Think of aging as a war. Everyday you go into battle and find ways to combat aging.
If you’ve always practiced healthy habits, it’s frustrating when you come down with something. As a senior, any number of afflictions pop up that you’ve never had before – like allergies, high blood pressure, and even pre-diabetic high blood sugar.
Don’t let people tell you, “It’s normal, you’re just growing older.” You have more control over your health than you may think. Fight back. Do something. There’s a lot you can do to combat aging and fight the good fight.
The Road Gets Narrower
Not only do you have to stick to your good habits, you may need to increase them. Brush and floss more often, do more resistance strength exercises, cut out more sugar from your diet.
I’m serious. It doesn’t mean you haven’t been on the right track, it just means the road is getting narrower. But don’t overdo it. Here’s what I mean.
If you’re already doing 30 minutes of cardio, then add something else to your workout – not 15 more minutes of cardio – that won’t provide that much more health benefit for metabolism and heart health.
Instead, add 15 minutes of rigorous weight lifting, preferably on machines at first for safety. “Rigorous” doesn’t mean fast. It does mean heavy enough that you struggle a bit at the end of 8-10 repetitions. To increase the cardio benefits, try doing them slowly.
Combat Aging
This will help you avoid illness and the “diseases of aging.” The problem is that when we seniors get sick, our whole system is affected. For us, illness or injury is harder to recover from, and usually leaves debris.
So how do we fight the good fight?
Not that long ago, a friend said that after reading our book the War on Aging, her attitude shifted. She starting looking at aging as a challenge that could be surmounted. Going to “war” on aging made her feel more energized.
She felt ready to engage, giving up her previous anger and denial about getting older. She decided to draw up an action plan. First, she would get more information from her doctor, and then use her energy to go into “combat!”
How to Fight the Good Fight
No matter our age or condition, there are two things we seniors can pay attention to if we want to be successful in the war against premature decay:
- Prevention
We need to become better informed about preventing illnesses and injuries. We can ask our doctors, but sometimes they have been trained to focus more on curing diseases after the fact. It’s up to us as seniors to educate ourselves through books, health sites, organizations, and gyms that promote healthy lifestyles. If your doctor isn’t sure about current prevention measures, including diet, supplements, and pollutants that cause possible toxic reactions, find a healthcare professional who is.
- Early Detection
The second thing we can do as healthy seniors is to monitor early signs of possible dysfunction. Without being paranoid, we can request regular checks for cancer, diabetes, heart conditions, memory loss, and a host of common conditions of aging. Early detection will up the odds in favor of survival. Ask your doctor what’s recommended.
Doctors who stay abreast of current trends already know about these things. And yet, we have found that not all medical practitioners are experienced enough regarding exercise and fitness levels for older people. This could stem from the fact that they themselves don’t exercise or play sports, or they may be too young to appreciate what is possible for seniors.
And, quite frankly, I’ve found that some doctors just don’t think older people are going to go to a gym and work out. They underestimate us! Don’t let your doctor assume you are ready for the rocking chair, and unable to fight the good fight. Consult with a doctor who is knowledgeable about sports and exercise for active seniors, especially before beginning any exercise activity.
War Stories
If you face each day knowing you are going to be challenged because your body is aging, you can enlist your reserves and become willing to go the extra mile with a smile.
Need a bit more motivation? Take a look at how some seniors fight the good fight: read these “war stories” from some of our readers. They’ve taken a stance on the war on aging, and they aren’t going to back down.
Granted, nobody gets out alive, but sometimes we need to fight a little longer, harder, and persistently. Never give up until it’s time to go. And even then, don’t stop fighting, because in a few more years we will have more life-saving options available to us.
We want to be alive for what’s coming! How about you?
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