Welcome to the Gen Plus Blog

It's a backstage pass to info on jobs and life at 50+. Gen Plus, headed by Janet Wendy Spiegel, is dedicated to baby boomers and the plus generation of age 50 and older. Read up and speak out on issues affecting your future: jobs, income, life and respect.

About Me

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Northridge, California, United States
Successful businesswoman, consultant, entrepreneur. I operate two businesses -- social media consulting, AND premium pet care services in the West San Fernando Valley. Love what I do, love life.

Gen Plus has relocated to www.GenPlusUSA.com

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

So much to do and so little time!

What are your resolutions for 2007 and beyond? If you don't know what they are yet, don't you want to figure them out? And if you do know what they are, what plan do you have in place to achieve them?


Due to requests from many different cities and countries, I'm reworking my live course: "Keep Dreaming: Creating a Strategic Plan for the Rest of Your Life" for online use which will make it much more accessible for those of you outside of the major city centers. Release is set for the New Year or sooner.

The class consists of a small amount of strategic planning theory (enough to understand the task at hand!), followed by workbook exercises designed to help you focus and shape your plan, regardless of your objective.

Send me an email at wspiegel@genplususa.com if you'd like to beta test the new program at no charge. I've only got 3 slots left for beta-testers. The rest of you will be added to the wait list and an announcement and press release will be going out as soon as the program is available for purchase.

If you want to be added to the wait list for the live class, I'm currently scheduling classes in LA, NY/Boston and Chicago for late winter/early spring. The workshop will run as a full day program (10 am - 4 pm with a 1 hour lunch break) in each of these cities. Space is limited due to the highly interactive nature of the program, so make sure to indicate which city you are interested in.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Thanks to YOU!


A very happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and an extended happy Thanksgiving to the many visitors and subscribers from all around the world. It is a very strange phenomenon -- to create a community solely through the internet -- and it is both challenging and wonderful. I want to give a moment of thanks to all of you who over the past couple of years have taken the time to read my thoughts and opinions on the world of 50 plus.

Why am I considered a "veteran" blogger in this relatively new venue? Because you have been reading what I have to say and visiting again and again. Why do so many consider me 50 plus "expert"? Because experience alone doesn't cut it...you like what I have to say and generally agree with my observations and opinions.

An extra thanks to all of you who have taken the time to email or post comments about issues that have touched you. There are many other bloggers and businesses who have given support to Gen Plus as this business grows and I couldn't be doing it without you, the credit you give me, or the links you generously include on your blogs and businesses.

There are also many of you who have more recently come over to my blog as a result of the online community (Careers for Boomers and 50 Plus) we're building together at eons. It is a tough world right now for any 50 plusser looking to stay gainfully employed. So I applaud you and thank you for being brave enough to bare your souls to a complete stranger.

A blog or online business is only as successful as the people who visit, subscribe, shop, complain, praise and support you. So, again, thank you and as I carve into that fantastic Turkey tomorrow, I guarantee that you are all sitting at my table, in spirit, with my friends and family.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Seratonins, Endorphins and Oxygen...Oh My!

It's all about the Oxygen. Ever wonder why the less active you become the more weight you gain even though you haven't changed your eating habits? It's because the less you move, the less oxygen you intake. The less oxygen circulating in your system, the less fuel increase your blood flow. That blood flow is what moves (gets rid of!) excess weight and fat. The reason yoga is so effective is that a primary focus of the discipline is on breathing. Big breaths...in and out, maximizing lung capacity. And when you increase physical activity, the activity that bulks up your muscles, the cardiovascular activity that forces you to take bigger breaths...well, that is increasing your oxygen intake.

Adding to this equation is that exercise (like sex!) increases your seratonin (neurotransmitter) and endorphin production. These are the chemicals in your makeup that make you feel good. Higher levels of seratonins and endorphins ALSO positively impact your ability to lose weight. Wow. So if you breathe more and feel great, you'll be more primed to lose weight.

So the next time you DON'T want to bend and stretch, or go for a walk, or decide whether or not to buy our new workout DVD just for 50 plus "Getting Started" (I know...a shameless plug, but it is a really good workout and a great holiday gift), just remember that it's all about increasing your oxygen intake. At the very least take a deep breath in for one, two, three, four, five....and out for one, two, three, four, five, six....

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Forget your Aches and Pains -- Workout for 50 Plus Hits the Market!

So you see Thanksgiving around the corner and holiday parties are just waiting around the corner and you are sitting there thinking..."Oh my. How am I EVER going to handle ANOTHER five pounds this year?"

Well, you are not going to. Because this year, you are going to do something for your mind AND for you body, and get in shape. To help you, I'm very pleased to point you in the direction of our brand new 50 plus workout DVD, "Getting Started".
Trainer Laura Spiegel has designed a full body workout for all you couch potatoes and next-yearers! No floor work. The routine is low impact and all exercises are done standing up. (Your knees will thank you, and yes, you WILL sweat.) Exercise modifications are shown so you can up the aerobic activity as you need. Laura's team are REAL people...not aerobic junkies. And if they can get through this workout, so can you!

At only $14.95 including shipping, how can you deny yourself? Click on the link (or the sidebar) and Get YOURSELF Started.

I promise...there ARE muscles under the fat! And a little bit of an endorphin surge will do wonders for your self-esteem. If you are looking for that unusual holiday gift for a Boomer or someone over 50, keep us in mind. They'll thank you!

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Green, Red, Orange, Purple, Pills, Pills, Pills...

Has it hit you yet? Have you started taking pills? Pills for menopause, blood pressure, diabetes, anxiety? Well, it seems that as you approach fifty and plus, all that ails you can medically be controlled by pills. Pills at night, pills in the morning, pills on Saturday and Wednesday, but NOT on Sunday or Thursday...you get the idea.


And the older you get, the more pills you have to take. So first you started off with a baby aspirin at night, then you added in your DHEA in the morning, followed by your Stress Vitamins, Vitamin E, Airborne (so you don't get sick)...oh, and if you are diabetic or have high blood pressure, are low on iron or constipated...your first 2-4 pills of the day.

So, how many times have you awoken, stumbled into the kitchen for you cuppa coffee only to discover that you have no clue if you took your morning pill(s) or not? You don't want to take a double-dose, so you have to miss your morning and then you start the same routine over again at lunch or dinner or the next morning.

Well, here's a simple (really simple...as in hit yourself in the noggin for not having thought of this one yourself) solution from "Inpert Bert." At night, after you've taken your nighttime pills and before you go to bed, put your morning pills on your bathroom counter or kitchen counter. In the morning, if the pills are NOT there, then you know you took them. If they are, then you need to take them....and an extra cup of coffee!

Thanks "Inpert Bert"!

Monday, November 06, 2006

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