physical activity

America is aging in large numbers. Eight thousand people reach the age of 60 every day. Demographers, economists and politicians are using terms like "Age-Wave," "Gerontocracy" and "Silver Tsunami" to describe this aging phenomenon. This kind of fear mongering is not necessary. If we use our brains, we can overcome the demographic and socioeconomic challenges ahead Read more...

My husband, at 74, is the baby of his bridge group, which includes a woman of 85 and a man of 89. This challenging game demands an excellent memory (for bids, cards played, rules and so on) and an ability to think strategically and read subtle psychological cues. Never having had a head for cards, I continue to be amazed by the mental agility of these septua- and octo-genarians. The brain, Read more...

The joint won't be jumping if your knees aren't up to it. There won't be much running, walking, dancing, skipping or hopping, either. For all these motions, you need your knees, but they can pay a painful price. "Their main function is mobility, and there's an inverse relationship between mobility and stability," says Michael McKeough, a professor of physical therapy at Read more...

Can you remember ... The address of the last place you lived? Your second-cousin's wife's first name? What's on your shopping list? If not, don't worry. As people age, memory lapses are common -- but not inevitable. A healthy lifestyle, including plenty of mental stimulation, will help keep your brain in shape. Shakespeare called memory "the warden of the Read more...

Anything can get boring after a while -- exercise included. Regardless of how fun or interesting an activity starts out, time and repetition has a way of dulling its appeal. With waning interest and mental cobwebs settling in, our workout frequency can easily become intermittent and eventually stop altogether. You get into a rut and before you know it, you're spiraling downward into missed Read more...

In a society consumed by the quick fix, teeming with frazzled commuters cramming an hour's worth of exercise into 15 minutes of gym time, he's a human speeding ticket. To listen to him preach the power of patience is to channel the "Zickerman Zen." For Zickerman, strength training is all about exercising enough discipline to work your muscles to exhaustion. Once a week. For 25 Read more...