Category Archives: Health

Drowning Statistics and Prevention

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Contributed article in our social services series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

As leaders, we have a duty to be more responsible than others, even when we’re relaxing at the beach or on a boat.

As such, it’s important to learn drowning prevention tips to help ourselves and others, with what is an easily-avoidable cause of death.

Below, we’ll give some drowning statistics to show you exactly what’s at stake, and then we’ll help you do your part in preventing some of these terrible accidents.

(The post below is an excerpt. If you want to know more, you can read the full article on Happiness Without.)

Drowning Statistics

General Statistics

  • 320,000 people drowned worldwide in 2016
  • Approximately ten people drown every day in the U.S for a total of 3,536 every year between 2005 and 2014
  • 20% of those fatalities were under the age of 14. 
  • For non-fatalities, about 50% require emergency room attention and/or transfer to further care (compared to 6% for non-drowning-related injuries). Non-fatal injuries can include brain damage and long-term disabilities.
  • An additional 332 people perished in boating-related drowning incidents

Continue reading→

You Can Beat Autoimmune!

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We are delighted to host this guest post in support of the wonderful work that Palmer Kippola is doing to help people reclaim their best lives. Enjoy! – Kimberly

I’m Palmer Kippola, certified Functional Medicine Health Coach and I used to have MS.

If you’re plagued with frustrating or debilitating autoimmune symptoms like profound fatigue, aches and pains, numbness and tingling, brain fog, or all of the above you’re not alone. About one in five Americans, or roughly ten percent of the world’s population, suffers from one of the more than 100 autoimmune diseases. It’s estimated that the prevalence and cost of autoimmune disease is greater than cancer, heart disease and diabetes combined, and it’s one of the top ten causes of death in women under age sixty-four. Long haul COVID may very well be classified as an autoimmune disease too.

Autoimmunity is epidemic today but it doesn’t have to be that way.

While it took me more than two decades of trial and error to finally reverse the MS, and another 5 years to study how that was even possible, it can be far quicker, more straightforward, and less costly to reverse or prevent autoimmune conditions today.

You may be thinking all this sounds a little too good to be true. And who can blame you? You probably haven’t heard many people say, “I used to have MS,” and most likely, your doctor hasn’t mentioned anything beyond the use of prescription medication to “manage” your condition. Although millions of Americans suffer from at least one of the myriad autoimmune disorders, the best the current medical establishment can provide is little more than medications, which may in an ironic twist, trigger additional autoimmune conditions, and even cancer. That’s because most conventional doctors have never learned how to effectively treat chronic disease, like autoimmune disorders, type 2 diabetes, and dementia.

In other words, what your doctor doesn’t know can hurt you. Thankfully, despite Western medicine’s current limitations, groundbreaking studies in the last decade have given us the science we need to prevent, and yes, even reverse autoimmune disorders.Continue reading→

Essential Services for Non Profit Associations [A Guide]

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You’ve most likely heard the terms “charity”, “non-profit”, and even “not-for-profit” used for associations and organizations that support social, environmental, and sometimes, political causes. But all three terms refer to different kinds of entities.

However, the focus of this article is to explain what non-profit associations do, their essential services and how they differ from charities.

What is a Non-Profit Organisation?

A non-profit or not-for-profit organization is a tax-exempt entity that is organized to achieve mutual or public benefits that do not include generating profits for members of the board, owners, or investors.Continue reading→

Reasons Why Water Coolers for The Office Are the Best Idea

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Dehydration is a common symptom for people who are working in offices. Without enough of this liquid the body can’t function the way it should and the chances of making mistakes will increase dramatically. Water is very healthy and beneficial to your body. Read more about why water is so important to a human’s health here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-of-water. 

Why Should a Person Drink This Natural Fluid at Work?

There are several reasons why staying hydrated at work is incredibly important. Here are a few of the main reasons why: 

AN INCREASE IN ENERGY

As you start drinking more of this natural liquid the nutrients in the brain can move to the rest of the body faster. This causes the body to get more energy and get the job done faster and more effectively. Continue reading→

Happy DRJ App for Children Diagnosed with Autism

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We are delighted to host this guest post in support the the wonderful work that Dr. Dustow is doing. Enjoy! – Kimberly

I’m Dr. Jennifer Dustow, a Cognitive Behavioral Learning Specialist who have been working with children diagnosed under the autism spectrum for over 17 years. One of the devastating aspects regarding autism is the cost for treatments. After many years of repeatedly witnessing families being financially drained, bankrupted and forced to stop much needed treatments, I just knew I needed to do something.

So in order to assist families, I decided to create an app both in Apple and Android that is simple to use, very inexpensive and highly effective. This app is in no way designed to replace treatments but rather a supplement to aid in left and right brain hemisphere communication which leads to increase focus.

When a brain is able to focus learning occurs.

The Happy DRJ app was created and geared for children 2+ diagnosed under the autism spectrum. However, children with other diagnoses are also benefiting.

Continue reading→

What Makes Vaping an Incredibly Fun Experience

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Contributed article in our pandemic recreational series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Vaping is the trending hashtag in the lives of millennials. It is universal, and people actually see vaping as a more acceptable thing to do than smoking. There might be psychology running behind the way that the general public sees vaping. There are studies that show parents would more likely have their children, vaping than smoking, as a teenager or an adult. Vapes have earned a lot in their credit. There are a lot of celebrities that are into vaping. In fact, vaping has become more or less of typical aesthetic activity. It’s all over Tumblr.

However, there are two sides to everything. There are vape juices available in the market that contain nicotine. At the same time, nicotine-free vape juice is quite popular as well. It’s totally up to the people what they pick for themselves. Plus, too much of anything is wrong. One shouldn’t be vaping all the time; it doesn’t matter if their vape juice has nicotine or not. Let’s have a look at some reasons why vaping is so much fun –

It is smooth

When you smoke a cigarette for the first time, you are expected not to take it all easy. The nicotine irritates the throat, and you start coughing. That’s when you decide how much you hate cigarettes. However, the case might be totally different with vapes. There are nicotine-free vape juices that are light on your throat. In fact, the vape juices that contain nicotine are smooth too, as compared to cigarettes. The smok coils inside the vape vaporize the juice and make the smoke feel really smooth. This doesn’t mess with your throat.Continue reading→

A Woman’s Guide To Planning An Estate

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Contributed article in our personal wealth series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

While estate planning is important for everyone, it’s especially crucial for women. Statistically, women have longer lifespans than men do, which means many women will outlive their husbands. This is why it’s vital that a woman takes the time to prepare for the future. This guide to planning an estate will help women think ahead and take the right precautions. 

Be Prepared To Adjust Your Will 

You and your spouse should work together to create a will that reflects your wishes for the future. However, even after a will is drawn up, you should remember that it isn’t set in stone. You may need to make changes to your will as your assets change, and you’ll also want to make adjustments if your spouse passes away. Continue reading→

About the Helping Hands Project

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Contributed article in our worthy cause series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Children with limb differences are being assisted by the Helping Hands Project in a variety of ways.  Since the Helping Hands Project utilizes 3D printing in order to get prosthetic devices to the children, they are providing these children with more than just the ability to do more things but also the confidence that they need to engage in more and more activities that will allow them to blossom into the beautiful individuals that they are.

When Did The Helping Hands Project Begin?

The Helping Hands Project began back in the year 2014. It started with the help of the Biomedical Engineering (BME) department which is at UNC Chapel Hill.  This began the process of using 3D printing for the prosthetic devices that were and are given to the children that need them at no charge.Continue reading→

“Age is not important unless you are cheese.”

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Helen Hayes

“Age is not important unless you’re cheese.” – Helen Hayes, an American actress whose career is said to have span 80 years.

When I saw her quote for the first time, it made me think of two things:

  1. The really good cheese I enjoy that takes time to age.
  2. The people I know who are doing amazing things and “have aged” according to cultural concepts of aging.

One of those people who stands out to me is someone named Sherry Saterstrom. I met Sherry when I was a college student and she was a dance professor. She has the kind of voice recognizable from across a room. She expresses the energy of what she’s communicating in exclamations and punctuative sound. Similarly, she is nimble and quick, and the most energetic and curious person I have ever met. At the time, she was also almost 70 years of age.

Sherry Saterstrom

While I was at school, I took several of her dance classes, one of them I even took twice just because it meant more time around Sherry. We learned anatomy, physiology, evolution, somatics, dance, and improvisation, and practiced something we now call “Mindful Movement.” As students, we watched and learned as this limber and spritely woman showed us how with an attention to alignment you can be in the middle of lecture and discover you can do a handstand (this literally happened one day while we were in class).

When I think of someone who doesn’t let anything, like expectations around what someone at age 70 should be doing, I think of Sherry. In fact, her more recent jump from teaching into what most people call retirement also took a more unconventional route.

“Graduation”

After spending 30 years (of one year contracts) teaching dance at St. Olaf College, Sherry decided it was time for one great life phase to end. No, she wasn’t retiring. As a St. Olaf alumnus herself, she told everyone, “I’m finally graduating.”

During her time teaching at St. Olaf, she had never gone on sabbatical, so her first year after “graduation” she set aside as “sabbatical.” She gardened, cross country skied, cooked, organized her home office, and probably ate yummy cheese. But she didn’t sit around in the fridge like cheese. In fact, winter, when Minnesota feels the most like a refrigerated world, is when Sherry loves to be outside the most.

This year, she told me she’s looking for a market. She’s ready to start her own venture about mindful moving and fitness.

“This is an idea I had 20 years ago, but when I was thinking about it then, I was 20 years too early!” She says, “Today, even when I go to the Y for my cross fit class I hear the trainers talking about being mindful. Who knows, maybe I’m still wrong and it’s too early, but I think there’s a wider awareness now about what mindfulness is and that makes me look for a market to launch a venture offering new kinds of classes.”

Lessons about Age

Listening to Sherry’s story, I wonder: how did she know this was the idea she wanted to go for? In some ways, it was because it’s something that she has been fascinated by for decades. In other ways, it’s because she has seen other people talking about the concepts she wants to build a business around. Either way, her age has given her the advantage to see her idea in a broader context.

That tells me two things:

  1. We all have potential skills and value to offer already inside us. Like an expensive cheese, we have so much depth and richness that can create value in the world today. Potentially, even greater value the more we age!
  2. Hearing about other people thinking the same thing isn’t a bad signal. In fact, it may be a signal the idea you have is even more worth doing. Timing is critical in launching and getting traction around a business, and knowing your idea resonates with people who may be future customers is a great signal you’re onto something good.

While things are still early for Sherry, what I love about her journey into “retirement” so far is that it’s characterized by a clear intention to throw out the window all the things we think “should” happen as we get older. Instead, she plans to continue to be curious about what’s next. No venture is too big or too small when you set your mind to it and begin to see all the possibility. Who knows, maybe Sherry’s career in dance will eventually rival Helen Hayes’ career in acting. If you’re going to have that much life, what are you going to get up to?

Kirsten Schowalter is the founder of Aging Courageously and the author of the memoir In My Own Skin. Originally posted on Aging Courageously.

How to grow up and live a fulfilling life

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When you grow up

You spend your life trying to figure out what you’re going to be when you grow up. Maybe you know from the get-go or maybe, like me, you are just trying to figure out the next step along the journey.

When I was little, I never really had a clear idea of what I wanted to be when I grew up. I thought, “I could be a ballerina, or maybe a teacher, or a doctor, or a secretary.” Every time I picked something, I felt like I was jumping in a category of people and nothing felt just right. What if I started a job when I was 22 and woke up ten, twenty, thirty years later and decided it wasn’t for me? In some ways, I feel like my early career has been dictated by the fear that I will have to choose something and stay with it… for the rest of my life.

That’s intimidating.

When I was 18, my mom (age 48) decided to quit her job and go back to school to become a doctor. Nobody knew how this was going to go.

There was only one school that accepted her, so clearly not many places thought she could do it, right?

How can someone reinvent themselves just like that?

Last year, my friend Aaron lost his job at age 52. He told me, “It’s likely the best years of my career are behind me now, Kirsten.”

When we live to be a 102, how can the best years of our lives be behind us at age 52?

One day while my uncle drove me to the airport, he said he wished he could find work he really loved. “I love antiques, but where are the jobs in antiques? Plus, who would hire a guy in his late fifties anyway? I’m worthless on the job market.”

Do you know the feeling? You have experience, and yet somehow it doesn’t mean anything?

So what’s left for you?

While I was in grad school at UC Berkeley, I studied demography, or population studies. In one class, the professor put up a picture on the screen and said, “The U.S. population is aging. We know it, we can see it, and the only way we are going to be able to survive it is if you go out and make better institutions.”

When I look at these four situations, I think, “There’s got to be a way that we can live that supports us in finding something we care about and can make a living doing, no matter how old we are, no matter what stage in life we are in.”

Now there is.

Whether you’re looking for a new story, sending kids off to school, leaving a long standing career for retirement, or something else entirely, you can reinvent yourself. This is something I believe deeply.

Launched in 2018, Aging Courageously will inspire and strengthen you to make your dreams real at EVERY age. Rather than follow the social momentum of slowing down as you get older, with Aging Courageously it’s never too late to feel engaged and passionate about your life.

Who am I?

I’m Kirsten. I guide people in restoring their sense of self through major life changes.

How did this become my life?

As I said, when I was little, I felt like every time I considered a career for myself I was deciding on something that would stick for the rest of my life. Honestly, being put in a category like that scared me. So, I decided I didn’t have to just do one thing. I researched brain cancer in a genetics laboratory at Mayo Clinic, curated exhibitions at an Austrian ethnographic museum, worked as the head baker in a farm to fork bakery on a fruit orchard, and got a Master’s degree at UC Berkeley where I studied populations and aging. After it all, I was sure there was something more for me.

That something more turned out to be sharing my own story. I wrote a memoir called “In My Own Skin”. It’s memoir about my story of loss, love, and growing up after my dad died when I was 14 and my family was in a car crash. Reflecting on the choices and circumstances that have shaped my life, I want to help you love who you are and make your dreams possible from where you’re standing right now.

Let’s get this started!

That’s why I started Aging Courageously. Because the best way to grow up to a fulfilled life is to believe it’s possible at ANY age.

And that’s why I’m excited to share stories of Aging Courageously with you, my new friends at Scrappy Women. We know what it’s like to create something from nothing – “to take risks and put ourselves out there;” “to care about something more than we care about being comfortable, socially acceptable, or politically correct;” and “to be absolutely, totally committed to extraordinary results.” As we venture on this journey into the world of aging, grab hold of your scrappiness and dive in. Let’s show the world just how far our scrappiness can take us in living long, healthy, and fulfilled lives.

Stay tuned for my next post about my friend Sherry, a 70 year old “graduating” into entrepreneurship.

Kirsten Schowalter is the founder of Aging Courageously and the author of the memoir In My Own Skin.

(In case you’re curious…Above is a picture of my mom speaking at her medical school graduation.)