Healthy Living

Trying to shift to a healthier lifestyle? Read this article and learn about habits that may have a negative effect on brain health. Find more health tips at AARP® Staying Sharp®, an AARP member benefit, today.

A healthy Earth is a prerequisite for a healthy life. Earth Day: 10 Best Shows and Films to Watch  (AARP) Additional Suggestion: Nova - Earth From Space Full HD 

For those that want deeper insights, take the AARP® Staying Sharp Cognitive Assessment to see how you’re performing today on certain aspects of cognition, including reasoning, memory and attention. Find more health tips at AARP® Staying Sharp® an AARP member benefit, today.

Daily exercise, what you eat and even the amount of sleep you get all play an important role in your health. The good news is that there may be things you’re already doing that are benefitting your brain. Find more health tips at AARP® Staying Sharp® today, an AARP member benefit.

I want to be able to post my experience for comparison with other older seniors. Also, to help document my vaccine side effects for others to know about.  I received the Pfizer Booster two weeks ago. I have had all the prior suggested Prizer shots with almost no reaction. I confidently went to my doctor's office to get the latest (Fall, 2022) one. My facial rash appeared right away and still persists.A evening after the shot I had a serious bout of nausea and uncontrollable bowels.  I felt very sick.My arm had a huge red blotch at shot site. I contacted my doctor. I felt as if I had contracted covid symptoms though I have never had covid.  It was so debilitating I was in bed for several days. My doctor put me on prednisone for 5 days. That did cause the red blotch to go away.  Additionally,my other arm, where I had received a flu shot on the same day, also had a red blotch though not nearly as large. There is still a hard lump at the flu shot site which is possibly

 What Did You Say?Much to my dismay when I am listening on my cell phone to various doctor office staff informing me about my medical concerns, I have trouble understanding exactly what these health professionals are saying. All too often their advice is mumbled, garbled, mangled, and exceedingly incoherent. How can I follow medical directives if I can’t accurately interpret the details concerning, for example, how to prepare for a procedure or where will it take place? I become so frustrated with this miscommunication that I insist that all of the data that I need to know is transcribed on My Chart, a much more accurate accounting than the trip wire of a phone conversation or a raspy, jumbled voice mail. But yesterday was blissfully different: I got an easy-to- understand call from a health-care worker regarding my upcoming hernia operation. She asked me an abundance of routine questions, all of which she distinctly and effortlessly enunciated in steadily paced mellow tones.

Stress can get us down, whether it’s from an unexpected bill or a serious health issue. Explore our Find Your Calm guide and learn how an attitude of gratitude can be a powerful tool for responding to stress. Find more health tips at AARP® Staying Sharp® an AARP member benefit, today.

If dieting and weight loss are a constant struggle, try the AARP® Staying Sharp® Weight Loss After 50 challenge based on the latest research. Visit AARP Staying Sharp to learn more about the benefits of weight loss.

Have you been doing any new or fun workouts from your home? Let us know what you're up to!   AARP has a great selection of at-home workout videos. Check them out and get moving!  

Here's a great article about Seniors taking action on a Health issue.  The Club of Climate Seniors is suing the Swiss Government in the European Court of Human Rights over the dangers rising temperatures cause Seniors.It will probably be most constructive if the conversation maintains a 'Joe Friday', Just The Facts quality.  The links include a news report about the legal action and data from CDC and EPA about heat related health issues in the U.S. Swiss seniors sue government in rights court over climate  CDC’s Tracking Network in Action: Extreme Heat  Climate Change Indicators: Heat-Related Deaths (EPA) 

Eating Healthy is important to a healthy lifestyle. 

I took, and successfully completed the AARP Smart Drivers Online Course, and feel that I’m a safer driver because of it. I then contacted my former insurance company, Safeco, and they refused to give me the Pennsylvania mandated discount at that time. After that I decided to look for a new insurance provider and cancelled my policies before Safeco’s response. The new carrier was much more economical. Safeco eventually said that I would have gotten the discount but only after contacting my state representative, the state insurance department and the Pennsylvania department on aging. I fear that without spending all my time and effort, I wouldn't have gotten the discount. Also, I think that Safeco will not voluntarily give this discount to any senior without jumping through a bunch of hoops as I did. So, if you take the smart  driver course, please check with your insurer, and if they refuse to give mandatory discounts, contact the state insurance department. Unfortun

Yoga is one way to practice stress management. I’ve done it for years and always feel calmer afterward. Never tried it? Read this article on yoga for beginners and tell me what you think. Get more tips on reducing stress at AARP® Staying Sharp® , a member benefit.

Remember having that best friend in school? Sometimes we get caught up in life and forget the paybacks of good friendships. When you’re having a bad day, there’s nothing like picking up the phone and calling someone to share your troubles with. Find more health tips at AARP® Staying Sharp® today, a member benefit.

Has anyone had trouble losing weight on the Whole Body Reset? I've been following it for 2 weeks and haven't lost an ounce - including water weight. I'm very careful to make sure i get the correct amount of fiber and protein every day. Coincidentally I'm using an app to log meals and I can see I'm also eating the correct amount of calories needed for my goal weight. Any advice? 

Research shows that clutter may ramp up stress levels. Get 4 tips to declutter your mobile devices in this insightful article. You can also explore ways to deal with this common problem in the Digital Declutter challenge, also available to AARP members on Staying Sharp. Find more health tips at AARP® Staying Sharp® today, a member benefit.

If not, what wakes you up?  Do you find it harder to get a full night's sleep, why?

How do you feel after volunteering? If you’ve never done it, I can tell you from personal experience that the time you spend helping an individual or an organization can make you feel good on many levels. Learn more about the benefits of volunteering when you explore AARP® Staying Sharp®. 

I have just read your article "Switch it Up: Reflections".  I'm sure that for many people it would be helpful - if they can get by the frustration of trying to write backwards!  However, as a dyslexic, I have spent a good part of my life trying not to write backwards, let alone getting the letters in the right order! Does this mean that I have I have a natural amount of cognitive reserve?  Or is being able to write normally my way of altering routines? Perhaps a warning should be added to the article advising dyslexics to beware!In the spirit of full disclosure, this message was accomplished with the many assists from Spellcheck!!

There are runners, and there are walkers. I’ve tried both, and my preference is walking. But as long as you’re exercising (and having a good time), that’s all that counts. Explore how to create a healthy lifestyle with the AARP® Staying Sharp® Fit & Fun eight-week challenge. Learn more at AARP Staying Sharp today!

Here is your opportunity to save a life of a family member or friend through the Heart Health Foundation! The following are the cities in Maryland where there will be FREE Vascular Screenings throughout the state being held on Saturday, February 4, 2023. Appointments for screenings are available on a first-come, first-served basis by calling ONLY this number 410-573-9483Please share this post and you'll be #makingadifference!ANNAPOLISBALTIMORE CITYBEL AIRBOWIECAMBRIDGECHESTERTOWNDENTONEASTONELKTONELLICOTT CITYFREDERICKHAGERSTOWNKENT ISLAND (Stevensville)LAPLATAOAKLANDPIKESVILLEPRINCESS ANNEPRINCE FREDERICKSALISBURYSILVER SPRINGTOWSONWESTMINSTER

Just got my test result. I am in borderline for diabetes.  Yikes!  What is best way to lower cholestrol besides exercise? 

The new year brings excitement, renewed energy and the opportunity to reset priorities and goals. In all honesty, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut, but now is the perfect time to break away from those familiar habits. Visit AARP® Staying Sharp® and discover four strategies that will help you move from autopilot to start living your best life. 

As a retired nurse my biggest suggestion is to take charge of your doctor visits. Often your doctor may order lab tests and referrals to other services. Please follow up for results.  I can't tell you how often in recent times I have had friends told to "call if you haven't heard in a week".  They don't follow up and chaos follows. Anytime you take your care away from just you and your primary, you have the opportunity for someone to make a mistake, a breakdown in the computer system and so forth. The more people, the more potential problems. Have pen and paper on hand for the calls. Ask for the name of the person you are talking with. Write down questions and the answers. 

In November we got a letter that AARP United Healthcare Medicare insurance was dropping Silver Sneakers and replacing it with their own program - Renew Active.  On January 1, I was supposed to go to the myAARPMedicare.com site, log in and get a code to take to my fitness center to start my new membership.  Guess What?  There was no way to do that - the website isn't set up to generate Renew Active codes.  And Customer Service was off for the New Year's holiday until Tuesday, January 3.  So today, January 3, I call UHC, wait 37 minutes to get a representative, who tells me she can't generate a code either and the technical team is working on the problem and try again tomorrow.  So they have known since November that they were stopping our GREAT Silver Sneakers program and starting another program - but their IT department is just now realizing they haven't gotten it together to actually set this up?????