grow older better

Tag: ageing

  • Your Aging Brain and Scams

    brainIt turns out that as we age, some brain changes seem to make it more difficult to assess untrustworthiness.

    It turns out that older people have less activity in a part of the brain called the anterior insula.

    A study on brains and scams indicates that:

    One of the functions of this area of the brain is that it helps interpret sensations in the body that form “gut feelings,” according to lead author Elizabeth Castle.

     [This part of our brain is sort of behind the green section in the image]

    This may account for older persons being more prone to believing scam artists.

    Email scams, telephone ploys and door-to-door scam artists are taking advantage of older citizens and taking off with large amounts of money.

    The scammers seem to know this and older people are being targeted more and more..

    So if you are getting older, or know people who are older – PLEASE tell them to say NO or “let me think about it” when asked for money, car rides, or approached by strangers to do “house repairs.”

     

    Thoughts? Comments? Thank you. 

  • Boomers: No Longer The Healthiest Generation

    boomer couch potato

    Baby boomer?

    Better watch that lifestyle!

     

    Wow – for years the thinking was that the exercise-conscious generation, who ate organic food and who tended to not smoke, were healthier than past generations.

     

    But no – boomers are unhealthier!!

    Never mind the fact that Baby boomers have been dubbed the Healthiest Generation, since they have the longest life expectancy of any previous generation, and that  they were able to exploit advances in medical care and reap the benefits of public health campaigns highlighting the dangers of smoking and unhealthy diets. That moniker may simply no longer apply, since it turns out that they have higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol than members of the previous generation

     

    This is a far different version of where we are going as a culture then we previously thought.  Will we, the older-than-boomers stay healthy enough to help take care of the generation after us? 

    Will their kids also be unhealthy?

    Our national obesity levels indicate that today’s children may not live as long as did their parents.  We are in fact shortening their lifespans!  

    And now we see it is creating potential disabilities in the boomer generation.

    Where does this all lead in terms of aging?  public policy?  health guidelines?

    I don’t know – but it shows boomers and the rest of us all need to make BIG changes to get and keep being as healthy as we can….

    I am a believer in the idea that anyone can make changes at any time in their  lives.  

    BUT – the time to start is

    RIGHT NOW

    obesity and belly fat

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Comments? Thank you!

  • Learning The Hard Way – Again

    hibernating

     

    Are you a winter hibernator?

    I am – and it is not a good thing for our bodies.

     

    [Maybe bears can do it –I can’t.]

    In the winter, I tend to just take walks and do some stretching to keep my hamstrings flexible – but otherwise I kind of become someone who sits too much – and as we know, that is not good for a body.

    As we get older, it seems we need to keep all parts in flexible working order and to do that, we cannot hibernate!

    downward dog poseI re-learned this recently when I started back into doing yoga! 

    I had lost a real lot of my flexibility – and could not easily [or even] do much of what was so easy before I hibernated!!

     

     

     

     

    The obvious moral of the story is that we all need to do a variety of exercising to stay flexible – and as we age, it seems we cannot take off for a long period of time without it having a major impact.

    OUCH!

     

    Comments? Thoughts? Thank you…..

     

     

  • Do You Do X Or Have Y? Then We Have A Pill For You!

     money and meds - big pharma

    I am getting very tired of the ads on TV that make you think that normal bodily functions are now ailments that need pills…

     

     

     

    Personally:

    • I urinate a lot.
    • I have always urinated a lot.
    • I will always urinate a lot

    Do I think it’s a problem? Of course not.

    It’s my body and it’s the way my body functions.

    Would I take a pill because somebody thinks this is a problem?  Of course not.

    There is an ad about urination with the woman helping her daughter  try on a wedding gown and it seems like the daughter is miffed with the mother – and the mother is embarrassed – why?

    Because the mother has to go to the bathroom instead of giving her undivided attention to her daughter! 

    Well Duh!  Doesn’t that now grown up child know about her mother’s frequent urination?

    My kid did – and it was a family a joke.

    In fact, it’s been a joke with my friends and everyone as car back as I can remember.

    I was always known as the friend, in New York City, who knew where all the bathrooms were – c’mon I mean that’s an honor.

    When camping, I could always find the outhouses in campgrounds – in the dark too.

    And I have no problems peeing behind bushes, etc. when hiking, skiing, or whatever I am doing.

    If that daughter and that mother were having a problem now, when the daughter is an adult, I do wonder about the parent-child relationship and the fact that this was never discussed.

    The next ad that sent me screaming at the television set was one where the question was raised “do you have a lot of tissues in your pocket?”

    Again – duh! Of course I do! Noses run! That’s what noses do!

    But – guess what? You need a pill.

    Why would I want to take a pill to stop my nose from running or to stop urinating and when those are normal activities?

    And why on earth would I want to take a pill when they tell me about all the possible side effects the pill will create?

    Sadly, all these pills are designed only to make gobs of money for the pharmaceutical companies.

    And – if you get sick from the pill that stops up your nose or stops you from peeing?

    Well – guess what? We have pills for that too!

    Thoughts?  Comments? Thank you!

     

  • Happy New Year; Happy New Puppy

    Tova meets the outdoor plants

    As a start to my new year –

    I have a new puppy!

     

    So happy new year to all of you and a hope-it’s-not-a-very-tiring new year to me 

    It’s been almost 22 years since I had a new puppy.

    That’s when my son was 13 and it was a birthday present for him so I not only had him to help me take care of a dog I also had another older dog who acted as a mentor. 

    This is a new thing for me.

    • I am 22 years older
    • With a new puppy
    • in Portland [it rains a lot]
    • In a floating home 

    I won’t bore you with puppy pictures and puppy tales all the time-  but I will occasionally post things about how having a new puppy is both a good idea for someone who is aging and also some of the pitfalls – like it’s hard to do some things and this will be a constant until we mesh schedules [which will happen soon as she is so smart]

    Meet Tova!! My 2 month old yellow lab…..