The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Baby boomers seeking inner peace and keeping active

Baby boomers are writing about what keeps them steady – not only in this crazy world – but also during this, at times, challenging stage of life.

Articles include:

• Four easy relaxation ideas.
• A new mantra for meditation
• How an inspirational blogger found her purpose on vacation.
• How being retired can make you wonder, “What’s Next?”
• Why the TV program “Law and Order” popped up in thoughts during the latest presidential debates.

Laurie Stone of Musings, Rants & Scribbles writes about these articles on the Best of Boomer Blogs #614. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to let the bloggers know your opinions. They enjoy hearing from interesting readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Baby boomers contemplate life’s problems

It’s still beautiful summer, but hints are beginning to appear that fall and winter will come again as they always do.

Meanwhile, baby boomer bloggers are continuing to write helpful, insightful articles:

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting spent the past week recovering from her two-week trip to Scotland. As Baer laments, years ago she would have bounced back the next day. Nowadays it takes longer to rejuvenate. Meanwhile, she reviews the cuisine and a bit of culture experienced in the land of kilts, Celts, clans, and literary greats.

When you’re thinking about an exercise program and you’re age 50 and older, you may want to incorporate functional fitness. On Rebecca Olkowski’s blog, BabyBoomster.com, Candi Randolph, a guest blogger, explains why this is so important.

If you’re thinking of starting a blog or are already a blogger, Jennifer Koshak of Unfold and Begin has some tips for you. Koshak has compiled a lot of her knowledge into her current blog post, “My Go-To Blog Resources.”

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over Sixty recently sat down with a couple who is considering where they're going to live, now that they are retired and their kids are grown and out of the house. They have their eye on a smaller home in a nice vacation area. But as Tom discusses in “Should This Couple Downsize?”  there are still lots of issues to consider and questions to ask.  

Laurie Stone of Musings, Rants & Scribbles gets a cold chill when she hears these words. Like someone with post-traumatic stress syndrome, her pulse increases. Her stomach tightens. She starts feeling light-headed. Did she hear that right? Maybe she got it wrong. But yes, her husband Randy just uttered that most dreaded of sentences: “I’m Going Food Shopping.”

On my blog, I write about the 50^th anniversary of Woodstock and what the Countercultural Movement of the 1960s and 1970s meant to me.

This is the Best of Boomer Blogs #610. Be sure to read these thoughtful articles and join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers look forward to hearing from readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

After years of delay, FDA bans surgical mesh for pelvic repair

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered the manufacturers of all surgical mesh products for the transvaginal repair of pelvic organ prolapse to stop selling their products in the United States beginning April 16.

The FDA said the agency “has determined that the manufacturers, Boston Scientific and Coloplast, have not demonstrated a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness for these devices.” In February, Public Citizen, a citizen advocacy organization, testified before an FDA advisory committee and urged the agency to ban the products. Public Citizen first petitioned for a ban in 2011, which the agency denied in 2014.    

“Although we welcome this long-overdue action, this ban comes too late for the thousands of women who have been irreparably harmed by these devices, long after the FDA knew the devices had ‘not demonstrated a reasonable assurance of safety,’” said Michael Carome, M.D., director, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. “Since at least 2011, there has been clear evidence that these products are unsafe for treating pelvic organ prolapse and lack any clinically significant benefits.”

Baby boomers begin April with reflections and suggestions

April is a great month. It starts with spring and April Fools’ Day, moves to National Beer Day, World Health Day, and National Empanada Day, rushes to Tax Day, then Earth Day, and ends with Easter and Arbor Day.

Baby boomers are in a reflective mood as April begins:

Tom Sightings at Sightings Over Sixty tells us that even though he's married, there are times when he go places by himself. The store, the coffee shop, the library, the movies. Now in “If You're Alone ...,” he offers some advice for people who are wondering about going out by themselves. And the advice – or the "rules" – come from an unlikely source,

This week, Jennifer Koshak of Unfold and Begin asks a simple question. Simple, but sometimes difficult to think about. And yet this one question can help you plan your life and set your goals. What do you want your epitaph to say? Think about it, it just might change your direction.

What do we hold on to that was never ours to carry? In a short article, Carol Cassara at A Healing Spirit invites us to stop and reflect about the reasons that hard things happen.

Baby boomers also offer suggestions:

Rebecca Olkowski with BabyBoomster.com spent an afternoon at the Festival of Tea in Pasadena, California, and participated in an authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony. She learned a few things about Matcha and Pu-erh teas and now has a better understanding of how to drink them.

It’s the little annoyances of everyday life that at times consume our time, energy, and patience. Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting experienced one of these issues recently. A problem with Baer’s iPhone resulted in misdiagnoses and the suggestion to spend hundreds of dollars in lieu of repair. Read about her efforts to resolve the problem in “I-Phone I-Repair.”

On my blog, my guest blogger Sean M. Cleary, attorney, writes about the dangers of drowning during spring and summer fun.

This is the Best of Boomer Blogs #591. Click on the links above to read the articles. And, be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from their readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Baby boomers enjoy spring

The wildflowers are blooming like crazy in Southern California due to the unusually heavy rains and mountain snows. And, so many people were flocking to see the blooming hillsides that local officials had to close down some areas because the flowers were being trampled.

Rebecca Olkowski of BabyBoomster gives us the flower report and tells us boomer bloggers are writing about how we make judgments, which fruits and vegetables have the most and least pesticides, whether age should be a consideration when electing someone to office, how yoga helps seniors, grand sitting mishaps, and good tours in a hometown.

Olkowski writes about these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #590. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Personal Finance Writer

Baby boomers springing forward into spring

The legislature in my state is debating whether to get rid of day light savings time. Arguments include it doesn’t save energy, some people have health effects, and it costs money due to reduced productivity.

For me, my opinion is to keep daylight savings time. I like the increased daylight in the evening. And, while it takes me a couple of weeks to go through the time change, I don’t notice it after that.

Whether daylight savings time or standard time, baby boomers keep on writing. Last week’s articles include:

• Whether baby boomers are leaving the world a better place than they found it.
• The benefits of taking walking tours.
• The challenges of replacing an old TV set.
• The ups and downs of quitting jobs in Connecticut and moving to Florida.
• How to buy a winter coat.

Carol Cassara of Heart·Mind·Soul writes about these articles on the Best of Boomer Blogs #587. Click here to get the links to these articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Micromotivators: The guardrails for healthy behavior

By Louis Bezich, Health Care Executive and Author of “Crack the Code”

Guest blogger

What exactly are micromotivators and how do they help people sustain healthy behavior?

Micromotivators are those tiny strategies, feelings, and approaches that keep you on track every day, the guardrails of healthy behavior.

How can micromotivators help us baby boomers get and stay healthy at this stage of our lives?

5 ways that walking outdoors improves your strength

Photo: Unsplash

By Cloe Matheson, Writer

Guest Blogger

The exercise of walking has often fallen by the wayside, shadowed by popular Crossfit enthusiasts and hill runners. However, these days, a daily stroll outside is returning to its rightful place on top of the workout hierarchy.

Walking outdoors is an excellent exercise choice for people who haven’t had time to train hard, are recovering from an injury, or are just starting out on their fitness journey – but also boasts amazing strengthening benefits for the body and mind.

Would you like to feel stronger than you ever have and lower your risks common health problems by up to 40 percent? Discover the following reasons why you should start hitting the pavement on a good old walk.

Boomers offer tips for living

Baby boomers are interested in variety of topics ranging from enjoying retirement to health to fitness. Boomers don’t take life lying down. They’re out there doing things even if they’re just watching the sunset. No matter what, they’re staying active, taking charge of their mental and physical health, and living their best lives.

Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski of Baby Boomster reports this week’s tips from boomer bloggers. They include:

Boomer bloggers inspired by end-of-summer activities and transitions

It’s hard to believe we now speak of summer – not the official astronomical season but our human timetable – in the past tense.

In my community, the Harbor Day celebration on Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer. This year, the weather was beautiful, as you can see from the photo above. Some years, I’m taking photos in the cold, wind, and rain.

• Tips for how to buy a used car on Labor Day weekend, which also are useful anytime.

• A guide for self-improvement during September, which is Self-Improvement Month.

• The fashion rules we grew up with, including don’t wear white after Labor Day.