Hot Topic of the Week

     The hot topic among Baby Boomer bloggers this week is health, of both the physical and mental kind. Which, I must admit, is a much more positive way to approach the subject than the way I just did in my recent post The Reasons We Will Die.

     On the Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide Rita R. Robison tells us that Most Sunscreens Contain Possible Harmful Ingredients or Don't Protect Well from the Sun. She explains what ingredients to avoid, and reports that the best choices contain minerals, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. In case you can't read the fine print on your sunscreen tube she offers a link to a database listing sunscreens that meet environmental criteria for safety and effectiveness.

Good or bad?

     Carol Cassara reports that she had to take a surgical leave this past spring, and so she knows a bit about what many who are sick or recovering might appreciate. This week in her blog A Healing Spirit she offers 4 Easy, Affordable Ways to Help when Someone Is Sick.

     Kathy Gottberg says that she doesn't think of herself as an anxious person. But even so, she admits she occasionally finds her mind spinning out of control. In SmartLiving 365 she offers advice from psychiatrist Judson Brewer on Reducing Stress and Anxiety by Understanding How Our Brains Work.

     Meanwhile, for anyone facing the stress of moving in retirement, Laura Lee Carter asks: Do you like, or dislike, major changes in your life? In The Big Decision: Retirement Options she talks about how she and her husband made a big change five years ago, moving away from their suburban home outside of Denver. "It's much easier to stay in the same home and hope for the best," she concludes, "but then you will never know the rewards of moving on and choosing something completely different."

     For her part, Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting upped her game this week by beginning a part-time volunteer activity. She was recruited to be one of an elite group called Old Coots Give Advice. She and her fellow old coots encamped at the local farmer's market, where vendors sell healthful fruits and vegetables, local honey and fresh-baked breads, and they offered their wisdom on subjects from babies to bathrooms, from coffee to cooking kale.

Doggie meds

     And speaking of hot, Jennifer of Unfold and Begin recently moved to Florida. For their anniversary she and her husband decided to check out some sites. In Did I Just Swim with Manatees? she recounts her experience at Crystal River, where the manatees winter over in warm waters fed by the nearby natural springs.

     Finally, Rebecca Olkowski with BabyBoomster reports in The Joys and Challenges of Being a Doggie Mama that she is babysitting her granddog, along with two other dogs, ranging in age from 11 1/2 to 14 1/2. Because they are all considered older dogs they each have their own special food, meds and health issues. If you ask me, she's being more of a Doggie Doctor than a Doggie Mama. But regardless, she loves the work. "Having dogs to cuddle with all day long gets me through a lot of stress," she says. "Dog hugs are way better than taking a pill. And the dogs give me plenty of exercise too."