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Savvy Senior: How to Start a Walking Program and Stay Motivated
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
My doctor recently suggested I start a walking program to help get my weight and blood pressure under control, but I’ve never exercised much and am 66. Can you recommend some tips?
Hate to Exercise
Dear Hate,
You should follow your doctor’s orders. Years of research have shown that walking may be the single best exercise you can do to improve your health as you age. It burns calories, which will help you lose weight, builds endurance, enhances muscle tone and it doesn’t pound your joints.
It also helps improve or prevent many age-related health problems including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, dementia and even depression.
But walking is not only good for what ails you. It’s also one of the easiest and most convenient exercises you can do and is completely free. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes that fit well and a little desire. Here are some things you should know to help get you started and stay motivated.
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Ask Your Uncle: Are Bats in the House Dangerous?
Welcome to Ask Your Uncle, a regular feature at LGBTSr.com answering questions big and small. Have something to ask your uncle? Email us at Uncle@LGBTSr.com.
Q: We live in a house and every summer we get at least one bat flying around inside. Are they dangerous? And how can we safely remove a bat?
A: Uncle lives in a house, too, and ours is in the woods. We have the same issue. It can be especially alarming to see a bat flying around the bedroom ceiling. But let’s examine this a little and find some answers. Harming the bat is never one of them.
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Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in Lesbian Herstory (May 14 – 20)
Ronni Sanlo’s This Day in Lesbian Herstory makes the past ever-present with daily rundowns of historic events and people.
Ronni Sanlo
THIS DAY in LESBIAN HERSTORY -
The Twist Podcast #193: Inflation Nation, Right Wing Wrongs, Philly Taste Treats, and the Week in Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we take a look at spiraling inflation, spiraling right wing violence, spiraling pretzels with yellow mustard, and the week in headlines. Plus our Twist Top picks and listicles!
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The Twist Podcast #193: Inflation Nation, Right Wing Wrongs, Philly Taste Treats, and the Week in Headlines
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we take a look at spiraling inflation, spiraling right wing violence, spiraling pretzels with yellow mustard, and the week in headlines. Plus our Twist Top picks and listicles!
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On the Map: Philadelphia’s Murals and The Magic Gardens
By Mark McNease
On the Map is a travelogue of places, restaurants and landscapes for your travel considerations. Sometimes near, sometimes far, always interesting.
I’ve recently been able to join my husband Frank and his hiking club for their regular Thursday hikes. Every now and then, one of the members, Doris, leads a group to Philadelphia for a walking tour to view their amazing murals, followed by a trip to the Magic Gardens. We drove to a park-and-ride in Yardley, PA, and took a train from there. If you’re 65 or older you ride for free (providing you’re from PA, NJ, or DE – New Yorkers have to pay, as we discovered when two visiting friends went with us).
The walking tour is delightful, especially if you’re already a fan of Philly, as we are. The murals are a community effort providing cohesion for the city’s residents as well as the immersive experience of art created by and for the people – whether you’re a city dweller or a tourist. There are lots of walking tours in every major city, and this one should be at the top of your list.
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On the Map: Philadelphia’s Murals and The Magic Gardens
By Mark McNease
On the Map is a travelogue of places, restaurants and landscapes for your travel considerations. Sometimes near, sometimes far, always interesting.
I’ve recently been able to join my husband Frank and his hiking club for their regular Thursday hikes. Every now and then, one of the members, Doris, leads a group to Philadelphia for a walking tour to view their amazing murals, followed by a trip to the Magic Gardens. We drove to a park-and-ride in Yardley, PA, and took a train from there. If you’re 65 or older you ride for free (providing you’re from PA, NJ, or DE – New Yorkers have to pay, as we discovered when two visiting friends went with us).
The walking tour is delightful, especially if you’re already a fan of Philly, as we are. The murals are a community effort providing cohesion for the city’s residents as well as the immersive experience of art created by and for the people – whether you’re a city dweller or a tourist. There are lots of walking tours in every major city, and this one should be at the top of your list.
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Savvy Senior: Best Senior Travel Discounts in 2022
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What are some of the best travel discounts available to seniors? My husband and are about to retire and are interested in traveling more but live on a tight budget.
Frugal Travelers
Dear Frugal,
There are literally hundreds of different travel-related discounts available to older travelers that can add up to save you hundreds of dollars on your next trip. To qualify, you’ll need to meet the age requirement, which varies by business. Some discounts may be available as soon as you turn 50, but most don’t kick in until you turn 55, 60, 62 or 65. Here’s a rundown of top travel discounts, along with some extra tips to help you save.
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Book Review: Dot & Ralfie: A Novel, by Amy Hoffman
By Terri Schlihenmeyer
The Bookworm SezDorothy “Dot” Greenbaum and Rafaela “Ralfie” Santopietro have been together for thirty years, but as they age, their stable lives begin to show cracks. Rife with Hoffman’s characteristic wit, Dot & Ralfie takes a hard, sometimes painful look at LGBTQ+ elder care and the unique struggles that come with aging outside of heteronormative structures. Can they get through it all and stay together? (Amazon)
“Dot & Ralfie: A Novel” by Amy Hoffman
c.2022, University of Wisconsin Press $16.95 147 pagesThere is one alternative to growing older.
Never mind, though, it’s not on your radar. You’re more focused these days on not groaning when you get up each morning, and keeping your joints oiled enough to work. Years don’t really mean much when you’ve got places to go and people to see before that alternative happens but in the new novel “Dot & Ralfie” by Amy Hoffman, keep one eye on that calendar…
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DIY Day: Vinegar and Dawn for Stubborn Bathtub Cleaning
Welcome to DIY Day at LGBTSr, a weekly feature about doing things ourselves – in the home, outside, wherever a project needs completing.
We have a well at our house in the New Jersey woods, and that means water with a lot of minerals in it. This can make keeping a clean bathtub a challenge: iron and other minerals quickly stain the porcelain. While I’ve learned to live with the realities of a house in the country, there are plenty of ways to make cleaning easier, whether it’s in a rural home or a city apartment.
Today I’m sharing a video from Jubara’s Cleaning Motivation YouTube channel on using vinegar and Dawn dish washing liquid to get stubborn stains out of a bathtub. It’s also good for the shower walls and the chrome.
Hot vinegar and Dawn dish soap – a miracle diy bathroom cleaner? How to get the yellow out of a bathtub.
For some more cleaning motivation check out my other playlist.
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Steve Hayes’ Tired Old Queen at the Movies: Joan Crawford in ‘Possessed’ (1947)
Joan Crawford tackles what she once described as the most difficult role of her career as a woman on the brink of madness in Curtis Bernhardt’s noir classic POSSESSED (1947). Helping her to earn her second Oscar nomination are Van Heflin, Raymond Massey and Geraldine Brooks. It’s producer Jerry Wald (MILDRED PIERCE and HUMORESQUE) and Warner Brothers at their melodramatic best.
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On Dreamshaping: When Staying the Course Means Hitting the Iceberg
Mark McNease
How many times have we kept doing something because we were convinced it would have the result we wanted if we just kept doing it? We stayed the course despite possible detours or course corrections because it felt safer and more familiar to trudge ahead, even though the ground we walked on got softer and muddier and harder to free ourselves from.
Jobs are a good example of this. Relationships, too. We plow ahead, ignoring warnings and our own deep understanding that this work or this person is not helping us live the life we want. It doesn’t have to be a partner, either. It can be a friend or family member whose world view is so at odds with ours that we’re better off wishing them well in our hearts and putting them out of our lives.
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Savvy Senior: How Medicare Covers Alzheimer’s Disease
Dear Savvy Senior,
What exactly does Medicare cover when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease? My husband was recently diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s, and we would like to find out what’s covered and what isn’t.
Planning Ahead
Dear Planning,
I’m very sorry to hear about your husband’s diagnosis, but you’ll be happy to know that most medical costs to treat beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s disease are covered by Medicare. Unfortunately, long-term custodial care costs that most patients eventually need are not. Here’s a breakdown of what Medicare does and doesn’t cover when it comes to Alzheimer’s disease, along with some tips that can help you plan ahead.
