ArcaMax

I've always liked this quote from Abraham Lincoln, who was known to suffer from major bouts of depression: "Folks are usually as happy as they make their minds up to be."

In the last decade, dozens of best-selling books have been published that dissect the various attitudes and techniques needed to get and keep a positive frame of mind. From ...Read more

Unless you are part of a microscopic minority, something has probably happened within the last 10 years to serve as a reminder that you are not as physically young as you used to be. Perhaps you're a little stiffer in the morning. Maybe your tennis game is a bit slower. Or maybe you've developed an illness that has seriously affected the way you...Read more

Have you noticed that something strange seems to happen after you reach the age of 60? The people in our lives, especially those closest to us, often make a quiet (but frequently misguided) gear shift into protection mode. Our children urge restraint when it comes to physical activities, our colleagues begin shifting stress-laden and travel-...Read more

Last month, I wrote about the remarkable book "Genius Food," which gave me a whole new perspective on our health in general and diabetes in particular. According to author Max Lugavere and his co-author, Dr. Paul Grewal, a variety of medical issues stem from our bodies' inability to process all the sugar found in the standard American diet. Some...Read more

For those of us old enough to remember the popular TV program "American Bandstand," dancing has always seemed like a fun social activity. And even now, when "Dancing with the Stars" is a hit network show, few people think of dancing as an easy way for seniors to stay healthy and avoid health problems. But the truth is, as far back as the 1940s, ...Read more

My new personal hero is New York Times science writer John Schwartz, but the reason I admire him so much has nothing at all to do with science. He is on my hero list because he was brave enough to honestly admit that he was "financially squeamish" and then (as a public service) decided to share his story -- and his money issues -- with the rest ...Read more

I had never heard of what is officially labeled "broken heart syndrome" until a friend of mine collapsed five weeks after her long-term sweetheart died. She was rushed to the emergency room and admitted into the hospital, but within 36 hours, she, too, was dead. When 92-year-old former first lady Barbara Bush died in 2018, her husband -- of 73 ...Read more

It's no secret that when I come across an amazing book, I feel compelled to sing its praises to anyone who will listen. I'm practically a professional proselytizer for the publishing industry! (How's that for alliteration?)

The latest book that I'm urging everyone -- especially baby boomers -- to read is "Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, ...Read more

For many of my baby boomer peers, the most-dreaded activity on the horizon is the possibility of being forced to downsize from where they currently live to a smaller residence. The prospect is so distasteful to me that I have actually begun writing a new nonfiction book devoted to the unpleasant topic of divesting ourselves of the treasured ...Read more

Back in 1982, Thomas Moore published the first of more than 20 books about the human condition. You may be familiar with his work for the Huffington Post, but this remarkable man is more than just an author or columnist. In fact, it could be argued that he is a renaissance man for our era because he is a former monk, a university professor, a ...Read more

It's no secret that whatever our age happens to be, physical exercise is essential. But the sad fact is that inactivity seems to invariably increase with the passing years. By the time we are in our 30s, we can lose 3% to 5% of our muscle mass with each decade. By age 75, about 1 in every 3 men and 1 in every 2 women engage in no physical ...Read more

Are you having a down day? When that happens, oftentimes it can be all too easy for us to tell ourselves that when we were younger, our lives were simply better than they are today. But I would like to remind you that that sort of easy negativity can be a form of misguided nostalgia. Why? Because there is no payoff or upside to imagining that "...Read more

After reaching the age of 50, many of us fall into the trap of thinking that everything was better "when we were younger." I refer to this as the Old Fogey Syndrome because it's almost a clear indicator of living in the past rather than appreciating the present or looking forward to the future. In fact, upon closer inspection, we often find ...Read more