Healthy older adults should do four types of activities regularly: aerobic (or endurance) exercise and activities to strengthen muscles, improve balance, and increase flexibility. For any new physical activity, if you have not been active, start slowly and work up to your goal. To track your progress and stay motivated, keep a daily diary of what you do and how long you do it. Many activities give you more than just one benefit! Water aerobics with weights gives you strengthening and aerobic benefits. Yoga combines balance, flexibility, and strengthening. Choose what you like to do—some physical activity is better than none.
Month: May 2019
Healthy Living ~ Feed Your Mind
Eat with mood in mind
You already know that food choices have an impact on your overall physical health. But some foods can also affect your state of mind.
For example:
- Carbohydrates release serotonin a “feel good” hormone. Just keep simple carbs — foods high in sugar and starch — to a minimum, because that energy surge is short and you’ll crash. Complex carbs, such as vegetables, beans, and whole grains, are better.
- Lean meat, poultry, legumes, and dairy are high in protein. These foods release dopamine and norepinephrine, which boost energy and concentration.
- Highly processed or deep-fried foods tend to leave you feeling down. So will skipping meals.
Start by making one better food choice each day.
For example, swap a big, sweet breakfast pastry for some Greek yogurt with fruit. You’ll still satisfy your sweet tooth, and the protein will help you avoid a mid-morning energy crash. Try adding in a new food swap each week.
Writer’s Wisdom ~ Writing is Hard Work
Writing is hard work: “A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it’s because it is hard.” ~ William Zinsser
Hope ~ Emily Dickinson
Hope
Emily Dickinson
“Hope” is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea,
Yet never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
Today’s Reflection ~ Love
Love is the light that you see by. ~ Beth Streeter Aldrich
Longevity Tip ~ Advice from 3 Centenarians
Samuel Bender, 100, is still quite the gym bunny. Bender likes to keep fit with a variety of exercises, including swimming, and also credits a happy 73-year marriage (and good food) for his long life. . . . Another resident, Elsa Zopfi, is still spunky as ever at 104. She still gets her hair dyed and says she doesn’t like to go overboard these days when it comes to fitness. Zopfi’s main form of exercise is walking as much as she can. Robert Kenyon, 102, is said to be an avid reader and tries not to think too much about how old he is. But even with their differing interests, there’s one similarity between the three. They are all said to have a great sense of humor and they all make sure to stay social in their community.
Source
Healthy Lifestyle ~ Get Social
In an effort to ward off the loneliness that followed his wife’s death, a 94-year-old man in Minnesota decided to install a swimming pool in his back yard for the neighborhood children. His back yard is now a hub of activity in the summer, filled with laughter, splashing children, and their parents and grandparents. And he’s no longer alone. While not everyone would be willing to go to such extreme lengths to make social connections, contact with other people should still be a top priority. Chronic loneliness does more than just make you bored; it can actually harm your health. “The experience of being lonely appears to be bad for one’s health,” says Dr. Nancy J. Donovan, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and an associate psychiatrist at the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Loneliness is associated with depression, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, declines in mobility and daily function, and increased risk of early death.
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Writer’s Wisdom on Clear Thinking
“Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can’t exist without the other. It’s impossible for a muddy thinker to write good English.” ~ William Zinsser
Being Loved ~ Meister Eckhart
Being Loved
Meister Eckhart
What keeps us alive, what allows us to endure?
I think it is the hope of loving,
or being loved
Today’s Reflection ~ Life’s Lessons
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm. ~ Willa Cather
