Age Is Just A Number

oday’s post will be more uplifting than the last! There is a common theme when it comes to aging healthy. Nothing that is recommended in today’s post is unattainable. Most will only have you make minor changes to see an improvement in your body and mental health. Once again, if you think you are having abnormal symptoms or have questions about your health, seek a medical professional’s advice.

Memory and Thinking

• Include physical activity in your daily routine

  • Increases blood flow to the whole body, including your brain

  • Studies suggest regular exercise is associated with better brain function and reduces stress and depression – factors that affect memory

• Eat a healthy diet

  • Heart-healthy diet may benefit your brain

  • Focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains

  • Choose low-fat protein sources: fish, lean meat, and skinless poultry

  • Too much alcohol can lead to confusion and memory loss

• Stay mentally active

  • Read, play word games, take up a new hobby, take classes, learn to play an instrument, or learn a new language

• Be social

  • Social interaction helps ward off depression and stress

  • Volunteer at a local school or nonprofit, spend time with family and friends, or attend social events

  • Zoom, Google meets, or Portal with friends and family during social distancing

  • Porch hang outs while maintaining social distancing

  • Going for walks or bike rides with friends

• Treat cardiovascular disease

  • Follow your doctor’s recommendations to manage cardiovascular risk factors – high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes – may increase the risk of cognitive decline

• Quit smoking

Eyes and Ears

• Schedule regular checkups

  • Follow your doctor’s advice about glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids and other corrective devices

• Take precautions

  • Wear sunglasses or a wide-brimmed hat when outdoors

  • Use earplugs when you are around loud machinery or other loud noises

Skin

• Be gentle

  • Bathe or shower in warm, not hot, water

  • Use mild soap and moisturizer

• Take precautions

  • When outdoors, use sunscreen and wear protective clothing

  • Check skin regularly and report any changes to your doctor

• Don’t smoke

  • Smoking contributes to skin damage, such as wrinkling

Weight

• Include physical activity in your daily routine

  • Regular, moderate physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight

• Eat a healthy diet

  • Choose vegetables, fruits, whole grains, high-fiber foods and lean sources of protein, such as fish

  • Limit sugar and foods high in saturated fats

• Watch your portion sizes

Cardiovascular System

• Include physical activity in your daily routine

  • Try walking, swimming, or other activities you enjoy

  • Regular, moderate physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower your heart disease risk

• Eat a heart healthy diet

  • Choose vegetables, fruits, whole grains, high-fiber foods, and lean sources of protein, such as fish

  • Limit foods high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt

• Don’t smoke

  • Smoking contributes to the hardening of your arteries

  • Increases your blood pressure and heart rate

• Manage stress

  • Stress can take a toll on your heart

  • Take steps to reduce your stress, such as meditation, exercise or talk therapy

• Get enough sleep

  • Quality sleep plays an important role in the healing and repair of the heart and blood vessels

  • Everyone needs different amounts of sleep. The recommended amount is 7-9 hours a night

Digestive System

• Stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water

• Limit fats in your diet and maintain a healthy body weight

• Load your diet with fiber

• To prevent constipation

  • Eat a healthy diet

    • High fiber foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains

    • Limit high-fat meals, dairy products and sweets

    • Drink plenty of water and other fluids

• Include physical activity in your daily routine

  • Regular physical activity can help prevent constipation

• Don’t ignore the urge to have a bowel movement

  • Holding in a bowel movement for too long can cause constipation

Bladder and Urinary Tract

To promote bladder and urinary track health

• Go to the toilet regularly

  • Consider urinating on a regular schedule, such as every hour

  • Slowly extend the amount of time between toilet trips

• Maintain a healthy weight

• Don’t smoke

• Do Kegel exercises to exercise your pelvic floor muscles

  • “Lift the elevator up” (same muscle contraction you do when you stop your urine flow) DO NOT DO THIS EXERCISE WHILE ACTIVELY URINATING.

  • Hold for 3 seconds at a time, then relax for a count of 3

  • Hold for 10 seconds at a time, then relax for a count of 10

  • Try not to exceed 100 a day

• Avoid bladder irritants

  • Caffeine, acidic foods, alcohol and carbonated beverages

• Avoid constipation

  • Eat more fiber

Bone, Joints, and Muscles

• Get adequate amounts of calcium

  • Recommendation is at least 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium daily for adults

  • Increases to 1,200 mg daily for women age 51 and older, and men 71 and older

  • Dietary sources of calcium include:

    • Dairy products

    • Broccoli

    • Kale

    • Salmon

    • Tofu

• Get adequate amounts of Vitamin D

  • Recommended daily intake is 600 international units (IU) for adults up to age 70 and 800 IU for adults over 70

  • Most meet their recommendation of Vitamin D from the sunlight

  • Other sources include

    • Tuna

    • Salmon

    • Eggs

    • Vitamin D-fortified milk

    • Vitamin D supplements

• Include physical activity in your daily routine

  • Weight-bearing exercises can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss

    • Walking

    • Jogging

    • Tennis

    • Climbing stairs

    • Weight training

• Moderate exercise program can help maintain strength, balance, and flexibility

• Avoid substance abuse

  • Avoid smoking and limit alcoholic drinks

The three most common topics that came up were healthy diet, physical activity, and avoid smoking. These recommendations are meant to be gradually added into your daily routine. It takes some time to make them a habit then it won’t seem like so much work. Just choose one thing a week to improve and it won’t be as overwhelming. Remember age is just a number, it’s all about how you feel! You can refer back to my previous posts regarding strengthening and stretching exercises to add into your daily routine.

Disclaimer: I am in no way diagnosing anyone, if you have persistent pain you need to call your local physical therapist and schedule an appointment.