HOW TO AGE WELL

I can give you very easy advice to follow that will ensure that you have a better quality of life for the entire rest of your life.

Typically as we age, a number of things happen:
  • We sit more.
  • We get stiff, especially our legs and back.
  • It becomes more difficult to walk.
  • Our balance and coordination deteriorate.
  • We have falls.
  • We lose function with our eyes, ears and our mental ability.
  • We develop chronic conditions like arthritis, neuropathy and back problems that result in disorders such as sciatica.

These effects are so common that most of us think they are a natural part of the aging process. In fact, these things only occur if you do nothing about it. The effects of each of these problems is reversible.
The role that inactivity plays: Believe it or not, most of the pain, suffering and difficulties we encounter as we get older have to do with one thing: We become less active. Inactivity is as bad for your health as smoking or obesity. (For example, every hour of extended sitting reduces blood flow to the feet by as much as 50%. That effect is reversed if we move for 5 minutes out of that hour.) We have an epidemic of inactivity in this country. The pattern often takes root if we have had a fall. We think that falls are a natural part of aging and that becoming less and less active is too. We have become hardened to the idea that after a certain point, life is all downhill. This behavior is based upon myth, not fact.
If you feel stiff getting up off of the sofa,
it's not because you are getting old, it's because you sat too long.

There is one thing that can reverse the effects of aging,
AND IT IS FREE!

Exercise is the elixir.

Here's the advice. Do these simple things each day and your senior years will be so much more enjoyable. This is a primer on what I have found are the most effective of all fitness recommendations for those older.

  • Each morning circle your ankles and flex and point your feet.
  • Stretch the back of your legs every day.
  • Do my knee and lower back exercises (links below).
  • Practice deep breathing when you feel anxious.
  • Include 5 minutes in motion for every hour you sit. Move around in your chair, get up and drink a glass of water or just stand up and sit down.
  • Practice walking looking straight ahead while holding onto something secure.
  • Develop the ability to lift your feet when you walk. (Improving flexibility in your leg joints really helps.)
  • Increase your abdominal use. Pull your belly in whenever you feel challenged (like getting into and out of a car for instance).

The very best thing you can do to improve your quality of life as you age is to develop a daily habit of consistent movement, 30 minutes per day or more. The 30 minutes can be broken up into smaller segments performed at different times of the day. Helpful activity to incorporate in this habit includes but is not restricted to: Tai Chi, swimming, walking, balance exercise, strength building exercise, weight lifting, chair yoga. You could have a different activity each day of the week or you could do the same thing every day. It depends on your lifestyle, what you enjoy and what you need. The most important element in this habit is consistency. Stick to a schedule and attend even when you don't feel like it. Especially when you don't feel like it.

According to a 2008 Kaiser Permanente study, 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day produces the following benefits:

(1) Reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's by 33%.
(2) Reduces recurrent breast cancer by 50%.
(3) Colon cancer by 60%.
(4) Heart disease by 40%.
(5) High blood pressure by 50%.
(6) Diabetes by 50%.
(7) Is as good for depression as taking Prozac. Each exercise class you add to your schedule reduces the risk of depression by 50%.