By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Scottish-born Gillian McKeith is best known for motivating people to get fit and eat healthy on her British television show and through her top-selling books.

The London-based nutritionist, who takes a holistic approach to health and wellbeing, has now gone a step further with her “You Are What You Eat Cookbook” of 150 recipes, which she says are quick and easy to prepare and promote her approach to healthy eating and living.

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Unemployment, poverty and social injustice are the top global concerns and most people think their country is heading in the wrong direction, according to a new poll.

The Ipsos/Reuters survey of 18,676 adults in 24 nations in Asia, Africa, Europe and North and South America also showed that only a third of global citizens are ‘satisfied’ with the way things are going in their own country.

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – If you are looking to boost your career and get a promotion, January is the best month of the year in many countries to get it.

An analysis of data on the professional networking site LinkedIn showed January, June and July are the top months for professionals to move up the corporate ladder within their companies in the U.S.

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Baby boomers are the generation that fought for women’s liberation and civil rights and turned 50 into the new 30, but they aren’t as optimistic about the prospects for their own retirement.

As the oldest of the boomers turn 65 this year, more than half believe they will be less comfortable in retirement than the generation that preceded them, according to a new survey.

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Baby boomers are the generation that fought for women’s liberation and civil rights and turned 50 into the new 30, but they aren’t as optimistic about the prospects for their own retirement.

As the oldest of the boomers turn 65 this year, more than half believe they will be less comfortable in retirement than the generation that preceded them, according to a new survey.

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Jessica Harper is an actress, writer, singer, songwriter and now the author of a new cookbook for people who don’t always experience the joy of cooking.

With more than 100 simple recipes as well as comical recollections of the frustrations of cooking several times a day for a picky, not always appreciative family of four for 20 years, Harper’s “The Crabby Cook Cookbook” is a type of survival guide for anyone who has to feed a family with different likes, dislikes and dietary requirements.

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Up to 16 million people are expected to take cruises this year, an increase of 6.6 percent over 2010, with Europe, the Caribbean and Alaska among the top destinations.

“We are very bullish about 2011,” Bob Sharak, of the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA), told a press conference. “The cruise industry has been extremely resilient, particularly during the latest economic downturn.”

NEW YORK (Reuters) – News organizations had the most influence on the top Twitter topics in 2010 but some celebrities were not far behind, according to new research.

Alok Choudhary, the chair of the electrical engineering and computer science department at Northwestern University in Illinois, and his team analyzed the biggest trends on Twitter last year.

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – If living without pasta and bread, or giving up cheese and bacon make losing weight difficult, the latest diet books may provide some incentive to drop that added holiday weight.

Instead of deprivation, restricting food groups or counting calories, new weight loss plans offer different approaches to slimming without feeling hungry.

By Patricia Reaney

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Baby boomers planning to retire and move house could be heading to Florida, which has eight of the 10 most popular cities for U.S. seniors, according to a new poll.

Not all of the 3 million Americans who will turn 65 next year will be moving, but those who do will most likely chose warm cities such as Bradenton-Sarasota in Florida, which was voted the most popular city in the U.S. for retirement.