USA Weekend points for maturefitness readers

Over the years I have been ask the very personal question, "are you wealthy?" While I don't think that is anything someone should ask another, my candid reply is, "yes." Now wait and listen to the rest of the story before you proclaim me a braggart. While I have always been blessed with an abundance of material things in life and a nice profession, the wealth I am referring to is my health. I have always said that the greatest wealth in life is good health, which I have been able to enjoy. On a recent trip to the doctor for an annual check up, the little form I had to fill out ask when the last time I had surgery or when the last time I was hospitalized? My last an only surgery was in 1947, at the age of eight I had my tonsils out. The last time I was hospitalized, one of two times in my life, was in 1962 with a fairly strong case of Hepatitis. On my last physical the doctor made the point to tell me that if he didn't know my real age he would say I checked out 20 years younger than my actual age. Then the question always comes up, what is the secret to ageless living, good health, and a sound body? To that question I have created my 10 points of ageless living, but I must add they are no secrets. In a later post I will share those 10 points, but for now I am going to share some insights from Mr. Stephen Covey, the infamous life/work expert, and father. Mr. Covey wrote the bestseller, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", check it out on stephencovey.com, and is an authority on human habits and life in general. In a recent USA Weekend publication he shared some recent findings relative to good health and life. You will remember in the previous maturefitness post I discussed weight lifting in detail, well Mr. Covey is backing me up on that with the revelation that only an hour a week of light weight lifting can make you feel 15-30 years younger. Strength training has been shown to decrease insulin resistance, decrease resting blood pressure, reduce arthritis pain, and even improve memory. There is an article in Aarp magazine that covers the weight workouts that could help you to improve your health and enjoy the above mentioned attributes. Go to
aarpmagazine.org/health/free-weight_workout for the details. Another strong point made for increasing a healthy lifestyle is the point of how crucial drinking water is to your health. This I have learned the hard way since I have never taken in enough water. So, I have had to re-educate myself, and self discipline myself to drink more water. How much is enough, well the rule of thumb is to take your body weight, divide in half and drink that many ounces per day, i.e. 200 lb man divided by 2 is 100 ounces of water per day. That is a lot of water but you will feel the benefits almost immediately. Since our body is made up of 70% water we must replenish it daily. More details on water can be found on prevention.com using search words, "drinking water." Walking is always mentioned when considering any form of exercise. In this article it also mentions the use of the pedometer to determine how far you have walked. While I like to use time as my measurement in running/jogging/walking I see how the pedometer would be a great motivator and would give you the exact distance you have gone. My feeling is that whatever helps you or motivates you to exercise is a good thing. For more details on this subject go to med.stanford.edu, search for the word "pedometer." The next point made is the choice of food that mature adults should take in. There is now a modified food pyramid that emphasizes the special dietary needs of people over the age of 70. This plan stresses the importance of fiber, calcium, vitamins D, B-12, as well as regular exercise and fluids(water). Go to nutrition.tufts.edu under "Publications," click "News." Of course exercise was mentioned, but I have spent so much time on that already I will just say, exercise in any form you see fit just using good common sense and the guidelines already mentioned in previous postings. Good sound, restful sleep is one of the points made for healthly living. No matter our age we need the same amount of sleep for good health. It is recommended that we go to bed about the same time each night and rise in the morning about the same time. It also recommends a nap in the middle of the afternoon, up to 30 minutes if possible. Sometimes we get plently of sleep by measurement, but it is not always restful. I suggest that the following points be explored if you are not feeling rested upon rising in the morning: make sure the room is completely dark, mark sure the temperature setting is comfortable when covered up, make sure that you end the day on as calm a note as possible(for example if I post on this site at night the stimulus from writing will make it hard for me to go to
sleep). If I have trouble going to sleep I can generally read from a favorite book or periodical and then fall asleep within 15 minutes. For more detail go to mayoclinic.com/health/sleep.HQ01387. Last and certainly not least researchers have found that a pet's love adds years(at least three) to your life. They have found that those who care for a dog are healthier and live longer than those who do not. One of the reasons for this is that most dog owners take walks with their dog, fact is they walk 79% farther in an average week than people who do not own a dog. The book, "100 Simple Secrets Why Dogs Make Us Happy," by David Niven reveals some interesting facts on having a dog as a pet. His site is, davidniven.com.

Happy health for today and remember, "your health is your wealth." It works every time!!

Mike Greer

Mike Greer