Health and Fitness

I didn’t start hiking long distances until I was well into my 60s. During my life, I had backpacked and hiked for several days at a time. Aside from a 3-week trek to Mount Everest in my 20-ties, I never spent weeks on the trail. During a tough time in my marriage in my late 50-ties, I sought the high mountains of the Himalayas to get away from the confusion at home…

For women over 60 who struggle with food obsession and want to lose weight, the prospect of vacation can bring both excitement and anxiety. Why do women over 60 feel anxiety about indulgent eating on summer vacations?

My friend Stewart retired from his corporate attorney job after almost 40 years, eager to fill his leisure with travel, golf, and his lifelong love of skiing. Schussing down the mountain one day in the crisp cool air, he was hit from behind by a snowboarder who gave little more than a backward glance. Stewart, 66, suffered a fractured shoulder along with bumps, bruises, and a concussion…

Most of us have heard so many diet theories that weight control can begin to sound mysterious. Low carb. Low fat. Fasting. Cleanses. Special foods. Magic supplements. No eating after 7 p.m. Eat like a caveman. Eat like a movie star. After a while, it is easy to feel that permanent weight control must be complicated. I don’t believe it…

Society today is all about giving. Giving your time to a job, offering resources to a cause, giving your attention to the needs of family and friends. And while these things can be rewarding, it leaves little time for us to focus on our own needs. I often tell family caregivers that self-care is not just going on a spa day once a year…

We all have those days when mustering the motivation to exercise seems like more of a challenge than usual. We just can’t seem to get going and we end up giving ourselves permission to skip the gym or yoga class, or postpone the run or walk. I don’t have my gym clothes on. I’m too tired. I haven’t eaten. My back has been bothering me. I just washed my hair…

A few months ago, a friend told me about an older woman who had fallen at a wedding. “She was dancing,” he explained. “She stumbled and went down. She’d been drinking.” The story stayed with me because falls are no small matter as we get older. A broken wrist, a fractured hip, or a head injury can change the course of a life in an instant…

You’ve been eating clean, moving your body, doing everything right. And yet there’s this stubborn weight around your middle that won’t budge no matter what you do. You’ve probably blamed your willpower, your metabolism, your age. But here’s what nobody told you: that belly has a name, it has a biological cause, and it responds to something most women over 50 have never even heard of…

As a Medicare Customer Advocate for a large US insurance company, one of the things I have learned is that many women are unaware of the free or low-cost preventive screenings and tests that their Medicare plans cover. I’ve heard it all: “I didn’t know mammograms were free”, “My friends are getting osteoporosis screenings…

Food is not just fuel for our bodies; it often serves as a source of comfort, pleasure, and even emotional support. However, when our relationship with food becomes problematic, it can lead to various concerns such as emotional eating, eating addiction…