Playing the Back Nine

For men over 50

Health, habits and good sense for the second half.

Plain-English guides on the changes that come with the second half, the habits that help, and when it's worth a word with your doctor.

Hole 10Health 8 Questions Worth Asking at Your Annual Physical After 50 A yearly checkup goes by fast. Eight questions that get more out of fifteen minutes with your doctor, from screenings to medicines to sleep. 5 min read

Hole 11Food & Drink Evening Drinks and Your Nights: What, How Much and When Coffee at dinner, a beer at the 19th hole, a glass of water at bedtime. How evening drinks affect sleep and night-time bathroom trips after 50, and easy swaps. 4 min read Hole 12Health The 3 A.M. Wake-Up Call: Why Men Over 50 Are Up at Night for the Bathroom Night-time bathroom trips become more frequent with each decade past 50. The usual reasons, the evening habits that matter, and when it's worth a word with your doctor. 7 min read Hole 13Health The Prostate in Plain English: What It Does and How It Changes With Age A walnut-sized gland most men never think about until their fifties. What it is for, why it changes over the years, and which changes are routine versus the ones to get looked at. 6 min read Hole 14Sleep The Wind-Down Hour: An Evening Routine for Better Sleep After 50 Your sleep shifts as the years go by, yet the last hour before bed is still yours to set up. A simple, realistic evening routine for fewer broken nights. 5 min read

HealthWhat changes after fifty, in plain English, and what is worth a word with your doctor.SleepFewer broken nights and mornings that start on time.StrengthWalking, carrying, getting up off the floor: the fitness that keeps the second half playable.Food & DrinkThe plate and the glass, and the hour you reach for them, count for more on the back nine.