Staying Fit And Healthy Aging

Staying Fit and Healthy Aging

The aging process starts from the day we are born. A person may not realize it but we need to work on staying fit and healthy everyday. In the end, you’ll feel and look younger all during the aging progression.

There are many things you can do to stay healthy and feel good. Watch your diet and continue activities throughout the course of your life. Your diet has a lot to do with aging and health. Your diet contains vitamins, minerals and other nutrients you need to stay healthy.

If your over weight try getting yourself into an exercise program. Walking is a great program to get involved. Start out walking gradually and work your way up to 12 to 15 miles by walking two or 3 times a week. Walking brings up the heart rate making it do its work. You can loosen the tight and stiffness in your legs and besides loosing weight with diet it will help to tone your muscles. Combined weight lifting with your walk agenda but don’t over work, yourself because it will make your muscles sore. Along with your new walking and weightlifting program trim down your diet and take supplements to make up for the vitamins you are cutting out. Exercising will burn up some of your vitamins too so make sure you take enough but not too much of the supplements. If you are not sure about the amount to take, consult you physician.

As you build new activities, you will be meeting people and that always gives you something new to talk about to help keep the depression away. You will need encouragement and support throughout your goal to stay healthy. Seek support from family, friends, or people with the same goals.

As we grow older high cholesterol becomes a health issue with most of us. Your new walking program is a good start to lowering your levels. 2 miles a day, 3 times a week will help you to lower your cholesterol by helping you lose the excess weight you’ve put on in the last couple of years. If walking doesn’t seem to be helping to level out your cholesterol, try eating seven nuts. The combination of both will sometimes bring it to a balance. Be sure your doctor knows what your doing as these things continue. Grease is good in nuts and olive oil to help lower the blood pressure and blood sugar as well. Try changing your diet and eat more whole grain foods while you cut back on the meat you love so much. Instead of using, spreadable fats use olive oil and canola margarine. As a snack…sneak in those nuts:

Has your blood pressure gone up in your older years? Try adding three servings of low-fat dairy products to you diet. Calcium, magnesium and potassium are good to help lower that blood pressure.

Cancer is always a threat to us young or old so we need to start early on trying to help prevent it. Vitamin D is a good vitamin to take along with getting 10-15 minutes a week of sun with no sunscreen on. Watching your diet and taking vitamins, helps reduce the risks of getting colon, breast, or ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer for women is very common, yet women have the power to lower their risks. Green and black tea 2 times a day or even eating an apple or grapefruit will help. Anything that is high in antioxidants is good.

Mixing your foods to cover everything daily is a good idea so you don’t get bored eating the same things all the time. Mixing up what you eat in a recipe or on your plate the nuts, maybe some black-eyed peas, whole grain wheat bread or cereal and add a little peanut butter on that bread.

Changing your foods that you eat may not stop you from getting cancer but it is known to lower the risk and help prevent it. Remember your not a doctor so be sure to have regular check ups.

BONUS : Staying Fit With Age

Walking and Jogging: While strenuous exercises like running become out of the question as we reach the later sages of life, walking and jogging remain a great way to stimulate our cardiovascular system.

For older adults, a 10-minute walk around the neighborhood can be highly beneficial. For younger aging adults, jogging is a more suitable option. Sun exposure aids in the fixation and assimilation of vitamin D, as exercise stimulates the heart and circulation, properly maintaining its function.

Garden Work: Getting exercise as we age can be difficult at times. To activate the muscles and nerves, garden work is great exercise. Not only does it enhance the flexibility of the joints, it keeps our muscles moving and our hands in motion.

Household Chores: Regular organizing and cleaning of the household is also a good way to put your muscles to work. Try doing at least one chore per day to maintain mobility and keep those bones and muscles moving.

Swimming and Underwater Exercises: To build strength and tone muscles, swimming and underwater exercises are most often recommended by physicians for aging adults. The resistance offered by the water aids in the development of muscle tissue, but the workout isn't too strenuous.

Golf and other low-strain recreational activities: There are several types of sports that don't require increased stamina or mobility. Playing golf, for example, is a great way to keep the bones and muscles moving, and it incorporates cardiovascular activity induced by walking.

Yoga: Yoga has been proven to address both the body and mind. It aids in the maintenance of joint and muscle flexibility and elasticity, relaxes the mind, and induces the body's healing process.