Take a Step towards Future-Proofing Your Health

I am often amazed by the number of well, active and independent elderly I meet in the course of my work as a GP. The now 80-somethings of our community grew up in a world that didn’t know about high cholesterol, the dangers of smoking or have gym memberships. There seem to be some common ingredients in the lives of those older well. Keeping active and having a positive outlook on life seem to be two of the most vital. A good dose of genetics helps of course but being well is not the same as being disease free. With the advances of modern medicine we are all likely to live longer than previous generations but to increase the chances of living well in our later years we can start preparing now.

Our muscle mass decreases as we age eventually leaving us too weak to carry the shopping or even get up off the couch. Regular activity requiring the muscles to resist force maintains our muscle mass. Many well, older women maintain their own gardens and do their own housework well into their 80’s or even 90’s after a lifetime habit of doing so. These types of activities involve resistance exercise for the muscles and maintain flexibility of the joints with bending, reaching and crouching. Mobile joints stay healthier and strong muscles around a joint help to stabilise it, even if the joint itself has some arthritis. These days we may delegate those household tasks to others but still need to work our muscles, move our joints and take time out to de-stress. Regular walking is an easy way to do all of this. You could add some hand weights to increase the work of those upper limb muscles.

Muscles are the power house of the body, so as our muscle mass declines so does our metabolic rate. If we burn up less energy because we have less muscle then the energy we put in gets turned into fatty tissue (middle age spread). Increased weight, especially around the tummy, is one of a group of risk factors for ‘Metabolic Syndrome’. The other risk factors are high blood pressure, decreased ability for the body to deal with glucose, low ‘good’ cholesterol levels and high blood fats, called triglycerides. This Metabolic Syndrome increases our likelihood of developing heart attacks, stroke and diabetes. Regular exercise and dietary change are the essential lifestyle changes needed to partially or totally reverse this metabolic syndrome. Exercise will enable us burn those calories more quickly and by cutting down on carbohydrate and fatty foods you will be able to lose some weight. Make sure you eat enough lean protein to repair and build those muscles once you have worked them. Of course, those vegetables and fruits are also essential for the vitamin and minerals they supply not to mention their deliciousness.

Weight bearing exercise like walking also stimulates the bones to repair so helping prevent another peril of aging – osteoporosis or thinning of the bones. Weight bearing exercise is any activity that works against gravity. This stimulates the bone cells that lay down bone and suppresses the cells that reabsorb bone. Walking also improves balance and co-ordination decreasing the chance of falling and breaking an already thin bone. Remember to include plenty of calcium in your diet and that sunlight when you are out walking will help with your vitamin D levels.

Even the parts of our body that seem most permanent are living and changing and will respond to the challenges you provide. It is never too late to take the first step towards future-proofing your health. Once you start you won’t want to stop. Enjoy.

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