Baby Boomer Message: "Show us you know us!"

Hallmark has become the latest major retailer to stand up and take notice of the demographic with the most spending power. The company is launching a new line of greeting cards called Journeys. These cards are supposed to be designed with baby boomers in mind. Their slogan is: New cards with real words for real life.

Does this mean Hallmark has finally figured out that like isn’t hunky dory all the time and that we, as baby boomers, may want to express our sentiments about issues like divorce, depression, job loss, aging parents, etc with empowering messages of hope and encouragement? All they would have to do is read my book Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age and know that we go through many journeys as we age. Another thing--Has Hallmark finally realized that baby boomer women love to buy cards and will buy them for any and every occasion?

The Maxine Cards, introduced by Hallmark, do serve some purpose but I don't think the vast majority of baby boomer women want to be depicted with that image. Some of us as classy divas and should have cards representing OUR IMAGE.

I have been invited to visit the Hallmark Headquarters next month to take a sneak peak at the new card lineup and to offer feedback and input. Am I going? Absolutely! And I’m taking you with me. Well, not literally. But I will take your ideas if you want to share them.

Hallmark now joins Ann Taylor in making an effort to reach out and show us that they really do know us.

Why Black Women Don't Exercise

It’s a HAIR thing!

That’s right. Our hair keeps us from working out at a pace and level we should be in order to shed those unwanted pounds.

Let me break it down for you. Yesterday, I spent close to a $100 (including tip) getting my hair to look like a Baby Boomer Diva hairstyle should look. Now, if I turn around and exercise in the next 24 hours like I know I should, I will have wasted my money. The body perspiration will sweat the curls right out of my head and I will end up having to spend even more money to restore my hair back to its Beauty Salon Look. I need to keep my hairdo for at least a week. In the meantime, I’ll just cut back on my food intake---which means I’ll eat like a bird---until I decide it's OK to hit the gym once again. Blame it on menopause or whatever! but my body has just got to understand that sacrifices must be made for MY HAIR.

The number one reason African-American women DON’T EXERCISE on a consistent basis is because we don’t want to mess up our hair. If you don’t believe me, just ask my hairdresser.

Registration Underway for the “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now!” Girlfriends’ Retreat

It’s being dubbed as the most exciting weekend gathering of baby boomer women on the planet! Women from around the country are expected to converge on Daytona Beach, Florida March 28-30 2008 for the “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now!” Baby Boomer Girlfriends’ Weekend Retreat. The event, sponsored by BAM Enterprises and Fabulously40.com, is being hosted by the “Diva” of all baby boomers, Beverly Mahone.

“Mature Girls STILL wanna have fun”, says Mahone, “so that’s why this trail-blazing, fun-filled, weekend was created. We want to offer mature women a total empowerment experience because sometimes life can be pretty overwhelming.” Mahone adds that boomer women have grown a lot over the years and have taken on some major responsibilities including: careers, husbands, children---and some of them are even taking care of their own parents in their aging years.

The weekend will include interactive workshops, mini-spas, dance and karaoke contests and the most creative Over 40 Pa-jamming Party, Mahone says, anyone has ever witnessed. A local PBS Station will also be taping a Town Hall Meeting which Mahone will be hosting. The baby boomer author of Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age says, "Every now and then we deserve to have some ME TIME. That's what this Girlfriends Retreat is all about. It's a 'Pamper Me...Spoil Me...Because I Deserve It!' weekend affair”.

For more information on the Girlfriends Retreat and to register, go to: http://www.enjoyyourmenopause.com

Can Ann Taylor Save the Day?

In a recent article by the New York Times, it was announced that Ann Taylor is going to take a stab at designing a clothing line specifically for baby boomer women. That would be for women like ME.

Forth & Towne (a division of Gap, Inc.) tried it a couple of years ago but failed miserably. It was hard for me to associate the Gap with anything but jeans that I could NEVER fit.

I don't understand what's so hard about coming up with a clothing line for boomer women. No, we're not trying to let it all hang out anymore but we're also not ready to be sent into the convent. We have come into our own and the clothes we wear should reflect that. We're classy, some of us are a little sassy and we're sophisticated. If we're in the boardroom, there's a certain type of look we should have with clothing material that won't have us sweating like pigs during a hot flash.

We are not a "one-size/one-style fits all" generation; therefore the clothes should reflect that fact. What may be appealing to a 60-year-old boomer may be way off the mark when it comes to trying to dress a 45-year-old. Keep that in mind, Ms. Taylor.

The New York Times also indicated Boomers spend $43 billion a year on apparel. So it would stand to reason that if Ann Taylor gets it right, she will be handsomely rewarded by the millions of baby boomer women who are eager to look good from head to toe....especially those of us who are Divas.

Baby Boomers ARE Enjoying Sex!

I’ve been saying it all along and now a national survey of sexual attitudes, behaviors and problems among older adults in the United States confirms it. Data from the University of Chicago's National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), presented in the August 23, 2007, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that many men and women remain sexually active—participating in vaginal intercourse, oral sex and masturbation—well into their 70s and 80s.

Now this is the kind of survey I can appreciate. Surely I didn’t think my baby boomer husband and his menopausal wife were in the very small minority of couples who are enjoying a healthy and active sex life.

Today’s report also concluded that sexual activity was closely tied to overall health, which makes perfect sense. Older adults who actively exercise and eat healthy have more energy to spare for things like foreplay and sex.

My thanks goes out to the University of Chicago's National Social Life, Health and Aging Project for conducting such a survey and reminding baby boomers like myself that sometimes all you need is some candlelight, a Luther Vandross CD, a Vitamin E capsule and the right attitude for a “Let’s Get it On” kind of night.

To read the entire report: cut and paste this URL in your browser:

http://www.newswise.com:80/articles/view/532575/?sc=dwhn

Menopause Can Make You Fat...Duh!

Just yesterday I read an article indicating women were having less sex due to menopause. It’s a theory I dispute based on my own personal experience but, nonetheless, it was an interesting article. Today, another article has come out indicating that menopause can make you FAT. “The declining estrogen levels associated with the change can interfere with metabolic processes leading to weight gain,” US researchers said on Monday, confirming what many women already knew.

Yes, I am in the category of women who already knew this information. My wonderful gynecologist gave me the 4-1-1 on perimenopause and menopause a few years back just as I was beginning to experience some of the symptoms. She is one of the main reasons I have become knowledgeable on the subject. She is also one of the inspirations behind my book, Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age, in which I discuss my whole menopause experience and non-medical ways to deal with those annoying symptoms.

What the article doesn’t address are factors like stress and eating habits that also play a significant role in weight gain and menopause. The article also doesn’t talk about what needs to be done to give your metabolism a much needed jump start. We, as women, are led to believe that a 30-minute walk three times a week will help us maintain our weight but what needs to be done to DROP the fat? That’s what I talk about in my book. Are there really that many uninformed menopausal women out here who don’t have a clue about what’s going on with their bodies? Or is it possible there are too many doctors failing to provide the necessary treatment and information to their patients?

Next question, how much did these researchers get paid to supply this information? Could it be I’m in the wrong business?

Here’s the link to read the entire article:http://www.ebiologynews.com/2696.html

Less Sex in Menopause? Whatever!

A new poll released recently indicates more than half of menopausal women are settling for less sex. Apparently, about a thousand women were surveyed for the study. I don’t know how many women are currently in some phase of menopause but I would guess it’s at least a million. If that’s the case, 1000 women is a very small fraction of the female menopausal population. I might be inclined to believe the survey if the number of women surveyed were significantly higher.

One thing I didn’t see addressed in the survey is what the women had to say about their relationships with their mates. That is a key piece of information because if there isn’t a lot of happiness and support on the homefront, there definitely won’t be anything to sing about in the bedroom. Another thing, what are their stress levels or other midlife drama issues that may be affecting their low sex drive?

I wish someone had asked for my opinion. I would’ve been more than happy to tell them. Personally, I'm not having any problems. My husband makes me hotter than a hot flash! Yes, I do experience vaginal dryness from time to time but I know there are remedies for that. I’ve also learned over the years is sex and intimacy begin in the mind so if you convince yourself that you're not interested, over time you won't be.