"Fitness tips for menopause" from Mayo Clinic

Whether you've exercised faithfully for years or you haven't been active, physical activity during and after menopause offers many benefits. For example, regular physical activity can:

Prevent weight gain:
Women tend to lose muscle mass and gain abdominal fat around menopause.  Even slight increases in physical activity can help prevent weight gain.

Reduce the risk of breast cancer:
Physical activity during and after menopause can help you lose excess weight or maintain a healthy weight, which might offer protection from breast cancer.

Strengthen your bones:
Physical activity can slow bone loss after menopause, which lowers the risk of fractures and osteoporosis.

Reduce the risk of other diseases:
Menopause weight gain can have serious implications for your health.  Excess weight increases the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  Regular physical activity can counter these risks.  

Boost your mood:
Physical activity can improve your psychological health at any stage of life. 

Read more:  Fitness Tips for Menopause

Good Eats - Carrot Soup

 Contributed by Ann Marie Orr

A great recipe to cook up all those fresh carrots you picked up at the Farmers Market this weekend and as daylight decreases it will give our skin a natural glow, our body a lighter feeling & an energetic skip in our step!  What's not to love!?  
 
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
2 Tbs butter
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds carrots-chopped
5 cups chicken stock…
 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
sea salt
1 cup sour cream
Plastic condiment bottle or medium plastic food storage bag
Fresh chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

Laura's Style - Body Type Tip

  Contributed by Laura Michaud

When you tend to carry a little extra weight in the middle there is always the tendency to want to cover that by wearing over-sized tops. This will only make you appear larger. Trust me! Here are a few tips for those that have a little extra in their mid section:

1) Jackets hide a multitude of sins. If you carry extra weight in the middle you will want a jacket that will hit just above your high hip for your best look. Make sure the jacket is cut with a slight hourglass curve in the middle to give you some shape. A slightly boxy style can work for you as well. The key word here is slight.

A Devastating Divorce (or was it?)

  Contributed by Jennifer Hooper

When my girls were five and six, I looked at my friend’s life and observed (despite the divorced part) her life was kind of great. 50% of the time, she was free to be a real person, not entrenched in the roles of “mom” and a “wife.” Wrapped by a blanket of guilt, I felt mildly envious.  I consoled myself by knowing that “at least my family is intact.” 

Fast-forward 10 years. I’m divorced, and my teen daughters divide their time between my house and their dad’s. I hadn’t seen that coming.