to completely ignore calories.

5.  FAT PHOBIA

Myth –  Avoid fat if you want to lose weight

Fact –  Successful dieters get 30 per cent of their daily calories from fat

Studies show that the tiny ten per cent of people who lose weight and keep it off eat moderate amounts of fat.

When dieters avoid fat, they are hungry all the time. Dieters’ obsession with low-fat products merely fuels a craving for fatty foods, and that’s why they end up bingeing on cakes, cookies and ice cream – all sources of the fat the body needs.

Low-fat food is pointless for people wanting to lose weight because when real fat is removed, something needs to be added to retain taste and texture – ‘usually sugar and flour, which provide calories but are nutritionally poor’.

6.  DIETS, Full Stop

Myth –  Diets work for long-term weight loss

Fact -  90% of yo-yo dieters don’t keep the weight off

Most people can’t tolerate rigid dieting for long so once it’s inevitably stopped, weight goes on a little more than before.

‘Then you go on another diet, lose again, stop and go a little higher still. That is how crash dieters gain more and more weight over time.

‘The body thinks it’s starving so, to compensate, will switch on all the mechanisms it has to store food.’

‘One of these is hormones. Last October, a University of Melbourne study of 50 overweight women and men showed that after dieting, our hormone levels start to work overtime and react as though our bodies are starving.

The bottom line: dieting was making them hungrier.

What you should do ‘The only diets that have been proven effective for long-term weight loss in randomized controlled studies are those that focus on higher amounts of protein and vegetables, and limit carbohydrates to those with a low glycemic index.

Losing weight isn’t rocket science.  Common sense rules.  You will gain weight if you take in more calories than you burn off.  Make sure you include exercise in your healthy living routine.

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.

Hair Extensions – The Bloody Truth

by Linda Franklin

Hair extensions can add fullness and length to otherwise sad-looking locks, but the health hazards that accompany the popular beauty aid can far out-way the rewards.

From blinding headaches, to patchy hair loss and sometimes permanent damage, doctors are now warning about the dangers of hair extensions, the must-have accessory of celebrities on the red carpet.

Neurologist, Dr. Orly Avitzur of Terrytown, N.Y., who is also the medical adviser for Consumer Reports, told ABC News: ‘If you start to get hair loss, then stop immediately. The risk of going bald is great”.’

Hair extensions, where synthetic or real hair is attached onto a person’s existing hair or scalp by weaving, gluing, sewing or clipping it on, first became popular with actresses, but the treatment has quickly moved on to the mainstream.  Women everywhere are using them.

Permanent damage from hair extensions is known as Traction Alopecia.  Apparently the weight and tension on the wearer’s hair follicles can cause permanent damage and prevent hair regrowth.

One 46-year-old New York social worker, who prefers not to be named, said she ran to the doctor with blinding headaches. After blood work and an MRI scan of the brain checked out as normal, there was no explanation for the sudden pounding in the patient’s head.

She was sent to Dr Avitzur, who explained: ‘When I went to examine her and simply touched her scalp, she pulled away and winced when my fingertips touched her quite gently.

‘She had hundreds of these tightly braided hair braids. It was pretty clear to me that she did not need a work-up, but that she needed to remove her extensions.

The procedure, costing anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand, can be successful, however it is important to make sure the stylist attaches the extensions using a method that is tailored to your specific hair type.

If they’re attached too tightly, or weigh too much, problems can develop quickly.

Chicago cosmetologist Grace Santiler-Nowik, the president of the Professional Beauty Association’s Professional Council,explained: ‘It’s not something you tread into lightly. People want their hair thick and long, but they forget there’s a whole upkeep portion of it they have to maintain.’

Ms Santiler-Nowik emphasized that customers must return to the salon at regular intervals to have the extensions removed and replaced, and need to take a break from the hair pieces if they’re causing damage to a person’s hair.

‘I think it’s important for people to get education, there’s always a safe way to do things and a smart way to do things,’ she said.

Even Jennifer Aniston, who first gave the extensions a go as her character Rachel in Friend’s, is weary of the procedure.

She told Harper’s Bazaar: ‘I decided to have a couple of extensions, never knowing you would end up with 400 things in your head that cause your hair to break off. Nothing destroys your hair faster than extensions.’

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.

Better Orgasms – Start Early

by Linda Franklin

Female orgasm is something we don’t talk enough about.  So, to help young women and men understand it’s complexities The University of Minnesota is spending $3,400 to host a symposium this spring specifically designed to help its female undergraduate students achieve bigger, better and more orgasms.

‘Orgasm aficionados and beginners of all genders are welcome to come learn about everything from multiple orgasms to that mysterious G-spot,’ reads the description posted on the school’s official events calendar.

‘Are you coming?’ it asks.

The university’s official online description of the event entitled, ‘The Female Orgasm,’ describes it as open to both male and female students, according to Campus Reform.

While the average age of undergraduates at the University is 21, it is not uncommon for students to enroll at the age of 17.

‘This educational workshop is open to the full university community and participation is voluntary,’ she said. ‘As a research institution, we study, publish and educate on a vast range of topics, including human sexuality.’

In my opinion, this is a big step forward for women. The more open we can be about female sexuality the better.

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.

Mastectomy Not Always The Best Choice

 by Linda Franklin

Many women diagnosed with breast cancer choose to have a mastectomy thinking it will remove the tumors as quickly as possible and give them the best chance of survival.  But a new major study has found that women stand a better chance of surviving breast cancer if they don’t have this radical surgery.

If you are over 50 and have only the lump removed, followed by radiotherapy, you are almost a fifth more likely to survive the illness than patients who lose the whole breast.

Results of a ten-year research project conducted at Duke University looked at the records of 112,154 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1994 and 2004. It showed that a  less radical form of treatment – breast conservation surgery – is more effective.

It involves taking away the affected lump and then administering high doses of radiotherapy over a course of five or six weeks to ensure any remaining cancerous cells are killed. Women who had breast conservation surgery were 13 per cent more likely to survive the illness. But the results were even more promising in women over 50 whose survival odds were 19 per cent higher than those who had mastectomies.

It also found that women of all ages who had breast conservation surgery were a fifth less likely to die from other causes such as heart disease.

This study looked only at women diagnosed with breast cancer early – known as stages one or two. It did not include patients with advanced forms of the illness.

Experts believe radiotherapy may be far more effective at killing all cancerous cells than removing the entire breast.

Lead researcher Dr E Shelley Hwang, of the Duke Cancer Institute in North Carolina, said: ‘Our findings support the notion that less invasive treatment can provide superior survival to mastectomy in stage one or stage two breast cancer.

This study provides further reassurance allowing women to be more confident when making this decision.

‘More research is needed to confirm these results, and we urge anybody concerned to speak to their surgeon so they can make an informed decision, as every choice is personal.’

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.

Sex With The Ex

by Linda Franklin

Having sex with the ex seems to be a fairly typical part of the breakup process for young adults, or says a new study. But those of us who are older and wiser know this is risky business. I

According to a recent study, 43 percent of women admit to regularly sleeping with an ex while searching for someone new.

Female participants reported several reasons for seeking sex with a former partner, according to Seeking Arrangements:

1. “Missed physical intimacy.”

2. “Wanted to re-start the relationship.”

3. “Things went too far after too much to drink.”

5. “Bumped into each other on a night out and ‘it seemed like a good idea.”

A Few Things to Mull Over Before Sex With The Ex:

•  

• Don’t forget the reasons for your divorce. If your marital problems were so severe that divorce was your only option, do you really want to sleep with the ex? If you divorce someone to get him/her out of your life inviting him/her back in for intimate get together is only inviting him/her back into your life.
• The person you are now considering having sex with is the same person you no longer wanted share your life. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that only sharing intimacy won’t give this person access to other parts of your life.

•  

• Who else has your ex had sex with? Is he/she dating and is there a possibility they’ve been intimate with others? You may think that sex with your ex is safe, both emotionally and physically but, are you sure? Don’t take it for granted that sex with your ex is safe sex. Always be sure to protect yourself by using a condom and some form of birth control.

In the end, if you decide to have sex with your ex it is important to be honest with yourself and your ex. Discuss your expectations, make sure you are both on the same page and that no one is being fooled by the new intimate relationship.

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. 

Women and Binge Drinking

 by Linda Franklin

Women are drinking more than ever.  According to the latest survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 14 million U.S. women binge drink about three times a month, downing about six beverages per binge. The survey defined binge drinking as consuming five or more drinks in one sitting for men and four or more for women.

It’s not unusual for young women aged 18-34, as well as high schoolers, to overindulge; 1 in 8 women and 1 in 5 high school girls report drinking to excess, but binge drinking accounts for about 23,000 deaths among women and girls in the U.S. each year.

Women who binge drink may be putting themselves at increased risk for breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, heart disease and unintended pregnancy.

Women are drinking in work related situations more than ever.  It isn’t just male professionals drinking on the job anymore. In this era of greater gender equality — and less workplace debauchery — is it helpful or detrimental for women to drink with their colleagues? This is the question the Atlantic‘s Alexandra Chang posed on January 7th.

Chang said she rarely drinks at work events and “tend[s] to avoid situations where drinking is likely to be happening” but worries that she’s missing out on potential bonding with her coworkers as a result. A friend of Chang’s who also passes on alcohol at work concurs recalled that one female colleague wouldn’t even talk to her until she attended a work-related drinking event. Chang suggested that the pressure to drink may be greater for women working in male-dominated fields like finance and technology.

But the consequences of drinking may also be greater for women, she noted. If women who choose office sobriety run the risk of missing out on coworker bonding, they also avoid the potentially negative consequences of having one drink too many. (After all, no one wants to make a fool of themselves in front of their boss.) Leah Epstein, founder of the website Drinking Diaries told Chang that mixed-gender workplace functions hold extra concerns for women. “A woman drinking with a group of men in a work-related situation could cross into flirtation and the sexual. She might be stigmatized,” Epstein said.

Do you drink too much when you are out with work colleagues or clients?

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.