Keeping it in Focus

5:45 am - The alarm goes off and it is time to pop out of bed to head for the gym. So much time and energy trying to keep toned and tight, than ......as I head to the bathroom and look in the mirror, I am confronted by a mean trick of aging. I can’t see anything close up!

Each day over 45, it seems that I am being slowly mocked by Mother Nature. As we age, the elasticity of the lens of our eyes becomes worse and it is more difficult for our eyes to naturally adjust to changes in light and vision conditions.

Now like millions of others, I am constantly reaching for my reading glasses, but the reality is I am not ready to wear them on a chain around my neck. Reading glasses also have some major draw backs in the bathroom – they fog and get in the way.

Through no fault of its own, the bathroom is generally the most improperly lit room in one’s home. Because it is frequently the smallest room in the home, many people think that a single light fixture can sufficiently illuminate the entire space. The bathroom is a place in which a range of functions are preformed, and each task must be illuminated properly.

Here are a few easy tips to make your morning easier and to keep you bright and in focus:

• Use a lit magnifying makeup mirror. They come in both wall mounted and vanity styles. There are a variety of magnifying strengths 5x, 10x and even 20x. Try before you buy to make sure you like the strength. I found that more was not always better. There are a few pores and wrinkles I like to keep hidden……even from myself.
• Make sure that you have adequate light in the shower. For safety reasons the light in showers needs have a sealed cover, but with regular cleaning and an adequate strength bulb it is much easier to read shampoo and conditioner labels.
• Decorative tiles can be beautiful and can also be a great way to highlight changes in floor heights in the shower. No one wants to trip and fall stepping over the curb of the shower.
• Lighting your vanity requires strategic placement of a lighting fixture above the vanity mirror. To achieve sufficiently bright vanity lighting, the vanity fixture should hold at least 150 watts and it should be at least 24 inches long. For an even glow, the fixture should be mounted 75 to 80 inches above the floor.
• Keeping a spare pair of glasses or magnifying lens in the medicine cabinet is a smart thing to do! It is to easy to take incorrect dosages or drugs by not being able to read the tiny writing.

Physical aging is not always fun, but how great is it to live in a time when there are No rules on the who we are and what we do at what age.