Healthy Aging Tips

Well it has been some time since the last post and I do apologize to my faithful readers, if there are any still out there. I have found that with my extreme travel from September until end of December it has been difficult to have the time to do meaningful posts. However, I have been able to accumulate some interesting information during that time frame and will share it now, plus my personal data from 2010:

After celebrating my 72nd birthday on December 16, 2010 I have come to a few conclusions relative to healthy aging and still marvel as to what is possible no matter the age. Some, factors I do know are essential, one, a positive mind set about life, two, new goals, both short and long term, third, sensible aerobic exercise, fourth, sensible healthy diet, fifth, staying active in society(new career, new social clubs, hobby, volunteer work, family, etc.) sixth, healthy sex life. During 2010 I continued my triathlon participation, which also means I continued my swim, bike and run training, participating in 12 triathlons and 3 road races. I finished 2nd in my age group in the 70-74 division of the SouthWest Challenge Triathlon Series. While I had finished 1st in 2009 I felt real good about my finish this past year. I also spent time on my favorite Hog ride, so that took a little training out of my schedule. In addition I spent endless hours on doing marketing work for Athletes Honey Milk and that involved a lot of travel and work on the concrete expo floors. In 2011 that will be diminished somewhat with no more expos and more marketing. Right after the first of the year one of my 7 grandsons informed me he would like to become a triathlete, so some time and attention will be spent on that effort. He is 17 and already in good shape so it will just be a matter of getting him trained on the swim, bike and run(he is already a runner) for the sport. The new year is already passing by and I have been able to run one road race and will do my first triathlon in March. Listed below are some pointers I have picked up from USA Weekend and thought you might like them in condensed form:

While I have never been much to glamorize what the celebreties do for exercise, etc., I noticed a nice article about Jane Fonda and what she does or has been doing for years and now at the age of 73 is still looking mighty hot. What brought my attention to her is that she has not been void of health issues, i.e. replaced hip and knee, osteoarthritis, depression, bulimia, anorexia(when she was younger) but she has been able to control these challenges with her healthy life style. Here are some of those practices: Diet-She eats zero trans fats, no deserts at all, lots of grilled or steamed fish and chicken, fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy and the occasional piece of lean, red bison meat. Exercise-It’s the key, she says, involving hiking, walking, swimming, rides exercise bike, and works with light weights. Sleep-she gets 8-9 hours sleep per night. Sex-she finds intimacy, including sexual intimacy has become better because you know more who you are(frequency is not mentioned). Dancing-She uses dancing, every night, as one of her outlets and exercise. She does swing, and hip-hop dance. Interesting stuff that has daily application for all of us and does not require a lot of money. Thanks Jane!!

Next posting will be within a week and will be about some simple ways to break bad habits and live healthier. Not really secrets but said in a different way. Stay tuned.

mike greer