Life After Retirement

Does one simply wake up one morning and say – I am retired – I am tired – twice tired - I`ll spend my day in bed. I don`t think so!! This is a time that most look forward to, to do the things that they haven`t had the time for in many years.

Yes, there may be a short time when one feels kind of lost at the thought of not having to go to work, something that has been a way of life for so long – it is quite natural, but that is the time to be on the go and have some enjoyment planned.

Remember that being at home and not having to answer to others requires a certain amount of discipline, it`s too easy to say – i`ll start tomorrow. Don`t put it off, record your `start’ date and ensure that this is what you abide by.

Too many people die within a year of their retirement, the reasons being that they feel that they are worn out as an individual, which is often caused by phsycological trauma. We can prevent this happening by simply enjoying what we have and being thankful for life itself. Take this period of your life and make it worth living, to explore new and exciting things.

Physical activity is the best way of getting the adrenaline active and enables one to feel the zest for life. I am not saying that you now have to make up for all the exercise in one week that you lacked in the last twenty years! Please, no! Get started with walking, join a club or exercise class, take the stairs, slowly at first, instead of the elevator. Use your imagination, there are plenty of ways to be inventive. Perhaps you always wanted to play golf, or try your hand at painting, now is the time to really enjoy learning those skills at your leisure.

Go out and meet up with friends that you`ve missed out on, perhaps with important events, plan outings with them, they are perhaps feeling lonely. Organise a game of golf. Organising requires a bit of effort of your part, but it`s well worth it. Friends may need more than a little nudging, but persevere.

Start a herb garden, and educate yourself on the benefits of each herb. If you don`t have a garden, herbs grow very well in pots. Growing a few salads can also be very rewarding. Likewise with a flower garden, there is a lot to learn about how to tend to the plants, when they should be clipped, how and when they should be watered etc.

It`s never too late to learn something new, and don`t surrender yourself to `old age’. What is old age – it`s when you have given up. Fulfill all your life`s desires, take up with a dance class and show the world around you that you are not ready to throw in the towel.

Take life, embrace it, love it, and be a pleasure to your family and friends.

For those who cannot fend for themselves, Meals on Wheels delivers nutritious cooked meals to the elderly.

Looking to Help Others

It is quite remarkable that Meals on Wheels has been in operation since 1939. This fact in itself speaks volumes, the fact that it is managed efficiently and effectively. They have touched the lives of countless people in many cities and rural areas and in various countries.

Hunger is an issue that most people cannot even imagine, having perhaps for whatever reason maybe skipped one or two meals at the most in any given day, but to go longer than that and all too often, without a cooked meal is something most of us cannot comprehend.

There are so many tragic stories of struggling seniors, perhaps having to single-handedly look after their own orphaned grandchildren and without the resources to provide good nutrition, this responsibility can be daunting to say the least. It is during these times especially that nutrition is so important, because grief and sorrow together with poor nourishment can have disastrous effects on health.

Meals on Wheels recognise situations like this and have warm hearted volunteers who selflessly give their time to those in need. What a comfort to be able to turn to an organisation like Meals on Wheels for support.

Each individual`s situation is assessed and dealt with accordingly. Those who can afford to pay, do so at a minimal fee, and of course for those who do not have the resources, the meals are provided free of charge.

It is amazing to see how people look forward not only to receiving their meals, but to have the interaction with friendly volunteers who have built up quite a friendship with the regular recipients.

Perhaps you are in need of the services that Meals on Wheels can provide, or perhaps you would like to support struggling Senior Citizens on a monthly basis. You may sponsor as many meals each month as your budget will allow – for as little as R15.00 per meal. The meals are cooked and delivered by the voluntary helpers. Remember that collectively each donation makes a huge difference in many peoples lives.

Nutrition is so important, to help ward off illnesses and also when fighting or recovering from any illness, which in fact leaves us with – at all times.

Saving Our Children

Hunger and obesity. It might seem odd to find these epidemics mentioned together, but they are two of the greatest threats to the health of America's children and the future of our nation.

And Congress is running out of time to do something about it.
Childhood hunger and obesity are problems known all too well in my home state of Arkansas. A recent Feeding America report found our state to have the highest rate of childhood hunger in the country at nearly 25 percent. That's one in four children living in hunger.

Another report found 20 percent of Arkansas children to be obese, the seventh highest rate in the country.

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, I have authored the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which addresses these two threats by making strong improvements to our federal child nutrition programs. Funding authorization for these programs expires in 78 days.

Children who are hungry or obese will face learning challenges and lifelong health problems. And their poor health will add significant cost to our health care system and a significant cost to our nation's future economic security.

Fortunately, hunger is a disease for which we have the cure. And we know healthier meals are part of the solution to reverse the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

But time is running out, and current programs expire on September 30. If we fail to enact this critically-needed legislation, we will have to expand current law and our children will be forced to live with the status quo. That's why I hope you will take action now. Washington's leaders need to know that you stand behind our nation's greatest blessings, our children.

My counterpart in the House of Representatives, Congressman George Miller, and I have sent a letter to President Obama urging him to make child nutrition reauthorization a top priority of his Administration over the next two months. You can help by adding your name to this letter on behalf of our children and our future.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 unanimously passed my committee earlier this year and is completely paid for. It is a common sense solution that provides additional resources to help our schools serve healthier meals. For the first time in nearly 40 years, Congress would provide an increase in the reimbursement rate for schools that agree to serve healthier lunches. I have spoken to dozens of Arkansas school food professionals who tell me these additional funds are desperately needed.

For the first time ever, the Secretary of Agriculture would have the authority to establish national nutrition standards for all food sold at schools. This will mean that healthier, more nutritious foods will be more widely available throughout the school campus. For parents, they can be more comfortable knowing that less nutritious options will be reduced. My bill also reduces the bureaucratic red tape that inhibits families from receiving the school meals for which they are eligible.

Nationwide, over 30 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program each day, including more than 350,000 Arkansas children. More than 10 million children participate in the breakfast program, 18,000 of them in Arkansas. We have a real opportunity to improve access and food quality in these and other life-sustaining programs.

A bipartisan majority of Senators and House members are already on record supporting reauthorization of our child nutrition programs. We must not squander this historic opportunity to make strong improvements to our child nutrition programs that will put us on a path toward ending childhood hunger and reversing the trend of childhood obesity.

Congress has 78 days to send a robust child nutrition bill to the President to avoid another extension of current law. By taking action now and adding your name to our letter today, you can show that you're standing with our children. It's for their future, and for our own future.

Nutrition for the Elderly

As one ages it becomes more important to eat foods that are nutritious, with very often a reduced appetite, it is important to ensure that what you eat is healthy and rich in calcium, fibre, iron, protein and vitamins A, C and folacin.

The elderly have a challenge in meeting the same nutrient needs as in their younger days, and should have enough exercise and stimulation to obtain a feeling of well being, which would in turn give them the urge to `eat right’ and stay healthy.

Unfortunatey too many elderly people cannot afford to eat even one nutritious meal each day, and don`t even get to think about all the good leafy greens, calcium intake, plenty of fruit etc., having to make do with whatever is available to them, which is usually very little.

So many elderly people have worked hard all their lives and never ever thought that they would spend their retirement having to eek out a living on a small pension.

Meals on Wheels do a remarkable service in helping these elderly people when they deliver meals to their door with warmth and friendliness and words of encouragement. It means so much to the Seniors who receive these meals, to know that others care for them, and that they are not alone the world, and that they don`t have to go hungry.