Hot Topics: Aging American Cities, IMF's New Chief, Billie Jean King Returns

Americans are getting older, but some cities are aging faster than others, according to an analysis from The Brookings Institute.

As boomers move to warmer climates, cities such as Scranton, Penn., have seen a decrease in over 65 populations, while others, such as Raleigh, N.C., and Albuquerque, N.M., have seen a marked increase, according to a Huffington Post report on the study.

The No. 1 urban area experiencing a significant uptick in the number of "pre-seniors" ages 55 to 64 is Austin-Round Rock, Texas, which saw a 110 percent increase from 2000 to 2010. Other cities with significant increases in the past decade include Raleigh-Cary, N.C., Boise-Nampa, Idaho, Colorado Springs, Colo., and Provo-Orem, Utah.

Aging populations are increasing at the same time that public and private agencies express concerns that urban and suburban dwellers who opt to stay put as they get older will end up "stuck in place" without adequate public transportation. The Transportation for America campaign is urging lawmakers to support boosting public transportation to alleviate the problem; read more in this SecondAct.com report.

Tennis champion urges boomers to keep swinging: It took 67-year-old Billie Jean King (pictured above) a year of rehab after double knee replacement surgery to get back into tennis shape. But she did it, and even snuck onto Court 16 at Wimbledon last year for a few quick strokes, as The Washington Post recounts. As the 2011 Grand Slam event heads into its final rounds this weekend, King is celebrating the 50th anniversary of her first Wimbledon doubles victory. She's doing it by encouraging other boomers to exercise and stay fit. It's OK if you can't match what you used to do; go for more frequency and less intensity. "You just make smaller goals; you make different goals," she tells The Post . "Coming back from this knee replacement, I had to really think in degrees, literally (in terms of knee bend). It's important to play more tennis, but play half an hour to 45 minutes instead of trying to play an hour and half. Instead of doing marathons, do a 10K. Listen to your body -- what's going on with your joints, your muscles." You can follow her tweets from London here.

OK to eat before a workout: Speaking of workouts, a new study appears to debunk the popular theory that working out on an empty stomach burns more fat. A report in the Strength and Conditioning Journal found that the body burns about the same amount of fat whether or not you eat before exercising, according to The New York Times' health blog. It might even be better to eat something beforehand, according to the report, because you could lose muscle by exercising in a depleted state.

Scholarships for older entrepreneurs: For 19 years, DEMO has launched tech companies that have become household names, including Etrade, TiVo, Leapfrog and Skype. The tech business traditionally has been thought of as a young person's game, but this year, DEMO teamed up with AARP to help change that. They are granting scholarships to the 2011 conference to two over-50 entrepreneurs whose products are intended to be used by people who also are 50+. Winners will receive $18,500 to cover the DEMO participation fee and six minutes to present their ideas to approximately 200 venture capitalists and journalists at the conference, which takes place Sept. 12-14. Applications are due July 14; find out more here.

French woman to lead IMF: In another glass-ceiling first, the International Monetary Fund this week appointed France's finance minister Christine Lagarde, 55, to head the global lending agency, making her the first woman to hold the post. The lawyer and diplomat replaces former managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who faces sexual assault charges in New York. Lagarde joins the ranks of other female politicians who've broken gender barriers, a group that includes Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of the United Kingdom, and Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of Pakistan; see all 20 in this Washington Post slide show. Read more about other women who've smashed the glass ceiling in business, government and the military in this SecondAct post.

America's first family of fireworks: For six generations, the Gruccis of New York have built a multimillion-dollar fireworks business while keeping ownership in the family. Meet them at Entrepreneur.com.

My SecondAct is... David and Carol Porter thought they'd retired after selling their Michigan mortgage company in 2006, only to see the recession wipe out their savings. So they regrouped and started The Roaming Boomers, an online luxury travel magazine for people over 45. "We are now up to our necks in travel, learning to build a business in the world of social media, and making many, many new friends. In short, we're having a blast," they tell SecondAct as part of a new feature called "My Second Act is..." Got your own tale of life or career reinvention? Please share it on SecondAct's Facebook page.