Episode 64- AI Tech Concierge

Frustrated by passwords, portals, pop‑ups, and scams? In this episode of Decluttering 55+, former Comcast and Apple executive Julius McGee introduces Jortty (J‑O‑R‑T‑T‑Y)—an AI‑powered “tech concierge” designed especially for people 50 and over.

We talk about:

How Jortty can help with phones, tablets, computers, Wi‑Fi, Bluetooth, smart TVs, and more—24/7

Using AI chat to walk you step‑by‑step through tasks like resetting passwords or joining telehealth visits

What two‑step verification really is, and why it’s one of your best protections against scams

How to recognize phishing emails, fake links, and other tricks before they empty your bank account

When free AI support is enough—and when it’s worth upgrading to get live, remote or local help

Jortty’s live workshops that teach everyday tech skills in plain language

If you’ve ever said “I’m too old for this tech stuff,” this episode will help you toss that belief and replace it with “I can learn this—with the right help.”

Stay connected and inspired—follow me on social media!
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decluttering55plus/

And also don’t forget to subscribe on my YouTube Channel!
https://www.youtube.com/@Decluttering55plus

Discover practical wisdom to simplify life—check out my book:
Decluttering 55+: Wisdoms to Create a Legacy, Not a Mess
https://www.amazon.com/Decluttering-55-Wisdoms-Michelle-Passoff/dp/B0DY88FQBS/

Transcript

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Michelle 0:34

It's hard to say where you can catch up with Jennifer Wenlin because most of the time she's on the road with her husband Mike. Maybe you already know the dynamic duo from their podcast, RV Lifestyle. Their RV Lifestyle can be seen on YouTube channel. They have an RV newsletter, a blog, and a series of best-selling travel guides, planning tools, and checklists. They have lived full-time in a recreational vehicle for the past 12 years and have traveled more than 300,000 miles across this great land of ours. Jennifer, however, is not only a land lover, she is a creature of the water. In fact, she's a certified water aerobics instructor, and she's going to spend some time with us diving in, so to speak, to the merits of water aerobics for our health. Personally, I have never tried it, but I think after today's things may change. We talk about health benefits of water exercise here because health is a main pillar of decluttering 55 plus with Michelle Pasoff. It is at the very foundation of aging powerfully in this new era of aging where we're living longer and better than ever before. In addition to eating and exercising right on the show, we talk about technology, memoirs, relationships, where to live and what to do in retirement, financial and legal matters, and even pre-planning final arrangements. Sometimes these are areas of life that can be challenging to face in one way or the other as the years go by. Sweeping them under the carpet to put off another day or forever is an act of cluttering. Instead of staying in a state of confusion about things, we bring topics to the table into the light of day to speak about them so that we can help make difficult choices and get into action and get things done. In the end, it's our point of view here at Decluttering55 Plus with Michelle Passoff that this will make you stronger, healthier, and happier. So let's learn what we can today about water aerobics from Jennifer and discover the benefits to your health of this form of exercise. Welcome, Jennifer. How are you today?

SPEAKER_01 2:45

I am doing fantastic, and I can't tell you how excited I am to have this opportunity to tell people to get to the pool and to exercise. Whether you're a runner or no matter what your background is in exercising, if you've never exercised before, the pool is such a friendly environment.

Michelle 3:03

So you believe in mixing water aerobics with other kinds of exercise, or do you choose your lane and stay in it?

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Well, uh, how I got started in water aerobics was Mike talked me into joining a gym, which I didn't think I needed. But we went to the gym and that was fun. And he ran a marathon in 82, a long time ago. And uh I ran the last six miles with him, and I thought, well, I like running. I I've always loved moving and exercising. And then somebody introduced me, they invited me to go to an aqua class, and I thought, well, I'll go try that. And then I thought, this is so much fun playing in the water. And I used to, when I first started out, I was in the water, and people thought I was a weightlifter because the water, the resistance, using the water correctly to build muscle and tone, it's awesome. And so then I the classes got too big, like I'd have 50 people in a class. So then I had to stand on deck so that uh everybody could see me, and I had to get a microphone so everybody could hear me. And I absolutely loved it. It is just so much fun. It's it's the perfect place to work out. Chest deep, you lose 80% of your body weight, so it's not hard on your joints. You can jump around and have fun. And the number one rule is you get you gotta have fun. I mean, I felt that when I taught a class, it was like I had a party, I invited all these people, and I wanted everybody to have a good time.

Michelle 4:36

You know, you think of exercise as anything but fun. Like sometimes I uh, you know, I we do a lot of walking, my husband and I. We live right two blocks from the bay in uh St. Petersburg, Florida. So that one of our routes is to walk along the bay. Our other route is to walk along uh the Gulf of Mexico. So we do a lot of walking, and I'm always like going, oh, okay, it's five o'clock. That's kind of my time to go walking. It's time to go walking, and then I get out there and I go, Oh, that was a bad idea. Why don't I why do I think I want to exercise? You know, it just doesn't sound like much fun. But you're saying water aerobics is fun?

SPEAKER_01 5:15

It is fun, and you build friends there. And then we used to once a month everybody go out for lunch, so it was a social time. And there really is a lot of community building when you do these classes.

Michelle 5:29

And community, I was very surprised. I was very surprised to learn. Um, you know, I'm working on uh I'm just finishing up a book on declaring 55 plus, which is all about getting your life in order, not your garage in order. And I was surprised to one of the big surprises for me in working on the book was to learn the importance of social connection, especially as you age. So uh, and I have heard a neighbor of mine who is a water aerobics uh fanatic say the same thing that you're saying, that um there's a community around it. So it's a great way to make friends. Tell me more about that.

SPEAKER_01 6:07

Okay, so if you don't come, somebody's gonna miss you. If you say, Oh, I can't go because I don't have a ride, oh, I'll give you a ride. And you want to see people because I don't know about you, but I consider every person a book and I want to hear the next chapter. I want to hear about their life, I want to hear how their kids are doing, I want to hear all this and that and the other thing. So it's very social, and that's another problem as an instructor, trying to make it social, but yet make people exercise.

Michelle 6:35

So, what tell me how long is an exercise class when you do water aerobics?

SPEAKER_01 6:41

It used to be 50 minutes.

Michelle 6:44

So 50 minutes, and um, how many times a week should you do? Should you do it uh how many times a week?

SPEAKER_01 6:52

At least once, but three times you'll benefit more. And the hard part, you can't just let it be social. It can't just be standing there. You need to work. I mean, I was always tell my people, get your heels down, get your knees up, you know, move it forward, back. Of course, letting them have permission to take it easy if they need to take it easy, but yeah, pushing them to, you know, to make it count, holding posture, all that. I absolutely loved teaching the classes. And I taught everywhere, everywhere in the Detroit area.

Michelle 7:26

Now, um, since you're on the road so often, do you get a chance to do that anymore? Uh both uh participate in a class or teach a class?

SPEAKER_01 7:35

No, that was the hardest part for me when we to started traveling all the time. One place where I used to work, out of a 10-week session, I could only be there one week. And I got a sub the rest of the time, a qualified good person takes the thing. And I thought, you know, I can't come one out of 10 weeks. They're gonna fire me, and my feelings are gonna be really hurt. I better quit before they better leave before they fire you, right?

Michelle 8:01

Well, so anyway, that was very hard. Uh, do you select uh places when you're on the road specifically because they might have a pool?

SPEAKER_01 8:09

Um, have done that a little bit in the past. And once we were uh doing a story at a place and the instructor didn't show up, and I was certified my CPR, and so I taught a class. And uh one of the ladies at when the class ended said, I didn't, I thought you were the instructor. I said, No, I'm just I'm just a guest here. I'm just I know how to teach, and instructor didn't show up, so I taught. Oh, and the the most exciting thing was when we were in uh the Red Sea, I uh we were there doing some work, and uh they were supposed to have an aqua class, and there was no instructor, and I said, When's the aqua class? Well, we don't have an instructor. I said, Oh, well, I'm an instructor, and they said, Well, would you teach some of our people how to teach aerobics? I said, I'll be happy to. So one poor young man, we went out in the Red Sea, and I'm showing them and talking about water and the resistance and how to carry yourself and everything. So Mike was over there teaching people, journalists, how to use the computer. And I said, I'm over here teaching people how to teach aqua aerobics. What could be better?

Michelle 9:18

What could be better, and in such exotic places, maybe you can make your next itinerary to go to the most exotic places in the world to teach water aerobics. There you go. What would be the most exotic place you could go to teach water aerobics anyway?

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Right now I'm thinking about Hawaii. I've only been there once. I have a yearning to go back.

Michelle 9:38

Well, I was thinking uh I went to Hawaii once on the way back from Australia, thinking it would be a nice place as a midway stop to recover from jet lag, and it was anything but it made it worse. So don't go on your way to back from uh Australia. So I always like to start thinking about exercise. I like to start with the wardrobe, you know. Maybe that gives you some kind of incentive to do the exercise. So do you have do you need any special equipment or clothing to um do your water aerobics?

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Well, there are places where you can get suits that are chlorine resistant, so they last a little longer, and that are modest suits that you're going to feel comfortable in. I mean, there's some suits that go down to your knees and up to your neck and zippers in the front. So there are all kinds of suits. And something that people don't think about, you need shoes. You need aqua shoes. Oh, really? Especially as we age, the padding on the bottom of your feet diminishes, and you need the shoes so that you don't hurt your feet.

Michelle 10:46

What about a cap? Or do you need that?

SPEAKER_01 10:49

Do for what?

Michelle 10:51

Do you need a cap or do you not get under the water?

SPEAKER_01 10:54

I don't have them under the water. I think I would have lost half my people if I would have said they had to get their hair wet. No, we don't have hats.

Michelle 11:03

So you just have so I never thought of that before. Where do you get a water-resistant suit?

SPEAKER_01 11:09

There are places online where you can you can buy them. And when I was an instructor, I had a code I could give them and they could get a discount, but I'm no longer, I let my I let that lapse because I I was paying a lot of money and not teaching classes, so I let it ride.

Michelle 11:24

So you won't be getting a discount on your chlorine-resistant suits today, but um look for chlorine-resistant suits and footwear. And aerobics footwear?

SPEAKER_01 11:39

Uh yes, there is aerobics footwear. And I, if you're gonna be in the pool, please, please, please get it so that you don't slip when you're on the deck. That's always something to consider, and to protect your feet.

Michelle 11:51

Now, just like you have um, you know, barbells in a gym, are there any other kind of hand equipment that you need or that are provided when you go for water aerobics?

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Oh, yeah. It's so much fun, all the equipment. A pool noodle, it can be a small noodle, a big noodle. I can show you so many exercises to do with just simply a noodle like what kids play with. There are hand buoys that you could get, different sizes for resistance. I even had fun with people with balls, just simple little balls, and we'd throw it in the air and catch it with the other hand for eyes to work your eyes. And then we'd have two balls, you know, juggling. We'd have partners and we'd throw. So this is all fun, you know, when you miss, when you catch, all kinds of ways to have fun in the water.

Michelle 12:42

I used to have are these usually provided by the facility where you go to the pool, or um, do you bring your own supplies? And if so, what supplies do you have to bring on your own?

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Well, sometimes people used to buy the hand buoys to make sure they there were enough so that everybody had the hand buoys. And often they would supply things. And if not, if I'd been to a workshop and like with the uh balls that you catch and throw and have a great time with, I would bring them because I thought it made the class more fun. And uh kickboards, pushing and pulling with the kickboards, sitting on the kickboards, having little races. I can't tell you all the good things you can do in the water. I used to tell my people, you're not gonna, if you fall over, it's okay. Stand up, stand on one, you know, one foot, uh push the water, you know, not touching the person, but making more resistance for the person next to you. So you challenge your core. Walk across the pool, heel toe, heel toe, walk backwards, walk sideways, all kinds of things. The water is the best place to work out. Even running, if you're a runner, they found in studies that people who ran in the water benefited more than running on land. I used to be a runner for 21 years.

Michelle 14:01

No, I can I can believe that because I I used to get up every morning when I was living in New York City and meet a friend uh right at the um edge of Central Park, and we would go, you know, for half a mile and meet another group of people and run the rest of the way. And I decided I was gonna stop uh running because I think it's too hard on your joints. There's benefits to water aerobics in that way, isn't there?

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Oh, yeah, it's very kind. And you know, we're talking about chest deep, losing 80% of your water or your weight, but you can also put a belt on and not touch the bottom at all and work out. And is that resistance? It's there.

Michelle 14:43

What other health benefits are there? Like um, you know, if you have injuries, is this is water aerobics is probably good. Um, like if you hurt what your knee or something like that, that you could you you don't have to stop exercising?

SPEAKER_01 14:57

No, you don't have to stop exercising. The deep water exercise, love it. And again, that's the running, again, where you're suspended and reach out your legs. They found that runners actually got stronger running in the water, not touching, reaching out, and uh it's all good. They even have some pools where they put a harness on you and you get the resistance of the water going towards you and you run. It's like a physical therapy to make you stronger. The water is very forgiving, you know, as long as you're not allergic to the chemicals in it or something, or you know, it's a great place to work out.

Michelle 15:33

Well, where where do you find pools and classes? Where's a what's a good resource for our listeners if they want to get in the water and start exercising?

SPEAKER_01 15:45

YMCA, any health club, well, not all health clubs have a pool. I worked for LA Fitness, they had a pool in most of their clubs, I believe all of their clubs. So um just search it, you'll find it.

Michelle 16:00

There's pools out there, and then find out what you're uh water aerobics classes in my town, and they will find either your YMCA or senior centers or just down the block from us, we have an aquatic center, so sometimes there's standalone opportunities. Does it um I don't I guess if you live in a cold climate, a lot of those facilities are going to be indoors, presumably, right? So you don't have to worry about the season what season it is or not, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:31

No, you don't have to worry about it. In fact, in St. Pete in St. Petersburg, I used to teach outdoors, and the heat kind of got to me. I'm not a big fan of being hot. So I enjoy being indoors.

Michelle 16:45

No wonder you live in Michigan. I'm not a big fan of I'm not a big fan of being cold. You're but right. I call it cold. So um how do you get started? Like how what what do you think? If you're already doing one routine, uh maybe with a personal trainer inside a gym, and uh yeah, I guess you have to change your mind and say, I'm gonna try something new.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

Yes, and if you have a friend that you can will join you, that's great. You don't have to have a friend because you will make friends, and everybody wants to tell you, okay, this is what you do, get these shoes, do this, do that. You know, you can sort through all that, and the instructors will be very welcoming to you and tell you what you need and everything. So just find a club where there are aqua classes, and it doesn't matter what you look like in your bathing suit.

Michelle 17:43

Don't let that say, like, you know, do I have to lose uh 25 pounds before I go or what? No, no judgment zone. You know, my my gym has a big sign up that it's a no judgment zone.

SPEAKER_01 17:59

Just um get out there and decide you're gonna have fun, you're gonna meet people and make sure that you do exercise, don't just get in the back row and you know, strike up an acquaintance.

Michelle 18:10

And and uh make plans for dinner plans with the friends. Yeah, if you actually have to do the work, oh no.

SPEAKER_01 18:18

Yeah, I used to have people introduce themselves and say where they were from, and boy, that you just lose control real quick with that. Where are you from? Oh, I used to live there.

Michelle 18:26

Yeah, right, right. It was social as it becomes the main event, not that push and pull, right? Yeah, but I are there any statistics on what the average age group is of people who do water aerobics?

SPEAKER_01 18:39

I think it's the over 55 crowd. I I think they feel comfortable with that simply because of it being more gentle on your joints and your body.

Michelle 18:49

Yeah, at the same time, it has health benefits with I guess building flexible flexibility, you get the resistance, um uh strength building. Are there uh are there doctors that recommend it for um for seniors or for any particular ailments that you know of, or is it just generally a good thing to do?

SPEAKER_01 19:12

I'm sure that there are doctors who recommend that and for different ailments and will tell you special things that you could do because there are physical therapy places that have pools, and you get in the pool and they tell you what to do. That's I mean, get to the pool. Beg your pardon?

Michelle 19:29

Get to the pool. Get to the pool. Yes. Well, um, have you uh heard anything about weight loss and water aerobics? Does it help you uh shed some pounds, maybe?

SPEAKER_01 19:42

Well, I'm sure it would, but the best thing for weight loss is to not eat smaller portion sizes, don't eat the job.

Michelle 19:51

Don't come on my show, Jennifer, and tell me that I have to stop eating in order to lose weight. That's not fair.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

Calories in, you know, it's so many, you have to give up so many calories to lose a pound. You know, you can't eat the junk. You have to be aware of what you're putting in your machine.

Michelle 20:07

Is water aerobics a good calorie burner?

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Oh, yeah. Yeah, it is, but you gotta do the work. You gotta do the work, you gotta figure out how to make it fun. Isn't this like today and use AI?

Michelle 20:19

There's no AI substitute for anything here.

SPEAKER_01 20:24

No, I'm I'm learning, I've never had a weight problem in the last few years I have, and I'm I'm trying to get some weight off, and I'm of course I'm not in the pool anymore.

Michelle 20:34

I understand you do find your way to a gym, though. Is that right? Well, we have spent a lot of your time on the road, but you find you manage to find your way.

SPEAKER_01 20:42

Yeah, if he wants to live with me, we will find a gym. I don't know why. I don't like walking outside because if I get too hot or too uncomfortable or whatever. On my treadmill, I know it's better for you to walk outside, but on my treadmill it's level and I can stop and start. I can make it faster, slower. I feel like I have more control, plus I have a Peloton bike where I can do fun things. I have an elliptical, a few weights.

Michelle 21:09

And you can watch HGTV usually at the same time. Right. What could be bad?

SPEAKER_01 21:14

Yeah, what can be bad with that? As long as they those food commercials.

Michelle 21:18

Oh. Oh no. Well, what do you what you know, um, exercise is really kind of a pillar of decluttering 55 uh plus. What tell me your viewpoint on exercise? Why is it that you, no matter whether it's a pool or a treadmill or it's indoors um or it's outdoors, you find your way to exercise. Tell me your point of view on exercise.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

If you don't use your body, you're gonna lose the ability to use your body. One week off, you lose three weeks worth of conditioning. Is that so you've got to make a fun way to move.

Michelle 21:54

How do you how what has you have the mentality that exercise is fun? Like I'd like to change my mind about that.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

I feel so much better when I get done. I usually, my daughter-in-law says, I don't drink coffee. She says, it would be easier to drink a cup of coffee. I get up in the morning, I go straight to the uh treadmill, and I usually walk. But I do know you need to be up for half an hour to let your body kind of wake up before you start making demands from it. But I just it gets my blood flowing, it clears my head, it helps me focus. I use it, I used to run on the treadmill. I'm not running anymore. You reach a point where you pay your dues for running on cement. And running is was very addictive to me.

Michelle 22:41

You're pounding, you're pounding, you're pounding. Not good for you.

SPEAKER_01 22:45

Really not good. Your walking is good for you. If you could make yourself walk and keep that pace going, that's perfect. And where you live is beautiful. So you get the you're with your husband, you're with the tranquility of the water, you know, where you're walking, wonderful. That is probably the best, easiest.

Michelle 23:05

That's another point I want to ask. Are the is are water aerobics classes mixed? Are there men and women, or is it mostly a gal thing?

SPEAKER_01 23:14

It's mostly a gal thing, but uh, you do get men. I worked one of the clubs I worked at, it was almost all guys that came in during the morning. They were firefighters and they would come in and work out in the water. And I would tell them, if you do what I say, you're gonna get a good workout.

Michelle 23:29

So it's not just, you know, if you think of a firefighter, you think of somebody who's had to go through a lot of physical training and there's a very physical person. So it's not necessarily water aerobics, isn't necessary for the weak and weary.

SPEAKER_01 23:43

And oh, my worst experience was I I had a Marine in my class, and he told me he was a Marine. And I had worked out, this was an evening class, I had worked out really hard with weights and stuff before I got in the class. And it was I was in the water and I tried to get out, and I thought, oh, my arms are so tired, I can't pull myself out of the pool. This is so embarrassing.

Michelle 24:05

And lo and behold, you have uh uh you know firefighters and you know muscle men in your classes, so it's not only for the weak and weary. Uh it's possible that water aerobics is for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 24:18

It is for everybody. You know, people picture older ladies with a shower cap on their head, you know, in the pool. It it can't there's a lot of that, but it doesn't have to be that. I mean, one class when we were on the road, I went to they had uh oh gosh, I can't think of the name of it right now, a Zumba class, and everybody was jumping around and they were just having a blast. So it can be all different levels.

Michelle 24:47

Well, I think I'm you've changed my mind. I think I'm going to try that water aerobics class. I'm gonna get I don't want to go down there with a bathing suit and I'll wait until I lose 25 more pounds. I'm just gonna I'm gonna try it. Maybe I'll make some new friends.

SPEAKER_01 25:02

Oh, you will definitely make new friends. And it's just like going to the gym. You can't wait till you get the perfect body to go to the gym. You gotta go to the gym. It's gonna make you feel better.

Michelle 25:12

Like which came first, the exercise or you know, the fit body. So it's really great uh that you do that. And um, if people want to get in touch with you, they go through the www.rvlifestyle.com website. Yes. And if you have any questions about water aerobics, if you have any questions about uh what to wear, because that's always important, um, go ahead and get out there and get a bathing suit, get a swim cap. You don't need a swim cap even. You can leave your hair.

SPEAKER_01 25:48

Unless you're afraid somebody's gonna splash some water on your head.

Michelle 25:52

Let your fingers do the googling to find out the closest aquatic center or YMCA or senior center or whatever you can to join a class in your neighborhood to try water aerobics. Remember, action is the only thing that makes a difference. So set a goal, put it in your schedule, follow through on those promises to get fit and healthy. Also, if you haven't done so, visit our website at www.decluttering55plus.com. Go to the Let's Connect button to sign up for notifications about what's coming next on this podcast. Let us know about how you exercise and if you have ever given water aerobics a try. If not, tell us if you decided to take on the challenge of jumping in the pool as a better way of life. If you haven't seen my latest book, Decluttering 55 Plus Wisdoms to Create a Legacy Not a Mess, jump on over to Amazon.com or layitflat.com and get yourself a copy. It features illustrated prompts to get things done. It's fun and useful. Get it for yourself, your family, your friends, you'll love it. I want to thank Jennifer Wenlin again for joining us to talk about the merits of water aerobics and uh to all of you out there for uh joining us as well. We're gonna be back every week with another topic to get your wheels turning about things that make a difference as you age. So you live longer, happier, and healthier. So I'll see you next week. I want to thank you for being here and now get out there and between now and then enjoy yourself and have a flutter free day.