Women of Worth

SEVEN CYBERSAFETY TIPS

Seven Cybersafety Tips

You take care of your physical health, but are you just as careful about your online safety? Here’s how to protect your information from those who want to steal it.

1. Choose long, complex passwords.
Short and simple is easy for hackers to crack. Aim for at least 16 characters and mix in uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. One strategy is to use a password manager. It’s a secure program that creates and saves passwords so that you don’t have to remember them all.

2. Enable multifactor authentication (MFA).
Turn on MFA anywhere it’s offered. This adds an extra step when logging in to accounts and apps. For example, you might need to confirm a code sent to our phone. It’s a simple way to significantly lower your risk of getting hacked.

3. Be a savvy online shopper.
Buy only from reputable, established companies. One sign of safety: a URL that starts with https:// (rather than http://). Use a credit card for extra protection against fraud, even when paying through apps like PayPal, Google Wallet, or Apple Pay.

4. Upgrade your browser.
Modern browsers can alert you when security features aren’t turned on and warn you about unsafe sites. They also help protect the confidentiality of sensitive information. Popular browsers include Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Safari.

5. Watch out for unexpected emails.
Ignore messages that push you to act fast, promise deals that seem too good to be true, or ask for personal details. Even if the email seems to be from a real person or company, don’t click links or open attachments. Instead, contact the company directly using a trusted phone number.

6. Share with care on social media.
Check your privacy settings and update them if needed. Disable location options that let others see where you are. Also, if you’ve publicly shared things like pet names, the school you attended, or your birthday, never use those as passwords or answers to security questions.

7. Keep your devices updated.
Install updates for your phone, computer, and apps when they’re recommended. These often include fixes to better protect your data. Tip: Turn on automatic updates so you never miss a security upgrade.

Enjoy the benefits of being online
Don’t let fear hold you back from enjoying all the internet has to offer. To build your skills and confidence, visit acl.gov/CommitToConnect/tech. It’s a trusted site with tech resources specifically for older adults.

Five Important Things to Discuss With Your Doctor

Five Important Things To Discuss With Your Doctor

If you still need this year’s Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV), it’s time to put it on the calendar. Thank of your AWV as a team huddle with a very important goal: a longer, healthier life. Together, you can spot small health problems and address them early. And, you can make plans to prevent new issues from arising.

Topics to touch on
Once your visit is scheduled, spend a few minutes preparing. Be ready to discuss your:
1. Workout routine. Make note of how much you’re moving now, then ask your provider if you should add more exercise.
2. Bathroom habits. Even if you have minor leaks, bring it up now so things can get better – not worse.
3. Fall Risk. Tell your provider if you recently took a tumble – even if you didn’t end up getting hurt.
4. Emotions. It’s normal to feel sad, scared, lonely, or stressed sometimes. But if your bad mood doesn’t go away or interferes with daily life, tell your provider.
5. Health concerns. If you have questions or worries about your well-being, bring them to your visit.

Teammates in care
It’s normal to feel uncomfortable discussing certain parts of your health. But the more open and honest you are, the better care you’ll receive – and that’s a win–win.

10 Commandments of Great Nutrition

10 Commandments of Great Nutrition
by Walter Bortz, MD

1. Thou shalt never skip breakfast
2. Thou shalt eat every three to four hours.
3. Thou shalt always eat a carbohydrate with a protein.
4. Thou shalt double your fiber.
5. Thou shalt believe your mother was right: eat your fruits and vegetables.
6. Thou shalt trim the fat from your diet.
7. Thou shalt get your vitamins from food, not pills.
8. Thou shalt drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

9. Thou shalt consume a minimum of sugar, salt caffeine.
10. Thou shalt never, never go on a fad diet!

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Young Asian woman with curly hair in a field of sunflowers at sunset. Portrait of a young beautiful asian woman in the sun.

The Seven Wonders of the World

A group of students was asked to list what they thought were the present “Seven Wonders of the World.” Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt’s Great Pyramids
2. India’s Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter’s Basilica
7. China’s Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So, she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, “Yes, a little. I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.” The teacher said, “Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help”

The girl hesitated, then read, “I think the seven Wonders of the World” are:
1. To See
2. To Hear
3. To Touch
4. To Taste
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh
7. To Love.”

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!

A gentle reminder: The most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

HOW MANY STEPS A DAY?

How Many Steps a Day?

How many steps a day are enough? The recommendations for healthy adults (according to science-based information) are:

Fewer than 5,000 steps/day is a sedentary lifestyle index. Start here if you’re new to walking, and make incremental improvements over weeks and months.

5,000 – 7,499 steps/day is typical of daily activity without sports/exercise and is considered low active.

7,500 – 9,999 includes some physical activities and active jobs, and is considered somewhat active.

More than 10,000 steps/day indicates an active individual.More than 12,500 steps/day is classified as highly active (and applies to most children).

Move On with Your Life

Move On with Your Life

by Dr. Polly Cooper Brown

Moving on is a phrase often used to encourage acceptance of the current reality. In your situation, you no longer have the life you once had with your husband. Moving on may mean giving up your expectations that life will be similar to what it had been before his death. It may mean that you will be open to new and different things that can fill your life and make it meaningful.

Moving on means that you make a great effort to live in the present and not in the past. It also means that you do not live in the future, simply waiting for that time when you will join your husband in heaven. The healthy thing to do is to regard each day as a new day and an exciting gift to be explored with thankfulness and joy.

How do you do that? It is a decision you must make. When you consciously decide to move on in healthy ways, you will see things differently and you will recognize opportunities you have not seen before. You may find new opportunities to do things that have had meaning for you in the past. Though you no longer can share those things with your partner, you may still find joy in them. If those activities don’t bring you pleasure, let them go. Try new things until you discover what is right for you at this point in your life.

Is there some major change you need to make? Some other place you need to be? Something you need to do? Sometimes we don’t move on because we are reluctant to give up some things. It is often true that we must give up something in order to gain other opportunities. Are you missing the joy of moving on because you are unwilling to give up certain things? You might want to consider why you are clinging to those things.

You probably have heard it said that my husband would turn over in his grave if I did this or that. Could it be that you are letting that kind of thinking limit you? I would encourage you to free yourself from those thoughts. Of course, you want to be respectful of your spouse’s memory, but this is your life to live in a new and different way. God’s plans for you extend past the point of your husband’s death. Take all the time you need to wonder and explore what His future plans are for you.

10 Principles of Healthy Living

10 Principles of Healthy Living

Breathe deeply.
Drink water.
Sleep peacefully.
Eat nutritionally.
Enjoy activity.
Give and receive love.
Be forgiving.
Practice gratitude.
Develop acceptance.
Nurture your spiritual side.

Eat Right and Here’s How

Eat Right and Here’s How

It’s all about balance – how much and what you eat and how much activity you get. With healthful habits, you may reduce your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and certain cancers.

New dietary guidelines, based on science, from federal government expert committees will help you feel better today and stay healthy for tomorrow. Fill your plate this way. This plan is based on a 2,000-calorie diet, appropriate for most people, and the guideline used on most Nutrition Facts (food) labels.

Go lean with protein. Bake, broil, or grill a variety of lean meats, fish and poultry. A three-ounce portion is a recommended serving size when you choose to eat meat. Beans, peas, and nuts are also good sources for protein.

Make half your grains whole. Check to make sure “whole” grain is listed in the ingredients of the product. Include three ounces or more of whole grains. An ounce is a slice of bread, ¼ of a bagel, or ½ cup of cooked rice.

Get calcium-rich foods. One cup of fat-free milk meets a third of the daily recommendation.

Limit intake of salt and sugars. Choose and prepare foods with little salt (sodium) and added sugars (caloric sweeteners).

Vary your veggies and focus on fruits. Think green leafy – such as broccoli. Go for more color with orange veggies such as carrots, and try to eat 2½ cups of veggies per day. Add another 2 cups of fruits by choosing fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.

Regular physical activity helps you control body weight by balancing the calories you taken in as food with the calories you burn each day. Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week. To manage or lose weight, reduce the calories in the foods you choose and increase your physical activity to 60 to 90 minutes per day.

Coffee Filter Uses

COFFEE FILTER USES

Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Store for almost nothing, even the large ones. Better than paper towels and a lot less expensive . . .

Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave.Coffee filters make excellent covers.

Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome.Coffee filters are lint-free, so they’ll leave windows sparkling.

Protect china by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.

Protect a cast-iron skillet.Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

Apply shoe polish.Ball up a lint free coffee filter.

Recycle frying oil.After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

Weigh chopped foods.Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant holder.Line a plant holder with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

Prevent a popsicle from dripping.Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

Put a few coffee filters in a plate and put your fried bacon, french fries, chicken fingers, etc. on them.They soaks out all the grease.

Use to hold dry ingredients when baking.It saves having bowls to wash.

THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS, TOO

Discipline in the Word

Discipline in the Word

Have you ever read the Bible completely through? Statistics show that most Christians have not. Many begin but become overwhelmed at the task—that’s 1189 chapters and 31,102 verses! Actually, it is not as daunting as it may seem. You can read the Bible through in a year by committing 20 minutes of your time each day and reading only four chapters or less.

Our knowledge of the Scriptures can be extremely beneficial when facing adversity, but we will not have this knowledge if we have not first disciplined ourselves to study the Word of God. We have heard people say, “Pray the scripture when faced with trying situations.” This is impossible to do if we have not first committed those scriptures to memory. If there are certain areas of our life that seem to frustrate us more than others, we can find scriptures that relate to that subject and memorize them. You can start out by writing these verses on a card and placing them where they are visible every day. Once you have the verses in your mind, you can quote them on a regular basis so that they are not soon forgotten. The Bible is a source of wisdom and principles that guide us and give us an insight into life that is not available anywhere else.

The Bible, however, is more than just a source of information. It goes far beyond that. There is a transforming effect through the Word of God: “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11). This illumination does not just come from the principles of the Word, but from the power of God. By hiding the Word in our hearts, we plug into an eternal viewpoint of life that raises the vision from the problems of today and ennobles the Spirit.