Welcome to my weekly adventure to “Occupy the Blog-o-Sphere” each Thursday. I offer this hopefully uplifting picture and message to brighten your day and bring something buoyant into your life. As you move through your day with a renewed outlook, may you pass it along.

One of the best gifts you can give yourself, your loved ones, and your society is the gift of taking care of yourself. 

As the weather turns warmer and the bulky clothes of winter make way for our more revealing summer wardrobes, it’s natural to think about our bodies and what happened to them since last we really took a good look at them (or let someone else look at them). But this is not a post about vanity; it’s a post about health. Are you kind to the one and only body that carries you through this life? If you think car repairs are expensive, hang on to your hats when you look at the price tag (financial, emotional and social) of repairing a broken down body.

Ben Franklin was right: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

If you want to know what you can do to be kinder to your body and prevent–or at least soften the blow of–costly medical problems, I have a neat web site for you to visit. Real Age was developed by Michael Roizen, currently the Chief Wellness Officer at The Cleveland Clinic.  The test takes about 20-30 minutes and calculates your “real age” based on your family history and current medical, emotional, dietary, and social issues. My actual age is 54.5. Based on my answers, my “real age” is 48.5. In my mind, I’m 28.5, but that’s not part of the equation.

Not only is it interesting to find out your “real age,” taking the test will clue you in to factors that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. In many cases, questions have a little “Reason why this is asked” link to explain how that factor equates to a healthy (or unhealthy) lifestyle. After you take the test, the site has a plethora of links to get more information about improving your health.

Health care costs are only going to increase, so it behooves all of us to pay attention to our health. It’s better for us individually and as a society.

So, click here and see how your actual age compares with your “real age.” I dare you!


It’s not what you got, Baby; it’s how you use it!


Click on this link to find out more about joining this cyber-movement to lighten up and brighten up our world so you can decide if you want to be part of it.