5 Goals Every Baby Boomer Should Set

Active Adult New Homes

In a recent MSN.com article, blogger Karen Datko outlines 5 goals that every baby boomer should set. They include:

1. Get out of debt,
2. Maximize retirement savings,
3. Plan for big expenses,
4. Seek career freedom, and
5. Think about where you will retire.

Where will you retire?

Do yourself a favor and check out Trilogy New Homes and Retirement Communities where they believe in squeezing MORE HOME out of your dollar and every drop out of life.

Trilogy's superior homes are designed around how you want to live. From features that enhance comfort and healthier living to eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient systems, superior living is literally designed and built into every aspect of the community and every inch of your home. That's what makes them such a great value.

For locations of Trilogy communities and the exciting amenities they offer (award-winning golf courses, restaurants, club houses, fitness programs and more) visit http://www.trilogylife.com/.

Karen Datko is a veteran journalist in small-town Montana and a lead blogger for Smart Spending. Smart Spending combines the best money-saving tips from MSN Money and the rest of the Web. More information about the 5 Goals can be found on MSN.com.

New Homes in Golf Resort Communities

Golf Resort Communities for Active Adults

Trilogy and Shea Homes provide beautifully designed communities for all those who want to experience life to the fullest. Trilogy communities represent a new vision for living, a vision that will enrich the lives of all those who make Trilogy their new home. Each Trilogy community offers exceptional opportunities for personal growth, learning and activity. Here, you'll find new friends and new ways to expand your interests and explore your world.

Every Trilogy golf resort community is set amid the beauty of nature in some of the West's most beautiful areas. That makes it easy to enjoy an active and exciting life, where each day is an adventure and a new beginning waiting to unfold.

If you’re looking for a place to call “home” with greens that are no more than a hop, skip and jump away, consider:

• Trilogy at La Quinta and Rio Vista in California,
• Trilogy at Vistancia and Encanterra in Arizona, and
• Trilogy at Redmond Ridge in Washington

Visit http://www.trilogylife.com/ for more information about a new home in a Trilogy golf community.

Leading an Active Lifestyle Important for Baby Boomers

Active Adult Living

Baby boomers have often been thought of as the active generation. They are the "think-outside-of-the-box" men and women who make it a habit to stay in shape, but not necessarily by the old tried-and-true methods.

They run, bike, play racquetball and tennis, do yoga, Pilates, climbing, and swimming. They are also heading into their senior years with more physical disabilities than those of previous generations.

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health found that boomers ages 60-69 have more day-to-day disabilities than their elders. They have more difficulty walking up 10 steps without resting, they have more problems doing daily chores, and they even have more trouble with such simple physical tasks as getting dressed in the morning.

According to Silver Cross Hospital orthopedic surgeon, Jason Hurbanek, who has offices at Hinsdale Orthopaedics Associates, although it might seem that leading a more active lifestyle may contribute to wear-and-tear of joints, he is hesitant to explain baby boomers' early disabilities regarding those activities.

"Think of all the benefits you get from doing the activities you like to do," he said. "I would never tell anyone not to be active because it might cause their arthritis to get worse ... It's possible that leading a more active lifestyle could lead to more disabilities, but the effect is not as large as being overweight is." Besides, Hurbanek said, leading an active life builds muscles and bones. Strong muscles can help prevent injuries, and physical activity helps build stronger bones.

Active Adult Living

To keep as physically able as possible going into senior years, Hurbanek recommends maintaining a healthy weight and participating in a fitness program that is best suited to an individual. Find a gym, he said, or a personal trainer, or take up yoga, hiking, biking, or walking with a neighbor. "Then keep up with that program," he suggested. "Keep people around you who will motivate you, and vary your fitness program to keep it from getting old."

For information about Active Adult Communities that promote active lifestyles, visit http://www.trilogylife.com.

Information in this post provided by By Jeanne Millsapp from the Sun-Times Media as printed in the Herald News. For the full story visit
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/lifestyles/1986614,4_5_JO13_BABYBOOM_S1-100113.article

Living the Country Club Lifestyle in Your New Home

Active Adult Communities

Welcome to Encanterra - a private refuge created exclusively for the well-to-dream. Encanterra is the place to leave the half-happy, semi-content world behind so that you can discover the real joys in life. Located in the beautiful Southeast Valley of greater Phoenix, it is set among vistas of breathtaking Superstition Mountain to the north and the striking San Tans to the south with convenient access to the area's two major expressways (Interstate 60 and the new Loop 202).

The newest addition to the active adult community is the beautiful 60,000 square foot private club, La Casa which houses:

• Four restaurants, including a cafe, poolside cabana bar & grill, lounge, and full-service dining,
• A full-service spa including multiple treatment rooms for nails, skin, massage, and more,
• Three pools, including one for relaxation under the sun, another for year-round exercise indoors, and another specifically for lap swimmers,
• A complete events center designed to accommodate parties large or small including weddings, concerts, and an
• Expansive athletic club including dedicated areas for cardiovascular training, strength training, women’s-only workouts, and more.

Did I mention the golf?

• Eighteen holes of pristine championship golf on Tom Lehman-designed championship course,
• An on-site team dedicated to creating a world-class service experience,
• The praise of everyone in the know in the area,
• Members that say every day how happy they are to be here, and
• Recognition from the most respected publications in the industry, Golf Magazine & Links Magazine.

And let's not forget about the dining experience!

• Explorations Café & News - enjoy a cappuccino along with your morning paper or jump online at one of the café’s computers.
• 1528 - Encanterra's signature restaurant makes it easy to relax after a round of golf or stay near home for an evening out with your spouse or friends. Watch the executive chef prepare your meal in the reservation-only, in-kitchen Chef's Table.
• Solaz is an ideal outpost for lunch, a snack, or an ice-cold beverage if poolside refreshment is what you seek.

There's always something fun and relaxing to keep you occupied at your new home in Encanterra!

Active Adult Fitness - Baby Steps for Boomers

Looking to ease your way into an Active Adult Lifestyle?

Here are a few great tips from Kathi Casey, ERYT, CPI:

It’s all about those first “baby steps”: start out with a few easy, fun exercises and stay with those until you’re ready to add one or two more. It doesn’t matter how long it takes for you to work your way up to 10 or 12 exercises, what matters is finding something that you enjoy.

Setting small, achievable goals is important for your success. This is a secret that the best Olympic coaches use when training young athletes, and it works for anyone at any age. When you continue to achieve your goals, you feel great and you want to keep going.

Active Adult Communities

Here’s a simple exercise to try:
While on the couch watching TV, lie on your side and raise your top leg up toward the ceiling slowly while inhaling to the count of 5 (slowly – it’s not a race) and then exhale 5 counts while you bring it back down. Do 2 or 3 to begin with, making sure that you breathe deeply and make your movements slow and purposeful. If you try to throw your leg up into the air you will be using momentum instead of leg muscles and you’ll be throwing your hip joint out – not fun! During a commercial, sit back up slowly and carefully and then lie on your opposite side to work your other leg. This is easy and you don’t need to set aside extra time from your busy schedule. Set an achievable goal for yourself like doing 2 or 3 leg raises on each side for 2 weeks. You’ll feel so good when you complete that goal that you’ll be ready to add more! At your own pace, work up to doing 10 on each side.

The muscles that you use with this easy, slow, purposeful leg raise are those deep muscles that are so important for strength and balance. And did you know that when you build lean muscle, your body burns more fat to keep those lean muscles working? This means that the more you do this simple, easy exercise – the higher you’ll be able to lift that leg, and then the more repetitions you’ll be able to do, and then the INCHES will drop from your thighs and hips! In fact, I recommend that you measure your thighs before you begin and then again after one month. You will see and feel a difference and that will encourage you to keep going. Now, understand that you may not have lost any weight during that month because muscle weighs more than fat, but you’ll fit into you jeans a little better, and your friends and family will begin commenting that you look “fabulous” and asking what you’re doing different.

When you have a minute, take out a pen and paper and write down some of the activities you loved as a kid. Was tennis your game? How about riding a bike? I’m sure you’ll find something that has slipped out of your life due to busy careers, raising families, etc. Now is the time to go back to those activities and have fun while getting fit at the same time.

For information about Active Adult Living Communities visit www.trilogylife.com.

Retirement Communities Suited to Your Active Living Style

No matter what your taste, retirement communities for active adults are built just for you...

Imagine enjoying your retirement years...

...minutes outside of Seattle among towering pines that bring a breath of fresh air that allows you to choose or pace of life, or

...enjoying views of California's central coast while sipping a glass of local wine and knowing that you are only a few hours drive from a trip to San Francisco or Los Angeles, or

...soaking in year-round sunshine, beautiful mountain vistas and taking your best swing on PGA quality golf courses, or

...working on your Florida tan while taking in the sights of Orlando...

Ready to enjoy a new home in a community suited to your active living style?

To explore active adult retirement communities in these areas and more, visit www.trilogylife.com.

Swimming Good Exercise for Baby Boomers

Active Adult Living Retirement Communities

There are an increasing number of people that are starting to want to improve there health and baby boomers are no exception. Swimming appears to be one of the most popular forms of exercise among the baby boomers. Swimming provides a full body workout without the danger of overdoing it because it is one of the least stressful forms of exercise that you can do.

Most people do not realize all of the benefits that can be obtained from swimming. Swimming and water exercise is the second best form of exercise that has the lowest rate for injuries. Walking is still the leader in that aspect for low injury rates. There is a great deal of doctors that will recommend that you do water exercises so that you can strengthen your muscles without harming your recovery. Swimming is great physical therapy for people of all ages no matter what their current physical condition is.

Baby boomers like swimming as it allows them to utilize almost all of their major muscle groups at the same time, so that they can get a complete total body workout with minimal strain. The water works as a great form of resistance so that you can use it as strength training and even for aerobic exercises. The baby boomers like water fitness as it can work well for people of all fitness levels. It can help people strengthen their muscles and build up their endurance as well as making them much more flexible.

Many people are not aware that swimming actually provides almost all of the same effects as running does. The difference between running and swimming is that you are not putting a strain on your connective tissues as you do when you are running or doing weight training. Many baby boomers find that swimming allows them to easily maintain the fitness lever or to improve on it as well. You can also do exercise in water more often then you could if you were doing them out of water because the amount of injuries is so low. When you are in water, your body weight is reduced my nearly 90% your movements are 12 times greater then just doing them in the air, therefore you can do much more while in the water.

You will want to look into swimming for your recreational activities if you are from the baby boomer era and want to maintain an active adult lifestyle. Not only will swimming help to fill your need for exercise but it is safe as well. This low impact form of exercise can help to increase the amount of range of motion that you have as well. You will want to talk to your doctor to make sure that you are doing the right thing as with any new exercise program that you begin. To ensure you are not over doing it your doctor will be able to suggest some water exercises to suit your actual fitness level.

Swimming as exercise for baby boomers is a popular pastime as more and more baby boomers near and enter the retirement phase of their lives.

If you are looking for retirement communities that cater to active adult lifestyles, visit http://www.trilogylife.com/.

Article provided by Juliette Crane of Women's Health.