One of the most exciting and fulfilling things I recently did was complete my very first half-marathon. I never like to use this so-called midlife as an excuse not to do or try something new, but I must admit that I was a just bit wary that I might not be able to do it. But... I did it! And what a feeling of accomplishment that was. So now I'm anxious to spread the message that you can do it, too. Training to complete a half-marathon takes patience, perseverance and persistence. I recently reached out to Dr. Oz's personal trainer, Joel Harper, to get his take on training for a half-marathon. And you { Read More }
Gotta Dance!
Do you like to dance? If you do, when is the last time you danced? Dance was a childhood passion that came to a pause long ago. As a young child, I was passionate about ballet dancing. The more lessons I took, the more I loved it and the more I excelled until my local teacher, Judy, recommended that I pursue more serious dancing at a more serious-type dance studio in New York City. I guess I was that good. That's not to say I had the chops to become a professional dancer; though I suppose I'll never know, will I? That's kind of where my ballerina dreams ended. My mother worked full time and { Read More }
My Very First Marathon!
With each passing year, I get more hopeful about some things, yet less hopeful about others. For instance, I'm less hopeful that my skin will ever look like it did when I was younger. And what of my hearing? I'm not there yet, but the fact that I'm relieved when a movie has subtitles tells me something. So, the hearing gets thrown into the less-hopeful-it'll-get-better pile. But... I'm more hopeful about some other things - and they're important things. For one, I'm feeling better and better about my wisdom and my ability to zoom in on a situation and dissect it to the point of clarity. I'm more { Read More }
Why Walking is Good For Your Health
Rumi, the 13th century mystic poet, was fond of saying, "Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it." I get it. So many times I whiz back and forth in my car, covering the same areas time and time again. It's not until I get out there on my feet and slow down with a walk that I'm able to notice and take in the beautiful and minute details of my surroundings. I don't know about you, but lately, walking is on my mind a lot more than it's ever been. Why? Well, for one thing, ever since I purchased a FitBit (in case you've been living under a rock and don't know what { Read More }
Why We All Need to Strength Train (and a giveaway, too!)
Having celebrated a big birthday recently has made me more sentimental about aging than normal. But with sentimentality comes complaints. Granted, they're not in a a "woe-is-me" kind of way- but with a bit more humor and irony attached to them. Humor? My feeling is that if we don't laugh about creaky joints, gray hair, diminishing eyesight, hearing and skin tone, then all that bitching becomes whiny. And who wants to listen to a whiner, anyway, especially an aging whiner? Irony? To be deliberately contrary sure helps make things funny, don't you think? Anyhow, what I'm getting at is this so-called { Read More }
Can You Prevent Breast Cancer?
"You have cancer." Those three words hold so much power. They're life-altering in too many ways to measure. They're words that every women hopes they'll never have to hear. And as a survivor who has heard those words, I'd like to be able to say that you'll never, ever have to hear them. But there's no sure way to do that. What I can do is tell you ways to reduce your risk - and be aware enough (or in some cases, lucky enough) that if you do get diagnosed with breast cancer, it will be found at an early stage, where it's typically more treatable. While there are many factors that influence your breast { Read More }
Five Steps to a Healthier Meal While Dining Out
While my children were growing up, I insisted on cooking most nights. Ever the health-conscious mother, I knew that my meals would be more nutritious than takeout, even though during the busy sports and after-school activity season, the convenience of pulling into a parking lot and ordering through a microphone would have made my life so much easier (and probably would have made my boys much happier, too). And now, as the need to cook for a family fades over time, I'm experiencing - along with a too-often stab of nostalgia for those hectic, crazy, family times, - a fading interest in cooking. When I { Read More }
In Defense of Eating Right
In my last post, I suggested things that might be able to keep you at a good, healthy weight. In case you’re wondering if they were just a figment of my imagination, I’m here to tell you the answer. No, they’re not. There are good, legit reasons they work. Eating right is a delicate balance. You want to eat enough to nourish and fill you up, but not so much so that you gain excess weight. There are so many factors that impact you weight. Here, the ones you can control. (Don’t) Snack right out of the container/bag/box. If you do, you’ll quickly lose track of just how much you’re eating. Before you { Read More }
Ten Surefire Ways to (not) Be Thin
"How do you stay so thin?" I overheard one woman ask another at the gym today. The (skinny) woman shrugged. "I dunno," she said. "I just...do." Well, she might not have been able to put her winning strategy into words...or maybe she had a secret she was not willing to divulge. It might have been easier for the other woman to ask, "What things don't you do so you can stay skinny?" Here are the answers I imagine she'd give: Snack right out of the container/bag/box of chips/popcorn/cookies. Eat - and chew - quickly. Comfort yourself with food when you're stressed. Skip { Read More }