Move over 50, 30 is here
February 9, 2012
BY LORRAINE DUFFY MERKL “Actress Stone and others like her,” read 1 Across of the New York Times Crossword Puzzle. As I put my pen down on the first box to write the letter “S”, I realized that my answer — so obviously the plural of “Sharon” — would not fit. I sat for a [...]
Why Women Don’t Mind Erectile Dysfunction
January 23, 2012
BY KATHY FOUST For a man, there might not be anything more embarrassing or draining to the ego than to have erectile dysfunction. While it’s certainly understandable, sometimes it’s good to shut out the ego and listen to what the woman has to say. Women who say they don’t mind aren’t just being nice. They [...]
Saving a Second Marriage
January 16, 2012
BY GAYLE THOMPSON No one ever plans on walking down the aisle and promising “until death do us part,” only to face off in divorce court years down the road. But with the divorce rate at 50% in the United States, many people find themselves single later in life, with hopes of still finding lasting [...]
A New Year’s Musing: Fifty and Happy
January 6, 2012
BY LORRAINE DUFFY MERKL Everyone wants me to be different. A friend invited me to a seminar she was running on “How to Change Your Life NOW!” News stories are reaching out to me to transform my appearance by changing the way I eat, wear my hair, and choose my make up; except for the [...]
The Benefits of Dating Younger Men
December 28, 2011
BY KATHY FOUST It’s becoming more and more common for older women or “cougars” (who the heck came up with that term) to date younger men. While older women should still avoid the men who are young enough to be without a clue and are entirely ruled by their hormones, there is something to be [...]
Sharing Holiday Traditions with your Grandkids
December 23, 2011
BY KITT WALSH My grandmother often shook her head and muttered that the world was “going to hell in a hand-basket” and one of the indications of the downfall of Western civilization in her eyes was the escalating disappearance of family traditions. Her Sunday dinners, at which she held sway from her carved mahogany “throne”, [...]
Holiday Travel Tips For Those No Longer 20 Years Old
December 18, 2011
BY KITT WALSH The other day my vanity took a hit when a young woman offered me her seat on the subway. I mentally wrestled with the fact I was far too young to need to be treated like a senior citizen and then realized (simultaneously) that I am … –Chronologically approaching legitimate senior citizen [...]
Is Men’s Literature Dead? Yes and No
December 11, 2011
BY STEVE WINSTON Chauncey Mabe knows books. And well he should. Mabe was a book critic for The South Florida Sun-Sentinel for 22 years. He’s an accomplished freelance writer and ghostwriter. And his apartment in a Fort Lauderdale high-rise has more books stuffed into it than any other apartment – or house, for that matter – [...]
Bioidentical Hormones: Miracles for Menopause?
December 9, 2011
BY KITT WALSH At a recent doctor visit, I put the question this way: “Doc, there are two schools about taking hormones to treat the symptoms of menopause. One school of thought that says you are flirting with cancer and the other school that says without them you will turn into a wrinkled crone. Which side [...]
Active Vacations: Breezing Through Europe
December 7, 2011
BY MARY JANE HORTON Have you always wanted to take a walking or bicycling trip abroad but thought it was too strenuous? Think again. There are several options for trips that will exercise your body – but not too much – and your senses at the same time. Here are some choices: Biking The Netherlands [...]
Planning for a Mid-Life Crisis
December 4, 2011
BY KATHY FOUST Call it a mid-life crisis. Call it a second child, losing your mind or whatever you want to call it. However you describe it, planning for the mid-life crisis may mean the difference between enjoying the life you have and giving it all away to a bankruptcy court. Put your finances in [...]
Three Days of Peace and Music
November 30, 2011
BY STEVE WINSTON I can still remember that now-famous poster on my wall, that summer of ’69. It was red, with a guitar slung across it, and a white dove standing astride the guitar. “Three days of peace and music,” the poster read. When I woke up each morning in that teenaged summer, it was [...]
The Bucket List: How to Live Life to the Fullest
November 3, 2011
BY CARMEN M. HUBBARD It’s fascinating to discover just what it takes to motivates people to live life to its fullest. Usually losing a loved one or experiencing near death first hand jumpstarts us. At least that was my experience when my father passed away four years ago. We weren’t close by any means. Our [...]
Spotlight on Reba McEntire
October 18, 2011
BY GAYLE THOMPSON Her first album hit shelves long before Taylor Swift or Miranda Lambert were even born, but in the 34 years since country superstar Reba McEntire’s self-titled debut album was released, the fiery redhead’s career is still stronger than ever, proving that age really is just a number. Born in Oklahoma, the 56-year-old [...]
Eating what you want in middle age
October 14, 2011
BY CARMEN M. HUBBARD Life’s irony is so funny. Sometimes it’s better just to laugh than try to understand. Given all of the cosmetic enhancers and cover-ups — whether permanent or temporary — to even skin tone, create fuller lips and hide gray roots, it’s the lines in our necks that tell truth of about [...]
50th Birthday Party Ideas
October 9, 2011
BY KATHY FOUST Turning 50 in the 21st century means something altogether different than it meant in the 20th century. Advances in technology, medicine and thinking have made the 50th birthday seem younger than ever. Use these 50th birthday party ides to embrace your golden time! Take a trip down memory lane. Sure, you might [...]
When your spouse turns 50
September 29, 2011
BY CARMEN M. HUBBARD My husband’s 50th birthday party should have been glorious. I envisioned our family and friends scattered throughout the house and in the backyard sharing childhood stories about my husband, sending him well wishes and saying “Congratulations!” for achieving such a milestone. But as the months dwindled to weeks then days leading [...]
Dating in the 21st century
September 22, 2011
BY KATHY FOUST Dating in the 21st century seems to be the fast-forward version of dating, for any of you middle age folks out there who are back in the game. There are so many more options now that would have been considered unacceptable in the years past. People aren’t bound by gender norms, sexual [...]
Fifty-friendly beauty tips
September 5, 2011
BY MARY JANE HORTON You have probably heard all of the caveats about beauty and aging: cut your hair, lighten your hair, don’t wear harsh colors, wear brown mascara, not black. Some of these are true – some are not. We are here to give you the real lowdown on gently aging beauty from the [...]
Notes from the Nursing Home, Part 1
September 1, 2011
BY KITT WALSH The men in my family check out early—a combination of overwork and less noble pursuits like smoking and drinking—but the women live forever. So it was that my mother came to live with me and eventually moved to a nursing home up the street. In the eight years she spent there, I [...]
How to be Spiritually Fit in Your Fifties
August 28, 2011
BY STEVE WINSTON As we reach middle-age, we often spend a lot of time thinking about our physical fitness. But isn’t it just as important to be at a place in life – especially at this age – where we’re spiritually fit, as well? Don Lubov has spent most of his life helping people improve [...]
Dress your age, not your shoe size
August 26, 2011
BY CARMEN HUBBARD True story. I shopped for bargains at a preppy store with a nautical name, enjoying the silence as I hunt for deals. The silence was broken when two women browsed the sales racks as they complained about being hard to fit. One lady pulled a cute, red cap-sleeve cashmere sweater from the [...]
Ten Surefire Ways to Improve Your Appearance
August 19, 2011
BY DIANE SNOW JAVAID “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” the famous paraphrase of a statement by Plato gives far too much credit to the other person. I like to think, “Beauty comes from within, so how can I bring forth that beauty?” Here are some tried-and-true ways to perk up your appearance [...]
Fitness tips for middle-agers
August 17, 2011
BY STEVE WINSTON Rick Berks knows a thing or two about fitness. And he should. He was the founder of Planet Fitness in the early-90’s. And he’s now started a new company called Youfit Health Clubs, with a new concept that’s sending enrollment soaring at his clubs around the country. What, exactly, is this new [...]
Planning the trip of your dreams
August 9, 2011
BY STEVE WINSTON Sometimes we put off the trip – or the experience – of our dreams. It’s too far. We’re too busy. It’s too expensive. It requires too much planning. It’s not a good time. We’re too old (not!!). But there’s a reason you think of it as the trip of your dreams … [...]
Fifty and on the Prowl
August 2, 2011
BY CARMEN M. HUBBARD When it comes to older women dating younger men, an American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) study says (not surprisingly) that two-thirds of American men over 40 are dating younger women. However, an unexpected 34 percent of 40-and-older women are dating younger men. Toronto-based journalist Valerie Gibson is the author of [...]
Congress and Leadership
July 28, 2011
I used to work for a company that did annual employee surveys. The questions revolved around conditions at the company as a whole and how employee’s felt about their managers individually. The results of the survey yielded a score, the highest being 100. Each year managers anxiously awaited the results of their survey because, if [...]
Siesta Time
July 27, 2011
BY DICK METHIA With the cost of health care skyrocketing, many 50-somethings are boxing up their golf shoes and staying in the work force. But for those older Americans worried about being able to sustain the withering pace of a 9 to 5 job, I’ve got great news. The afternoon nap has joined child care [...]
Fifty-Friendly Honky Tonks
July 17, 2011
BY BOBBY L. HICKMAN Do you secretly harbor “Urban Cowboy” fantasies? Admit it: you’ve always wanted to two-step around the dance floor like John Travolta and Debra Winger. Maybe you want to cling to that mechanical bull – or throw back a few brews watching line dancers stomp out the beat of a rocking country [...]
Fifty-Friendly Vacations
July 9, 2011
BY STEVE WINSTON Three romantic places where the welcome mat is out for 50+ visitors: These three spots run the gamut from sophisticated-city to genu-“wine” country. But each has its own special charm … especially for folks our age. Each of them is, in fact, filled with middle-aged visitors from all over the country (or [...]