Wiser With Age

Tag: Wiser With Age

  • How to lower stress by adding routine to your life

    How to lower stress by adding routine to your life


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.
    Photo/James Sedano

    Doing the “same old, same old†may not sound exciting, but it can actually make you – and your family – happier and healthier.

    With all the stress we face in our lives everyday, it’s hard to get a handle on what needs to be done, and when. Without proper organization, important things could be missed or forgotten, causing added stress later.

    Whether it’s reading, yoga, or just spending time with your family, having committed daily acts are essential to everyone’s day. Having a routine means that your body naturally knows what needs to be done, which eliminates a lot of unneeded stress in daily life.

    For me, my early morning power act kickstarts my daily routine:

    I begin my day at 4am with one hour of reading, meditating and prayer. Then I walk 3 miles and run 3 miles back. After that, I do a ½ hour of yoga, and then my reward is jumping in the ocean and watching the sun rise.

    Make routines work for you. Be happily flexible. Rigid routines are more likely to fail; flexible ones are more likely to last.

    Here are some steps to help you get started:

    1. Make a List – In order to start getting your life organized, making a list is imperative. Start with a list of things that absolutely must be accomplished that day. Write down what you have to pick up at the store on the way home, or what tasks are due at work. Being able to cross completed items off the list as you go provides a sense of self-confidence and encourages you to check more items off of your list.

    2. Keep it simple and specific – Make the goal tangible such as, “I get up every morning at the same to take care of my body and spirit.”

    3. Plan for success – Think through what you’ll do if confronted with challenges. Always think if x happens, I will do y. This kind of mental preparation will help you to stick to a diet or exercise routine.

     4. Make your goal a habit – Getting into a daily routine when you’re constantly used to running around can be a hard at first. Set a goal of getting into a routine for 30 straight days. This will turn into a daily habit, and you won’t even have to think about it again.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Dr. Josefina Monasterio is a certified life coach, fitness expert, and nutritional counselor based in Vero Beach, Florida. She holds a PhD in Adult Personal Development from Nova University and a Master’s Degree in Education from Boston University. Dr. Josefina is also a certified Yoga Therapist from the World Yoga Society of Calcutta, India, and host of Healthy Power TV’s “The Dr. Josefina Way.â€

  • In My Mother’s Words: Advice on dealing with crazies

    In My Mother’s Words: Advice on dealing with crazies


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.

    As anyone can imagine, raising two kids on your own is no easy feat. Now, imagine one of those kids being a high strung, energetic, siempre a millón (always going at a million) daughter like myself.

    I’ve been blessed with a mother who knows how to deal with crazy, and in turn, has tried to teach me how to not allow the crazies of the world make me crazy(ier). Or, as she says,

    “Donde hay un loco que no hayan dos.”

    (Where there’s one crazy let there not be two.)

    As simple as that phrase is, I can’t tell you how many times it’s helped me both personally and professionally. When people are under stress, they tend to act out.

    So, whenever you find yourself in a situation where you feel everyone is acting crazy, just remember to keep the calm.

    Lord knows my mother epitomizes it.

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Victoria Moll-Ramirez is a broadcast journalist based in Atlanta, GA. She is originally from Miami, FL and had the great fortune of being raised by the sassiest, spunkiest, wisest, most hysterical Honduran woman in the world. Victoria’s mother, Bélgica, is 60-years-old, resides in Little Havana (Miami) and enjoys a good margarita accompanied by a heartrending ranchera. Victoria blogs about her mom’s funny and wise sayings on, “In My Mother’s Words.”

     

  • Veteran remembers meeting his wife 61 years ago

    Veteran remembers meeting his wife 61 years ago


    Bob Haupt was drafted to the U.S. Marines in 1951, and for years he traveled the United States to different bases. He was previously in the refrigeration and air conditioning business, which led to his job as a repairman in the Marines. He was stationed in many states around the country – one of them being Virginia. During one of his visits to his hometown, Teaneck, NJ, he met the love of his life, Helen Haupt. Bob would travel every weekend for seven month from Virginia to see Helen. Soon after his service was over in 1953, he decided to marry her on January 30, 1954, and they have been together since.

    Their secret to their 61-year-old marriage? “If you love each other, you can get through anything.”

     

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Kelly Carrion, is a multimedia journalist who believes in the incredible influence storytelling has on people, and how they view the world. That is why she has made it her mission to tell compelling stories about extraordinary people. Her articles have been featured on NBCNews.com, NBCLatino.com, LowellSun.com and Nashoba Publishing. She is a recent Boston University graduate. Follow Kelly on Twitter @kellycarrion12.

  • From corporate to freelance to founding Ventureneer

    From corporate to freelance to founding Ventureneer


    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.
    Geri Stengel (Courtesy Geri Stengel)

    After spending many years working relatively secure jobs in research, marketing and sales in the corporate world, Geri Stengel transitioned to the uncharted land of freelancing. Since 1994, she’s been working on her own – mostly providing other women entrepreneurs advice.

    The nearly 62-year-old from Queens, NY says she spends most of her time heading her own firm Ventureneer, a digital market research company which helps corporations reach small businesses. She also recently authored the book, “Forget the Glass Ceiling: Build Your Business Without One.â€

    “A lot of my work is doing reports…interviewing people for the reports, attending conferences, or events, and sometimes speaking,†says Stengel. “The last three to six months I’ve been doing a lot of speaking on women and entrepreneurship, and women investing in women.â€

    She says her favorite part about her job is analyzing and interpreting data.

    “I’m also very social, so I like networking and talking to people,†says Stengel. “I pretty much fall in love with all of my projects. Right now, I’m working on a project on crowdfunding. Women are more likely to try and raise money privately than publicly. The report will be about women who are seeking funding, and women as investors.â€

    Stengel says she didn’t plan on becoming an expert on entrepreneurship but ended up teaching four years on the subject at The New School, and presently, she’s facilitating a class offered by NYC for women who want to grow their businesses.

    “Everything was evolutionary,†says Stengel. “I thought I was going to be psychologist. I went to school to be a psychologist, but I took a year off after my BA, and when I started working in Manhattan for businesses, I really enjoyed it and changed my direction. I didn’t think it through.â€

    She says doing project management for large corporations and internet startups gave her a lot of experience writing strategic plans.

    “A lot of my work was doing business plans for businesses that were raising money,†says Stengel about her corporate world experience. “I had differences with my partners and left. I stepped back and said, ’Where do my skills fit in?’â€

    The proud business woman says her first independent project was a dollar store in Syracuse, NY, and it won a Goldman Sachs competition.

    “That was my first,†says the woman who went on to write a grand prize-winning business plan for the Yale School of Management and was honored as a 2012 and 2013 Small Business Influencer for her articles on Forbes about women entrepreneurs.

    If she had one piece of advice she would tell her younger self, what would it be?

    “I think find mentors and people to support you in whatever careers aspirations you have,†says Stengel. “I tried to do it all on my own, and I think having advisers, mentors and peer support groups help fortify you and provide direction. You need people to give you tough advice and advise you as you’re moving forward.â€

  • Comedian Howard Feller Gives Up-And-Coming Comedian Advice

    Comedian Howard Feller Gives Up-And-Coming Comedian Advice


    Born and raised in NYC, Howard Feller, now 60, started writing comedy in his mid-20’s. Throughout his stand-up career, he’s also been a sidekick on “The Jon Stewart Show” and had various roles in films such as, “I Hate Valentine’s Day” and “Awakenings.” Most recently, he’s appeared on the 2014 TV series, “The Following.”

    Here, he gives advice to up-and-coming NYC comedian Gabe Waldman at the iconic Stand Up NY comedy club.

     

    A woman with short hair wearing red necklace.Kelly Carrion, is a multimedia journalist who believes in the incredible influence storytelling has on people, and how they view the world. That is why she has made it her mission to tell compelling stories about extraordinary people. Her articles have been featured on NBCNews.com, NBCLatino.com, LowellSun.com and Nashoba Publishing. She is a recent Boston University graduate. Follow Kelly on Twitter @kellycarrion12.