grow older better

Tag: exercise

  • You Will Likely Live to 90

    What will you do with all the extra years?

    older_woman_at_computer

    Right now there are nearly 2 million people in the USA who are in their 90s and it is projected that by 2050 three will be 9 million of us over 90.

    What will the extra years be like for us?

    Many "seniors" are already worried about outliving their incomes and  adding more years to their lives may add more expenses but not necessarily more income.

    Living into one's 90's or 100's is no longer the stuff of legends 

    • it is happening to us
    • and happening right now
    • and will continue to happen

    Will you just grow old?

    Or grow older better by:

    Eating well

    Exercising

    Taking supplements [but make sure they are not made from rocks and petroleum]

    Being social

    Hanging out with friends on your computer

    Continuing to work [by finding a new career] – even if you don't need the  money

    Playing


    SMILING!!

     

    Thoughts? Comments?


     

  • Watch TV; Shorten Your Life?

     I write about the benefits of exercise and have a blog about being healthy – and here is a study that may just be part of the formula as to why we have an obesity epidemic and don't get enough exercise.

    The amount of TV viewed in Australia in 2008 was associated with reduced life expectancy by 1.8 years for men and 1.5 years for women. The authors suggest that every hour of TV viewed after the age of 25 reduces the viewer's life expectancy.

    The following study concluded that:

    Viewing time may be associated with a loss of life that is comparable to other major chronic disease risk factors such as physical inactivity and obesity.

    Read more about TV and life expectancy.

     

    Comments? Thoughts? Thank you.

  • Got 15 Minutes? Get Started on Your Exercising!

    biking-along-the-Columbia

     

    I know – exercise is the last thing on your to-do list and the first thing that gets brushed aside when you are "too busy" or "too stressed" or "too too…"

    I admit that I get this way as well. But then I get back into exercising and I feel better, am less stressed and SURPRISE – I can get more work done and in less time!!

    We are "supposed to" exercise at least 30 minutes a day and that is difficult for some when they are just getting started thinking about exercising.

    "Find another block of 30 minutes? You gotta be kidding."

    Well no – you don't need that block of time. Sometimes 3 ten-minute segments is just as good – or – even less is good.  A new study in Asia found that:

    …those who exercised just 15 minutes a day — or 90 minutes a week — cut their risk of death by 14 percent and extended their life expectancy by three years compared with those who did no exercise. Both men and women benefited equally from the minimum activity.

    Article about 15 minutes of daily exercise

    Adding more minutes to that 15 was beneficial. But 15 was good in and of itself.

    So  – no more excuses! You can find 15 minutes! And you may find you are enjoying your day more because you are active for that time.

     

    Thoughts? Thank you for your comments.

  • Shoes for Your Walking

    5fingers and nasturtiums

    Vibram fivefingers with nasturtiums►

     

    I love my fivefingers!

    A shoe that I don't kick off the minute I am inside.

    I almost never  rave about shoes but I love them so much I even wrote a review for REI [where I bought them.]

    Shoe shopping and I have a love/hate relationship. I know we need shoes but the process of my getting them is no fun so I do it as infrequently as is possible.

    My feet are not structured like the manufacturers think all women's feet should be made and I've learned to buy men's shoes –  but that tends to work only for sandals and running shoes. When I need to get "dressed up" I am stuck with uncomfortable shoes.

    Anyway – these are comfy and not too many people think they are odd. But remember  I  live in Portland where one motto is: Keep Portland Weird.

    If you don't go barefoot a lot of the time, these may take some getting used to. But if you do yoga and have learned to separate your toes [like you did as a kid] then these will not feel odd.

    They are much the same a walking barefoot and you feel the gravel and rocks underfoot – but they don't puncture the shoe or your foot. I wear them walking and running and found when running, I needed to adjust what I was doing ever so slightly. 

    Vibram keeps coming out with new styles and so for next winter I shall get a pair that are a bit more water resistance and also some finger socks!

    **********

    And for those who like shoes without flowers, here is another picture:)

    fivefingers

    Go ahead and try a pair, it's like being a kid all over again!!

    Age in style!

    Comments?  Questions?

  • Walking for brain fitness

    walking-good-for-brains

    WALK!!

    A  study found that walking isn't just great for weight loss or for just plain old exercise –

    it's great for your memory too!

    …researchers randomly assigned 120 healthy but sedentary men and women (average age mid-60s) to one of two exercise groups. One group walked around a track three times a week, building up to 40 minutes at a stretch; the other did a variety of less aerobic exercises, including yoga and resistance training with bands.

    After a year, brain scans showed that among the walkers, the hippocampus had increased in volume by about 2 percent on average; in the others, it had declined by about 1.4 percent.

    Your hippocampus is a part of the brain that is important for memory formation and normally it starts to atrophy around age 55 or 60. 

    The fact that  it actually increased is pretty amazing..

    It makes me want to go out and walk every day…

    Join me?

     

    Comments? thoughts?