With advances in medical technology, trends toward healthy eating, and personal responsibility for health care, staying active as you age is a key component to maximizing one’s health span. Melissa Drake Living a long and vibrant life seems to be top of mind these days. With advances in medical technology, trends toward healthy eating, and personal responsibility for health care, staying active as you age is a key component to maximizing one’s health span (the length of time one can sustain optimum health). Following are 5 tips for staying active as you age: Stay Connected—Maintain contacts with friends, family, and former business associates if you’re retired. Also, don’t forget to…

As adapted from Vikki Ziegler’s upcoming book, “The Pre-Marital Planner (to stay happily married).” Congratulations! If you are reading this, you have obviously just made one of the most important decisions you could make – to share your life with the partner you love. You are probably feeling elated, maybe even a little woozy with excitement. And you should! After all, you have big plans – a wedding, a honeymoon, and maybe even a new home. However, marriage involves a lot more than a big send-off, some new stuff, and being called Mr. or Mrs. Getting married means assuming a lot of added responsibility. Not only are you supposed to…

One loving wife is going to bat for her sick husband. On July 6, Heather Winfree surprised her husband Steve ― a baseball fan who was diagnosed with kidney disease 14 years ago and is in need of a transplant ― with the news that she is a donor match. And she did so in the most creative way: with a custom baseball card.  The Knoxville, Tennessee couple, who has been married five years, shares a love of baseball cards. They often buy packs as a way to relieve some of the stress of Steve’s illness.  Courtesy of the couple Steve is constantly in pain as a result of his…

When a mother who has lost a child has another baby, few dare question if she’s capable of loving another child. No one wonders if her heart is big enough to love her “angel” baby while simultaneously loving the smiling toddler at her side. When she shares photos on social media of their special time together, there aren’t comments saying she must be “over” the death of her first child. That’s the way it should be. And, widows everywhere deserve that same level of respect when it comes to our spouses and our decisions to date post-loss. If you can love more than one child, two parents, five aunts, nine…

On July 4, my good neighbors invited me to join them, their closest family, and friends for their annual backyard cook out, which I gladly accepted. I’ve admired these neighbors since I first moved directly next door over four years ago. Their two daughters and son, and their grandchildren love coming over to see them on nearly a daily basis where good times and tasty food rule their days. I feel a certain envy that most of my beloved family members live so far from me. Though my neighbors and I share divergent backgrounds, we read from virtually the same page politically. And as has become the case, especially at…

Let’s start by defining what makes a person or entity an enemy. We assign them that label. And when I impart that we have the control, some seem to take the implication that this means we are the ass because we prolong the pain and the venom. This is a wrong assumption. I am not saying, well, you are causing this ongoing cycle of obsessive hatred…but that is the reality, isn’t it? I am saying, realize you are in control and you get to decide your course of action (one of my faves is to DO NOTHING) but because you are steering the boat, you are in charge of the…

Monkey Business Images/ShutterstockJudging from the images the popular media puts forth, you’d think sex was only for twenty somethings. Nothing is further from the truth. Sex at midlife and beyond is a subject mired in confusion and misinformation. Here are some common myths, and the straight story about sex after 50. sirtravelalot/ShutterstockMyth: Beyond a certain age, people have little interest in sex. Fact: There is no age limit on sexuality, but for people age 50 and over, sexual satisfaction depends more on the overall quality of the relationship than it does for younger couples. A National Council on Aging survey reports that among people age 60 and over who have regular intercourse,…

They were nervous First dates are hardly ever smooth experiences. At least one or both of you are nervous about putting yourself out there and trying to get to know a new person. There is a whole slew of doubts that can run through your mind, making the dating process anything but easy. When someone is feeling overwhelmed like this, you can end up walking away from your first date with a less-than-stellar impression. But according to Melissa Divaris Thompson, a New York City-based marriage and family therapist, that’s not always a reason to put an ‘X’ next to that person’s name.”Sometimes you don’t get an accurate first impression because…

Your bed is more than just a piece of furniture. It is a part of your health care routine! Dipa Singha Your bed is not just a piece of furniture. It is an important part of your home because it will reenergize yourself to meet the demands of the present day world. A sound sleep is the key to rejuvenating your body and mind. It is directly associated with the productivity of the individual. A fit body and mind are crucial to achieve the highest success along with other skills. One should never ignore the body signals which may arise due to uneven sleep. The biggest question then arise what’s…