As we age, our bodies change. Let’s look at how we can adapt and maintain a healthy life.
Our hearts get a little stiffer and a bit larger. If heart problems develop, lose a little weight. Losing 15% of body weight reduces blood pressure and may decrease the need for medication. Avoid heavy lifting and strenuous aerobic exercise, but keep up daily activities like walking. Spend ten to thirty minutes every day relaxing, perhaps through yoga, tai chi, or deep breathing.
Our lung capacity lowers. At the extreme, COPD results in difficulty exhaling. Breathe in through the nose and out through pursed lips, as if you were blowing out candles on a large cake. Exhaling this way keeps the lung passages open a microsecond longer, which helps clear the junk from the lungs.
The filtering capacity of the kidneys lowers. The answer to this is a no-brainer – drink lots of water!
The liver gets smaller. Avoid heavy consumption of alcohol; limit yourself to no more than two drinks per day for men and one for women. Cut down on fats, especially saturated and trans-fat.
Our muscle-to-fat ratio shifts, unfortunately toward less muscle and more fat. Another good reason to keep exercising and eat less.
Our eyes see less well at night. Be especially careful or don’t drive after dark.
We lose some high frequency hearing. It becomes harder to hear lighter, for example women’s, voices. Ladies, if he says he didn’t hear you, that might be technically true.
As we age, we tend to wake up earlier. Just follow Ben Franklin’s advice: “Early to bed, early to rise….”
And finally, there’s some good news! Our brains develop more connections. As we begin to lose neurons, our brains compensate by forming more and stronger connections. The saying, “Age brings wisdom,” has a basis in physiology.
Our bodies are getting a little stiffer and drier, but the lifestyle changes we need to make are healthy choices for everyone. A little more exercise, a little less food and alcohol, and going to sleep a little earlier will pay big dividends in maintaining a healthy life.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
June 10, 2009: Protecting Your Spine
Did you know that one in three American women over 50 will eventually have a spinal fracture? According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, fractures can happen suddenly, when you are doing an activity you’ve done without problems for years. Your best protection is to know which postures are the safest, and which put your spine at risk.
The safest position for your spine is supine, or lying flat on your back. This is the best position for exercises that stretch, rotate, or flex your spine.
Another basically safe position is prone, lying flat on your stomach. If that’s comfortable for you, you can do back arches and upper body strengthening like knee push-ups with minimal spinal risk.
The next safest position is on your hands and knees with a flat back. When gardening, try going down on one knee (not both) and rotating forward from the hips to weed with a flat back, rather than rounding your waist and shoulders. Your back will thank you.
Next safest is standing. Stand up straight, think military “Attention!” without the tension. I like to imagine I have wings attached to my shoulder blades, tugging them gently down and back. You can safely do many exercises standing. Just be careful not to twist with weights. Use this posture to work on your arms, shoulders, waist, and neck. One thing you don’t want to do standing is to bend from the waist. If you need to reach forward, bend at the hips keeping your back flat.
Surprisingly, strong abdominal contractions like sit-ups put your back at risk. The fronts of the lumbar vertebrae are also crunched when you do crunches. If you want to strengthen your abdomen, work supine with exercises like alternate leg raises.
Sitting puts more load on your spine than standing. Things you can do safely standing up, you need to be careful with when seated. For example, don’t twist and lift. This is the single action that puts your back most at risk. Be careful passing heavy plates at the supper table.
You are as young as your spine! Follow these simple guidelines and protect your beautiful back.
The safest position for your spine is supine, or lying flat on your back. This is the best position for exercises that stretch, rotate, or flex your spine.
Another basically safe position is prone, lying flat on your stomach. If that’s comfortable for you, you can do back arches and upper body strengthening like knee push-ups with minimal spinal risk.
The next safest position is on your hands and knees with a flat back. When gardening, try going down on one knee (not both) and rotating forward from the hips to weed with a flat back, rather than rounding your waist and shoulders. Your back will thank you.
Next safest is standing. Stand up straight, think military “Attention!” without the tension. I like to imagine I have wings attached to my shoulder blades, tugging them gently down and back. You can safely do many exercises standing. Just be careful not to twist with weights. Use this posture to work on your arms, shoulders, waist, and neck. One thing you don’t want to do standing is to bend from the waist. If you need to reach forward, bend at the hips keeping your back flat.
Surprisingly, strong abdominal contractions like sit-ups put your back at risk. The fronts of the lumbar vertebrae are also crunched when you do crunches. If you want to strengthen your abdomen, work supine with exercises like alternate leg raises.
Sitting puts more load on your spine than standing. Things you can do safely standing up, you need to be careful with when seated. For example, don’t twist and lift. This is the single action that puts your back most at risk. Be careful passing heavy plates at the supper table.
You are as young as your spine! Follow these simple guidelines and protect your beautiful back.
June 3, 2009: Bug-Repellant Herbs
Did you know that many herbs are naturally repellant to bugs, and even cats?
Lavender repels flies, silverfish, and fleas, and may also repel tics and mice. Santolina (Cotton Lavender) is the best. Enjoy it in the garden, then put dried sprays in closets and drawers for the winter.
Mint repels flies, fleas, mice, rats, cabbage moth, and ants. An old hikers’ trick is to rub some on your pants to deter chiggers and ticks.
A great herb to repel many insects is sage. It’s also a cooking staple, and dries well for sachets and potpourri.
Marigolds are a time-honored bug-repellant for the garden, especially for nematodes (microscopic round worms that damage plant roots). An article from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) debunks the use of marigolds as a general bug-repellant, but I still like the bright little guys. Plants lots, and allow at least a year for them to start repelling nematodes.
I grow basil for omelets and salads. Happily, this delicious little plant also repels flies and mosquitos.
Tansy, pyrethrum and feverfew repel moths, flies, ants, mice, mosquitoes, cockroaches, mites and bedbugs. Two hundred years ago, tansy was scattered on sickroom floors as a natural repellant.
Rue, another bright yellow flower, repels cats, fleas, and Japanese beetles. Plant it near raspberries and roses.
Lemongrass contains citronella, a natural mosquito repellant. Catnip contains nepetalactone, which some claim is a more effective mosquito repellant than DEET. Pennyroyal contains pulegone, another strong natural repellant. The scientific name for pennyroyal comes from the Latin pulex, meaning flea. Early Native Americans rubbed pennyroyal on their skin.
In fact, for a quick bug repellent while you’re weeding or hiking, rub a few crushed leaves of basil, lemon balm, pennyroyal, or catnip on your arms and legs. Keep applying it often. The bug-repellant component is in the essential oil of the leaves and stems, and evaporates quickly.
An added bonus is that many herbs are perennials. Plant them once, and they’ll thrive year after year. Plant thyme and lavender around the edge of your vegetable garden, and intersperse annuals like basil and marigolds among the veggie plants.
Above all, enjoy! Rub your hands along the leaves and savor the aromas. Experiment with adding fresh herbs to favorite dishes. Dry them, and enjoy fresh-smelling clothes and an aromatic house all winter. How provident that bugs tend to hate the same scents that are so pleasing to human noses!
Lavender repels flies, silverfish, and fleas, and may also repel tics and mice. Santolina (Cotton Lavender) is the best. Enjoy it in the garden, then put dried sprays in closets and drawers for the winter.
Mint repels flies, fleas, mice, rats, cabbage moth, and ants. An old hikers’ trick is to rub some on your pants to deter chiggers and ticks.
A great herb to repel many insects is sage. It’s also a cooking staple, and dries well for sachets and potpourri.
Marigolds are a time-honored bug-repellant for the garden, especially for nematodes (microscopic round worms that damage plant roots). An article from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) debunks the use of marigolds as a general bug-repellant, but I still like the bright little guys. Plants lots, and allow at least a year for them to start repelling nematodes.
I grow basil for omelets and salads. Happily, this delicious little plant also repels flies and mosquitos.
Tansy, pyrethrum and feverfew repel moths, flies, ants, mice, mosquitoes, cockroaches, mites and bedbugs. Two hundred years ago, tansy was scattered on sickroom floors as a natural repellant.
Rue, another bright yellow flower, repels cats, fleas, and Japanese beetles. Plant it near raspberries and roses.
Lemongrass contains citronella, a natural mosquito repellant. Catnip contains nepetalactone, which some claim is a more effective mosquito repellant than DEET. Pennyroyal contains pulegone, another strong natural repellant. The scientific name for pennyroyal comes from the Latin pulex, meaning flea. Early Native Americans rubbed pennyroyal on their skin.
In fact, for a quick bug repellent while you’re weeding or hiking, rub a few crushed leaves of basil, lemon balm, pennyroyal, or catnip on your arms and legs. Keep applying it often. The bug-repellant component is in the essential oil of the leaves and stems, and evaporates quickly.
An added bonus is that many herbs are perennials. Plant them once, and they’ll thrive year after year. Plant thyme and lavender around the edge of your vegetable garden, and intersperse annuals like basil and marigolds among the veggie plants.
Above all, enjoy! Rub your hands along the leaves and savor the aromas. Experiment with adding fresh herbs to favorite dishes. Dry them, and enjoy fresh-smelling clothes and an aromatic house all winter. How provident that bugs tend to hate the same scents that are so pleasing to human noses!
May 27, 2009: More on Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
Last week we looked at several aspects of healthy life: paying attention, putting together a strong medical team, getting enough exercise, relaxing, and eating well. This week we’ll look at four more sectors of the “wheel of health” as identified by Duke Integrative Medicine: preventative care, environment, relationships, and spirituality.
Preventative care can save your life. Women need a pap smear every three years from age 18 and a mammogram every one to two years from age 40. Men, start annual PSAs at 50. Get your cholesterol checked every five years, women beginning at 45, men at 35. Ask your doctor what further tests are indicated by your family history and lifestyle.
Our physical environment can support or undermine our health. Common sense at-home preventative care includes washing your hands and avoiding cigarette smoke. Clutter is stressful; simple and neat is relaxing. Sound can be stressful too. Turn off the TV when you’re not in the room. Open a window and listen to the birds. With or without allergies, all of us benefit from avoiding harsh chemical odors. Fresh flowers and green plants brighten the room and clean the air.
Like the physical environment, our relationships either nurture us or undermine us. If you don’t enjoy loud music, you may want to steer clear of loud people too. Avoid people who gossip or put other people down. Anyone who makes fun of you or your interests isn’t worth your time. Avoid people who drain your spirit, and spend time with people who energize you. Surround yourself with upbeat people who like you the way you are.
Having a sense of purpose is one of the cornerstones of healthy life. Your purpose may come from helping others, from spirituality, from connection with nature, from expressing your creativity, or from a myriad of other sources. You can strengthen your sense of purpose by joining others with like goals. Some find great joy in their church community, linking spirituality with mutually supportive relationships. Some find purpose in helping others through organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Humane Society. Some build connections with fellow writers or artists.
Each aspect of healthy living feeds the others. Eating and exercising are more fun with friends, knowing you don’t have a disease eases stress, relaxing your mind draws healthy people into your life. It’s a big circle, and the hub is mindfulness. Pay attention to your body, your friends, and your environment, and reap the rewards of a healthy life.
Preventative care can save your life. Women need a pap smear every three years from age 18 and a mammogram every one to two years from age 40. Men, start annual PSAs at 50. Get your cholesterol checked every five years, women beginning at 45, men at 35. Ask your doctor what further tests are indicated by your family history and lifestyle.
Our physical environment can support or undermine our health. Common sense at-home preventative care includes washing your hands and avoiding cigarette smoke. Clutter is stressful; simple and neat is relaxing. Sound can be stressful too. Turn off the TV when you’re not in the room. Open a window and listen to the birds. With or without allergies, all of us benefit from avoiding harsh chemical odors. Fresh flowers and green plants brighten the room and clean the air.
Like the physical environment, our relationships either nurture us or undermine us. If you don’t enjoy loud music, you may want to steer clear of loud people too. Avoid people who gossip or put other people down. Anyone who makes fun of you or your interests isn’t worth your time. Avoid people who drain your spirit, and spend time with people who energize you. Surround yourself with upbeat people who like you the way you are.
Having a sense of purpose is one of the cornerstones of healthy life. Your purpose may come from helping others, from spirituality, from connection with nature, from expressing your creativity, or from a myriad of other sources. You can strengthen your sense of purpose by joining others with like goals. Some find great joy in their church community, linking spirituality with mutually supportive relationships. Some find purpose in helping others through organizations like Habitat for Humanity and the Humane Society. Some build connections with fellow writers or artists.
Each aspect of healthy living feeds the others. Eating and exercising are more fun with friends, knowing you don’t have a disease eases stress, relaxing your mind draws healthy people into your life. It’s a big circle, and the hub is mindfulness. Pay attention to your body, your friends, and your environment, and reap the rewards of a healthy life.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
May 20, 2009: Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
Taking care of ourselves has many meanings. We need to attend to our physical health for sure, but also to our mental and spiritual well-being. In April, I attended a training program in Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors through Duke Integrative Medicine, a part of Duke University Health System. Their system looks at health from many aspects, each of which contributes to overall well-being.
First and foremost, we need to pay attention. Letting things slide doesn’t work. Pay attention to your body, your food, your energy, and your moods, not to the point of hypochondria, but enough to alert you to problems while they are readily treatable.
Second and equally important, get a solid professional team working with you. We are lucky in Tallassee to have wonderful primary care and specialist physicians and nurses. Remember to work with your pharmacist as well. Get all your prescriptions from one pharmacy. Keep a list in your wallet or purse. Don’t be afraid to speak up, and also to listen carefully. Your health is a cooperative effort. Being an informed patient is just as important as having a good medical team.
Our bodies are made to move. Twenty minutes of exercise a day can help prevent many common diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Community Hospital offers a free Stretching for Seniors program every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 9:00. I teach a free therapeutic yoga class at Tallassee Community Library every Saturday morning at 8:30. No excuses! Walk, stretch, garden, and protect your good health.
Our minds have a great influence on our health as well. Stress produces harmful levels of hormones that over time can damage the body. Calm your mind and clean out the junk in the bottom of your lungs by drawing slow deep breaths into the belly. Practice whatever quiets your mind, whether meditation or prayer or progressive muscle relaxation. Worrying doesn’t solve problems, and it’s hard on your body. Let go of stress.
We are what we eat. A healthy, balanced diet will help protect your health, and a poor diet will predispose you to disease. Pay attention to what you put in your mouth. Everything works together. A well-exercised body and a relaxed mind will naturally choose healthier food.
Next week we’ll finish up the overview of an integrated plan for healthy life by looking at the role of spirituality, environment, relationships, and preventative care. Until then, relax, be grateful, enjoy!
First and foremost, we need to pay attention. Letting things slide doesn’t work. Pay attention to your body, your food, your energy, and your moods, not to the point of hypochondria, but enough to alert you to problems while they are readily treatable.
Second and equally important, get a solid professional team working with you. We are lucky in Tallassee to have wonderful primary care and specialist physicians and nurses. Remember to work with your pharmacist as well. Get all your prescriptions from one pharmacy. Keep a list in your wallet or purse. Don’t be afraid to speak up, and also to listen carefully. Your health is a cooperative effort. Being an informed patient is just as important as having a good medical team.
Our bodies are made to move. Twenty minutes of exercise a day can help prevent many common diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. Community Hospital offers a free Stretching for Seniors program every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 9:00. I teach a free therapeutic yoga class at Tallassee Community Library every Saturday morning at 8:30. No excuses! Walk, stretch, garden, and protect your good health.
Our minds have a great influence on our health as well. Stress produces harmful levels of hormones that over time can damage the body. Calm your mind and clean out the junk in the bottom of your lungs by drawing slow deep breaths into the belly. Practice whatever quiets your mind, whether meditation or prayer or progressive muscle relaxation. Worrying doesn’t solve problems, and it’s hard on your body. Let go of stress.
We are what we eat. A healthy, balanced diet will help protect your health, and a poor diet will predispose you to disease. Pay attention to what you put in your mouth. Everything works together. A well-exercised body and a relaxed mind will naturally choose healthier food.
Next week we’ll finish up the overview of an integrated plan for healthy life by looking at the role of spirituality, environment, relationships, and preventative care. Until then, relax, be grateful, enjoy!
May 13, 2009: Beginner Veggie Gardeners, Part 2
In between tornados, downpours, and plenty of lightning, my daughter Lynde, my friend Sharon, and I did finally manage to plant a garden-full of veggies.
A cautionary observation: If you rototill and fertilize ahead of time, and then you can’t plant because the weather goes haywire, the weeds will flourish with their excellent feeding! Another observation: the pine straw you put down to control the weeds will prickle your knees when you kneel down to pull out the weeds that grow anyway, thanks to the fertilizer that you thought was going to be for the plants.
One last mea culpa: We didn’t follow Charles Pollard’s excellent advice to be patient planters. Charles is a local horticulturalist and nursery owner who has been our mentor. We planted zucchini and peppers on Good Friday, and they froze a bit. Thinking they’d die, we added more, and now have 18 thriving zucchini plants and 27 peppers. I’ll be bringing the overflow to the library on Saturday mornings.
We did follow Charles’s advice on tomatoes, and I’m happy to report that all are thriving. Considering I bought the smallest, least expensive tomato plants (about 30 cents each), they are doing us proud. The secret is to dig a deeper hole than you think you need, and work in a couple of cups of pickling lime into the bottom. Mix the lime and soil well, and then plant the tomato on top of the lime mix, but still deep enough to encourage a sturdy stalk. We peeled off the bottom leaves and planted our little guys with about two inches of plant showing.
Being experimental farmers as well as beginners, we decided to do a controlled study and plant a couple of tomatoes without lime. Okay, we ran out of lime. So far the plants all look healthy, but we’ll monitor progress.
Next step will be to add more fertilizer, this time ammonium nitrate. For tomatoes and eggplants, dig a shallow trench and add one big spoon of ammonium nitrate on each side of each plant. Squash, greens, and corn also like extra nitrogen. Legumes (peas and beans) are nitrogen-fixing, which means they put nitrogen into the soil, so don’t include them in the ammonium nitrate feeding. Nitrogen in the soil lasts 60 to 90 days.
The garden is beautiful now, with the veggies in flower. Planting, watering, and weeding have become fun community times to share laughs and squeals. Isn’t it a blessing that hard times can push us toward healthy living?
A cautionary observation: If you rototill and fertilize ahead of time, and then you can’t plant because the weather goes haywire, the weeds will flourish with their excellent feeding! Another observation: the pine straw you put down to control the weeds will prickle your knees when you kneel down to pull out the weeds that grow anyway, thanks to the fertilizer that you thought was going to be for the plants.
One last mea culpa: We didn’t follow Charles Pollard’s excellent advice to be patient planters. Charles is a local horticulturalist and nursery owner who has been our mentor. We planted zucchini and peppers on Good Friday, and they froze a bit. Thinking they’d die, we added more, and now have 18 thriving zucchini plants and 27 peppers. I’ll be bringing the overflow to the library on Saturday mornings.
We did follow Charles’s advice on tomatoes, and I’m happy to report that all are thriving. Considering I bought the smallest, least expensive tomato plants (about 30 cents each), they are doing us proud. The secret is to dig a deeper hole than you think you need, and work in a couple of cups of pickling lime into the bottom. Mix the lime and soil well, and then plant the tomato on top of the lime mix, but still deep enough to encourage a sturdy stalk. We peeled off the bottom leaves and planted our little guys with about two inches of plant showing.
Being experimental farmers as well as beginners, we decided to do a controlled study and plant a couple of tomatoes without lime. Okay, we ran out of lime. So far the plants all look healthy, but we’ll monitor progress.
Next step will be to add more fertilizer, this time ammonium nitrate. For tomatoes and eggplants, dig a shallow trench and add one big spoon of ammonium nitrate on each side of each plant. Squash, greens, and corn also like extra nitrogen. Legumes (peas and beans) are nitrogen-fixing, which means they put nitrogen into the soil, so don’t include them in the ammonium nitrate feeding. Nitrogen in the soil lasts 60 to 90 days.
The garden is beautiful now, with the veggies in flower. Planting, watering, and weeding have become fun community times to share laughs and squeals. Isn’t it a blessing that hard times can push us toward healthy living?
May 6, 2009: The Joy of Hugging
Folk wisdom tells us we need eight hugs a day to stay healthy, twelve hugs a day to heal. Modern medicine may not use the same numbers, but it does endorse touch as an important component of health.
We are born from an all-surrounding hug, the womb. Our bodies know instinctively that a hug means warmth, caring, and support. As children we cuddle easily. As we grow up, we learn about distance, but we still crave hugs at moments of triumph or trouble.
Social hugging isn’t the same as healing hugging. The touch-the-shoulder, peck-the-cheek greeting of social gatherings doesn’t contribute much to the health of either party. Instead, next time you hug someone, put your focus on the other person, even if only for a few seconds. Giving a focused hug is a great way to genuinely connect, and receiving a focused hug is a powerful booster of self-esteem.
One of the lovely things about hugging is that it takes two. The hugger and the huggee benefit equally. Except in competitive wrestling, a hug is always a positive expression. We hug to greet, to comfort, to congratulate, and to support.
Here’s a heart hug you can try with someone you feel close to. Each person puts their left hand over the other’s shoulder, and their right arm around the other’s waist. You’ll find your hearts will line up, opening a channel of comfort and caring, heart to heart.
More benefits of hugging—it’s environmentally friendly. Conserve heat; hug a friend. It’s equal-opportunity. Everybody can give and receive hugs. It’s portable and doesn’t require equipment. You can hug any time, anywhere. It’s all natural, no chemicals, no pesticides, no preservatives. There are no parts to wear out, no warranties to send in, and no insurance requirements. In fact, hugging is the darn-near-perfect activity.
Medical research bears out the health value of hugging. According to Dolores Krieger, R.N., Ph.D., of New York University, when one person hugs or touches another, it raises the level of hemoglobin, bringing healing oxygen to tissues. Scientists have known for decades that infants require touch to develop healthy bodies and minds. Other research shows hugging can slow the onset of senility. From birth to death, we all need hugs.
So start counting. Have you gotten your eight hugs today? More important, have you given eight hugs? Just to be safe, I think I’ll go for twelve.
We are born from an all-surrounding hug, the womb. Our bodies know instinctively that a hug means warmth, caring, and support. As children we cuddle easily. As we grow up, we learn about distance, but we still crave hugs at moments of triumph or trouble.
Social hugging isn’t the same as healing hugging. The touch-the-shoulder, peck-the-cheek greeting of social gatherings doesn’t contribute much to the health of either party. Instead, next time you hug someone, put your focus on the other person, even if only for a few seconds. Giving a focused hug is a great way to genuinely connect, and receiving a focused hug is a powerful booster of self-esteem.
One of the lovely things about hugging is that it takes two. The hugger and the huggee benefit equally. Except in competitive wrestling, a hug is always a positive expression. We hug to greet, to comfort, to congratulate, and to support.
Here’s a heart hug you can try with someone you feel close to. Each person puts their left hand over the other’s shoulder, and their right arm around the other’s waist. You’ll find your hearts will line up, opening a channel of comfort and caring, heart to heart.
More benefits of hugging—it’s environmentally friendly. Conserve heat; hug a friend. It’s equal-opportunity. Everybody can give and receive hugs. It’s portable and doesn’t require equipment. You can hug any time, anywhere. It’s all natural, no chemicals, no pesticides, no preservatives. There are no parts to wear out, no warranties to send in, and no insurance requirements. In fact, hugging is the darn-near-perfect activity.
Medical research bears out the health value of hugging. According to Dolores Krieger, R.N., Ph.D., of New York University, when one person hugs or touches another, it raises the level of hemoglobin, bringing healing oxygen to tissues. Scientists have known for decades that infants require touch to develop healthy bodies and minds. Other research shows hugging can slow the onset of senility. From birth to death, we all need hugs.
So start counting. Have you gotten your eight hugs today? More important, have you given eight hugs? Just to be safe, I think I’ll go for twelve.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)