Virginia Real Estate Settlement Services

The Seven Myths About Aging and How to Overcome Them
by Linda Nacif
3. We don’t have any choices when it comes to how we age.
We do have choices and the decisions we make today will mean the difference tomorrow between merely surviving or thriving. Every choice will show up later in life as health or disease, joy or sorrow, energy or joy, expression or depression. At the same time, they create a domino effect. For example, overeating can trigger high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. It can diminish our energy and erode our joie de vivre, self-confidence, relationships and general outlook on life.
To be able to choose means we have to live consciously. It means to know what works and doesn’t work for our unique bodies. We must do our own homework and not blindly follow the advice of others or live a lifestyle that is incongruent with our schedule, family, or pocketbook.

2. Life balance only works in theory, not in real life.
Though it takes a conscious and consistent effort, life balance is not just an impossible dream formulated by self-help gurus. When I say balance, I am referring to our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health.
Emotionally, we need to connect with others, share our thoughts and fears, give and receive, and laugh. Loneliness leads to depression and often to suicide. Physically, we need to eat more organic vegetables and fruits and less processed and sugary foods, more mono-saturated fats found in nuts and raw seeds and less trans fats used in crackers and cakes, more wild caught fish, such as halibut and salmon and less red meat; move more and watch less television. Mentally we should challenge our brains by doing something different like learning a new language and engaging less in what we already know. Spiritually, we need to create a peaceful inner space by meditating more and complaining less. We can re-discover religion or open our minds to new kinds of spirituality.

Part 1.
Life has been compared to a play with three acts. Historically, the first act was comprised of the lessons needed to become autonomous and independent. In the second act we learned to be interdependent, form our own families and choose a career. The purpose of the third and last act was to wait graciously and passively for the curtain to go down.

Not anymore. Baby boomers have discovered that the third act can be the most exciting, adventurous, fun-filled and passionate of all. The only waiting they are doing is to purchase their Harley Davidson bikes or to get on airplanes to exotic destinations.

No longer do they have to worry about raising children, pleasing others or proving themselves in their careers! These strong men and women are utilizing the lessons learned from the first two acts of life to create a third act that will get a standing ovation and you can, too.
Here are seven myths about aging and what you can do to dispel them and create a masterpiece of every stage of your life.

1. As we get older, our mind and body have to degenerate.
Our brains can change at any age. Like a muscle, the more use it gets, the stronger it becomes. The more we think, the bigger our brains become and the better they work. Mental exercises such as multiple associations, using the computer, reading the newspaper, doing board games or crossword puzzles and learning new and different tasks can improve our mental clarity and memory

What we previously took to be the inevitable result of aging, such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, cancer, heart attacks and hypertension are mostly due to poor lifestyle choices and habits. This fact puts us in control. We have the power to use physical exercise to reduce stress, nourish brain cells, improve blood flow to the brain, lower blood pressure and decrease depression—just to name a few benefits. The Mediterranean diet high in fruit, vegetables, cereals, fish, olive oil and a glass of wine daily, has been linked to a lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and stroke.

From: FIDELITY NATIONAL TITLE -
Some interesting statistics from the Company on claims:

1. From a numbers perspective, 2005 claims increased 44% over 2004,
and 2006 claims increased 14.2% over 2005

2. 60% of all claims opened are for RECENT policy years (two years
or less).

3. Three years ago, Fraud was not in our top ten claims categories.
In 2006, it was in the top three categories (the other two are closing
errors, and search errors).

4. In 2002, nationally there were $293 million of mortgage fraud
losses. In 2005, the mortgage fraud losses were over $1 billion
dollars.

5. In 2005, there were 4,963 cases of robbery, burglary, and larceny
with total losses of $42.1 million dollars.

6. AND, in 2005, there were 5,041 cases of financial institution fraud
with total losses of $2.7 billion dollars.

Remember, Mortgage Fraudsters (MFs) can not succeed without using the closing entity as a vehicle. These Mortgage Fraud nasty folks understand how the process works, and they know how to both manipulate the system and manipulate the closing in order to be successful. You cannot be too careful.

THE HOMEOWNER’S MANUAL by Lynda Lyday

CHAPTER 4 - Decks & Patios

Deck Sealers:

I recommend using synthetic resin sealer to seal your deck. These will seal the deck beautifully and will not feed the growth of algae or mildew. Oil sealers have a tendancy to promote mildew and algae. This is of particular concern to those with decks that are coverd by trees or shadows and do not receive an abundance of sun.

Before you tackle your project, make sure you check the weather forecast. Give yourself at least a day or two of sunny weather in order for the sealer or stain to dry properly.

THE HOMEOWNER’S MANUAL by Lynda Lyday

CHAPTER 4. Decks & Patios

Sealing Your DecK;
The best way to tell if your deck needs to be sealed is to place some water directly on the deck in various places. If the water beads up and doesn’t penetrate the wood, then your deck is sealed. If it soaks into the wood, you will need to seal the wood. Usually manufacturers suggest sealing your deck every year or two depending on the wear and tear it gets.

THE HOMEOWNER’S MANUAL by Lynda Lyday

CHAPTER 4. Decks and Patios

CLEANING YOUR DECK:
For may years, people thought it a good idea to rent a power washer and blast the dirt from the wood. The problem is that it shreds the fibers of the wood on top. To bare feet, that means splinters!

Use Oxygen Cleaner and a stiff nylon brush to clean your deck. Wet it down and then scrub the deck in the direction of the wood grain. You can rinse it off and not worry about your surrounding plants because oxygen cleaners are environmentally safe and not toxic. Once your deck is clean, wait a couple of days to make sure it is good and dry before you seal it.

THE HOMEOWNER’S MANUAL by Lynda Lyday

Chapter 4. Decks & Patios

If you have a pressure-treated wooden deck that is 2 years or older, it is probably treated with chromated copper arsenate [CCA]. Pressure-treated lumber was known as CCA Lumber until recently, and it has a hue of green to it. The lumber industry injected chemical into the wood using a high pressure process - hence, the name pressure-treated wood. This wood has been used since the 1940s because its properties are desirable. The chemicals preserve the wood from algae and insects that normally break down untreated wood in time.

The Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] had great concerns that the CCA wood was releasing arsenic in the soil and put pressure on the manufacturers of this wood. The manufacturers of pressure-treated wood agreed to stop producing this lumber for residential use as of December 31, 2003. The lumber companies now make pressure-treated wood with ACQ [alkaline, copper and quat] or CA [copper and azole].

You want to make sure you seal a pressure-treated deck to keep the chemicals from leaking out of the wood and into the surrounding ground when its rains. There are various studies about these chemicals and how risky pressure-treated wood is to your health, but I suggest you thoroughly seal a pressure treated deck. Just in case. For those who are really cautious, you can use a water-based epoxy sealer that spreads on like paint. It basically penetrates into the wood and encapsulates it.

THE HOMEOWNER’S MANUAL by Lynda Lyday

CHECKLIST for Basements

Install a sump pump in unfinished basements or under foundation to remove excess water.

THE HOMEOWNER’S MANUAL by Lynda Lyday

CHECKLIST for Basements:
8. Waterproof your Basement Walls