How to Find Your Motivation for Better Health

Tom Nolan, 71, admits he led a less-than-healthy lifestyle for years. He ate foods he shouldn’t (and too much of them), slept poorly and avoided exercise. The result showed up around his waistline. Last year, his doctor told him he needed to lose weigh… Continue reading

Stand Up to ‘Sitting Disease’

Not long ago, when I interviewed one of the leading experts on “sitting disease” — the buzzy catch phrase that’s been attached to physical inactivity for the past few years — he walked in place on his treadmill desk while we chatted by phone. The irony… Continue reading

Regaining Strength After 50 Safely and Effectively

There are a ton of benefits to regular strength training, especially for adults over 50. Aside from just feeling better, overall, strength training helps us combat the natural functional decline that comes with aging, which can lead to frailty, disabil… Continue reading

Study: Older Adults Trust Physicians to Be Their Advocates

(This piece was originally published by the Association of Health Care Journalists and is being republished with that organization’s permission.) Older adults rarely ask for referrals to specialists, specific prescriptions, express concerns or follow-u… Continue reading

How to Know if a ‘Top Doctor’ Is a Good Doctor

Finding the best doctor in town can be a huge comfort in the midst of a medical crisis. I know. When I was diagnosed with the BRCA2 gene [linked to breast cancer risk], I opted for a preventative double mastectomy to greatly reduce my risk. A prominent… Continue reading

Studies Show It’s Never Too Late to Improve Your Health

(Editor’s note: This article is part of an editorial partnership between Next Avenue and the American Federation for Aging Research, a national nonprofit organization with a mission to support and advance healthy aging through biomedical research.) Oct… Continue reading

Body Fluctuations That Raise a Risk of Heart Attack

(This article appeared previously in American Heart Association News.) Fluctuations in blood pressure, blood sugar, body mass index and cholesterol could put people at higher risk for heart attack or stroke, a new study shows. The Korean study, publish… Continue reading

Get Out and Enjoy Our National Parks

(Editor’s Note: This podcast is from The Not Old – Better show. ) If you haven’t checked out the National Institutes of Health’s Go4Life program, give it a try. It offers free resources to help older adults work out more, push themselves a little harde… Continue reading

Person-Centered Care Focuses on Patients’ Needs

The way patients and health care providers think about health care delivery is changing, with an increasing desire to involve patients in decisions and planning. Today, many providers also work to meet patients’ needs that go beyond medical treatments…. Continue reading

CDC: Flu Shot Still Best Protection, Despite This Season’s Low Effectiveness

(Editor’s note: The Centers for Disease Control — CDC — reported Thursday its estimate of the overall effectiveness of this season’s influenza vaccination is 47 percent. For people age 50 and older, the estimate is just 24 percent. Yet, the CDC continu… Continue reading