Sharpen your pencils (or open your iPads)--a new bit of medical lingo is making its way into our lives. It's sarcopenia, a condition in which older people experience significant muscle loss. The New York Times reports that what has, in the past, been shrugged off as an inevitable part of the aging process, is now on the cusp of becoming a diagnosis akin to osteoporosis.
"In the future, sarcopenia will be known as much as osteoporosis is now," said Dr. Bruno Vellas, president of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics.
Researchers involved in the effort say doctors and patients need to be more aware that muscle deterioration is a major reason the elderly lose mobility and cannot live independently.
The next step is for medical experts to agree to a specific definition of sacropenia, which then will be used by doctors to make a diagnosis. Drug companies, meanwhile, are spending big bucks to explore potential drugs and treatments. The full story in the NYT is here.
Twenty years ago, Ernestine Shepherd was a self-described "prissy woman" with little interest in exercise. Today, at 73, she runs marathons and bench presses 150 (!) pounds. What was the tipping point that sent the then-53-year-old on a lifestyle makeover? The answer will have almost every one of you nodding: trying on bathing suits in the harsh light of a department store dressing room. ABC News has the details.
Speaking of women who don't slow down, French beauty Jacqueline Bisset has been selected by Avon to be the face of a new cosmetics line aimed at tackling the special needs of aging skin, Stylist.com reports. (Women's Wear Daily calls Bisset a "'60s screen siren" and with a look at her IMDB profile, it's tough to argue.
On a more serious note, the debate about Social Security goes on. (And on.) Biz writer Derek Thompson lays out nine fixes for the venerable financial safety net in the Atlantic Monthly.
Don't touch Social Security, says Ezra Klein. He argues there are plenty of ways to fix things without actually changing things, here in the Washington Post.
Looking for a new career? An emerging area of expertise turns out to be wellness coaching. From More magazine: "Wellness coaching, which barely existed 10 years ago, has the promise of being an important new career path for those who want to help others develop and sustain robust mental and physical health. And according to Margaret Moore (aka `Coach Meg'), a leading figure in this emerging field, it's ideally suited to people seeking encore careers. `The ability to coach is one thing that gets better as you age,' she likes to say."
No matter what kind of work you're looking for, here's a list of 10 great questions for you (yes, you) to ask during a job interview, from U.S. News & World Report.
Do you love Mad Men? It's the writing, says SecondAct.com contributor, Michelle Rafter, Good writing begets more good writing, she says, and takes you on a quick spin of the great blogs writing about the great show in her own blog.