Upside Of Aging

Upside for Aging is Retiring for Now

My hope is that we will continue to connect so I can help you stay up to date about information for your healthy aging.

Please visit my other blog titled Secrets to Health and Aging   You can subscribe to it by email or RSS feed. You will find more information and resources regarding best ways for you to stay vibrant and feel good about yourself as you get older.

To your healthy aging success.

Ruthan Brodsky

Lifestyle Changes for Healthy Aging

The lifestyle changes you need to make to help prevent disease haven't changed much from those suggested a decade or so ago: proper nutrition, enough exercise, and maintaining a good mental health outlook.

For me one of the major keys for physical health is good bone strength as you age. That means weight bearing exercise accompanied by routines that help your joints maintain their flexibility. That means keeping up the aerobic activity such as walking, jogging or dancing. It also may mean taking yoga or Pilates classes. The point is to build your strength to a point where you are able to lift weights and have the flexibility to get you there.

Keeping in mind that emotional and mental vitality are closely related to physical vitality, social contact with others can make a big difference in how you feel. I found that replacing a lost activity with another activity that keeps me active works very well. For example, I had to give up jogging so I took up walking. Today I jog in very short spurts while I'm walking. During a 2 mile walk, for instance, I may jog three times for a distance of one quarter or one third of a mile.

If one of my lost physical activities also involved being social, such as playing tennis, I make it a point to keep in personal contact with some folks and replace the social activity with another social activity such as learning to play bridge. The point is that replacing lost activities helps me keep a positive attitude even if family circumstances and my changing health means I can't do all the things I used to do.

Of course, the signs of aging include not only wrinkles but can also include some degree of memory loss and decreased brain function. Knowing this motivates me to protect and even improve my memory and mental sharpness by challenging my intellect on a daily basis. Writing this post, for example, is a challenge. Learning to play bridge is a challenge.

I am convinced, however, that figuring out the software programs it takes to manage my online and offline business is the ultimate challenge. I suspect the software replaces any of the cross word puzzle activity recommended to keep mentally agile. For me computer frustration has replaced any chance for depression as I get older. In fact, getting to the point where I finally understand how to work a particular program is an absolute high for me.

What has worked for me the most, however, and throughout my life is my commitment to positive thinking. Even though I am an optimist, as I get older it sometimes takes an extra effort to frame my life positively. Humor, friendship and love work for me. Spiritual wellness also works.

There is no magic bullet to aging gracefully no matter the anti-aging hype on a TV infomercial. My goal is to look and be my best without going under the knife. I feel fairly certain that my success to that commitment lies somewhere between my ears and at the grocery store.

Join my blog, Secrets to Health and Aging, for more details about living a full life as you get older. This blog may be retiring but you can continue to receive excellent information about your healthy aging.

To your healthy aging successes.

Ruthan Brodsky

Staying Healthy After Retirement

Most of us think of retirement as a great idea. Our vision is of not being on a schedule, time to do what we want to do, time to do those things we always wanted and never did, and eliminating all the stresses of a job. The problem is that after retiring many people find that they miss the social connections they had when they were working. They also report that even with a pension they miss the financial security of their check. Many, much to their surprise, also miss the schedule that gave their life purpose and organization.

Working out of my home these many years has motivated me to consider all the issues I mentioned above plus the myriad of issues that arise from operating your own business. After all, I can get up at 3:30 in the morning and go to my office so that I can put in an 18 hour day or I have time to play golf in the afternoon. This isn't so easy to do if you work at an office or even if you sometimes work at home because you need to confer with the other people in your company who don't get to the office until 8 or 9 am.

I've learned a few new habits that have helped me to balance my work at home lifestyle that I believe will also be a huge help to you when you retire or if you are retired.

First I do my best to have a daily divergence from work and from my daily routine. For example, long outdoor walks with a friend, a spouse, or by myself are a must in the summer and warmer months. Joining some type of aerobics class is my alternative for the winter months. Both are things that I can do and be frugal about doing them. Moreover, I don't have to push myself to do them and none involve any competition. If you don't think you can fit these activities in your schedule, then cross something else off – like TV.

Secondly I make it a point to appreciate the people I know – family and friends – and maintain a connection with them. We all need other people. Without some kind of love or bond or fulfilling friendship it is hard to be happy without someone you can talk to rather than letting whatever it is fester inside. It is your friends and sometimes even your family that can help you from being depressed which can add healthy years to your life. You must know by now that laughing lowers your blood pressure. I don't deny that a safe monogamous sexual relationship is important but strong social ties, good friends- good buddies, are also great for your health. Keep working at them.

For some keeping up these friendship connections is natural. For others, you are going to need to schedule them in your daily activities. It is worth the effort and the time.

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

P.S.

I will be retiring The Upside of Aging after my next post sometime next week. I am not retiring the topic. The fact is I have another blog, Secrets to Health and Aging which covers many of the same issues I write about in this blog. I invite you to click on this link and subscribe to Secrets t Health and aging so that we can keep in touch. I have great plans for that blog and will be developing it into an excellent resource for the upside of aging.

Exercise May Trump Your Heredity

You probably know by now that people who exercise regularly stay healthier as they get older. Now there is cellular proof that people who exercise, in this experiment, elite runners, have cells that look far younger than the cells of people who don't exercise.

Specifically, the research showed that runners had longer telomeres, the DNA on either side of the threadlike chromosomes. You know how the plastic tips of shoelaces keep the laces from fraying. Well, telomeres protect the chromosomes that carry genes during cell division. Each time a cell divides, telomeres get shorter. When telomeres become too short, cells can no longer divide and they die.

Scientists now regard telomere shortening as crucial to aging, making people more vulnerable to diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Middle-aged professional athletes who have been running about 50 miles a week for many years had longer telomeres than healthy, middle-aged nonathletes who did not exercise regularly.

As no surprise, the athletes also had slower resting heart rates, lower blood pressures, and less body fat.

The beauty of this research is that exercise may trump genes when it comes to keeping us young and healthy. Not only does exercise make you smarter and happier but it can be that long sought after fountain of youth. It not only lowers your body fat composition but it increases lean tissue and muscles. It also improves circulation which improves heart health.

For me the real beauty of all this is that exercise increases your confidence, mental and emotional well being. Great motivation for anyone even thinking about exercising.

To your successful healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

Be sure to check out my newer blog  http://SecretsToHealthandAging.com

Mediterranean Diet Reduces the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

A recent study from Columbia University points to another possibility of reducing the risk of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) through good nutrition. The study indicated that those following the Mediterranean diet lowered their risk of mental decline. People who combined the Mediterranean diet with regular exercise lowered their risk even more.

Everything adds up and makes sense. People who ate well following the Mediterranean diet and stayed most physically active had between a 61 percent to 71 percent lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. In other words it is not a matter of eating less and exercising more, but a case of eating well and staying active.

The Mediterranean diet is low in red meat and poultry, high in fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables and cereals, high in fish, permits low to moderate use of wine, and uses olive oil as its main source of fat.

Before you get too excited, keep in mind that the research did not prove that the Mediterranean diet protects a person against Alzheimer's disease or cognitive decline. All we know is that this healthy lifestyle runs less risk of developing the disease as well as other diseases. If you think about it this statement makes sense because those not following a Mediterranean lifestyle are more likely to eat more red meet, more cheese burgers, and more processed foods which generally put people at risk of all sorts of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease and even cancer.

Part of the concern about being definitive about the Mediterranean diet and AD is that those who are at least risk probably didn't start their healthy lifestyle at age 65. They were more likely following a healthy lifestyle and being physically active for years, maybe even starting in their childhood. For instance there was a recent study that linked accelerated aging to soda and processed foods from phosphate. This was a study done on mice which showed that high levels of phosphate are linked to kidney disease, heart disease and can cause muscle atrophy. Apparently keeping a well balanced level of phosphate in the diet is important for a healthy life and longevity.

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

Retirement and the Gift of Longevity

Back in 1959 Del Webb held an open house for a new community in the Arizona desert exclusively for people 55 and older. Every psychiatrist and gerontologist Webb consulted told them they were crazy because older people wouldn't leave their family and friends. Besides, how do you get a 30 year mortgage on a new home if you're 65?

That fateful weekend, over 100,000 people showed up to see six very small  model homes on the edge of a makeshift golf course. That was the beginning of the dream of retirement as leisure, Retirement was no longer just the end of work, it was the beginning of a new life. Promoted by developers, the pension industry and the leisure sector, this country's seniors bought the game plan as an entitlement. The goal for early retirement also became part of the vocabulary.

The problem today is how can this country support a leisure class that makes up a quarter of the population? The 78 million baby boomers are aging and their expectation is that there will be pensions and Social Security. The other concern is that we are living longer. Today the average American lives to 77 and that number is rising. That appears to be just long enough to get bored and to wonder just how much golf can you play?

As a result many boomers think of retirement not as a final stage but as an in between stage before they make a transition to approaching life differently. The concept of the ideal golden years hardly fits the picture anymore. Part of the reason is an identity crisis. Are they senior citizens? Should they be called the elderly? They don't feel like either but they assume they have 15 to 20 more years of vitality and productiveness.

All of which is probably why so many baby boomers decide to keep working after age 65 and not just for financial reasons although having an income certainly helps. Several years ago Del Webb company opened a new Sun City outside Chicago because aging boomers wasn’t to be near opportunities for continued work.

It appears that the old leisure ideal is being replaced by a concept that balances the responsibilities and the fulfillment of work and engagement across our life span. I certainly can live with that and something I can include in my retirement plans.

Your thoughts?

To your successful aging,

Ruthan Brodsky

http://ruthanbrodsky.com

Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease

Patty (not her real name) has been taking care of her husband who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) for about 4 years that I know. She had been our next door neighbor for 25 years. The two had raised 4 children, were very active in their church and the local community, and seemed destined to lead a retirement of grandchildren, travel, and gardening.

That didn't happen. They sold their home, the one they built, and moved to a smaller apartment. They are doing okay because Patty is the ultimate caregiver but I think more sense would have been made out of both of their lives if her husband's AD could have been predicted earlier and they could make plans while his cognitive faculties were still functioning well.

Today, that kind of planning has a better chance

Strengthening Your Core Muscles to Avoid Back Pain

In my last post I wrote about the symptoms of back pain and how debilitating it can be. In this post you can find out why you need to build muscle strength and describe a couple of exercises.

I understand that there are situations for which people can't do much about their back pain. Whether it's genetic or because of a trauma such as an auto accident, strengthening muscles will only help to a degree if you deal with spinal stenosis, degenerative disks, or osteoporosis.

Even so, the abdominal and lower back muscles support the spine. The problem is those muscles become weak as we age. The good news

Back Pain Treatment That Makes Sense

The problem with treating back pain, especially lower back pain, is that there is no secret, no ultimate pill, and no specific exercise that can relieve your back pain let alone eliminate the pain. This is an important concept to keep in mind for anyone suffering from back pain. Many people recover by avoiding strain to their spine for a period of time. Some find relief from ice, heat or medications. Others have a routine series of simple exercises to carry out to relieve their pain. Still others do absolutely nothing different in their daily routine and over time the pain goes away.

Depending upon the symptoms,

Treating Dry Skin on Your Feet

If you are over the age of 60 you probably have a problem with foot calluses and some of you have bunions, misshaped toes and thickening of toe nails. It is also not unusual to experience a numbness or lack of feeling in your feet as you age because you lose nerve function. This is called peripheral neuropathy. If this is one of your problems you should be concerned because that lack of feeling makes it more difficult to detect other problems with your feet such as calluses and blisters and they can do serious damage.

There are also many reasons why you have a problem with dry skin on your feet. It could be poor nutrition, you're not drinking enough liquids, your circulation has decreased, you are still smoking or it could be part of the normal aging process. Our skin produces less oil as we age and that results in drier skin.

Dry skin without redness, cracking, blistering or scaling can usually be treaded with moisturizing lotions or creams. Depending upon the climate where you live the creams can be applied daily or twice a day. Once you've identified why your skin is dry and tackled some of the contributing factors such as wearing shoes that are too tight, there are other treatments to consider. These include:

•  Reducing how often you bath or shower. Showers are probably better than baths and when you do shower, use lukewarm water, not hot water.
•  Replacing standard soap with a substitute such as a water soluble emollient, a bath oil or a fatty soap. In fact, if you can, minimize the use of soap.
• Apply an emollient liberally and often, especially after bathing. The more dry your skin, the thinker the applications. For dry skin that flakes or develops into a thick callus, moisturizing creams or lotions that have a gentle exfoliating acid are helpful. Look for ingredients such as alpha hydroxyl, glycolic or lactic acid which can help dissolve the dry skin while moisturizing the healthy skin.
•  Creams are thicker and work well on extremely dry skin but they can feel greasy.
•  Lotions are better for daily use and feel less greasy.
•  Keep in mind any of these creams can irritate your skin if used too often or the skin doesn't heal and remains cracked and dry.

Here's something you should know before you purchase that tube or jar for you dry toes. First the term moisturizer or to moisten and emollient are usually used interchangeable. Depending on which cream you purchased they do one of two actions:

•  The creams are occlusives which provide a layer of oil on the surface to slow down water loss;
•  The creams are humectants, which introduces a substance into the stratum area to increase water capacity.

The best time to apply any moisturizing lotion is immediately after you gently towel drying after you've taken your shower or bath. Application of lotion after bathing helps you to retain the moisture of the shower or bath water on your skin.

I think these small treatment hits should improve your foot health.

Let me know if you have any other tips.

Regards,

Ruthan Brodsky

My website: http://ruthanbrodsky.com

Plantar Fasciitis Treatment:  http://www.plantarfasciitistreamentguide.com