Cute puppy celebrates with birthday cakeThis month, I’m celebrating my 16th year of blogging. In 2004, I started Writing on the Web where I explored the magic of blogs for getting known on the World Wide Web. I started this blog, Senior Fitness for Life, to support interesting health topics for seniors for the War on Aging, the book I published with my husband Rob Krakoff.

So September is a triple birthday month for me. It also marks 31 years of not drinking and 75+ years of living. Both are personal achievements for me; I guess 1989 was the year I took stock, didn’t like where I was headed, and made some changes.

Why this Blog: Senior Fitness for Life

I always had an interest in health and medical sciences. In 1990, I went to graduate school, got a doctorate in psychology, and continue researching the best ways to live a long and happy life.

Since everyone in my family (mother, father, sister) died before age 60, I knew I probably didn’t have good genes. I began learning about all the lifestyle habits that could extend one’s lifespan. How do we achieve senior fitness for life? The book we wrote, War on Aging, explains some of the best ways to avoid illness and unhealthy aging.

Rob and I knew we couldn’t cover everything in one book that helps seniors stay fit, so we planned to write book two about brain health and diet for healthy aging. I use this blog to report on topics for that book.

The Future of Aging

Diet and exercise are two keys to senior fitness for life. Ultimately, we age, we deteriorate, we get weaker, and eventually we die, most often from one of the common degenerative conditions of aging. The big illnesses in old age are heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s, and cancers.

We live in interesting times and are lucky that discoveries are being made every day on how to prevent some of these diseases. In the last decade, for example, scientists have made more inroads to understanding the mechanisms of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease than in all its history. And the cures may not be in a pill, as lifestyle habits are showing up as key.

While it may be too late for many of us seniors to benefit from these new discoveries and future medical interventions, it’s never too late to upgrade our health habits. We can start now, and continue on as long as we can.

My best wishes to you for your own continued birthday milestones, and good health.