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One of the problems of health insurance is the rising demand for higher profits by insurance providers. The premiums are always rising, while the payouts are diminishing. But then, insurance companies are in business to make money. This is the reason why the government has to constantly monitor how the business of its citizens’ health is handled. Health insurance is definitely important for a healthy nation and most people already know this. The problem is that insurance companies are always steps ahead in their determination to remain extremely profitable. This means that they are always on the look out for gaps in health insurance policies. As they market, health insurance companies claim that their premiums work well for families, individuals, groups and seniors. However, there is a high risk criteria added to some medical claim brackets.

By understanding health insurance policies, a prospective plan holder is in a better position to buy into the best suited plan. Taking time to read the fine print is worthwhile. This can help save on premiums and still allow access to benefits. Health insurance is the easiest way to cover the cost of medical care, including check-ups. This is especially important with the dynamic nature of our modern lifestyles. With today’s health risks, the need for health insurance should be a priority for everyone.

Find the Right Health Insurance Policy

It is very hard to identify the best health insurance products. But a few considerations can help you pick a good plan from a reliable health insurance provider. Think and ask questions along the following lines:

What are the guarantees and what additional information is left out of the policies?

Which areas of your health am I most concerned about?

How much can I afford in payments?

What percentage of your medical expenses will the policy cover?

The concern of the government in tightening its supportive role in guiding the operations of health insurance providers is welcome. It is critical that people get what they are entitled to under their insurance policies. Individuals are faced with paying high premiums only to find that it is impossible to get adequate reimbursement of their medical bills. This happens as health insurance companies are trying to get around returning the 80% of premiums in the form of services that policy holders are entitled to.

It is up to premium holders to remain alert. Insurance companies trying to get away with paying less than the required 80% of medical care costs should be held accountable. Think about the cost and the coverage of your health insurance plan. If you feel that you are being short-changed, it is within your rights to appeal. Ask questions and demand a full explanation. If you are still unsatisfied, you can go beyond the health insurance company and file a complaint.

Contrary to popular belief, health insurance companies make huge profits off of their plan holders even in a regulated industry. It is not up to you to keep them in business. Let them get their act together and give you what you are entitled to.

Author: Albert is an editor for Key Insurance Quotes and runs a local blogger meetup group in Durham, NC.

Today’s Baby Boomer Sandwich Generation faces some unique situations. You watch your kids grow up and your parents grow older. If, like so many baby boomers, your parents have split, or one of them has died, what’s it like for you when Dad (or Mom) starts to date again?

Guest post author Deborah S. Silver, LCSW, Co-Founder, Active Seniors in Transition shares some insights into this all too common issue.

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“When Dad Starts To Date”

A friend told the following story:

“When my father become a widower, after 50 years of devoted marriage to my mother, we all worried about him.  He was devastated by the loss, hadn’t ever been on his own since he was 21 and couldn’t even boil water.

“Well, weren’t we surprised when, within a short period of time, women were crawling out of the woodwork. At one point he was juggling three girlfriends!  Within a year he was married.  I didn’t like her very much.  I winced when he called her ‘honey’ and I resented the time and money he spent on her and her grown children.

“But when he became ill, she nursed him with tender care and she was truly grieved when he died.  I finally had to admit that I didn’t know what I would have done without her.”

I have heard variations on this theme over and over.  Why do many of us so resent it when our widowed parent finds happiness with someone new?

We feel disloyal to the parent that is gone when we accept the new union and give it our blessing

We are jealous of the new person that is receiving our living parent’s time, affection and financial gifts

We are uncomfortable thinking about our parent as – dare I say it – a sexual being. We’ve managed to avoid thinking about this for a very long time!

We are justifiably worried that the new partner is less than sincere and will hurt our parent both emotionally and financially

It didn’t take my friend long to realize that her resentment was a small price to pay for her father’s happiness (and he had five really wonderful years).

Not to mention that she was not prepared to give up her own life to take care of him and become a substitute spouse.

Of course, if you feel that someone is really out to hurt your parent, you may have to step in. But ask yourself the hard questions first.  “Is this really about them – or is it about me?”

To read other articles by Deborah Silver, visit her at www.activeseniorsintransition.com

Guest author and fitness expert, Kathy Ekdahl shares her secrets to loosing that extra weight and staying fit and healthy.

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Q- I’ve noticed that my balance seems to be getting worse and worse as I get older. Is there anything I can do to help my balance?

You may not have this problem yet, but you may have a parent or neighbor beginning to lose their sense of balance. A  fall for seniors can be much more dangerous and life changing than for younger people, as it can result in an extended stay in the hospital, rehab center or even nursing home.  One serious fall is often the beginning of a downward spiral of illness and infirmity for the elderly.

Seniors are much more prone to falls because, as we age, our body’s natural ability to balance and navigate unstable surfaces diminishes. This is related to both neurological and musculoskeletal aging, but balance is also affected by diminished vision, hearing and sensation in the feet.  In addition, bones are more fragile and healing from injuries becomes more and more difficult.  When most of us think of fitness, we may not think of balance as something we can train, but rest assured, it is very trainable.  With consistency and dedication, you could improve your balance and stability within several weeks!

It is easy to begin improving  balance. Take a few minutes every day to practice standing on one leg. If you can only balance for 5-10 seconds- continue to practice until you reach 20 seconds, or even 30 seconds. Once you can stand on one leg for 20 seconds or more, try doing this with your eyes closed. This is quite a challenge! At all times, begin by balancing as you hold on to a secure surface. As you improve your balance, work towards balancing without holding on at all. When practicing balancing, always keep your upper body lifted, spine erect, abdominals engaged. Looking down at the ground as you balance will throw your posture off, and good posture is key for good balance.

For the next stage, I recommend practicing standing balance on unstable surfaces such as an “Airex pad”, or inflatable disc, but using a pillow from your home will work just as well. These techniques will “fire up” your neuromuscular system, and begin to get your muscles thinking and reacting more easily to unstable surfaces- whether they are a pillow, or the ice in your driveway. Supplement this balance work with  core training such as Bridges for your glutes, “Birddog” for your spinal muscles and plank holds for your abdominal and back muscles. I also recommend training the lateral hip muscles- which are important stabilizers for the hip joint. Something as simple as standing side leg lifts can work, as well as the “clamshell” exercise- a side lying exercise, sometimes using an exercise band, in which you rotate the hip open like a “clamshell”.  In general, weight bearing strength exercises greatly help seniors, as these types of exercises increase bone density, muscular, tendonous and ligament strength, and build confidence!

Poor balance is a major risk factor for falls, fractures and serious injuries. Start training your balance today, and your risk of falls and injuries will be much less! If this is not an essential reason to exercise, I don’t know what is!

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com.

Guest author and fitness expert, Kathy Ekdahl shares her secrets to loosing that extra weight and staying fit and healthy.

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Q- How do I know whether I am fit enough? Are there standards for fitness that I should try to adhere to?

When we us the term “fit” we  are talking in very general terms about someone who looks strong and healthy and exercises consistently. But the definition of good fitness really has several components. They are: cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition (fat versus muscle tissue). To be truly “fit”, we do need to address all aspects of fitness. For example, if you can run 10 miles, but can’t do 10 push-ups- then you are not truly fit.  Or, conversely, if you can do 400 pound leg press, but can’t run a mile, then again, your fitness is not complete. So, it is very important to make sure your exercise regimen addresses all aspects of fitness.

As a strength and conditioning coach, I test my clients in all aspects of fitness to discover where their fitness is adequate, and where it is not. Addressing weaknesses in fitness is very important! Most people focus only on what they are good at, and ignore what they are not good at (or do not like to do). This will lead to imbalances in fitness, which will eventually lead to injuries.

For the average exercise enthusiast (not an athlete) some basic standards I use for good fitness are:

• The ability to do at least 10 straight leg push ups
• The ability to touch your toes when standing or sitting on the floor
• The ability to get your heart rate high in its training zone for short periods of time and then recover within one minute
• The ability to run longer distances, 1-2 miles, without stopping
• The ability to perform a deep squat with perfect technique
• The ability to balance on one foot for greater than 20 seconds
• The ability to perform a prone plank hold for one minute
• Normal body fat measurements- neither too high, nor too low

Of course, genetically we may be predisposed to being good at one aspect of fitness versus another, so it is normal to excel at some aspects of fitness and struggle with others. But- that’s no reason to ignore the ones we are not good at! Make sure your program addresses all aspects of fitness by stretching daily,  performing  heavy weight training 2-3 days a week, doing cardiovascular endurance activities such as biking, jogging, walking 3 days a week- including some high intensity interval training – and eating well and keeping bodyweight and body fat in normal parameters.

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com.

Guest author and fitness expert, Kathy Ekdahl shares her secrets to loosing that extra weight and staying fit and healthy.

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Q- I hear so much on TV, online and in magazines about all kinds of nutritional supplements. I am trying to lose weight, and I wonder if any of these will help?

A- The nutritional supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that is largely unregulated.  90% of what is out there is a scam, and worse, some of these products are  dangerous. It is hard to know what works and what does not, so let me try to separate fact from fiction, or in this case, out and out lies.

The Truth about Weight Loss Supplements: The fact is that there is no supplement or drug on the market that magically burns fat. All products— even the good ones— require  healthy nutrition and exercise to get results. And, the bad ones, while they may decrease appetite, usually have bad side effects and can be downright dangerous for your health. Think about it; given that obesity is responsible for millions of dollars of wasted health care, and kills hundreds of thousands of Americans each year, if there was a “miracle” pill- wouldn’t we all know about it?  Withholding that kind of info would be like withholding chemotherapy for cancer patients- unethical.

Weight Loss Supplements to Avoid: To be specific, avoid all weight loss supplements with stimulants like guarana, ma huang, ephedra (which is actually illegal now) and even excess caffeine. These drugs try to elevate metabolism- but an elevated metabolism also means elevated blood pressure and heart rate, which could cause serious medical conditions. Caffeine has been shown to increase endurance, and may help increase energy temporarily for exercise, but overuse of caffeine has more side effects than benefits. However, green tea extract has been shown by research to elevate metabolism without negative side effects, so this is something to try.

Which Weight Loss Supplements Are Useful: Protein powders/shakes can be useful for people doing heavy weight training. They provide the nutrients necessary to rebuild muscles. But again, there is no magic to these shakes. Creatine is a form of protein that is used in energy metabolism. Creatine has been shown to be safe when taken as directed. The extra Creatine enables the user to lift heavier weights, which in the long run, produces more fat loss and more muscle gain. Side effects of Creatine are water weight retention- not my goal in life- but for those who are trying to add a lot of muscle, this is an option.

Alli, a former prescription drug which is now over the counter, is currently being investigated as a cause of liver damage. Be careful!

Again, even Alli does not work unless you follow  diet and exercise suggestions exactly. Side effects- don’t ask!

So- what do I recommend? A whole food supplement, or if that is not available, a vitamin supplement. Extra protein if you are lifting heavy weights, and lots of water throughout the day. Green tea can be used to elevate the metabolism without nasty side effects, so that is worth a try. Otherwise- get moving, eat well, get rid of junk food and processed foods.

Kathy Ekdahl, ACE cPT, CSCS, is a nationally certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach, who lives in Hudson, Mass. Kathy has  worked for over 20 years in the fitness industry, and is the coach of the Hudson High School Women’s Varsity Lacrosse and Field Hockey teams. She will be answering your fitness questions each week in this column, and welcomes your questions. To send a question, email Kathy at: kathy@personalbestpersonaltraining.com.