Nutrition - Is There 'Life' After 50?

“The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor.” - Chinese Proverb

In this second part of our series on Life over 50 - Neglect we look at the issues dealing with Nutrition.

N - NUTRITION
E - Exercise
G - General
H - Health
L - Longevity
E - Energy
C - Confidence
T - Time

Most of us have been there. We can remember that time in our lives when we could eat pretty much what we liked, when we liked without much consideration to the ʻqualityʼ of the food or the amount. Ah, one of the many joys of youth! Well, I suppose we knew back then that at some time our nutritional neglect would catch up with us. But what the heck we could get away with it.

Well, now that we find ourselves on the other end of that equation we have to face up to reality. Our waistline is definitely expanding and our get up and go got up and went. Weʼre certainly now taking more interest in the news we often hear associated with poor nutrition and health risks; heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis and many more. What we need to realize though is that while age surely plays a roll in this we cannot use it as an excuse. This is completely reversible.

So what can we do and how do we go about it? Firstly we have to realize that with age our nutritional needs change. In fact in 1998 The American Dietetic Association released a ʻmodifiedʼ nutritional pyramid based on the unique needs of men and women 50 years and older. It has a narrower base indicating a reduced need for calories in our diets. It also has as itʼs base water indicating the need for all of us to drink more fluid daily. Especially since, as we age, our sense of thirst diminishes. Veggies (3-5 servings pd) and Fruit (2-4 servings pd) are also emphasized to raise the amount of fiber in the diet. This aids in the sensation of fullness when trying to restrict calories. Reducing saturated fats, moving to complex carbohydrates from simple sugars and eliminating white grain products for whole grain will greatly reduce the risks factors mentioned earlier.

Additionally the problem of osteoporosis is addressed. According to Frances Largeman writing for Discovery Health, “Women start losing calcium from their bones at the ripe old age of 30.....yet 9 out of 10 women over 30 consume only half the recommended amount of calcium each day”. Typical needs for women 50 yrs old are 1200mgs per day along with Vitamin D (600IUʼs) both to assist with calcium absorption and other things such as reduction in inflammation and good immune function. Vitamin B12 needs increase to help with cognitive function and memory.

With respect to weight management so much is made of dieting these days. Hardly a week goes by without some new wonder diet that will answer your prayers. If the real goal, as we age, is to lower our weight and maintain it in a reasonable range then most diets will fail you. We have to deal with real food available every day, set realistic goals for weight loss and be prepared to make small, consistent changes over a long period. I know you, stuff youʼve likely heard before many times. The problem is that this kind of advise is not ʻsexyʼ and exciting stuff to hear....and you donʼt lose 5lbs the first week! But it is the stuff that works. You need a plan, a strategy that assists you in making those changes. When we begin working with our clients our approach begins with homework that requires them to make 3 - 5 simple daily changes in their diet. These small changes can typically eliminate 300 - 500 calories per day and with addition of exercise we can slowly start to redress that imbalance that has been building for years.

Realistic goals. Small, consistent changes over a long period.

Is There 'Life' After 50?

“ If I knew I was going to live this long I’d have taken better care of myself.”   --  Micky Mantle

Like many of us, while in my 20’s and 30’s reaching the age of 50 seemed so distant and abstract I didn’t give it a thought. When I hit my 40’s, I still didn’t pay it much attention. After all, I was still very active and doing all the things I wanted to without a worry. But then it arrived, and all I could think was “how the heck did I get to 50 so fast?” I was in disbelief. I understand now, that my shock and disbelief is exactly why marketing companies aim their ads towards a population approximately 10 years younger than their target audience...we all think of ourselves as younger than we are!

There is no doubt however that at around this age I started to notice that things weren’t working as well as they used to and those early morning aches became a more frequent companion. So, while I didn’t believe I was 50 my body was telling me another story....and as a personal trainer I was someone who moved my body constantly!

The latest life expectancy figures tell us that we are likely to live until the age of 78, up 8 years since 1967 and 24 years since 1915. Some leading researchers believe that within 50 years that average will be 100. James Vaupel, in a recent article in the journal Nature, said, “deterioration, instead of being stretched out, is being postponed”. Good news indeed, but the point is that while age is to some extent a “state of mind” as we move into middle age and beyond our bodies and minds do begin to deteriorate slowly. As I constantly remind my clients however, at this stage of our lives the deterioration that we typically attribute to the process of aging is more related to disuse and neglect. As we’ve moved from college to work to families most of us have struggled in some part to stay as active as we should have or wanted to and no longer can we simply rely on youth to keep those abs tight and that brain sharp. The cold, harsh reality is that if we haven’t been doing so already, we in middle age have to start working hard to keep those things where we want them. The good news is that we can...and we must!

A functional life is a full life and for us to continue to function fully as we age, we have to address all aspects of that disuse and neglect mentioned earlier. It may be a cliché but by exercising, eating well and dealing better with the stresses in our life we can not only add years to our life but add life to our years. In the following weeks, I will be writing about these issues using the acronym N.E.G.L.E.C.T. Each piece will cover a different aspect of wellness as it relates to the aging process.

N- Nutrition

E- Exercise

G – General Health

L – Longevity

E – Energy 

C – Confidence

T – Time

So before those next few years pass by, we can all in one way or another make a start to reverse that disuse and neglect. Hopefully, the information that follows in the coming weeks will help you on your journey to live a fully functional life.