I followed Bill Nighan’s 10-week bodybuilding approach and here’s what I learned.

I worked with a coach during a 10-week weight loss challenge and shed 5 pounds. Here’s what I learned through the process.

There’s a difference between a financial advisor and a wealth manager. After 44 years of focusing on earning money, now, the script is flipped. This was a very scary proposition. I need to shift from saving for retirement to wealth management.

Built to Move, a New York Times Best Seller, by Kelly and Juliet Starrett aims to prepare you to improve your ability to maintain good health and mobility throughout your life. The book’s main focus: “ten tests + ten physical practices = ten ways to make your body work better.”  We’ve reordered their tests starting with the six tests the authors say you should be able to do. Next, we break down four healthier ways to live your life.

I was successful in my profession, raised great kids, had wonderful friends, and even found true love. However, I was failing in the most important part of my life—my health. My medical charts said, “obese.” I wanted to get slimmer and healthier, but I just could not make it happen on my own. I believe having a loving coach was one of the essential components that led to my weight-loss success. The others were: leaning into community, developing healthy habits, and eating nutritiously.

I met the host of a mental health podcast who had gone on a ketogenic diet — low in carbohydrates, high in fat and moderate in protein — to treat his medication-induced weight gain, only to find that his lifelong bipolar symptoms resolved. I found increasing evidence pointing to the promise of keto for treating a range of brain-based disorders, not only bipolar disorder but depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and autism. The strongest evidence that keto can help the brain comes from clinical trials in epilepsy dating back 100 years, demonstrating reduction or even elimination of seizures. We had to push back hard on experts who said bipolar disorder was a chemical imbalance that couldn’t be healed with diet. Preliminary research is proving those doctors wrong, and more people deserve to know this.

Are you thinking about reading Outlive, the New York Times bestseller from Dr. Peter Attia? Here are our top five insights from Outlive.

There are numerous studies, including one from National Health Institute (NIH), that have consistently demonstrated that individuals with higher levels of education live longer and healthier lives. In addition to educational attainment, a commitment to lifelong learning is a key component. But why? The Link Between Education and Longevity 1. Health Literacy: Education equips individualsContinue reading “Lifelong Learning: A Pathway to Longevity”

By Sean Flynn “When was the last time we saw each other?…” “Remember when we….”   “It is so good to hear your voice…” If you find yourself sharing these or related sentiments, it’s a pretty good sign that you are reconnecting with a friend. These are the rewards for reaching out unprompted to a goodContinue reading “Reconnecting with Life-Long Friends”

Aging is a gradual process marked by subtle daily changes that often go unnoticed. It’s common, yet incorrect, for people to assume that they will always be capable of performing even the simplest tasks without difficulty. To counteract this decline, the concept of “Tiny Habits,” popularized by BJ Fogg, offers a powerful approach to buildingContinue reading “Hack Aging with Tiny Habits”

By Anita Motwani, COO Nidra Sleep Masks Did you know that you spend a third of your life sleeping? While it may sound hard to believe, the Population Reference Bureau study boldly states that “sleep may be as important to health in old age as diet and exercise.”  It’s no exaggeration to say that sleepContinue reading “The Profound Power of Sleep”

By Stella Taylor Bergan, Health and Human Performance Coach A couple of months back, I wrote a compelling Facebook post about the benefits of cleaning up daily habits, and it was a hit leaving friends clamoring for more. My post started like this:  OK, here is the truth – you want to live longer – cleanContinue reading “Healthier Habits, Happier Life”

It’s a wrap. We’re excited to share that Big Retired Life’s “Top Priorities” section now features a comprehensive series on the seven predictors of longevity that are within your control. This series is based on findings from Harvard’s Study of Adult Development and provides actionable tips to help you incorporate them into your life. WhetherContinue reading “Seven Predictors of Longevity Within Your Control”

You’ve heard the phrase ‘smoking kills’ one too many times, but it’s true. Non-smokers live longer and healthier lives. Actually, not smoking is one of the seven dominant predictors of successful aging within some personal control. But it’s not just cigarettes: vaping, smoking marijuana, and even exercising in poor air quality can all have detrimentalContinue reading “Breathe Easy”

Maintaining a healthy body weight after retirement is an important concern for many people as they enter a new phase of life. As daily schedules change, you may or may not spend more time engaging in habits to keep mentally and physically at your best. Healthy habits, no matter how you slice them, are theContinue reading “Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight”

“If exercise could be packaged in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.” This quote, attributed to Robert Butler of the National Institute on Aging, reinforces the benefits of exercise as one of seven dominant predictors of successful aging that’s within your control. Yet, with myriadContinue reading “A Workout Program Designed for Longevity”

Data show that how you respond to life’s ups and downs can predict long-term health. Your response, known as a defense or coping mechanism, is a skill you can develop. Learn the benefits of mature defense mechanisms as well as seven ways to strengthen them.  Dr. George Vaillant, former director of Harvard’s Study of AdultContinue reading “Coping Skills Lead to Better Health and Longer Life”

Falling into heavy drinking or even alcoholism is a real problem during retirement, no matter how much you may welcome that final workday. So before you pour that glass of wine or savor that martini, here’s some information you should know. A 2017 JAMA Psychiatry article released the results from the National Epidemiologic Survey onContinue reading “The Hard Truth About Alcohol and Aging”

Everyone hopes for a happy, healthy retirement. But how, exactly, do you start on this path — especially when you may have 30-plus years to fill with … what? That will likely be the first major question even for the best-planned, long-anticipated retirements. Then there are the traps and quagmires — including depression, alcohol abuse,Continue reading “The Power of Purpose”