4 RECIPES: EAT FRESH Carol PAGE 20 Burnett The Queen of Comedy on health, happiness and laughing through the hard times MEDICATION PAGE 12 MUST-DOS 5 ways to get organized 10 Winter THINGS Greens TO DO Worth BEFORE Trying 10 A.M. PAGE 8
GROUP FITNESS Stay in Resolution shape and Reboot get social New Year, New You with Renew PAGE 10 { Welcome Letter } Life with Laughter Putting together every issue of Renew magazine is fun — but this time it was also funny. Whether it was chatting with comedic legend Carol Burnett or watching the hilarious videos we share on page 19, we had countless opportunities to share some laughs. Even better? All that chuckling may give us a health boost. As you will read on page 16, humor can do much more than merely create endearing smile lines. In short, humor can play a role in maintaining a healthier lifestyle. And that’s precisely what we’re committed to helping you achieve: a healthier, vibrant life filled with both physical and emotional wellness. This issue even includes a special booklet with ideas and activities to help you live a happier and healthier life. As you page through this issue, we hope you get inspired to eat better (check out the delicious veggie recipes on page 20), stay committed to your health goals and make the most of your health care plan. And we hope you enjoy a few laughs along the way. Because when it comes COVER STORY to your overall wellness, it’s time to get serious about lightening up and enjoying life. As the The Queen saying goes, a dose of laughter may be one of the of Comedy best medicines. Carol Burnett on how laughter has been a part of her life. page 12 Photo by George Brich / Associated Press Brich / Associated George by Photo
2 | “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” —Steve Martin
We’re just a phone call away. Your happiness and satisfaction with your plan are important to us. We want to make sure you get the information you need. Feel free to reach out to us directly if you ever have questions, want help scheduling a doctor’s appointment or need help with your plan. Just call the number on the back of your member ID card to speak with one of our friendly UnitedHealthcare® Customer Service Advocates.
8 a.m. – 8 p.m. local time, 7 days a week.
Or log in to myAARPMedicare.com.
Do we have the right address, phone number and email address for you? If not, please let us know by calling Customer Service so we can keep you informed about your plan.
! We want to Carol Burnett taping hear from you. her final show of Share your feedback about The Carol Burnett Renew or article ideas at Show in 1978. renewfeedback.com/aarp.
Or write us at: UnitedHealthcare Renew P.O. Box 410018 Kansas City, MO 64141-0018 Photo by George Brich / Associated Press Brich / Associated George by Photo
by UnitedHealthcare | 3 Contents | WINTER 2017
FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 16 10 Renew by The Healing UnitedHealthcare Reach your New Year’s Power of resolutions Humor Finding humor and 26 Family Matters laughter in our lives Communication styles may lead to a healthier by generation body and mind. 28 Health Check Minding your medications 29 Keep Moving Group exercise
20 Eat Fresh! Getting in your daily dose of veggies doesn’t need to be boring with these creative dishes.
PLUS 5 Live•Laugh•Learn 25 Brain Booster 31 The Doctor Is In
t Look for this symbol to find simple tips on becoming your own health advocate and helping to improve your quality of life.
4 | “Time is a precious thing. Never waste it.” —Gene Wilder live•laugh•learn LIFE-BOOSTING TIPS & IDEAS
The Power of Color Try this experiment: Visit your local hardware store and leaf through the paint chip cards. Do the blue shades calm you down? Are you warmed and energized by reds? Do you gravitate toward greens? We are incredibly sensitive to color. In fact, the human eye can detect seven million unique variations, according to a 2014 study published in SAGE Journal, and we’re also sensitive to the mood and feelings that colors can create. Psychologist Ayben Ertem, who researches the effects of color on human behavior, says pink has been shown to be soothing and relaxing. To encourage deeper conversations, she suggests using orange in the dining room. Want to fall asleep more easily? Paint your bedroom pink or purple because those colors have a relaxing effect. Of course, your best bet may be to forget about the color “rules” and simply surround yourself with the shades and hues you enjoy most. Turn the page for simple ideas on how to infuse color into
Photo by Richard Westley Wong, Styling Bartus Sara by Wong, Westley Richard by Photo your own home.
by UnitedHealthcare | 5 live•laugh•learn
HOME HUES Make the Most of Your Plan No need to get out the ladder We think your health care plan should feel simple and rewarding, and we and drop cloths to paint an entire want to help you make this your most rewarding year yet. Our Customer room. Here are some easy ways Service Advocates are dedicated to delivering you personal attention and to incorporate pops of color into service and helping you make the most of your plan. So we’ll be here with you your living spaces and still feel their every step of the way as you navigate your plan based on your current health mood-boosting benefits: needs, and potential health needs in the future. Health care needs may change throughout the year, and we’re here to help you navigate your plan to help address your changing circumstances. For example, if you’re diagnosed with a health condition, our Customer Service Advocates can suggest possible programs and resources to help manage your condition. If you need to see a specialist, we can help you find one. And if you’re prescribed a new medication, we can help you determine if your drug is on the drug list or if there’s a lower-cost drug alternative (if your plan has prescription drug coverage). p Pillow talk: Buy inexpensive throw pillows in hues you love Here are just a few things you can count on when you call the Customer to bring life to a neutral space. Service number on the back of your member ID card: You can even change them out depending on the season. A caring approach that educates, guides and supports. Coordinated care, social support and personalized service. Accent the positive: Paint a small Help finding a Primary Care Provider that fits your unique needs; area — a door, a piece of furniture we’ll even help schedule your appointments. or a small area on a wall — to quickly add a splash of color. We want you to be happy with your plan now and in the future. After all, your health care coverage is so much more than a Medicare plan — it’s about your Windows on the world: Hang health, happiness and satisfaction. And we’re with you every step of the way. colorful sheers or curtains to frame up your favorite view.
Get artsy: You don’t need to How Are We Doing? spend big bucks at a gallery — visit At UnitedHealthcare, our mission is to secondhand and big box retailers help you live a healthier life by providing for artwork that puts your go-to easy access to care, predictable expenses, color on full display. excellent customer service and reliable savings. We want your health care experience to be second to none. Go natural: Love yellow? Keep a Throughout the year you may get surveys asking you about your glass bowl filled with lemons on your experience with UnitedHealthcare. We hope you participate! Your kitchen counter. Dig orange? Treat feedback will help us learn what we’re doing well for you and how yourself to a fresh vase of gerbera we could be even better. Our goal is to provide you with a health care daisies. These small splashes of experience that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations. We color (and texture) add visual interest value your membership and will listen closely to what you have to say. and bring a little joy to any space. After all, we’re not satisfied until you’re satisfied.
6 | “There are no mistakes. Only opportunities.” —Tina Fey 10 Things to Do Before 10 a.m. “If it has to happen, then it has to happen first,” says Laura Vanderkam, author of What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. Start your day right and you may see positive effects all day long.
1 MAKE YOUR BED 4 In The Power of Habit, BREATHE DEEPLY author Charles Duhigg Just five minutes of says this tidy chore is linked morning meditation can to increased productivity help you stay focused throughout the day. all day long. Practicing meditation may be helpful for conditions such as 2 anxiety, according to FUEL UP a 2014 study in JAMA 8 Aim for a breakfast that Internal Medicine. WRITE IT DOWN includes protein, healthy Try beginning each day fats, vegetables and fruit. with stream-of- Protein in the morning may consciousness writing. help you consume fewer Use longhand and go for calories throughout the day. up to three pages. This practice helps get you in a creative and problem- 3 solving mindset for the day. MOVE AROUND Move in a way you enjoy to help you stick to a morning 5 9 exercise routine. CONNECT DO SOMETHING HARD… YOUR HEART You’re more likely to finish Before the day gets away an unpleasant task when from you, call or text you’re fresh in the morning. an important person in your life. 10 ... AND HAVE SOME FUN 6 7 According to the National START WITH CITRUS UP AND AT ’EM Institute for Play, you can Rehydrate first thing in the Don’t hit the snooze button. stay sharp by engaging in morning with lemon-infused It can disrupt your sleep activities you find joyful water (hot or cold) for a cycle and set you up for a and energizing — yes, refreshing vitamin C boost. bad start to the day. even at 8 a.m.
by UnitedHealthcare | 7 live•laugh•learn
Winter Wonders Feeling the winter blahs? Head to the supermarket, where seasonal leafy greens are on full display. Packed with vitamins A, C, K and E, they’re also rich in minerals like iron, calcium, !"#$ manganese and potassium. They *+,))- even pack a punch with antioxidants. %."'(
Here’s a guide to the tasty delicacies of midwinter. PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER VS. Kale SPECIALIST Toss bite-sized pieces with fresh You might wonder what lemon juice, garlic and extra virgin the difference is between a olive oil, then sauté quickly until just primary care provider (PCP) tender. Pair with ancient whole grains and a specialist — and when such as quinoa or sorghum for a you’re supposed to see one satisfying and nourishing meal. or the other or both. This quick primer may help you Collards find a great doctor in the A nutritional powerhouse of green %#"'() UnitedHealthcare network goodness, collards make a smart to help meet your needs. addition to hearty soups. Toss chopped pieces into the pot toward the end of PRIMARY CARE a soup’s cooking time, and simmer PROVIDER (PCP) until they’re soft and tender. What They Do: Is the main point person Swiss chard to help coordinate your A relative of the beet family, this hardy health care. veggie comes in rainbow varieties that Keeps a complete record bring welcome color to winter dishes. of all your medications, For brunch, steam leaves lightly, tests, vaccines and then use as a base for poached eggs. treatments. Recommends specialists as needed. Check out page 20 for deliciously easy recipes that make the most of vegetables. Sign in to your plan website and See Them For: go to the My Health and Wellness tab for some great tips Routine preventive care. on making kale chips that out-crunch and out-taste those expensive packaged products. myAARPMedicare.com Immunizations (flu shot, etc.).
(continued) Styling Bartus Sara by Wong, Westley Richard by Photo
8 | “There’s power in looking silly and not caring that you do.” —Amy Poehler (continued) Routine checkups. Treatment for sickness Schedule Your Annual such as a sore throat. Physical and Wellness Visit SPECIALIST What They Do: As you start filling in the dates on your 2017 calendar, there’s one health-related item Focuses on specific that deserves to be written in red ink: your $0 co-pay Annual Physical and Wellness areas of medicine. This Visit.* This important yearly check-in is a great chance to meet with your primary care may include treating provider (PCP) to create a wellness plan together. Your Annual Physical will include certain parts of the body, a head-to-toe exam and a review of your health history and any medications you take such as a dermatologist and may also include important lab tests to monitor your health. During your Annual (skin), or a particular Wellness Visit, your PCP should check your blood pressure, height and weight, and class of diseases, such address your physical and emotional well-being. For your convenience, the Annual as a cardiologist (heart Physical and Wellness Visit can be combined into one appointment. To make your disease). They may have visit even more beneficial, you can complete the Annual Care Checklist you should specialist techniques such have received in your Membership Guide and bring it with you to your appointment. as performing surgery. We’re happy to help you schedule an appointment, or you can call your PCP to Conducts more detailed schedule it yourself. tests and administers more direct treatments. *Covered at a $0 co-pay when you see a network doctor (if your plan has a network). See Them For: A co-pay or co-insurance may apply if you receive additional services that are not part Serious or specific injury of the annual physical and wellness visit. or illness. Help managing chronic conditions such as There’s Still Time to Get Vaccinated heart disease. Flu season’s not over! Contact your primary care provider or Other specialized care put your ZIP code into the “Flu Vaccine Finder” at flu.gov to as recommended by find a clinic near you. Bonus: A $0 co-pay. Illustration by catchfire by Illustration Photo by Richard Westley Wong, Styling Bartus Sara by Wong, Westley Richard by Photo your PCP.
by UnitedHealthcare | 9 A member perk for healthier living. ■ Renew by UnitedHealthcare empowers you through teaching and encouragement to be the best you can be and live healthier.
Resolution Reboot AS THE CALENDAR FLIPS over to another year, we often think about ways we’d like to improve. Perhaps you’re eager to lose some weight or get serious about exercising regularly. You might have a new commitment to keeping your mind active and sharp. Maybe you just want to have a sunnier outlook on life. Whatever your resolutions may be, Renew by UnitedHealthcare* has Eat Better tools and resources to help you achieve a healthier, happier life. Renew You’re ready to kick the carb habit, cut by UnitedHealthcare can be accessed by logging into your plan website down on sweets and amp up your fruit and clicking on the My Health and Wellness tab and going to either Renew and veggie intake. Here’s how to put Lifestyle, Renew Learning or Renew Rewards. Let’s get started! those good intentions into edible action. Renew Lifestyle offers deliciously healthier recipes waiting to tempt you. Start using these recipes (bonus: they’re easy!) to create your weekly shopping lists and you’ll be prepping and cooking your way to better nutrition in no time.
Get to a Healthier Weight Your doctor has been encouraging you to work toward a lower number on the scale, and you’re finally motivated to take action. Now what? Move More Get a sneak peek at how you’ll An active body is a healthier body — but sometimes walking around the look when you shed unwanted neighborhood can start to feel stale. Need some fresh ways to get moving? pounds by trying the “Visualize We’ve got ‘em. You” weight change viewer within Whether your fitness program has merely stalled, you need to start from Renew Lifestyle. You can also read scratch or you want to maintain your active lifestyle, Renew Lifestyle health-related articles and view makes it easy to get moving with motivating articles, fitness tips and videos within Renew Learning ideas. You can also search Renew Learning for additional articles, tools to help you take charge of your and resources to help you learn how to live an active life. health goals.
10 | “I am where I am because I believe in all possibilities.” —Whoopi Goldberg Be More Positive Kudos to you for adding a healthier mental outlook to your goals! You’ve already taken a big step toward living your life with a cheerful attitude. Here’s how to hang onto your newfound optimism. Learn Something New Renew Lifestyle is ready to help You have opportunities to enrich yourself with fresh knowledge. you feel upbeat and happy So what are you waiting for? Get to it! with free streaming music, a The more you know, the easier it may be to live healthier. Think of your library of inspirational articles mind as a muscle that needs exercise to help it stay strong. That’s why and more. You can access Renew Learning has a lot of resources, including a library of articles, videos positivity tools through Renew and interactive tools. There are even free educational online courses such Lifestyle or by going directly to as Living Well With Diabetes and Becoming Dr. You. Not only will you be RenewPositivity.com. Tip: Visit sharpening your mind, but you may also learn from others if you choose to this site for a few minutes every participate in the online learning community. morning while enjoying your first cup of coffee. It’s a great way to start your day.
Keep Better Track of Your Health As you strengthen your desire to take better care of yourself (bravo!), Make Healthy Choices don’t let all the details overwhelm Challenge Your Brain An exciting part of Renew by you. Renew Lifestyle has a great (and Have Fun to Boot!) UnitedHealthcare is Renew way for you to stay organized — and Ready to make some excellent Rewards. Challenge yourself to committed. headway when it comes to boosting become healthier and you may With “My Health Reflection” you your brainpower? be eligible to earn a gift card can create a personal plan for Look no further than Brain Games for completing certain health- healthy living with a few mouse for a series of fun, interactive related activities. Learn more clicks. This online resource makes activities to help keep your mind about participating by visiting it easy to track your progress and sharp like Road Trip Reunion. Access your plan website and going to interactive challenges keep the them through Renew Lifestyle. Renew Rewards. whole process interesting. It’s a fun and engaging way to take steps *Renew by UnitedHealthcare is not available in all plans. toward a healthier you. •
by UnitedHealthcare | 11 12 | “Life literally abounds in comedy if you just look around you.” —Mel Brooks THE QUEENOF COMEDY Comedy legend Carol Burnett on health, happiness and laughing through the hard times.
n 1954, Carol Burnett flew to New York City rain has always been good luck for me.” A born I to make it big on Broadway. Naïve to the goof who can sing, act and kill an audience with ways of showbiz, the 21-year-old unknown figured an eye roll, Hurricane Carol blew into the spotlight she’d be whisked off the tarmac and onto the stage. on sketch programs and sitcoms and later stormed Instead, she found herself alone in a Manhattan primetime with The Carol Burnett Show — the first hotel room she couldn’t afford, crying on the phone TV comedy-variety hour created by and starring to her family. Come home, said her grandma, who a woman. The show featured parodies like “Went had raised her in a boarding house in Hollywood. with the Wind,” a sendup of Gone with the Wind, Come home, said her half-sister Chrissie. Come and character sketches such as “The Family” home, said her mother, an alcoholic who had been (which led to the spinoff sitcom Mama’s Family). unable to care for Carol but remained close with During its 11-season run from 1967 to 1978, it her. After a tearful goodbye, Burnett looked out the won three Emmys and made Burnett an unlikely window at the rain falling on the city. And then she feminist icon. turned on the radio and heard “Tina Fey told me she saw our show as a kid and the weatherman say, “Hurricane said, ‘I can do that.’ Well, I certainly didn’t think By Chris Clayton Carol is blowing into town.” about being a role model at the time,” says the Portrait by Talk about foreshadowing. 83-year-old. “I just wanted a repertory company Ari Michelson “I love the rain,” says the that could play in the sandbox.” Burnett’s not just Artwork by comedy legend. “If I’m being humble. Her life is one long argument for
Background photos courtesy of CBS Photo Archive, Getty Archive, Images, courtesy of CBS Photo photos Background Alamy. Press, Shutterstock.com, Associated Collection, Everett James Taylor embarking on something new, favoring the laugh over everything — and not just
by UnitedHealthcare | 13 “Life is about being positive. Being positive is a lot healthier than being negative.” —Carol Burnett
have the money. The man said, ‘Meet me at my office on Monday morning and I’ll write you a check for $1,000 on the condition that you pay me back within five years, help others achieve Burnett (center) with success should you make it big and The Carol Burnett Show costars Tim Conway and never reveal my name.’” Burnett Vicki Lawrence in 2011. doesn’t recall if it was raining when she met her benefactor, but either way, the chance meeting got her to New because it’s her job to be funny. “I’m for laughs, would remove her false York. (Amazingly, it wasn’t the first of course not alone in this quote, but teeth and give the kids a big grin. “I’ve time she had received a mysterious laughter truly is the best medicine. It read that a lot of comedy is tragedy donation. During her senior year releases endorphins.” She tells a story plus time,” she says. When Burnett of high school, someone put $50 in about Norman Cousins, the famous needed an escape, the youngster went an envelope and slipped it into her political journalist who claimed he to the movies. She loved musicals grandma’s mail slot — enough to cover conquered a crippling illness by especially — the way they blended her first year’s tuition at college.) laughing away the pain. “He’d watch song, dance and jokes into uplifting In New York, she set out to find Candid Camera from the hospital bed. spectacles. “My best friend and I work, going as far as renting out a He found if he laughed, nothing hurt.” would spend hours acting out our theater with other wannabes and Burnett learned a similar lesson favorite scenes in front of the mirror.” putting on a show for industry as an only child living with her Burnett eventually traded the bigwigs. That led to her television grandmother. She entertained mirror for the stage, studying theater at debut on The Paul Winchell Show herself with pranks, like the time UCLA. There, she found she was pretty in 1955, and from there she played she convinced a friend that she had good at channeling Sid Caesar and bit parts on sitcoms and in 1959 a twin sister by leaving the room and Lucille Ball, her comedic heroes. One landed on Broadway — finally! — in returning in a different outfit. And she night, after she performed a scene from Once Upon a Mattress. You can see came to see humor in the darkness. Annie, Get Your Gun in a student show, Burnett’s magic powers even in those Her father was also an alcoholic, but a man and his wife approached Burnett early performances: the flawless Burnett saw him as “a sweet guy, like a and complimented her acting. “He timing, the crazy voices, the ability drunk Jimmy Stewart.” Likewise, she asked about my future, and I told him to use her big, round eyes and elastic Photo by Photo by Vince Bucci/Invision/AP by Photo by Photo adored her eccentric grandma, who, I wanted to go to New York but didn’t face as a means to a comedic end. Archive / Trunk Robert by Trachtenberg Photo
14 | “I’m not funny. What I am is brave. ” —Lucille Ball (Left) Burnett accepts the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award from Tina Fey and Amy Poehler — the new generation of female comedians.
when she divorced her husband Joe, father of her three daughters. Not when she lost her oldest, Carrie, to lung and brain cancer in 2002. “Life is about being positive,” says Burnett, who remarried in 2001. “Being positive is a lot healthier than By the time her own show rolled glee in the film version of Annie. She being negative.” When you hear her around, Burnett was arguably the wrote a best-selling memoir and say it — with a note of whimsy, a most versatile performer on television continues to write books (her latest, little wink — it sounds like the best — though CBS initially balked at the In Such Good Company, recounts her advice you’ve ever heard. And that’s idea of a woman-run comedy-variety days on The Carol Burnett Show). In the power of Hurricane Carol: the show. “They told me variety shows her second act, she never forgot that smartest, funniest storm you’ve ever are a man’s game,” says Burnett. old “best medicine” proverb — not been caught in. • Luckily, her contract with the network had a clause that promised her 30 one-hour variety programs. The Carol Burnett Show not only proved Team Player executives wrong, it helped narrow Carol Burnett loves to collaborate. Here are a few of the stars TV’s gender gap. And it was a key part she’s worked with through the years. of the cultural fabric of the ’70s, a freewheeling clubhouse where guest stars like Lily Tomlin and The Jackson Lucille Ball Burnett was a lead in the 1959 Broadway smash Once Upon a Five popped in for a laugh. Mattress. After one of her performances, she got an unexpected visitor. “Lucy came When the show ended, Burnett backstage and said, ‘You were pretty good, kid.’ That’s the first time we met, and she embraced her open schedule. She was one of my heroes growing up. She said, ‘If you ever need anything, call.’” Burnett played Miss Hannigan with inebriated made that call, and six years later the two performed together on a CBS special.