Parents might tell their kids to correct their posture more to instill pride and project confidence. But good posture is about a lot more at this stage of life. As we age, our bodies are “de-volving” into a more rounded, slumped posture. Not only does that add years to our appearance, but it also contributes to joint and muscle misalignment, which creates bad movement patterns.

A massive study made headlines by concluding that not exercising is worse for your health than smoking and diabetes. But many readers over 50 will be glad to know that the study also has a huge age-related finding: The spectacular benefits of exercise have no age limit.

Did you start the new year with a big fitness goal – like losing weight or going to the gym three times a week? And have you found it hard to stick to it, like so many people do every year? While setting goals can be motivating, it's easy to get discouraged when we don't see immediate progress or face unexpected setbacks. Instead of focusing on specific goals, what if we shifted our attention to the process of improving ourselves every day, one step at a time?

Packaged, ultra-processed foods are convenient and tasty. They’re handy to have around the house for the grandkids or for snacking. But they’re not good for us – not for our bodies OR our brains. We’re talking hot dogs, burgers, sausages, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, and the like. You already know they contribute to obesity and other negative physical effects. 

The holidays are a great opportunity for “quality time” between grandparents and grandkids. And that includes physical activity.

In fact, all year long, people over 50 say that being strong for their grandchildren is their No. 1 reason for staying fit – or for wanting to get fit in the first place.

For some reason, we all started thinking we had to take 10,000 steps a day for good health. It seemed to take hold when fitness trackers became popular, and we all were talking about “getting my steps in” every day. Well, despite some questions over the years about the validity of that number, new scientific studies say that, indeed, we do need about that many steps a day to get the most health benefit.

I love this subject and never get tired of sharing the good news: Scientific evidence keeps showing the link between exercise and a lower risk of developing dementia. One paper published recently in Neurology looked at 38 studies that followed more than 2 million people over at least three years. It found that people who exercised regularly had a 17 percent less chance of getting dementia, compared to people who did not.

Remember in school when the health teacher warned you about drinking? She probably said something like: Alcohol kills brain cells, and YOU NEVER GET NEW BRAIN CELLS. Scary stuff. Well, guess what? It’s not true about never getting new brain cells – although the choices you make in life affect your brain health and even your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Pickleball just keeps growing and growing – in popularity and in media attention. It’s beyond trendy now, with some 5 million people playing, many of them active agers over 50 – and beyond. So, it’s important to point out something that many folks might not realize: Gym workouts make you a better pickleball player.