Longevity - Is There Life After 50?

“Mere longevity is a good thing for those who watch Life from the sidelines. For those who play the game, an hour may be a year, a single day's work an achievement for eternity”
- Helen Hayes - stage & film actress 

Concord, MA - January 9th, 2012 - In this fifth part of our series on Life over 50 - Neglect we look at the issues dealing with Longevity. 

N - utrition
E - xercise
G - eneral Health 
L - ONGEVITY 
E - nergy
C - onfidence
T – ime 

Ahh, longevity. The golden grail for all of us. Living a long life is just about everyone's goal...assuming that we're reasonably happy with our 'lot' in life to begin with. It occurs to me that the older I get the more I'm preoccupied with stretching out that time line. Makes sense right? But wait a minute; is it just about hanging on for dear life? Well, if you've been reading my previous contributions you'd know the answer to that question. Quite clearly this is a two part answer. 

We've been looking over the past several months at the challenges facing us as we sail past 50 into the 'new middle age'. We started by talking about what I call the 'nitty gritty of staying healthy; nutrition and exercise. We looked at nutrition and how we need to modify our food pyramid. To begin to get a tighter control over calories, start to increase our veggies and fruits to raise fiber intake, drink more fluids and supplement more specifically to our shifting needs. Some longevity studies done by the National Institute on Aging have shown that caloric restriction diets (25% reduction or more) can lead to increased longevity. We also talked about how we can become more active by understanding who you are as an exerciser, moving onto where to start and then how to build and maintain your program. The take away point from this with respect to longevity is that the biggest improvements in health gains from exercise were in those people who moved out of the sedentary group into the active group. The worse shape you are in, the quicker you will see results and the more you have to gain! 

In our 4th installment looking at 'general health' we looked at how important it is to become proactive with our health by getting more regular and more thorough screenings and check-ups. I listed several websites to visit for a complete list of things to check but one other website you might find interesting is; http://www.realage.com. Take the real age test to see how your physical age might differ from your actual age. 28 million people have so far and it's a good resource for helping to make positive lifestyle changes. 

Moving beyond the 'cornerstones' of health as I referred to them we introduced the idea of a larger model of health we often call Wellness. Beginning to think in terms of wellness rather

than fitness and good nutrition links us back to that question of, 'being happy with our 'lot' in life'. These other dimensions, first expressed as a whole By Dr. Bill Hettler include Emotional, Occupational, Physical, Spiritual, Intellectual and Social health and are all interdependent and get us back to our original reason for today's contribution, longevity. We can see that living a long life is not just about taking care of the physical it is also about reevaluating our health as it relates to our work, home, family and friends and intellectual pursuits. Geriatric psychiatrist Dr. Charles Reynolds refers to this as, "active aging". According to Alina Tugend, writing in the Atlantic, "...people who maintain connections to others--whether through family, friends or work --remain healthier in old age.
So, continue to work on good exercise and nutrition but don't forget to stay in touch with that old college friend, sign up for that evening course and leave a little time for that charity you've been meaning to support.

General Health - Is There Life After 50?

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity”
- World Health Organization 

Concord, MA – December12th, 2011- In this fourth part of our series on Life over 50 - Neglect we look at the issues dealing with General Health. 

N - utrition
E - xercise
G – ENERAL HEALTH 
L - ongevity
E - nergy
C - onfidence
T – ime 

So, until now we’ve been talking about the ‘nitty gritty’ of staying healthy...exercise and nutrition. As mentioned previously these are perhaps the two most important areas we should be focusing on as we move into our 50’s and beyond. We’ve got to get our bodies moving in a consistent, structured and methodical way. We often hear people say, ‘I’m controlling what I can and trying not to worry about the rest’, and in truth I’ve said that to myself and to my clients.

But is that the right perspective? Health researchers often refer to our middle years as, ‘the age of silent change’. In other words we are reaching that stage of our lives where underlying issues, whether through lifestyle choices made over many years or just genetic misfortune, can begin to manifest them selves. It is no coincidence that women are advised to get mammograms after the age of 40 and men and women to get colonoscopies after 50. So, do we need to worry about, ‘what we can’t control?’ Well, yes. And to some extent we can control it by being proactive and getting ourselves checked out regularly. While we may not be able to make amends for what we have or haven’t done for the last 30 – 50 years we can take stock of where we are and move forward from there. Annual medical check-ups are a must and for a complete list of the things you should be checking on you can visit; http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/women50.htm for women, and http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/healthymen.htm for men. 

Of course, no one doubts that exercise and good nutrition are the ’cornerstones’ of staying well and that we should monitor our health regularly. But in truth they are components of a larger model of health we often refer to as Wellness and at our stage of life perhaps one we should be more cognizant of. In 1976 Dr. Bill Hettler introduced the 6 dimensions of Wellness Model. This model incorporates the idea that wellness depends on Emotional, Occupational, Physical, Spiritual, Intellectual and Social health and that they are all interdependent. While we intuitively know what makes us ‘well’ it is an interesting exercise to review the model to see where we might ‘optimize’ the way we are living. Reviewing ‘the plan’ once in a while is never a bad thing! More info about this model can be found at http://www.nationalwellness.org. The idea that the physical dimension is just one aspect of this overall idea of Wellness helps to give us some perspective on what, particularly at this age, we need to be aware of. And that is living a healthy life in every respect. 

Perhaps this takes us all a little too far away from just an occasional series of articles based on taking caring of ourselves after the age of 50, but the value in considering this more holistic approach to our wellbeing I think fits well into where we are at this point in our lives. Many of us are well established in our careers and perhaps thinking of that ‘second’ career. Some of us coming to terms with kids leaving or having left the nest and having maybe more time to ‘give back’ to our community or pursue some other deferred goals. We also are perhaps dealing with aging parents and the stress that that brings. It is a time of life with many changes and challenges. Our ‘wellness’ will determine how we deal with those challenges. We owe it to ourselves to be as prepared as possible.

Exercise - Is There Life After 50?

“We do not stop exercising because we grow old; we grow old because we stop exercising” - Dr. Ken Cooper - Cooper Institute 

Concord, MA - November 11th, 2011- In this third part of our series on Life over 50 - Neglect we look at the issues dealing with Exercise. 

N - utrition
E - XERCISE
G - eneral Health L - ongevity
E - nergy
C - onfidence
T – ime 

Much has been made over the years about the search for The Fountain of Youth. According to legend Ponce de Leon thought he'd found it in Florida in 1513. Others believe it existed in the waters of the mythical Bimini. Well I have good news. You don't have to go to Florida or Bimini. It's much closer to home and it's wherever you are. It's called Exercise. Ok, so maybe that's not much of a revelation, but I'd be willing to bet that a part of you already knows it and believes it. 

It's hard to avoid these days. We're inundated with great information about how exercise can help with heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, depression, osteoporosis, cognitive function, sleep. I could go on! The question for most of us is, "If I know exercise is so good for me, why is it such a struggle to do it?" The answer to that question is hard because how we pursue exercise will be different for us all. The whys/how’s/whens/where are unique to you only. So, what follows is a somewhat broad outline of how you might go about beginning, building and maintaining an exercise routine that fits your life for the rest of your life. 

Understand who you are! Is your commitment high or low for starting your exercise? If low, then maybe you need to begin with a trainer to overcome that initial inertia we all go through when beginning. Very often when working with clients, by about the 4th or 5th session the motivation rises as the client begins to feel the benefits. If your motivation is high maybe your local gym would be a good place to start where you have all the facilities but the attention might be a little more low key. Do you tend to be more internally motivated versus externally? I have always been a 'carrot and stick' kind of exerciser. I set goals for myself and some of my clients throughout the year that require us to meet particular workout objectives. Some of my other clients are motivated to exercise daily because of the energy and 'high' they get from it throughout the day. Also, can you work out at home or do you need to 'get away' from familiar surroundings that might make it difficult to 'carve' out that time for yourself? Are you an early morning person or do you feel better exercising later in the day? Both have benefits but which one suits you? Are you social and need a buddy/group environment or not? What is your budget and what arrangement (home vs. club vs. trainer) holds the most value for you? Very often we will have clients who have us create their program and then take it home where they do the work and perhaps once a month we meet to review and re-challenge. 

Where do you start? This is the $64,000 question and will require an understanding of where you are and where you want to go. You've heard the advice before.....consult a physician before you embark upon an exercise program. This is sensible and necessary and answers the 'where you are' part. Where you want to go will depend on the goals you have for yourself whether they are for general fitness/health or to accomplish some specific task/event. Within the past year for example I have had one client who was able to finally stop taking his blood pressure medication and another who at 70+ years of age climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

Make a plan and start slowly. Very often this is where a trainer can help you to plot out the steps and implement your plan. Your plan should include a combination of Aerobic, Strength and Flexibility exercises. Start slowly and build this into your life! Perhaps you might find that devoting 30 minutes a day fits easier into your life than 3 to 4 x 60 minutes workouts per week. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends building up to a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, a minimum of 2 sessions of strength training involving a mix of 12 to 14 moderate and vigorous exercises and at least 2 days a week of stretching exercises. If you haven't exercised in a while then you should expect that it will take a while to build up to this and achieve your goals. Take small 'bites'. Even 10 minutes a day is a good start when before you were doing nothing. In fact the worse shape you are in, the quicker you will see results and the more you have to gain. What a deal! Also, initially fitting this into your routine will be hard but get easier with time. The old adage about success in life requiring showing up certainly applies here. I often joke with my clients that the hardest part of their workout is walking through my door! 

Building and maintaining your routine. So you've started and you're beginning to feel the benefits. What next? Well, understand that your exercise 'journey' is just that....a journey with twists and turns. If we use the analogy of our 'journey' you will need to understand that there will be stops along the way for various reasons: we get sick, go away on vacation/business and can't exercise, our kids get sick....something always comes up. Expect that this will happen and it's ok. Never beat yourself up about time lost from your routine. That will only create a bigger block to resuming. Whenever you've had a break long or short, back down and DO NOT expect to jump right back in to your full routine. My first workout after any significant break is 15 minutes long and I build slowly from there!
Within a few weeks of doing your routine your body begins to adapt to the 'stresses' you’ve been placing on it and it might be time to change things up. This is where a professional might help. You will need to expand and change your 'repertoire' of exercises as you move forward so that each workout has a different 'hit' to the body and continues to meet your needs. Try new things. Both within your workout and outside. Your new fitness and strength should allow you to consider activities that perhaps you thought you'd never do again. This, in turn is what will encourage you to stay with your routine. 

As you move along your exercise path it is good thing to review your goals from time to time. Nothing stays constant. This reminds me of a time about 10 years ago when I had just started

working with a small group of women. One of the first things they told me when we began was, "we don't run!". Well, 2 years later they all finished the Boston Marathon for Dana Farber. Exercise truly does open up paths to new possibilities and we age there is no reason, other than a little planning, commitment and change in lifestyle, not to embark on that journey yourself. Why don't you start yours today?