Tony's Blog

50PlusPrime, our online news program for the country's 78 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964, debuts tonight at 10:30 eastern time at www.50plusprime.com.

We are interested in your thoughts about our program. Please, tell us what you think and what you'd like to see on 50PlusPrime in the future.

Tomorrow night, at 10:30 eastern time, we launch 50PlusPrime, a primetime online news program for baby boomers.

The US Census Bureau identifies anyone born between 1946 and 1964 as a baby boomer. There are 78 million baby boomers living in the US.

50PlusPrime speaks with baby boomers making a difference in their communities, and identifies resources and services benefiting baby boomers and their parents.

More tomorrow...

We're curious about what 50Plus-ers are thinking. So, we've launched a spot on our home page where you can tell us exactly what's on your mind. So, "what's on your mind at age 50Plus?" Let us know.

An increasing amount of baby boomers are teaming up with their dogs and heading off to the races. The sport is called Flyball, a relay-type race where two teams of four dogs compete by running a 51 foot course, jumping hurdles along the way. At the end of the first leg of the course, the dogs trigger a "flyball" box. That releases a ball, which the dogs then carry back in their mouths, jumping the hurdles all over again. The first team of four dogs to cross the finish line wins.

Linda Sell, a 51-year-old Michigan baby boomer who participates in Flyball with her dogs Dylan, Rory and Wylee, said for boomers whose children have moved out of the house "dogs can become surrogate children." Ms. Sell also said, "Flyball helps boomers connect with other boomers, share an activity, travel and make friendships."

From the North American Flyball Association's website:
Flyball got its start in the late 1960's and early 1970's, when a group of dog trainers in Southern California created scent discrimination hurdle racing, then put a guy at the end to throw tennis balls to the dogs when they finished the jump line. It didn't take long for the group to decide to build some sort of tennis ball-launching apparatus, and the first flyball box was born. Herbert Wagner is credited with developing the first flyball box, and apparently he did a flyball demo on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson that got a lot of people’s attention. Subsequently, the new dog sport for dog enthusiasts was introduced in the Toronto-Detroit area by several dog training clubs. After a few small tournaments were held in conjunction with dog shows, the first ever flyball tournament was held in 1983.

For information on Flyball tournaments and clubs in your area, click here.

I remember Sr. Claire sternly reciting that mantra when I was in 3rd grade at St. Philip Neri in the Bronx. "Walk, don't run," she'd say formidably, as twenty little 8-year-olds scurried up and down the hall to the bathroom or cafeteria.

Well, maybe Sr. Claire was ahead of her time. In "BoomerWalk!: Why Baby Boomers Should Replace Running and Jogging with Racewalking," (2009) Brent Bohlen gives the country's 76 million baby boomers a highly aerobic but low impact option to running and jogging.

From Amazon.com's editorial review:
"Racewalking, a technique that can be learned quickly but that may be perfected for a lifetime, is the ideal joint-friendly exercise for fitness and vigor into old age. The sport even offers competition for those who want it. BoomerWalk identifies the benefits of racewalking, describes the fundamentals of technique and includes detailed photos of baby boomer athletes exhibiting proper form. Profiles of 14 racewalkers with ages ranging from middle 50s to early 90s illustrate the life-long benefits of the sport."

The book sells for $15.95 on amazon.com.