August, 2011Archive

The Takeaway: Belly Fat, Beauty Bias, Benevolent Banks and Bluesmen

The Takeaway: Belly Fat, Beauty Bias, Benevolent Banks and Bluesmen

Posted on 08/31/2011 by | AARP Blog Author | Comments

News RoundupsThink crunches for belly-fat are just the thing? Think again. The most dangerous type of belly fat—the kind that resides deep within the abdomen and sneaks into the spaces between internal organs—laughs in the face of your crunches, weight-lifting and resistance-training in general. A study of adults aged 18-70 found aerobic exercise such as jogging, however, can ‘significantly reduce’ this fat (also called visceral or liver fat), and decrease your risk of developing heart disease or diabetes.

Courage and Grace

Be a Warrior: Help Add Value to Your Community

Posted on 08/30/2011 by | Volunteering | Comments

VolunteeringA friend asked me this week did I ever go “off duty.” I thought that was such as odd thing for her to say, but she had just spent 24 hours with me and witnessed a day in the life of the Tuohy family. She laughed and said, ”Michael Lewis missed on his description of you as a ‘warrior princess’.” She said, “You are more like a ‘trained warrior’.” Later that evening, I reflected back on our conversation and thought she …

Obesity In The News: From Carrie Fisher to Our Fat Future

Obesity In The News: From Carrie Fisher to Our Fat Future

Posted on 08/30/2011 by | Personal Health and Well-being | Comments

Personal HealthObesity has been big news in the past week, from the silly to the serious. First, “Star Wars” star Carrie Fisher, 54, revealed she’s lost 50 pounds in nine months thanks to the Jenny Craig diet plan (for which she is a new spokeswoman). She went on the “Today” show and told host Ann Curry that her new body made her “want to get into the metal bikini and just walk around the house like an idiot.” Yes, Jabba the …

Beware of DD’s—Distracted Drivers

Beware of DD’s—Distracted Drivers

Posted on 08/29/2011 by | The Road Well Traveled | Comments

Home & FamilyWhat is the most absurd thing you have ever seen someone do while driving? Drivers these days seem to be concerned with just about everything but driving. How many times have you wondered why the car in front of you is swerving, only to find out later that the person was on his or her cell phone? How about the woman in front of you at a red light putting on makeup? Or even the person with a coffee in …

Lessons Not Learned

Lessons Not Learned

Posted on 08/26/2011 by | Fat to Fit | Comments

Personal HealthLessons not learned have a habit of re-presenting themselves—at the worst possible time. I like to joke that God puts a pebble in my path to get my attention. If that doesn’t work, I get a rock to trip over. If that doesn’t alert me, a boulder soon appears headed in my direction. Only after I’ve been run over do I ask myself the question: what lesson am I supposed to be learning here? Nowhere is that truer than in …

Hannah Frey (right) and friend Marlee Reisinger.​

End Hunger: Drive, Collect, Honk or Just Show Up

Posted on 08/26/2011 by | volunteer | Comments

VolunteeringNASCAR’s Jeff Gordon drives. AARP state offices organize food collections. People donate food and money. Two Indiana teenagers raised $1,600 with a Hunger Honk-a-Thon…… It’s almost a “man bites dog” story: two 13-year-old girls trade summer leisure for unpaid work—fundraising for Drive to End Hunger, an initiative by AARP and AARP Foundation to help to raise awareness of the issue of senior hunger. Why choose this issue focused on the 50+ population? “We’re going to be in that population someday, …

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