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Celebrating Baby Boomer Women

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Sweet Talk

New Year, New You So, it’s official: We’ve closed the books on 2011. We’ve exchanged gifts, attended parties and probably indulged a bit more than we should have. We gleefully gave ourselves permission to throw caution to the wind and actually enjoy ourselves with no strings attached, albeit temporarily. Now we’re ready to hunker down and get on with the practical business of a New Year.

Right?

Well, not exactly.

Along with the potential of a shiny new year comes a multitude of great deals designed to entice you into the gym and to aggressively transform your body into shape. But the New Year also brings the opportunity to exercise some rightbrain creativity…and with it, you just may find that elusive balance in life between the pragmatic and the idealistic.

Creativity is essential

Creativity is an essential part of who we are…and unleashing your imaginative side is a bigger deal than you may think. Studies have shown that creative expression is crucial to psychological health…and that people who regularly engage in creative activities become better and faster in areas of visual and verbal problem-solving. They also tend to experience more satisfying personal relationships, as inflexible thinking tends to be associated with depression.

What all this means is that we need to entwine that everyday practicality with something that will challenge us to stretch our creative muscles, culminat-

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ing in an even better version of you.

This assertion can be found in the teachings of the amazing Denise Leclair from Bedouin Beats, who is our featured guest for this month. Denise has been belly dancing since 1995 and knows a thing or two about passion. “You are never too old to start dancing,” says Denise.

That said, I myself have recently signed up for several courses of both painting and water colour pencil. Although I have a strong background in graphic & floral design, I’ve lately found myself yearning to head back to my roots, found in painting. I’d also like to explore other mediums to see what inspires me.

What inspires you? Is it the irresistible beat of a favourite tune that sends your hips swaying and makes it nearly impossible not to sing along? Or is inspiration found in the delicate blending of words or colours…combining and mingling, until they flow effortlessly?

Find whatever moves you…and go for it! If not now, when? Let’s make 2012 the year we tap into our potential…and let our creativity soar!

Be well. F DIANNA BOWES Founder of Fabulous@50 • Graphic Designer/Artist • Editor Dianna is a strong, passionate and creative baby boomer woman with a life full of experiences that she could write a couple books about and maybe will one day. Dianna was awarded the 2011 YWCA Women of Distinction’s Turning Point Award. dianna@fabulousat50.com • fabulousat50.com Celebrating the baby boomer woman • 3 12-01-28 2:38 PM

Fabulous

50

at

EDMONTON

Celebrating the baby boomer women

Publisher Gryphon Publishing www.gryphonpubs1.com Editor Dianna Bowes dianna@fabulousat50.com Designer Creative On The Move www.creativeonthemove.com Printer Print West

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Sales Dianna Bowes E sales@fabulousat50.com P 780-470-0749 Editorial Contributors: Dianna Bowes, Shirley Borrelli, Atco Blue Flame Kitchen, Elizabeth Manuel, Jennifer Park, Renee Weimer (AMA Travel), Donna Worthington, Barbra North, Joanne Ward, Kathi Casey, Dr. Ron Brown, Sheridan, McLaren, Kulshan Gill, Norrie Shan, Are you interested in becoming an expert for Be Fabulous: E: info@fabulousat50.com Be Fabulous! is published six times a year.

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4 • Be Fabulous! I www.fabulousat50.com I February • March • 2012 Issue 8.indd 4

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Penny Oman is a local artist who paints by holding a brush in her mouth. She’s an associate member of the Mouth and Foot Painting Association and has her work shown in many countries throughout the world. Though she has spent forty years in a wheelchair following a car accident at fourteen, she has overcome many challenges yet continues to live an independent and full life.

What’s

INSIDE? 3 SWEET TALK

New Year, New You.

16 REGAINING YOUR BALANCE

6 LOOKING FABULOUS AT 50

Easy Travel Packing.

23 FINANCIAL FINESSE

Retirement Income.

20 MANAGING YOUR STRESS

7 BOOMER HEALTH 24 my great escape!

Think of your Heart Health. Portugal.

8 HAPPINESS 25 DR. DOREE

Creative Moves.

Licensed to be Loopy.

9 FENG SHUI PERSPECTIVE 10 Featured FABULOUS@50 WOMAN

Denise Leclair: I Am a Goddess.

26 EVERYDAY FOOD

Lunch with the Ladies.

28 FABULOUS EVENTS

Cover Photo: Nicole Watson is an Edmonton-based freelance photographer who is the creative mind behind Nicole Ashley Photography. Since she was a little girl, Nicole felt as though she viewed the world through a lens. She found herself wanting to freeze time whenever she encountered something truly extraordinary or beautiful; eventually, it was photography that allowed her to capture these moments.

nicole ashley photography • info@nicoleashley.ca • www.nicoleashley.ca Celebrating the baby boomer woman • 5

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EasyTravelPacking Travelling is supposed to be fun and exciting, but preparing to go away can be daunting when trying to decide what to pack to look

Looking Fabulous at 50

your best for every potential contingency.

Luggage

Everyone tends to overpack. It is not only cumbersome and burdensome, it is also expensive. Many airlines are now charging up to $40 for the first piece of luggage and then per bag thereafter, with an additional fee of $50 if the bags are over 50 pounds! It is time to pack lightly!

The Easy Travel Packing List is your strategic plan that will make packing quick and enjoyable. Using the list will give you a variety of outfits and you will have everything you need once you arrive at your destination.

Pack essentials only - the “just in case” items are rarely needed. This list will methodically give you simple basic pieces that coordinate into the maximum amount of outfits while keeping your luggage light and less burdensome.

Clothing

List your various activities at your destination. This will create an outline of what you will require so that you are prepared.

Generally, it is advisable to pack: • workout gear • elegant evening outfit • casual evening outfit • casual daytime outfit • elegant daytime outfit • Start with one base colour (i.e. white, black, brown, gray or navy) to maximize the mix ‘n match possibilities.

Do not pack items that you will only wear once, unless it is for a special one-time event.

Choose a neutral colour that will match everything else. A common mistake is to bring more than one base colour. This adds extra luggage for shoes and accessories. It is better to use only one base colour.

• Pack a great pair of jeans in a darker wash to go from daywear to evening by changing from a flat shoe to a heel and from a T-shirt to a pretty top.

For a FREE 2-page ready made packing list, go to www.ShirleyBorrelli.com/ products F

SHIRLEY BORRELLI : Personal Development Mentor/ Author/Speaker • Coach Shirley Borrelli, B.Ed is a fun, energetic and results driven expert who can build your confidence to attract more success in your life. She has become a trusted advisor to hundreds of women looking for personal development coaching, shopping and wardrobing strategies. She has been seen on all the major television networks in Edmonton. She can be reached at: info@shirleyborrelli.com; www.ShirleyBorrelli.com; 780.235.5506.

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Think of Your

this Valentine’s Day!

Heart Health

February is the month of hearts and flowers. Every store has heart cakes, valentine shaped cupcakes, pastries – I even saw a macaroni salad the other day tinted pink and in a heart shaped bowl. Yikes!

in our bodies and endorphins chase away those harmful stress hormones.

Plan some time every day to read some good jokes, watch a comedy sketch, or listen to Robin Williams in your car during rush hour. Your heart will thank you.

While people think of loving each other this month and I’m all for that, I’d like to suggest that we also love ourselves enough to forego the red velvet chocolate cake and think about the health of your heart!

Spice Up Your Life

This article is filled with tips and techniques to keep us Baby Boomer Women vital and healthy, and enjoying life for many years to come! heart disease

Heart disease has become the number one killer of women in North America, yet heart disease is preventable; this fact boggles my mind! We are currently the largest demographic in this country and that makes us a force to be reckoned with; it’s time for us Baby Boomer women to take charge of our own health care! You’ve seen the headlines stating that 60 is the new 40. OK, now let’s make 70 the new 45! Here are a few simple, natural ways to prevent heart disease from controlling our lives: Don’t underestimate the effect of stress on health. Stress is inevitable in today’s fast paced world, but our reaction to it is not. Try laughing your head off. Really! Laughter releases the tension in many stressful situations. Laughing releases endorphins (feel good hormones)

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Spice up your life! Herbs and spices are rich in antioxidants, low in calories, and they are potent inhibitors of inflammation, which science now believes is one of the top causes of heart disease.

Turmeric, cinnamon, and other spices have been used as medicines in India and China for centuries and Western science is finally catching up. A recent study substantiates that “cumin’s traditional use as a culinary spice in foods is beneficial in combating stress and related disorders.”

Another study in 2009 proved cumin’s antioxidant benefits are stronger than that of Vitamin C. Omega 3 fish oils are amazing antiinflammatories – ever see a grizzly bear with heart disease? Omega 3’s from cold water fish like salmon, anchovies, herring, tuna, and striped sea bass can significantly reduce high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.

Exercise is not a bad word and doesn’t need to be a chore. Get creative and find as many ways to fit ten minutes of fitness into your schedule as you can, while spicing up your cooking to include these beneficial herbs, so together we can stamp out heart disease in our lifetimes.

By Kathi Casey, ERYT, CPI F

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CREATIVE

HaPPINeSS

moves

The whole idea of creativity caused me great anxiety for many years. I knew that I had missed the creativity gene. I can draw a stick man well, but that’s where my skill sort of ends.

I tried piano, ballet and knitting, but it seemed as though my older sister got the creativity gene and I missed out. I looked enviously at her artistry and woodworking skills. For many years, I believed that I simply did not have a creative bone in my body, which kept me stuck and feeling frustrated.

Gradually though I began to develop a new understanding and awareness of the different forms that creativity can take. Well-known psychologist J.P.Guilford (1965) explained creativity as the ability to: • Go beyond the immediate solution • Redefine the problem or some part of it • Cope with ideas that are unusual • Change the old or create a new approach to a problem

So how can creativity be boosted?

Difficult emotions are stored in the right brain, which is also the source for intuition and creativity. By dealing with these issues, the brain hemispheres can reintegrate. It is through the re-integration of the hemispheres that the mind can be opened and inspiration will be allowed to flow.

Here are three wonderful ways to re-integrate your brain hemispheres and boost your energy and creative functioning.

1) Practice Yoga

Yoga is a unique way of moving the body through poses, which support optimal brain function. Sustained mind/body disciplines, such as hatha yoga, focus and train the mind in ways that are helpful in cultivating the natural plasticity in the brain.

2) Engage In Guided Imageries Guided imageries help us to relax and reduce stress, which improves health and happiness. As a clinical hypnotherapist and grief therapist I know you can achieve a sense of peace of mind and tranquility.

You can create your ideal life by working with your intuition and imagination.

3) Reflection and Journal Writing Writing and journalling can be a wonderful tool for creative recovery. There is no wrong way to write. You don’t need to spell correctly or be careful with punctuation. This writing is for you and you only.

As Julia Cameron writes in The Artist’s Way, “ Writing will lead to a connection with a source of wisdom within” F For guided imagery go to www.elizabethmanuel. com/products-available.php#magnificenT

{continued on page 21}

ELIZABETH MANUEL Speaker • Coach In the area of the psychology of happiness, no one is better respected than Elizabeth Manuel. Giving from her heart with over a decade of specialized experience in increasing happiness and self-esteem, author of two books and six CDs, Elizabeth is a successful speaker and coach. metamind@ shaw.ca • 780.445.9299

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Creativity and Movement from a Feng Shui Perspective.

The words feng shui when translated literally mean wind and water. Of course, both wind and water are all about movement and that is the basis for feng shui: energy – movement and creativity! Chi is another word for energy and it is a universal life force. Everything and everyone is connected by a worldwide energy force – chi. Nature is a constant state of changing and we can witness this with the changing of the seasons, the weather, the tides, the moon, and many other life cycles.

Change is the one thing you can always count on. I think change gives us hope, a new opportunity to align ourselves, or move towards new goals, habits, and lifestyle.

I love this theme, because I want you to think about breaking out of ruts.

Feng Shui is all about moving and changing. Not only can you change your home environment by changing things around and adding the 5 elements, you can also change “yourself”. It is fun to “reinvent” yourself. You can change your hairstyle, your colour scheme by adding a new outfit to your wardrobe, or sign up for a new, fun exercise class. The key is movement.

The “good” chi flows when you get into motion and get rid of anything “stale”.

Why not challenge your creativity by embracing a new craft or project that you have been thinking about or maybe putting off for awhile? What do you love to do, and yet, haven’t “made time for”? Perhaps it is time to move into something you love or enjoy?

••• Surround yourself with an environment that is makes you happy and gives you harmony.

••• Feng Shui maintains that your environment displays your consciousness and your consciousness creates your environment. You see, it is all a mind, body, spirit connection. I invite you to make changes for 2012 and embrace your best year ever! My passion is inner and outer beauty and I would love to hear from you. F Joanne Ward, joanne@boldbeauty.ca

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Goddess: Be a Boomer Belly Dance Diva I Am a

Denise Leclair is one hip woman.

And she doesn’t need a hula-hoop or diva stilettos to prove it.

The sales and marketing maven and owner of Bedouin Beats – Edmonton’s premier belly-dance studio and emporium, on 118 Ave and 94 St. – could flag down a camel in a desert storm with the mere whisper of her undulating hips.

In one breath, the belly-dance goddess – and Chairman of the Board for the Alberta Avenue Business Association – is talking up her revitalized ’hood and promoting the Avenue’s winter Deep Freeze festival. joy and spirit

In the next aspiration, she’s enthusiastically quoting a recent study from New England Journal of Medicine on how dancing reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s in aging populations.

Dance is not just good for your health, says Leclair, who is lounging like Cleopa-

tra on a bedazzled cushiony bench inside her Middle Eastern-inspired studio, costume and clothing emporium.

“Belly dance connects us to the feminine, and to joy and spirit – whether it’s a big ‘s’ or a little ‘s’ ... your spirit or the divine spirit.”

Following her sharp business instincts, 54-year-old Leclair launched Boomer Belly Dance classes two years ago and they took off.

“In our culture, we don’t glorify the feminine. Belly dancing honours women of any shape, size or age. We wear shiny, pretty costumes and there’s the community that goes with it, which is huge,” she says.

Leclair threw her first shimmy at a California YMCA in the 1980s.

“I had just split up with my boyfriend and was heart-broken. My girlfriend took me to my first belly-dancing class at the rec center.

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She lasted one class and I never looked back. I found my bliss, as do so many women, for various reasons.”

“Belly dance connects us to the divine feminine within us all.”

At the time, Leclair recalls she travelled extensively for her work and that her new and insatiable love of belly dance helped her to set down roots in a supportive and inspiring community of women.

“We allow you to fill up your cup because as a woman, mother, wife, employee, you’re always busy filling up everyone else’s cup,” says Leclair. “In class, we break a number of rules. We dance to Santana and the Stones. I want women to come and have fun ... for it just to be about them. This is a retreat for them.”

Freedom

“I can’t think of anything else we do as women where it’s okay if you have what you consider to be ‘big hips’ or a ‘small chest,’” says the bodacious boomer.

“Belly dance connects us to the divine feminine within us all.”

Leclair adds: “I love being in my 50s.

Aging gives you a freedom because you come to the realization that you can give yourself permission to do things you wouldn’t have done when you were younger.”

At her studio, she offers technical training in a variety of styles of Middle Eastern dance including traditional folkloric, tribal fusion, contemporary music, hip hop and sass, but the emphasis in her classes is always on having a blast.

Western cultures are stuck on a sexualized stereotype of belly dance. Leclair is passionate about creating a space at Bedouin Beats which educates, inspires and empowers women toward creative self-expression, mind/body health and wholeness.

“We’re about saying it’s okay to be sensual, spiritual beings. If you have a roll of the tummy you’re not judged on that.

We celebrate and welcome women from all walks of life, all backgrounds, ages and professions – just the way you are.”For more information or to view a class schedule, visit www.bedouinbeats.com F Jennifer Parks is a freelance writer and author, working in Edmonton Check out her blog, 1000 Ways to be Happy, at www.thehappyquest.wordpress.com/

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Moving forward into retirement Turning 50 is a wonderful opportunity when it comes to life and career planning. It is probably safe to say that you’ve spent a lot of years committing to your career and your life’s work.

Many of us have been contemplating retirement which means leaving the workforce, an exciting prospect for some but scary for others since work can fulfill twenty of life’s needs! So many things change at this stage of our lives: our physical body, the way we see the world, who spend our time with and where we direct our energy. What about the roles you need and want to commit to? It can be sad to let go, confusing to decide what the new roles should be.

Milestones

It is important to look both backward and forward for clues of how to achieve a sense of satisfaction, fulfillment and excitement. Looking back, there were likely significant milestones, some

exciting, others challenging, a few disappointments, but all important to consider. These were the experiences that helped shape you to grow to be the person you are today.

Pleasant activity

Going forward is an opportunity to find even more rewarding growth and satisfaction. To do this, we need to think in terms of how both work and our personal lives will help create the meaningful experiences we desire.

Richard Bolles, author of “What color is your parachute?” for retirement says that there are three levels of happiness.

The first level of happiness is Pleasant Activity, things we do that bring us joy in the moment. These are relatively short lived, may last 15 minutes to an hour. For me, it’s walking my dog and chatting with my team members about the important things happening in their lives.

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engaging aCtivity

Engaging Activity is the second level.

These are the experiences we become completely absorbed in. This is when we exercise our interests, expertise, strengths or talents.

Engaging activities generate a sense of challenge and produce positive results.

As a result we feel confident and successful.

This type of activity requires us to dig deep and ask: • What is important to me?

• What can I do to improve society and/or the world?

• How can I contribute?

• Where will my efforts be valued? meaningful aCtivity

The third level of happiness comes from Meaningful Activity.

It could be literacy tutoring or protesting global warming. The key is that it connects to something deeply important inside of us.

Ultimately, we give to something bigger than ourselves; we serve and commit to positive change. My grandmother, a teacher all her life, said the most satisfaction she ever received was helping the blind.

When we experience life-changing events like turning 50 or retirement, we experience both a psychological and emotional process. It means letting go of the way we were and how we did things. It involves being uncomfortable until we figure our new life out.

Contemplating an uncertain future can create anxiety. Leaving the workforce for instance, means we are faced with filling up all the time we spent involved with work, but more importantly, it means finding ways to replace the fulfillment of the twenty needs that work provided.

Three main themes are worth exploration: work, leisure and learning. To truly be happy, we need to think holistically.

The balance we desire comes when we incorporate all three levels of happiness into both our personal and work lives.

Many Canadians are turning to the workforce to re-engage themselves and reestablish the needs fulfillment they have lost. Whether you are planning to leave the workforce or stay, career planning and/or retirement-life planning will ensure that you make a smooth transition into the next phase of your life. F Barbara North is a certified retirement coach. She comes with over 17 years of experience facilitating education and career development programs. Her training has supported thousands of individuals to discover, plan and grow their careers. A life-long learner, Barbara is currently enrolled in university and loving both the challenge it provides and the growth she experiences. To contact: barbaran@ shaw.ca Celebrating the baby boomer woman • 13

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U.S. health-care system increases charges and adopts aggressive pursuit of prompt payment Emergency Medical Coverage a Must More Than Ever for Canadian Snowbirds The cool crisp weather of the Canadian winter and for many of us, it is also a reminder that it is time to plan that extended winter getaway.

This year, more than ever, a key component of that winter escape is insurance coverage for medical emergencies to help ensure that an extended break in the sun doesn’t turn into a financial catastrophe.

••• Provincial government and employee health insurance plans don’t always cover all medical emergency costs incurred abroad.

••• In 2009, Canadians made 18 million overnight trips to the U.S., staying an average of eight nights. This accounted for nearly 70% of all overnight trips by Canadians outside the country. In particular, snowbirds (defined by insurers as people aged over 55 and travelling for more than 31 days) tended to visit such U.S. sunbelt destinations as Florida, California, Nevada, and Arizona.

“Many people have a horror story about the price tag for health care in

the U.S.,” says, Adrian Hall, Managing Director of RSA Travel Insurance. “It can cost $5,000 or more for each day of an in-patient hospital stay south of the border. This is an expense many snowbirds just can’t afford.” inCreased Charges

In addition, recent changes to the U.S. health-care system have led to increased charges, lower discounts, and aggressive pursuit of prompt payment. Added to that, U.S. hospitals are clamping down on those who get discounts for which they are ineligible, and they are using collection agencies more frequently.

An uncertain economy is also adding to the mix. Factors including: • Fluctuations in the exchange rates because travellers pay insurance premiums in Canadian dollars but receive services purchased by insurers with U.S. dollars; • The annual rate of inflation in the U.S. medical sector, which ranges between 7% and 10%; • The economic downturn in the U.S., which has led to a decline in employment and an ensuing rise in the number of uninsured patients.

As a result, health-care providers are charging more, offering fewer discounts, and tightening up eligibility rules for those discounts. {continued on page 29}

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Mirror MIRROR If you really think about it for too long it’s kind of ironic. I mean you wait your entire life to feel comfortable in your own skin, and then it’s your very skin that lets you down. Or rather, its gravity that let’s you down, ever so gently, ever so slowly, that it takes you 10 years to notice just how gently, just how slowly, and just how unforgiving, gravity really is. It’s probably in one of those rare moments when you are staring just a bit too longingly into the mirror that you catch yourself. Or at least what you thought was yourself.

••• Where did I go?

And who is this stranger looking back at me in the mirror?

••• For many of us, when we finally become comfortable with ourselves, we wish it were the 24 year old version of

ourselves. Imagine if you could design the perfect hybrid model: your seasoned, witty personality bolstered with 20 years of confidence wedded to that younger version of yourself that you still see when brushing your teeth just before bed?

STRANGER IN MIRROR

For most of us it’s not the fact that we are getting older that bothers us because if you asked around most of us like ourselves a lot better than our younger, more toned, albeit insecure, prototypes. What really bothers us is that we cannot seem to escape the feeling that there is an imbalance in the way we feel about ourselves deep down and the way we now look to the world: the face peering back from the mirror.

It’s the same sort of start you get when someone shows you a recent picture of yourself, or you peruse someone’s facebook page and see a shot of yourself: maybe you were enjoying yourself, or {continued on page 29}

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Regaining Your

Balance:

Estrogen and Progesterone Since the main theme of this issue is ‘balance’, we will look at one of the critical issues of hormone balance in a woman.

All women recognize that hormones fluctuate, both within the menstrual cycle and over the course of a woman’s life. Experts in this area refer to these monthly fluctuations as the ‘hormone symphony’ and are the result of the body’s cycles necessary for reproduction.

Estrogen is known for cell growth leading to a buildup To understand the of the lining of the uterus. This increase in the thickness of the symptoms of uterine lining creates a luxurihormone imbalance, we need to brush up on ous bed for the fertilized egg to implant upon. Estrogen producthe physiology of tion comes from the developing reproduction. The two egg; in effect it is creating its main hormones in this own receptive uterine lining. symphony are estrogen If fertilization of the egg and implantation occurs, the pregand progesterone. nancy continues and we all ••• know where that leads us!

Since most menstrual cycles don’t lead to pregnancy, another hormone is needed. Intuitively we know that too much growth can be a bad thing, therefore the body needs a way to prevent the effects of too much estrogen. Not surprisingly, each cycle contains everything for hormone balance, in this case, Progesterone.

•••

At the point of ovulation the egg is released. From the left over parts of this ovulation develops the corpus luteum. As it develops, the corpus luteum produces increased amounts of Progesterone.

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Progesterone transforms the luxurious uterine lining produced by estrogen into a more mature type of lining that is eventually shed in the period that follows should pregnancy not occur. Then the whole cycle is ready to start anew with the next egg. The body always has a hormone to balance another hormone–no hormone is left without its counterpart. By now, I can see most readers asking ‘what does this have to do with me?’

Premenstrual Syndrome

The key point is that imbalances between Progesterone and Estrogen will create symptoms in women before AND AFTER menopause. Most women have experienced this imbalance in the form of Premenstrual Syndrome, or PMS. PMS is simply the way a women feels when her Estrogen overwhelms her Progesterone. Each woman experiences this in a different way, but the hormone imbalance leading to these symptoms is the same in all. As women age, Progesterone production falls by 50% from age 20 to 40, and continues to fall until menopause. Estrogen production doesn’t fall over these years, but in fact increases as a result of weight gain and environmental toxins called ‘xenoestrogens’. This condition is called Estrogen Dominance, and shows up primarily as insomnia, anxiety, breast tenderness and more weight gain.

Improves Sleep

The key to reducing the symptoms of Estrogen Dominance is supplementation with Progesterone. Natural Progesterone is available in a prescription drug called Prometrium in a dose of 100-200 mg at bedtime that improves the sleep of women suffering from Estrogen Dominance. Many scientific papers show that Prometrium does not increase the risk of heart disease or breast cancer, unlike the previously popular synthetic progestin called Provera. Some women with Estrogen Dominance have anxiety or other symptoms without insomnia.

These women will often do well with Progesterone cream formulated by a Compounding Pharmacist, and applied to the skin.

The take home message is that common symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, breast tenderness and PMS can reflect an Estrogen/Progesterone imbalance.

Recognition and treatment of this imbalance with Progesterone can safely restore emotional balance and eliminate these troubling symptoms. F Dr. Ron Brown M.D. FRCS(C) Dr. Ron Brown, Executive Medical Director leading the team at True Balance, graduated with a fellowship in family Practice from the University of Alberta and worked 8 years in his rural family practice. He then specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Alberta.He also holds an appointment as an Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Alberta. Dr. Brown has also been named as a member of the Fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

He is board certified in Functional and Regenerative Medicine by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and his primary research interests lay in Bio-Identical hormones and Longevity Medicine. He has just published his first book on (BHRT) titled “Discovering Your True Balance with Bioidentical Hormones” in Spring 2011.

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Overcoming Dietary Imbalances In the fast and active world that surrounds us, we are faced with many dietary imbalances. These imbalances can deprive us of our energy, attitude but most of all, our health. Of course, decisions about nutrition are never black or white, and there is no perfect answer. Many foods surrounding us may claim to offer the solutions to our problems; whether it is a weight loss product or even a “healthy choice.” However, we must understand that is through moderation, diversity and knowledge that we can overcome dietary imbalances.

••• A good start would be to identify the top 3 dietary imbalances: inadequate water consumption, skipping meals, and refined and processed grains.

••• A vast majority of people are not drinking enough water, plain and simple.

But why? Water surrounds us. It is responsible for many functions in the human body which is composed of 2/3 water.

Water helps with metabolism, transportation of nutrients and oxygen to cells, and protects and keeps our joints moisturized, just to name a few. Adding water to your day can be simple. A great way to do so is to get your very own special water bottle.

There are ways to make it fun, decorate

it with stickers, attach something your kids have made for you or something that makes you laugh. Build a positive relationship with your water bottle and it will follow you everywhere you go.

Skipping meals has become common for many people and is a popular dietary imbalance. Unfortunately, breakfast in particular seems to be skipped the most because many people feel they don’t have time or are saving calories. When we miss a meal we are depriving our bodies of valuable vitamins, minerals and energy. Our body reacts to this loss through fatigue, lowered immunity, and our metabolism is slowed down.

Eat Breakfast

It is important to make an effort to have something to eat for breakfast. Try planning meals and preparing yourself the night before. If all else fails become good friends with a blender and start the habit of making a fruit smoothie in the morning and experiment by adding different kinds of fruit, a high protein yoghurt, quinoa flour, nuts or flax seed to give an nutritional boost. {continued on page 21}

SHERIDAN MCLAREN, Red Seal Chef and Nutritionist Sheridan McLaren is a Red Seal Chef and Nutritionist working at Truebalance. He develops personalized plans tailored to the needs of those with chronic disease, dietary restraints, or those seeking weight loss or gain. Sheridan uses his culinary expertise to create specialized meal plans and can also teach you how to create tasty and nutritious meals, while providing tips to save you hours in the kitchen. Sheridan also works as a private chef creating nutritious gourmet meals for dinner parties and other special events.

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Braised Cabbage Quinoa Procedure.

Ingredients. ½ head of red cabbage ¼” sliced Set 2 cups of water on stove to boil. ½ white onion ¼’’ sliced Heat a separate heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add oil.

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil Sauté cabbage and onion in pot for 2 min2 tsp whole flax seed

utes or until they begin to sweat. ½ tsp fennel seed Grind flax seed, fennel seed, ½ tsp black peppercorns and pepper with pestle and mortar.

1 cup red wine Add to cabbage mixture. Continue to ½ cup raspberry vinegar or red wine cook for another minute or so. vinegar or sherry vinegar Pour in wine, vinegar, and chicken glace 3oz of chicken glace’ or stock reduction and mix well. Cover pot and ¼ cup of quinoa allow to braise for 15 minutes.

Stir every so often to prevent burning.

1/8 tsp salt Meanwhile, rinse quinoa under cold water 1tbsp lemon juice and add to the boiling pot of water.

1tsp butter Simmer for 10 minutes or until quinoa is 1tbsp agave nectar or brown sugar cooked. Drain and set aside to cool.

1oz Swiss or parmesan cheese shaved Once your cabbage mixture has thin. softened increase heat and cook until the liquid in the bottom of the pot thickens and coats cabbage.

Adjust seasoning by adding salt, agave, butter and lemon juice.

A taste satisfying side dish with a few of the healthiest ingredients on this earth! Essential fatty acids, fibre, B-vitamins,

Fold in quinoa.

Serve hot and garnish with shaved cheese.

Pairs well with chicken, beef and pork or enjoy just as a side dish.

calcium, iron, antioxidants and a source of complete protein are some of the benefits this colourful concoction contains.

Preparation time 30-40 mins

Yields: 2 cups SHERIDAN MCLAREN, Red Seal Chef and Nutritionist

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Managing

y

Your Stress It’s a small and yet powerful word.

And just about everyone one of us experiences it in one form or another. Ignoring it only works for so long.

And before you know it, we can be overwhelmed by the challenges of daily life and lose ourselves in the routines of work, family and relationships all the while convincing ourselves that we are in control.

••• Stress is a debilitating force for many of us and getting a handle on it can radically change your life.

••• More and more, we understand that something nebulous like stress can affect our physical bodies. Although it is difficult to locate stress as a physical “thing,” all of us can attest that it effects us in real physical ways, sometimes to the point of crisis. Finding your true balance means understanding the delicate relationship between the emotional and physical dimensions of ourselves. To accomplish this we must equip ourselves with strategies to confront stress head on.

Strategies for Emotional Health

Starting Point

But where do we start? The first step is understanding what stress does to our bodies. When we experience stress, our adrenal glands secrete cortisol to cope with it. But this was only meant as a temporary solution. Chronic stress places unreasonable demands upon our adrenal glands to keep producing cortisol–until they run out. This is called Adrenal Fatigue. Many who suffer from Adrenal Fatigue will also suffer from a diminished thyroid function too. In order to stop this snowballing effect we need to put into practice some stressrelieving strategies.

If we’re honest with ourselves, none of us set aside the time of day necessary to quiet ourselves and come to a point of calm. What you may not know is that any form of meditative practice helps reduce, and in many instances, reverse the conditions leading to burnout. {continued on page 21}

Kulshan Gill, MBBS Kulshan is a International Medical Graduate and BHRT practitioner at Truebalance. She holds a special interest in the area of stress management and relaxation therapy as well as in the holistic wellness practice of Meditation and Ayurveda. She has developed the stress management and meditation program at Truebalance.

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{Stress • from page 20}

Here’s a few to try: 1. Pick an action everyday and use it to mark the end of the workday. Maybe it’s when you clock out from work or shut the office door. Leave it all behind. It’ll still be there in the morning.

2. Turn the radio off in your car during daily errands, or on the way to and from work. Use this as a time of calming and centering your thoughts.

3. Focus on your breathing once a day and find the real rhythm of the present–the now–where there is no past or future to worry about.

4. Find something repetitious in your day and connect it with a life-giving thought so that it becomes a kind of liturgy, a kind of meditation.

Personal wellness begins in the recognition that real health also encompasses the emotional. Taking care of your physical health only to neglect your emotional well-being misses the entire point and is only one part of the equation. By putting into practice strategies for stress management you will avoid burnout and regain your true balance for 2012. It all begins with you taking the first step. F

{Imbalances • from page 18}

Refined grains are a powerful and undernoted dietary imbalance, and our health suffers from its abuse.

An overconsumption of refined flour, white breads and other highly processed grains has been shown to contribute to low energy, increased obesity and many degenerative diseases. Refined flours are robbed of nutrients such as B-vitamins and fibre, they also have a higher glycemic rating–meaning they are absorbed and digested faster by your body. This creates drastic fluctuations in blood sugar and leaves you feeling hungry again soon after consuming them. Not surprisingly, it also contributes to the very serious problem of insulin resistance. In contrast whole grains, which are absorbed slower due to a lower glycemic rating and fibre, provide you with more long-lasting energy without drastic changes in blood sugar.

Issue 8.indd 21

A solution is not to completely avoid refined grains but to use them in moderation, and try to use them in combination with whole grains. Try to slowly incorporate them into your everyday meals.

For example, next spaghetti night have a smaller portion of pasta but instead sprinkle some cooked quinoa over top of your plate. Or, start by buying 1 loaf of whole grain bread at your next grocery stop and make an effort to substitute it in a couple meals a week. Explore foods like steal cut oats, lentils, wild rice, quinoa, amaranth, millet and barley and you will soon notice the benefits whole grains have to offer.

It’s often the small things that can make a big difference, by increasing your water intake, frequently eating meals without skipping breakfast, and relying less on processed and refined grains we can gain a dietary balance and feel our best. F

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Continuing On With

FINANCIAL FINESSE

Retirement INCOME One of the most common vehicles used to generate retirement income is an annuity. An annuity is a series of income payments made to an annuitant. There are many types of annuities.

The type determines the taxation of the income. Let’s consider Guaranteed Interest Annuities.

Guaranteed Interest Annuities (GIAs) These are issued by life insurance companies and are similar to GICs issued by banks and trust companies. However, GIAs have several estate planning advantages over GICs. A GIA is really an insurance contract in which the annuitant or owner can designate a beneficiary.

• GIAs by-pass the estate and go directly to the beneficiary, avoiding probate fees.

• Full protection if the designated beneficiary is a spouse, child, grandchild or parent of the annuitant.

• Income qualifies for the $2,000 pension income amount.

• More flexible maturity terms of 1 to 20 + years.

Prescribed Annuities Prescribed annuities can defer taxes during the early years of the annuity.

All annuity payments consist of taxable interest income and the return of your capital (principal) which is tax-free. With regular annuities, a greater amount of taxable interest is paid out early in the annuity term. In contrast, the taxable interest is spread evenly over the life of the prescribed annuity, resulting in a deferral of tax. Note that prescribed annuities can be purchased only with non-registered funds.

Who Might Want a Prescribed Annuity?

Someone who wants a guaranteed income for life that is tax efficient. Note that these can also be purchased on a joint basis.

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FINANCIAL FINESSE

Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) A second popular source of retirement income that is guaranteed for life is the GMWB. It is designed for those who are nearing or are in retirement and need guaranteed income. It is an insurance product similar to a mutual fund but with a guaranteed withdrawal rate.

available to retirees. It is important that the best financial product(s) is chosen which best suits your income needs and your tax bracket. Be familiar with these products before you retire and before making any major financial decisions.

Time to plan an escape Some Pre-Retirement Tips 1. Do you have a financial plan to achieve your goals?

GMWB products typically have the following features.

2. How much CPP will you receive?

• There is typically a 5% bonus added back to the GMWB for those years you don’t draw income.

4. What are options respecting your company pension?

3. How much OAS will you keep?

• You are guaranteed an annual lifetime retirement income beginning at the age 65 equal to a percentage of the amount invested in the GMWB product (the “guaranteed benefit base”), usually 3% to 5%.

5. What company benefits can you take into retirement?

• During the lifetime of the product, the guaranteed benefit base and the level of guaranteed income may be reset upward from time to time at specified reset dates if the market value of the fund or portfolio exceeds the guaranteed benefit base on those dates.

DONNA WORTHINGTON CFP EPC • Investment Planning Counsel

There are many other financial products

6. What are you going to do with all that free time?

7. Where will you live? F

Donna WORTHINGTON is on the National Board of Directors as 1st Vice-Chair of the Canadian Institute of Financial Planners (A Professional Association of nearly 5,000 CFPs across Canada) For upcoming seminars, workshops and ladies events, call Donna @ 780-702-1551

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portugal Portugal is a beautiful country with friendly people, amazing architecture and gorgeous beaches. I fell in love with it 10 years ago when I led a tour of the region. If you’re pressed for time, the best way to discover Lisbon, the capital city, is by tram. Route 28 is known as the “tourist tram” because it passes many historical buildings: São Vicente de Fora, a 17th century monastery, the moorish Castle of São Jorge and Portugal’s neoclassical parliament building, which was formerly a convent.

At the end of the tram is the Santa Justa elevator. If you climb the spiral staircase, this towering landmark will give you an impressive view of Lisbon.

Culinary scene

One of the sights you’ll see from the elevator is Rossio Square and its signature black and white cobblestones. If you like pastries, make note of the stop in front of Pastelaria A Brasileira, one of the city’s oldest and most popular cafés.

After a long day of touring Lisbon’s sights, I suggest checking out the city’s culinary scene. You can expect fish on most menus. Make sure you don’t leave without sampling bacalhau, a salted

and dried cod often sautéed with garlic, onions, tomatoes and other vegetables.

Dinner at a traditional Portuguese restaurant, especially in one of the tourist centres, will also include a performance of fado, Portuguese folk music. Not too far from Lisbon is Cascais, a quaint fishing town with great restaurants, beaches and, most importantly, shops full of great finds to bring home to friends and family. The Museum of the Sea tells the stories of the fishing village’s roots in photographs, paintings and relics. While I never tried my hand at golf, Portugal is home to many golf courses. The southwest region of Faro is home to 24 golf courses. In Algarve, you can practice your swing while taking in breathtaking views of the sea. The final opportunity not to be missed is a visit to one of the country’s many wine routes.

In North Portugal, port wine grows on the terraces of the Douro Valley, one of the oldest remote regions in the world.

The fortified wine is still produced much like it was over a hundred years ago. F

Photo credit: rstml, Flickr, Creative Commons

MY GREAT ESCAPE

isbon

Renee Weimer, International Travel Counsellor at AMA Travel. For more information on this and other vacations destinations, visit AMATravel.ca or call 1-866-667-4777.

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Licensed to be Loopy Did you know that your imagination is the last thing to go before you die? It’s true. Just ask any nursing home employee and they’ll spill with funny stories of people with wild thoughts.

Imagination never dies. We may have a few aches and pains, worry about forgetting things, and find ourselves needing more rest than recreation, but our ability to create and to imagine never fades.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re 49 or 94, it’s okay to be a little loopy. Modern culture already characterizes aging as “the older you become, the more strange you get,” and there are plenty of ageless individuals out there with great senses of humor. And at our age, what reason do we have for not embracing this “get out of jail free card” and having a little fun from time to time.

Sense of humor

I’m not suggesting that you execute your right as an older person to have lapses in memory, and at a family dinner one night, begin speaking to a bowl of vegetables as if it were talking back at you—just to laugh at the family’s reaction before claiming confidently that you were just “keeping their wits as strong as yours.” Having a funky and off-beat sense of humor towards aging

is, in some cases, funny, but that’s not what I mean.

My message is simple: Embrace yourself for who you are. Yes, you’re older. Yes, you’re body has changed.

Yes, your mind has changed. YOU HAVE EVOLVED. Embrace that evolution. Use what talents you have and enjoy each day for what it is, an opportunity to experience, to do, to share, to create, to live. new products

As ageless sages, we are up against two major obstacles: we’re living longer than previous generations, and everyone is clueless with what to do with us. Yet, there is hope. Because of the growing number of people over 50, our generation has become a target for new products and services. Designer walkers, fancy electric wheelchairs, seniors cruises, and all the dance/yoga/painting/pottery classes you can imagine.

There was even a documentary made about a chorus of senior citizens from Massachusetts who cover songs by Jimi Hendrix, Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and other unexpected musicians. “Young at Heart” not only proved that we are still capable of standing and singing on stage for long periods of time, but that we’re good at it! {continued on page 26}

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Everyday Food

Lunch with the Ladies Greens with Pears & Spiced Almonds 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter 1/2 tsp (2 mL) turmeric 2 pears, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 1 tsp (5 mL) sugar 2 tbsp (25 mL) white wine vinegar 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard 1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt 1/4 cup (50 mL) oil 8 cups (2 L) mixed baby greens 1/2 cup (125 mL) crumbled blue cheese Spiced Almonds, recipe follows Melt butter in a frypan over medium heat. Stir in turmeric. Add pears and sugar. Saute pears until tender and lightly browned, about 3 - 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, to prepare dressing, whisk together vinegar, mustard and salt until combined. Gradually whisk in oil until blended. Combine greens, cheese and pears in a bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Spiced Almonds.

Serve immediately. Serves 8.

Spiced Almonds 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter 1 cup (250 mL) sliced natural almonds 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) cayenne pepper 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground coriander 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cumin Melt butter in a frypan over medium heat. Add almonds and cook, stirring, until light golden. Add cayenne pepper, coriander and cumin. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and cool completely. F For more recipes from ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen, check out the website at atcoblueflamekitchen.com.

{Loopy• from page 18}

Too many of us spend our entire lives sacrificing the things we enjoy for the things we need, creating more “I’ll get to it somedays” until we have more somedays than Mondays left to enjoy these things that we once held so dear. Now is your chance to do all the loopy things you never did.

CREATE SOMETHING

So pick up a paintbrush and create something silly or spectacular. Get on the dance-floor and cut a rug or jitterbug or just throw your hands in the air

and wiggle as hard as your body will let you. Whether you die tomorrow or you live another 50 years, give me one good reason why you shouldn’t go out in style! F Dr. Dorree Lynn, PhD, is a practicing psychologist and life coach with more than 40 years of experience. She is the founder of the website FiftyAndFurthermore.com, and is AARP’s Media “Sexpert” with her own segment, “On the Couch” on AARP TV. Dr. Dorree’s latest book is Sex for Grownups: Dr. Dorree Reveals the Truths, Lies, and Must-Tries for Great Sex After 50. Facebook. com/DrDorreeLynn Twitter.com/DrDorree

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FaBUlOUS eVeNtS

2011 nominees

march 5, 2012

mardi gras with vinok worldance-

30th women of distinction awards nominations.

Chateau louis Conference Centre

It’s now easier than every to nominate the woman of distinction in your life! The YWCA Edmonton is now accepting nominations for the 30th Women of Distinction Awards! We invite you to join with us to reflect upon the women in your life and put forward a nomination in one of the following categories: Advocacy, Arts Culture & Heritage, Community Service, Education, Entrepreneurs & Business, Trailblazer, Turning Point, The Young Woman of Distinction (18 & Under).

Let the good times roll as Vinok Worldance brings the excitement of New Orleans to Edmonton.

The elegant Grand Ballroom will be transformed into a Bourbon Street celebration complete with beads, masks, feathers, and great times. www.vinok.ca

For the nomination toolkit and more information visit www.ywcaofedmonton.org Make sure to nominate the woman of distinction in your life, it could change hers!

stories about storytellers: the 2012 Corus entertainment distinguished lecture: march 2th, 2012, haar theatre: 10045-156 st, grant macewan university Prepare to meet Alice Munro, Pierre Trudeau, Robertson Davies, Alistair MacLeod, Mavis Gallant, Hugh MacLennan, Peter C. Newman, Brian Mulroney, and many more. april 28, 2012

fabulous@50 experience & martini party - red deer Fabulous@50 was created to address the needs of women baby boomers. This trade show will expose products and services specifically geared to them and will feature a martini bar, makeover contest, entertainment, motivational speakers, and over 25 exhibitors. www.fabulousat50.com

There will be a reception at 5:00 p.m. with the lecture at 6:00 p.m. and dessert and networking to follow. admission is free. there is no need to rsvp.

international women’s day featuring Buffy sainte-marie: march 8th, 2012, festival place: sherwood park The recognition of International Women’s Day is an important event in our community. Building upon the successes of the past three years Festival Place, Strathcona County Public Library, Millenium Place, The Sherwood Park News and Strathcona County have built a programme of activities and events that all of the community is invited to share in. www.festivalplace.ab.ca Do you have an event that would benefit our baby boomer demographic? e: info@fabulousat50.com *all requests will be reviewed

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{Mirror• from page 15}

{Snowbirds • from page 20}

telling a joke among friends, laughing… until the shock of it sets in and you understand that there is a massive disconnect between how you felt in that moment, and the stranger peering out at you from the jpeg. And that stranger is you.

Overall coverage limits for emergency medical insurance range from $1 million to unlimited.

To understand Botox and Juvederm fillers properly is to understand how they restore balance between who you feel you are and how you look to the world. It’s letting your inner confidence be expressed to those around you.

The overwhelming majority of people who enjoy the benefits of Botox and Juvederm Fillers–and you’ll never know who they are, you’ll only know that they had a good night’s sleep–will tell you that these treatments refresh their look and help them leave behind that tired, fatigued, or even grumpy appearance that plagues all of us when we get older.

Imagine if you could go through your day looking refreshed and well rested, a look that better approximates the confident, grounded, empowered you that you know exists on the inside? Let Botox and Juvederm Fillers restore the balance between the you that you know you are on the inside and the one peering back at you in the mirror. F Norrie Shan As part of the executive staff of True Balance, Norrie has been a practicing R.N. since 1993 and is one of the key operational forces at True Balance. Her years of experience in day surgery, palliative and long term care, which help to comprise Norrie’s diverse medical background, serve as valuable resources for our team. Norrie is also accomplished in aesthetic nursing and for almost a decade has been a muchin-demand consultant-practitioner leading the field of Botox and Juvederm fillers. Most importantly of all, Norrie leads an active life as a Mother of three.

It is recommended that snowbirds buy a minimum of $2 million in coverage—emergency medical insurance policies typically provide maximum coverage of $5 million for unexpected emergencies. Such coverage will include hospital care, physicians, drugs, air ambulance, repatriation, meals and accommodation, vehicle return, and even a “medical concierge” to help pull it all together. Canadians should contact their broker or agent prior to departing on a trip to ensure they have appropriate coverage while outside their province or territory of residence. A key component of emergency medical insurance is the 24/7 assistance provided in the case of an emergency.

••• Most Canadians are living longer and healthier, and a winter escape to a warmer climate is a big part of that enhanced quality of life.

••• “Emergency medical coverage provides protection for Canadian snowbirds against the unexpected and assistance to continue enjoying these getaways for a long time to come,” adds Hall. F RSA Canada, www.rsagroup.ca Celebrating the baby boomer woman • 29

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MaRketPlaCe

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