_ I decided to research Boomer sex-symbols, wondering if there even is such a thing at our age. 

Well, indeed there is! 

Unlike those Hollywood stars of our parents’ era who maintained themselves well into their 50’s and 60’s but could hardly be considered “sex-symbols” at that point in their lives (other than Cary Grant….be still my heart!), a good number of middle-aged Boomer stars are both in excellent condition and still very sexy! 

So, here they are; Boomer celebs who retain sex symbol status and without the use of cosmetic surgery, or any other enhancements, from youngest to oldest:

George Clooney:  who was born in 1961 making him 50 years old

The following stars were born in 1958, so they’re 53 years old:

Angela Bassett: you may know her best from her Oscar nominated portrayal of Tina Turner in "What's Love Got To Do With It" or her other hit movie "How Stella Got Her Groove Back."

Andie MacDowell:  I loved her in “Green Card” with Gerard Depardieu and she looks like she’s practically not aged a bit since then….

Michelle Pfeiffer: that woman just doesn’t age….period….

Sharon Stone:  She has spoken out adamantly against the use of cosmetic surgeries

Born in 1956, making them 55 years old are:

Kim Cattrall: Best known for her role as promiscuous single Samantha in "Sex and the City," – isn’t that amazing, a 55 year old woman still able to pull off a role that even 20 years ago would have been handed off to a much younger actress: and

Bo Derek: Remember her from the 1979 film “10”?  Well she was born 1956 and is still looking maaahvelous!  She too eschews cosmetic enhancements, particularly the surgical kind.

Born 1954, so they’re the same age as me at 57:

Christie Brinkley: The long-time model and Billy Joel love object - she has a face for Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, I have a face for radio….

Denzel Washington:  Like Clooney, also requires no further explanation….

And finally….

Richard Gere: He was born 1949, making him the ripe old age of 61 and still lookin’ good!

So, although these fellow Boomers were clearly blessed with great genes for which they can take no credit, they have taken their assets and adeptly maintained and expanded on them, for which they can take full credit, and from which the rest of us can learn.

You have been officially alerted…

I was wondering how much truth there is to those medical warnings and advice we’ve heard, well, pretty much all our lives, from don’t swim right after you eat to being out in the cold will cause you to catch cold.  Well, wonder no more!  Here’s the latest from Dr. Rachel Vreeman, co-author of Don't Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies about Your Body and Health.

Vaccines can cause autism

This myth was started by a 1998 article in which the parents of 8 (yep…eight) autistic children said they believed their children acquired autism after they received a measles, mumps and rubella vaccination, and since then, rumors have run rampant despite many studies — such as a 2002 study in the New England Journal of Medicine of 530,000 (now that’s more like it…!) children — which found nothing to suggest that vaccinations increase the risk of becoming autistic.

Supplements always make you healthier

An increasing number of studies are finding that vitamin supplementation may not only be ineffectual but may even be dangerous, primarily because the FDA does not require supplements to be regulated in the same way that drugs are.  This means the bottles can sport unsubstantiated claims and even make errors in dosage recommendations.  The best way to get the vitamins & minerals your body needs is by eating them in healthy foods.  If you do believe vitamins are needed because of the earth's soils mineral depletion, get them from the health food store, reputable online health supplement providers, or from your chiropractor/wellness professional.  Pharmaceutical grade is best.

Cold weather makes you sick

"This myth is common around the world, but it is just not true," says Dr. Vreeman.  Some scientists speculate that it may have gotten traction because colds are more common in cooler months when people stay indoors more, interacting more closely with one another and giving germs more opportunities to spread.

We use only 10% of our brains

We’ve debunked this myth before on the show; as we said at the time, if you believe this one, go have 90% of your brain removed and see what happens.

According to Dr. Vreeman, and everyone who studies brain function, one look at any brain scan measuring activity at any given time, and you’ll chuckle this myth into oblivion.

Sugar makes kids hyper

It’s hard to find a parent who does not believe this, Vreeman said. "But it’s all in their heads."

In one study published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology back in 1994—kids were given Kool-Aid sweetened with aspartame, which as we all know contains no sugar.  Researchers told half of the parents the Kool-Aid contained sugar, and told the other half the truth. The parents who thought their kids were riding a sugar-high reported their children were uncontrollable and overactive. But a sensor on the kids' wrists, that measured activity level, showed the opposite: The kids were actually more subdued.

What’s really happening is this: Sugar is often given at times like birthday parties and holidays when the rules are loosened and there are lots of other kids around — these two factors are most likely the cause .

You need to stay awake if you have a concussion

Warnings to stay awake after a concussion most likely grew out of a misunderstanding about a particular type of head injury — one that involves brain bleeding — where a "lucid period" is followed by a coma or worse. But this is very uncommon and doesn't pertain to people with normal concussions.

According to Dr. Vreeman: "If you've been evaluated by a doctor, and she/he has said that you have a mild regular concussion, you don't need to worry that someone has to wake you up every hour."

Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years

While it is true that many of the ingredients in gum are indigestible, that does not mean they hang out in our guts for years and years.

Gum passes right through your digestive tract like any other substance you ingest.

Reading in the dark or sitting too close to the TV ruins your eyesight

Dim light, or alternatively, staring into the TV screen at close range, can undoubtedly make your eyes work so hard they hurt. But there is no evidence that these practices cause long-term damage, says Dr. Vreeman.

The TV myth may have started in the 1960s, a time at which it may have been true. Some early color TV sets emitted high amounts of radiation that could have caused eye damage, but this problem has long been remedied.

You need to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day

"In general, we are not all walking around in a dehydrated state, and our bodies are very good at regulating our fluid levels,” says the doc.

The eight-glasses-a-day myth likely started in 1945 when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council said adults should take in about 2.5 liters of water a day (equivalent to about eight glasses).  Most media outlets reported only that, when in fact the council went on to explain that most of the 2.5 liters comes from food.

The recommendation is actually: Drink, or eat, about eight glasses of fluid a day (like, say, in fruits and veggies).

You should wait an hour after eating before you go swimming

Although  it’s true, any type of vigorous exercise can be uncomfortable after a feast, for most of us — whose pool-side or beach blanket dining is usually a sandwich & chips— this is hardly a concern.

In case you haven’t heard, there is a new and very serious medical condition that afflicts primarily Baby Boomers – it’s called… A. A. A. D. D.!!! – otherwise known as Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

Listen carefully to the following scenario – if this is something you’ve experienced, see your bartender immediately:

You decide to water the garden.

As you turn on the hose in the driveway, you look over at your car and decide it needs washing, so you put the hose down and go to get the car keys.

As you head back outside, you notice that there’s mail on the table by the door, so you decide to go through the mail before washing the car.

You lay the car keys down on the table, go through the mail, all of which is junk except a few bills, so you put the rest of the mail in the rubbish; when you do, you notice that the rubbish can is full.

So you put the bills back on the table since you’ve decided to take out the rubbish first.

But then you think, since you’re going to be near the mailbox when you take out the rubbish anyway, you may as well pay the bills first.

So…You take out your checkbook, but you see that you’d already used your last check.  Knowing that you have more checks in the study desk drawer, you head there.

Once in the study, you see that can of coke that you’d been drinking right on top of the desk, and when you start to push it aside so as to not accidentally knock it over, you find that the coke is getting warm, so you decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As you head toward the kitchen with the coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches your eye: they need to be watered.

You place the coke down to pick up the vase of flowers, and find your reading glasses that you’ve been searching for all morning.

You decide that you’d better put them back in their case that’s on the table next to your reading chair, and when you do, you spot the TV remote that you’d been looking for all last night.

You decide to put that back in the living room where it belongs, but on the way remember the flowers and decide to water them first before you forget…. So, you set the remote down on the table with the vase where you found your lost reading glasses, and head for the kitchen with the vase of flowers.

You start to fill the vase, but stop in the middle because the running water reminds you that the garden needs watering, so you set the still unfilled vase on the counter and head outside...

At the end of the day:

... The garden isn’t watered

…The car isn't washed
... The bills aren't paid
... There is a warm can of coke sitting on the kitchen counter
... The flowers don't have enough water
... There is still no checks in your checkbook
... You still can't find the remote or your reading glasses
... and now you don't remember what you did with the car keys.

My fellow Boomers, if you find you’ve been busy all day long, and you’re really tired, but you got absolutely nothing done, feel comforted that there is a diagnosis for your condition… A. A. A. D. D.!!! – Yes…..it’s Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. 

Although this is a serious problem, you can get help for it…. See the owner of your favorite watering hole for more details.

You have been officially alerted…

Ageism is alive and well in product manufacturing circles.  I’ll explain.

If we believe what we see in their advertisements, we Boomers barely exist. Which is absurd even on its face: the mere size of our generation alone makes us hard to ignore.  But when it comes to major advertisers, ignore us they do unless they’re marketing any item for the aged. 

Why is this a problem, you may be thinking?  Because if marketers think we don’t count, that means the product and service sectors they represent also think we don’t count…which is why you see most products geared to young people…not us.

And you know, given the statistics, you’d think every product on the planet would be trying to get our business…after all:

• Boomers spend a whopping $2.3 trillion annually on goods and services; that’s $400 Billion more than any other age group
• We hold 65% of all disposable income

Sadly, however, the vast majority of products & services are glorifying youth while peripheralizing us….in fact, according to most product manufacturers and the 30 y.o. marketing geniuses they hire, we Boomers’ lives boil down to the following three things…

1. Taking Lots of Pills: …apparently the main things we need or use in life are medications…. Don’t get me wrong… I too want to see the complete eradication of erectile dysfunction in our lifetime – and keeping our arteries unclogged is a noble calling!  But our sperm and cholesterol counts are not all that make up our lives…  Oh, and if your idea of relaxation is sitting in two separate bathtubs on a mountainside, what a waste of a good dose of Cialis…
2. Sitting around all day thinking about Life Insurance: Apparently we’re all about to die, so we better get that insurance policy really soon or our offspring will disown us…
3. Slathering on wrinkle reducers & gray hair cover-ups: First of all, I like my laugh lines, and don’t want to eradicate them likes rats in the subway…and who knew that a few gray hairs would put even the most famous of football stars in the old-age home (remember that one???)  But, you know what’s really pathetic?  Even the wrinkle reducing creams, although clearly meant for us, are not marketed to us! The majority of models used in these commercials look to be the ripe old age of 22…How silly is that?

And, what’s not marketed to us?  What products are advertised directly to, and therefore designed to meet the needs of those ages 18-39?

• Most cars (other than the Toyota Venza)
• Most clothing (other than Ann Taylor)
• Almost all cosmetics
• Vacation destinations
• Fitness Clubs
• Electronics
• Jewelry

My fellow Boomers, you are being given the shaft by the very products we need and use…which as a result are being designed to meet the needs of a younger consumer, from packaging print that requires a microscope to read, to hotels designed to look quite hip at the expense of comfort – great for kids, bad for us…  Ageism.

Here’s what to do about it; it’s simple and easy.  Use your considerable purchasing power to buy the products, and use the services of those companies smart enough to market directly to us – because by doing so they have proven their dedication to us and our specific needs, and deserve our dollars.

A good place to start is with these four businesses that have on-going campaigns targeted directly to us: Dove, Hardrock Hotel & Casino, and the aforementioned Toyota & Ann Taylor.

You have been officially alerted.

Those of us known as the “leading edge” Baby Boomers have begun to turn 65 this year. If you're one of them, I recommend that high on your to-do list be the following items for ensuring you get the most out of your Medicare & SS benefits:

First, Medicare:

• Sign up for it on time.  You can first sign up for Medicare beginning three months before the month you turn 65.  For those of you whose birthday is on the first day of the month, your coverage can start as early as the first day of the month prior to your birthday.
• If you don't sign up for Medicare Part B during this initial enrollment period, your premiums may increase by 10 percent for each 12-month period that you delay enrollment. 
• If you are still working and covered by a group health insurance plan, sign up within eight months of leaving the insurance plan to avoid the penalty.
• Then, schedule your free physical. Beginning this year, Medicare !provides a one-time free physical exam within the first 12 months you have Part B coverage.  This can include a review of your health, vision and blood pressure screenings, and counseling about preventive care services covered by Medicare. Other preventive services you may be able to get at no out-of-pocket cost include cardiovascular and breast cancer screenings, bone mass measurements, and flu shots.  Important note: always ask if your physician accepts Medicare before making your appointment – unfortunately an ever growing number of physicians have stopped taking new Medicare patients.
  

Now, onto Social Security

• While full Medicare eligibility begins once you turn 65, full Social Security benefits do not.  Boomers who claim Social Security when they turn age 65 will get about 93% of their full monthly benefit, because, according to the new formula, full benefits don’t kick in until age 66. 
  
• However, for each year you delay Social Security payouts, your monthly amount increases, up to age 70.  That sounds good, but our advice…  If you don’t need your SS check to live on, rather than letting Uncle Sam hold it with no interest accruing, take it anyway as soon as full benefits kick in, and invest it in a great interest-bearing mutual fund -some have returns as high as 12%, paying monthly or quarterly dividends.

Here's a link to the social security website for more information.

You have been officially alerted…

These are from a  2009 MetLife Study titled New Realities of the Job Market for Aging Baby Boomers:

1. Continuing to do what you were doing before: This refers to Boomers who continue on their previous career path, even when it’s a dead-end; instead, research and take advantage of fields/industries that are growing, therefore doing all the hiring, and highlight how you have those needed skills.
2. Believing that your experience speaks for itself:  Older job seekers cannot assume that hiring managers – particularly younger ones - will automatically recognize their value and match it with today’s jobs.  Instead, be able to explain how you are going to make the company successful
3. Using the past as an indicator of the present: Things in the job market change rapidly, so don’t rely on the way things were done in the past – everything is different now, from the interviewing process to the way resumes are written.  Stay current!
4. Thinking “I don’t have time to figure out w.” Lots of older job seekers do not take the time to link their skills to the things they really care about - a big mistake, and here's why.  Going after jobs that use the skills you enjoy most doesn’t just lead to a more satisfying job – it greatly increases the likelihood of finding a job because it’s the right fit.
5. Misusing a recruiter or career coach: These are great resources for getting feedback and a fresh perspective – but the job seeker – not the recruiter or the career coach -- still has to secure the job by acing the interview and having the right skill-sets for today’s job market.  Remember, rely on #1….
6. Jumping into consultancy…or a job that looks like it will be easy
   Many job seekers make false assumptions and jump into things for which they are poorly prepared, or jobs that turn out to be or a very poor fit, easy or not.  You won’t last long in either…
7. Thinking you’re good with computers because you know Windows 98: Boomers who do not continually update their technology skills create huge barriers for themselves in the job market.  Boomers are the most educated generation of all on the planet right now, so use that great brain to develop basic proficiency in all the latest technology.

You have been officially alerted.....

I’m a lifelong fan of baseball – but in the past few years have also developed a passing (excuse the pun) interest in football. 

Last week, I was toggling back and forth between a baseball and football game and found myself wondering about the behavior of players of both games that I think worthy of sharing:

• At what point in the evolution of football players did they lose the capacity to hold their own drinking bottles while on the sidelines?
• At what point in the evolution of baseball players did they lose their grace about taking a “curtain call” after an amazing play – in my youth this used to encompass the following three components: stepping back onto the field from the dugout, looking up at the fans in the stands to fully acknowledge them, and then fully tipping their cap before returning to the dugout… now they either barely poke their head out and half remove their cap as though their head might fall off if the cap wanders too far from it, or they refuse to acknowledge the fans’ call for additional accolades, at all – gee, silly us that we think that highly of what they just did…!
• Then there’s Michael Vick (yeah, I was watching Sun night FB, the Eagles vs the Falcons), the dog-killing turned dog-loving-after-getting-caught QB of the Eagles – all due respect to Tony Dungee who declared Vick fully reformed and worthy of his second chance making scillions as a pro football star, and as much as I want to believe Mr. Vick has truly found remorse, I just can’t help but wonder how depraved someone must be to have done what he did in the first place – to be capable of killing dogs with your bare hands because they lost the illegal dog fight is a deep moral flaw that I’m not convinced can be so quickly reversed.  The same goes for so many of his fellow pro sports players who engage in far from acceptable behavior yet keep their jobs… and in some cases, like Vick, become even more famous as a result.
• Then there’s us…the fans, who expect so little of our sports pros… part of that raising the bar on better behavior I’ve been talking about recently.
  

Hey, just wondering….

Last week, I ended the 9/11 10th anniversary show with my alert, leaving you with my call to action for us – that we as a generation, start and lead a movement to reignite the cooperation and respect for each other, regardless of race, religion, or political party, that we displayed in the weeks and months following that day.

This hit a cord, because I received a number of responses, most, unfortunately, sounding not too hopeful.   Comments like “You say we’re so powerful, but we’re not” to “I agree, and I’ll try, but I don’t believe it will do much good….” 

To these, and all my fellow Boomers who still don’t believe that we can, once again, influence major change, I say this: I’ll start with the most obvious – you are as powerful as you believe you are – if you think of yourself as powerless, you render yourself so – but it doesn’t mean you don’t have the capacity to be a powerful influence if you choose to exert it.  Which we did in our youth, so we have the experience.  We fought for, and won, significant gains in women’s rights and improvements in water and air quality (remember the river in Cleveland that was so polluted it actually caught fire in 1969?), enactment of laws that prohibit discrimination, and hey, if you and your spouse lived together before you got married, that’s thanks to our generational determination to make it socially acceptable. 

We have a proven track record for making big changes in this country – in fact, we have had the greatest societal impact of any other generation in the nation’s history, period.  But, OK, if that doesn’t convince you, how’s this.  It took only 56 men to get this country started (the number in the Second Provincial Congress, better known as the Continental Congress); and if they had felt as you do…that we’re not capable of getting something important done, there would be no United States of America. 

So, Boomers, if you believe that being respectful of each other is just the right thing to do, that the loss of civility is the rot that is causing our national house to crumble, then join the movement. 

I promise, example is the best way to make important things happen.

How vividly do you remember those days and weeks immediately following 9/11?  Did you make sure your flags were prominently displayed?  Did you feel both angry, and humbled?  Most importantly, did you feel a deep sense of connectedness to your fellow Americans, regardless of race, religion, or political party?

For quite a while, months in fact, after we were attacked, unity through a heightened civility with each other, was our way of showing just how great a nation we are – we chose to show the world that we the people of the United States would come together, be good to each other, respond to our crisis by strengthening our bond to our fellow citizens.

It went beyond letting the car into your lane rather than cutting off your fellow driver; it was a profound understanding that if we didn’t stick together, we were allowing those who wanted to destroy us – succeed. 
Because, after all, just as President Lincoln implored his fellow Americans during our civil war, so we seemed to intuitively comprehend in those days after 9/11/2001: a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Ten years later, we’ve not just lost that sense of unity, that determination to work together to make things whole again – we’ve gone to the opposite extreme.  We’ve become mean, our political discourse reduced to name calling and demonizing people with ideas or positions other than our own; we have become a house divided.

So today, on the 10th anniversary of the day we were viciously and shockingly attacked by people who hate us, I ask you, my fellow Boomers, to start yet another social movement – something we do so well.  I’m asking that we start a conscious and concerted movement to reignite mutual respect whether or not we may agree, replace venom with virtue, in essence, make civility cool.

We Boomers still run this nation; with our vast number as well as our wallets, as heads of corporations, as the majority in both houses of Congress.  We can make this happen.  Remember how you felt after 9/11/2001 – how we all treated each other – and make it so once again.