F– Being Old: Motion is Lotion! Why is Physical Activity As We Age A Big Deal? By John A. Vardallas, Founder/CEO TheAmericanBoomeR.com Special Challenge for Boomers Golden Years
Lets Talk Healthy Eating In addition to keeping you moving and active, eating right is also a key factor in living a healthy lifestyle to the fullest as we age. The USDA (US Department of Agriculture) publishes Dietary Guidelines for Americans along with the National Institute on Aging. According to the Guidelines a healthy diet includes:
Baby Boomers will make up the largest population of retired Americans in history with the longest life expectancy. Boomers will be the most diverse group of retirees. They may be funding their children’s education, supporting adult children, and caring for elderly parents as well as continue working. It is for these reasons Boomers will be engaging in “Work-Tirement” to keep up with their financial needs.
To keep up with all this new Golden Years activity we boomers will have to do what we can to stay in shape! Regular exercise and physical activity are important to our physical and mental health. Being physically active can help you continue to do the things you enjoy and stay independent as you age. Having a regular physical routine can produce long term health benefits. There is consensus among health care experts that recommend older adults should be active daily for health maintenance.
Emphasis on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat free/ low fat milk products Lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts Low saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars. Balances the calories from food eating and beverages with calories burned through physical activities to maintain a healthy weight.
The basic message here is eat right, less of and increase your activity. I can attest to this after researching the 5 Blue Zones of the World where the highest percentage of inhabitants live to be 100. One of the key characteristics from these areas is all enjoyed active and social lifestyles as well as healthy smaller diets.
Another case (and a big one for me being a Board Member of my state ALZ Association) for living a healthy lifestyle is the recent report from the Alzheimer s Association that In addition, regular exercise can reduce the risk of one-third of cases of dementia worldwide could developing some chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart potentially be prevented through better management of disease and arthritis. Exercise is also shown to help people with high blood pressure, balancing and difficulty walking. So lifestyle factors such as smoking, hypertension, depression, and hearing loss over the course of a lifetime. shaking your booty every day is a good thing! The good news is you don’t have to join Gold's Gym, prep for a marathon run or set up a formal routine to get moving. There are so many ways to get going—taking a brisk walk, raking leaves, gardening, mowing the lawn, bike riding or taking the stairs when you can, or cruising the mall and your local grocery store are just a few examples of increasing your weekly activity.
As we boomers world-wide age, dementia is the greatest global challenge for health and social care in the 21st century. And one way to help reduce risk factors is healthy life style choices regarding diet and body activity.
So Keep On-Keep On Truckin’ Boomers! We are age disruptors because we want to stay engaged with our family, friends and activities as well as maintain Small increases in muscle strength (light free weight our independence. Its usage) will also make a difference in your ability to stay never too late to independent and carry out your routine activities. start! Keep moving forward and Keep Keeping flexible doing stretching and yoga can also keep you Going! loose and limber feeling. 22 Today’s BoomeR