AI: Your New Bestie in Life After 50!

Alexa, what's the weather like today?

Hey, Siri, set a reminder for my doctor's appointment.

Okay.

Google Play my favorite playlist.

Sound familiar?

If you've ever spoken these words, congratulations.

You're already using AI in your daily life without even thinking about it.

But did you know AI can do so much more for you?

Today we're diving into how artificial intelligence can be your personal assistant, your wellness coach, your productivity guru, and even your new best friend.

Living our best life.

It's good to be alive, but it's best to truly let your spirit fly.

Celebrate the journey every single day.

Aging with grace and stuff.

Style in our own special way.

Welcome to Aging with Grace and Style, the podcast that proves that getting older is just getting better.

I'm your host, Valerie, and if you're new, welcome.

If you've been riding with me for a while, then welcome back.

Today, we're talking about something that you might not have thought was for you.

It's AI.

And no, I am not talking about Allen Iverson for my basketball fans.

Now, I know what you're thinking.

AI.

Isn't that for tech savvy millennials or Silicon Valley geniuses?

Well, my friends, I'm here to tell you that AI is for everyone, especially fabulous women over 50 like us.

We're the generation that went from rotary phones to smartphones.

We adapted to email, to text messages and social media.

AI, Please.

We've got this.

So grab your smart device, see what I just did there, and let's explore how AI can add a touch of high tech glamour to our already amazing lives.

So what exactly is AI and why should you even care?

Well, let's think about it this way.

If you had a personal assistant who could remind you of appointments, organize your to do list, and even help with your workouts, would you take advantage of it?

Of course you would.

The good news, AI is already here, and it's doing just that.

And most of us are using it without even realizing it.

So let's break it down in a way that makes sense, and more importantly, in a way that works for you.

Let's start with demystifying AI Artificial intelligence isn't some creepy sci fi robot.

It's not here to replace us.

It's here to assist us.

Think of AI as a really smart, really efficient friend who's always on call.

You know how your.

Your email magically filters out spam?

Well, that's AI or when Netflix suggests a show that you end up binge watching?

Happens to me all the time.

That's AI Or When Google Maps reroutes you around traffic to save time.

Yep, that's AI too.

AI is already woven into our lives, making things easier without us even realizing it.

But there's so much more that it can do, especially when it comes to health, productivity, and even tackling some of the challenges that come with aging.

Let's talk about an era where AI can be a huge game changer.

And that is our health.

Imagine having a personal health assistant right in your pocket.

AI powered apps can track your vitals and remind you to take your medications.

Create personal workout plans based on your fitness level, suggest meal plans tailored to your dietary needs, and even provide insights on managing menopause symptoms.

Here are some AI apps that can help let's talk about workout apps ChatGPT.

I know you've all heard about ChatGPT.

AI can build a custom workout for you.

So try asking create a 30 minute strength training workout for women over 50 using only dumbbell bells and resistance bands.

So what you would do is you can talk to ChatGPT.

Yep, time to charge.

Can actually talk to it.

Did you just hear my phone tell me that it was time to charge AI?

So I'm sorry, I digressed.

You can talk to ChatGPT and you can.

What I just read to you is a prompt.

And so what you would do would be to give it that prompt or you can type it in and it'll give you a workout.

And if there are some things on there that you know you can't do, you shouldn't do, or you just, you maybe want other options, then all you have to do is ask it for other options.

Another app is called fitbod.

And so this app, it adjusts your workout plan based on progress, recovery and equipment.

And then there's one that's new to me, it's called Dr.

Muscle.

It's designed for older adults.

And this app, it mixes strength, cardio and body weight exercises for safe and effective workouts.

Now mind you, as we're talking about workouts, make sure that you've been cleared by your physician to do any kind of workout.

So whether that's a workout that you got from AI or workout from the gym, just make sure that you have the proper clearance and that you are using proper form.

There's AI for meal planning.

Once again, with ChatGPT, you can literally ask it plan a week's worth of high protein dinners over 500 calories or even under 500 calories.

I haven't done this, but I've also heard of people who kind of look in their refrigerator or their pantry and they see what ingredients they have.

And so they'll put into chatgpt these ingredients.

Hey, I have these ingredients.

Tell me or give me a recipe for a meal that I can cook with these ingredients.

And then there's Clot.

Clod is another one.

It's similar to ChatGPT.

So you could say to Claude, I need healthy meal ideas.

And then Clot will give you recipes that are tailored to your diet.

My Fitness Pal probably many of us have heard of MyFitnessPal because it has been around for a long time, but it tracks calories, macros and it suggests meal plans based on your goals.

So whether you're looking to tone up, to eat healthier, or to stay on top of your health, AI can help not replace your doctor, but definitely can help keep you on track.

Okay, let's move beyond health.

AI can also be your ultimate personal assistant, like the secretary you never had but always wanted.

Think of all the little tasks that AI can handle.

Let's start with calendar management.

AI powered apps like Google Calendar and oh, there's some reclaim.

AI can schedule appointments, set reminders, and even suggest the best times for meetings or self care their smart devices for your home.

So have you ever wished that your lights would just turn on when you walked in?

You could say alexa, turn on my lights with Alexa home or Google Home.

Those things can actually happen just by you giving it instructions.

And then there's email assistance.

AI tools like Grammarly and ChatGPT can help you draft responses, proofread emails and just make you sound like the professional powerhouse that you are now when you're working with AI tools for writing.

So I'm going to use ChatGPT because it's the one that's talked about the most.

So you can say hey, I have to write this email to such and such.

It's on this topic, yada yada yada and it will help you put together the email.

The key is though is to make sure that one you proof it, you look at it and you make any kind of changes to personalize it to you so that when you are sending it that the person isn't like this don't sound nothing like her, who wrote this for her.

So it's a good way to get you started and to give you ideas, but then you need to make it your own.

So here's an example of a prompt that you would use.

Draft a polite email declining an invitation to an event or help me schedule a week's worth of Social media posts.

So yeah, if you create social media posts, you can also use AI to help you with that.

I'm going to be honest, there are some weeks that I'm like, I have no clue what I want to post about or I'll look through my photos.

I'm like, well, I have these photos, but I don't know how I want to work them into my post.

So I might talk to ChatGPT or Claude or Google Gemini and say, hey, can you help me be a thought partner with me, Help me think of some posts that I can have for the week?

And so it'll give me ideas and then I make them my own.

And so I go in and I tweak them.

Or at least it might give me an idea and I might not use that one, but it prompts me to say, hey, you know what, maybe I'll try this.

You can also ask it something like suggest five time management hacks for busy professionals.

If you've ever thought I need an assistant, but I can't afford one, then guess what?

You already have one.

AI just saved you time and stress without the payroll.

Okay, so you know, I talk about this.

We never stop learning, and AI is making it easier than ever to stay informed, pick up new skills, and even have a little fun.

If you want to learn a new language, there are AI powered apps like Duolingo that can help you brush up on Spanish, French, or even learn something totally new.

You can explore new hobbies.

AI can recommend tutorials for painting, cooking or photography based on your interest.

Or just stay informed.

Platforms like Google News or Apple News can curate articles based on what matters most to you.

So here's example.

AI prompts for learning.

You could say to whichever AI platform you're going to use, summarize the latest health trends for women over 50.

Or what are some easy knitting patterns for beginners, or teach me five phrases in Italian for my next trip.

So whether it's staying sharp, trying something new, or keeping up with even the grandkids, AI can be your ultimate learning companion.

Now, I know you might be thinking, but what about my privacy?

Will AI take over my job?

Let's address these concerns head on.

For privacy, AI does collect data, but most reputable apps have strict privacy settings.

Always check the app's permissions and adjust what you share.

While you're using AI, don't say, hey, my name is Valerie Hatcher.

I live at Yada Yada Yada.

My Social Security number is.

My date of birth is.

And don't feed it all that kind of information because you don't want to provide that information to any source other than anybody or something that needs it.

So you definitely don't want to give that kind of information to whatever AI tools that you're using.

Let's talk about job security, because I hear this a lot.

AI.

Everybody's into AI and it's going replace me, and one day I'm not going to have a job.

AI isn't here to replace people, but it is here to assist.

It's making jobs easier, not necessarily eliminating them.

Remember, again, we've adapted to every tech shift so far, and AI is no different.

The key is learning how to use it to work for you, not to work against you.

Now, I know trying something new can be intimidating, but let's be real.

As I mentioned, we're the generation that went from rotary phones to smartphones.

We figured out texting, we figured out emojis and FaceTime.

So what?

We got this.

So here's your challenge for the week.

Dip your toes into AI and see how it can make your life easier.

Try one, or maybe all of these, but start small.

One is try voice assistance.

So use a voice assistant like Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant for a simple task.

Set a reminder.

Check the weather.

My husband is always, I swear, every morning I hear him say, alexa, what's the weather today?

And she tells him the weather.

Or did you know?

You can even ask Alexa or even Siri for a joke.

So if you suck at jokes like I do, ask them for a joke.

It's probably still going to be corny, but you'll get a joke.

And you get bonus points if the joke makes you laugh.

Number two is use AI for one task.

Many AI tools offer free versions or trials.

ChatGPT has a free version, and you can use it to draft an email, to ask for a recipe, or even to plan your week.

Let me share this with you about planning the week.

There have been some weeks when I have, like a list of tons of stuff to do, and it's like, where do I even start?

So I remember there's this one day I was sitting there looking like, oh, my goodness.

So I went to ChatGPT and I actually, I don't remember if I talked to it or if I typed into it, but I said, these are the things that I have to do today.

These are the windows of time that I have to get them done in.

Please help me come up with the schedule.

And voila, it came up with the schedule for me.

So it's amazing how you can use these things that these tools for efficiency and then explore free AI tools.

Like I said, many AI apps have free versions so there's no commitment needed.

And number four is ask for help.

If something feels confusing, then ask a tech savvy friend or your child or your grandchild or even YouTube.

Because you know you can find everything on YouTube.

AI isn't about replacing us, it's about assisting us.

And sometimes that means asking for a little help to get you started.

The goal isn't to become an AI expert.

It's about making life easier, more efficient, and yes, even a little more fun.

So let's recap.

AI is already a part of your daily life and if you didn't realize it now, you know.

From health to productivity, AI can be a huge support system.

And getting started is much easier than you think.

One small step at a time, okay my friend.

Embracing AI is just another way that we show the world that age is just a number.

We're not aging, we're upgrading.

So the next time you ask Siri for directions or you get a spot on movie recommendation from Netflix, give yourself a little pat on the back.

You're not just aging with grace and style.

You're doing it with a touch of AI magic.

Until next time, keep being fabulous and remember, the future is bright and it's AI powered.

This has been aging with grace and style.

And I'm Valerie, reminding you that every day is an opportunity to learn, grow, and embrace the amazing woman that you are.

Thanks for hanging out with me today.

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Until next time, keep shining with grace, style and a touch of.