Long and Healthy

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own."  - 1 Corinthians 6:19

Working with the elderly has opened my eyes to a whole new world.  And lately, in particular, it has made me aware of how important it is to live a healthy lifestyle right now, while I am still young.

During my time as a care manager I have come in contact with so many variations of older people.  I have come in contact with young 80- year- olds.  They are still able to cook their own meals and clean their own homes.  They still have the ability to manage their own finances.  They have the ability and the desire to socialize; they have close, healthy relationships with family and friends.

On the flip side of that, I have met incredibly old 65- year- olds who spend most of their time either in bed at home or in bed at the hospital.  These "older" old people seem to have less of a support network, and seem to come from a learned cycle of poor choices concerning health.

There is such a thing as aging healthily, and it begins now.  Learning healthy habits is too late when you are already 65.  People in general are living so much longer lives than we used to, but in order for us to retain quality of life during our later years, we have to begin making proper choices now.

Historically speaking, I do not necessarily live a healthy lifestyle.  I do not habitually overeat, but the foods I do choose to eat are not normally the best ones for me.  I have never been athletic, and overall, am not even physically active much of the time.  If our bodies sit still and do not get exercise, they only want to sit still MORE and exercise LESS.  This is why it is important for elderly people to get moving some each day.  Our minds work in a way similar to that of our bodies:  in order for them to stay sharp, they much stay active. 

A few days ago, I mentioned three spiritual principles that are essential to the Christian life.  And today, I am mentioning the three lifestyle principles that are essential in maintaining longevity and quality of life.  Keep in mind, I am no expert; these are just my observations and thoughts, based upon what limited knowledge I do have.  

Principle One:  Practice healthy, balanced eating habits. 
In their February issue, Real Simple provides a list of the 30 healthiest foods, along with great tips on how to incorporate those foods into simple meals.  Since Andrew and I are starting at square one, I am making it my goal to include at least one item from this list into each grocery list, and between each grocery visit, I will incorporate that one item into at least one meal.  Baby steps.  :) 
Here are the foods on their list: 

I am ashamed to admit it, but the only foods on the list that we currently have in our home are almonds, eggs, extra-virgin olive oil, oatmeal, skim milk, and whole-grain pasta.  Until yesterday we had yogurt, but I finished that off at breakfast! 

I am excited to try some of the foods on the list that I normally would not think to buy: edamame, kale, quinoa...

Principle Two: Exericse your body.
Exercising keeps our bodies active and ready for movement.  In order for our bodies to be able to age well, we must keep our circulatory systems moving.  One effective, affordable, and easy way to do this is by... WALKING! Too much stress combined with too little exercise negatively effects energy flow.  Walking can decrease stress, and is also a great form of exercise.  Walter Bortz, an expert on longevity and healthy aging, suggests that if we are healthy and responsible, we have no reason to start aging until about age 80.  The definition of aging is, "minimal interruption of usual function, although minimal signs and symptoms of chronic disease may be present."  Dr. Bortz also suggests that we decide how long we would like to live and then plan for it!  Here are his 100 steps to living 100 years. 
If you are like me, you are much more sedentary during the winter than any other time of year.  It is too cold to walk outside, and even if it were not too cold, it gets too dark to walk outside by the time you get off work at 5 or 6pm.  Another affordable form of exercise I have been recently re-introduced to is JUMP ROPING! Along with their list of healthy ingredients,  Real Simple included a very do-able 15 minute jump rope routine in their February issue.  I did it for the first time last night, and feel great today!  Although I will say that fifteen minutes of jumping rope sure felt like a long fifteen minutes!  :)

If this guy can do it, so can we!

Principle three:  Exercise your mind!
In order to be kept sharp, our brains must be in constant use!  Yes, our brains do deteriorate some as we age, but the more we learn, the bigger our brains get.  So... we build reserve capacity every time we learn something!  Some effective and fun cognitive activities include things like reading, putting together jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, word searches, sudoku, cooking by reading and following specific recipes, driving somewhere unfamiliar by following directions on a map (rather than using a GPS!), trying a new activity that you have not tried before (for example, if you are a paper-crafter, try your hand at sewing something, or visa versa). 
One way to keep your mind active may be to set small goals for yourself.  If you are not a reader, make a goal of reading one book a month.  To help motivate you, maybe you will order a subscription to a favorite magazine and read it from front to back every month.  Or maybe you could become a member of a book club in order to have accountability partners in this area.  You could even join or form a scrapbooking or puzzle club.  Let's get creative!!!  Challenges are always more fun, and easier to overcome, when shared with others.

Photo from here

Other things essential to maintaining quality of life at any stage are:
Good dental care and upkeep (We need good teeth in order to eat nuts, which are some of the healthiest things we can put into our bodies).
Strong support groups through church, clubs, friends, etc.
Healthy marriages or romantic relationships (versus unhealthy ones)

Some quick take-aways from todays post:

• Add at least ONE "healthy food" to your next grocery list, and to at least one meal this week. 
• Get moving... either by walking or jump roping.
• Read a book. 
• Try one new thing this week, no matter how small!

"Speaking generally, all parts of the body which have a function, if used in moderation and exercised in labors to which each is accustomed, become healthy and age slowly.  But if unused and left idle they become liable to disease, defective in growth and age quickly." - Hippocrates, 370 B.C.