My personal experience with aging has been both inspiring and challenging. Sometimes I feel like I will be climbing mountains at 90 and other times, not so much. Such is the nature of aging and staying healthy right? What if there were things that we can do at any age to help us feel our most vibrant and what if these things were easy and accessible? This is my mission this week. To uncover for all of our sakes, a simple process we can use to improve our quality of life. Sound good?
Here’s the first thing I learned about staying healthy as I began to do the research. Our body is always changing and everyone is different. Yikes. That can make things a bit more complicated so I decided to think in more general terms. The biggest complaint I hear as people age is the common experience of a loss of energy. What causes the loss? The answer can be narrowed down to a lack of activity and poor nutrition which leads to bone and muscle loss. OK, that’s simple enough. Next, I found some really good tips to improve nutrition as well as our activity level.
NUTRITION
Now as you read these opinions please understand that this is from my research, but you should always involve your doctor in proper diet decisions for you. You may have restrictions that will mean you must be more selective in what you choose to consume. These suggestions are also the broad strokes designed to put you on the path to better nutrition. It’s always a good idea as you get started to do a deep dive of your own. Trust me there’s tons of information out there for you to sift through. You may even be inclined to hire a nutritionist of your own. For now, let’s start with these simple tips.
- As you age you will most likely need fewer calories. For example, you probably won’t need to take in as many calories in your 50’s as you do in your 30’s. Choose a mix of nutrient-rich foods in order to get more nutrients for fewer calories.
- Keep your kitchen and pantry stocked with basic foods so that you always have food on hand for a healthy meal or snack.
- Tired of cooking? If you need more ideas to prepare fast and nutritious meals, there are plenty of easy recipes on line. There are also many high rated delivery services offering already prepared healthy meals such as Blue Apron or Hello Fresh.
- An easily digestible multi-vitamin is a good way to help you get any missing nutrients.
- Vegetable and fruit smoothies made at home are a great and easy way to get the nutrients you need along with the added bonus of being filled with anti-oxidants.
- Make sure to eat a sensible amount of healthy protein. Fish, lean poultry, avocados, beans and nuts are all great sources of protein. Do NOT think that you need a crazy amount of protein every day like the fad diets seem to suggest. It just isn’t true.
- Stay hydrated by drinking fluids throughout the day. Your ability to recognize thirst lessens with age so be proactive and choose water, low-fat milk, 100% fruit juice and decaffeinated tea.
- Eat foods high in fiber to help with digestive regularity, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts.
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Without physical activity muscle and bone begins the process of deterioration at around the age of 35. It starts without you realizing and shows itself a few years later in the form of pain in places you don’t expect. Left unchecked, mobility declines as does bone density and muscle tone. Next muscle atrophy sets in and you find yourself having trouble with basic movements you need for everyday life. Internal organs become susceptible to disease and bones become brittle and unable to support body weight in average situations.
Heard enough? Me too, it’s time to get active. Here are some basic tips to get you started moving and on the way to a healthier body and more fulfilling lifestyle.
- Go to your doctor and have a full check up. Let him or her know that you intend to start exercising and want to make sure that there are no health concerns.
- If you are not active already and even if you are, start your daily exercise slowly with a walk around the house or block. Break your activity into shorter segments of 10-minute blocks if need be and rest as you need it.
- Stretch slowly and smoothly only after your body has been properly warmed by the walk and before you move onto more strenuous exercises.
- Build up to 30 minutes of activity every day of the week with activities that raise your heart rate.
- Begin to incorporate more advanced forms of exercise such as Pilates, yoga, a water-aerobics class or dancing. Use the community to help motivate you on your quest for a healthy life.
- Do muscle-strengthening activities two to three times a week incorporating all major muscle groups. Use an elastic band or small hand weights. If you want to be more aggressive with weights, be careful and understand that you do not need a lot of weight to get a good workout and build muscle strength.
- If you do not feel confident that you want to take this on yourself, just as I recommend in business, I highly recommend working with an expert like a fitness instructor. Not all fitness instructors are the same, so be sure that you get referrals and feel comfortable that this professional will not put you at risk with poor form or overtraining.
If you are having trouble getting started please understand that you are not alone. Consider talking to friends and family to see if anyone is interested in being your workout partner. If no one is interested, ask if anyone can serve as an accountability coach who will check in with you once a week to see how your exercise program is going.
Now, if you are a Real Estate professional in this space or you’d just like to work with the above 50 market in any capacity, I’ve got great news. I will be teaching a Senior Real Estate Specialist designation course coming in March 2018 so save the date and reach out to me at toni(at)tonipatillo(dotted)com for updates.
If you’re looking for additional resources on coaching, mentoring and related subjects go to www.tonipatillo.com or contact toni(at)tonipatillo(dotted)com.
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