Everyone needs boundaries in work and life, but in the world of family caregiving, the ability to make and understand your own line in the sand can be the difference between thriving or just surviving. Twenty years ago, when I was caring for my husband as he recovered from a traumatic brain injury, I was a frenzied, […]
Health and Wellness
5 Tests to See How Well You Are Aging
If we had a pill that accomplished everything that physical activity does for overall health, we would prescribe it for everyone,” says Donald Hensrud, M.D., former medical director of the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. Overall fitness isn’t just about breaking a sweat; it’s about four specific areas — aerobic endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and balance, he […]
How to Stop Languishing and Start Flourishing
Feeling indifferent and unmotivated? Lethargic and unfocused? You may be languishing. So writes sociologist and Emory University professor emeritus Corey Keyes, whose new book, Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down, explores why so many of us feel this “sense of low-grade mental weariness,” as he puts it, and suggests ways […]
Are Your Organs Aging Faster Than You Are?
If the idea of gauging your organ age seems far out, impossible or irrelevant to assess health, consider that you’re probably already doing it without knowing. Think about that last time you met someone new, took a fresh look at your partner when you awoke in the morning or caught your reflection in the mirror. […]
1-Minute Workouts to Make You Stronger
Though you know you need to exercise, you may feel like you don’t have the resolve, interest or time to get physically fit. You aren’t alone. Almost half of those 50 and older feel the same way, according to an AARP survey. But building muscle and getting the physical activity that health experts say all adults need […]
Sober Curious? 10 Expert Tips to Cut Back on Alcohol
“I don’t like the way alcohol makes me feel anymore,” says Ellen Albertson, a 61-year-old psychologist and registered dietitian in North Hero, Vermont. She’s currently in breast cancer remission and cutting back on vices that could put her at future risk. In addition, she wants to work more toward practicing what she preaches as a […]