Being Healthy Feels Better
Most of us on this site are old, older, and oldest so what does old feel like and what does just unhealthy habits feel like? Most people don’t know the difference and most people just think anything that feels bad or hurts after 50 is just what getting old feels like. There is no doubt about it that after 50 the body slows down in a noticeable way and we need to just accept that as a fact. No use fretting over something that we cannot change. It is also a fact that we can feel good in our later years and that we need to seek medical help for conditions that are not a part of normal aging. Following healthy habits makes a difference in the way people feel at any age and that includes the old, older and oldest years.
Eat, drink, and be merry and tomorrow you will still be alive and you will probably look and feel pretty lousy. I have always been a fairly moderate person, but it does not take too many excesses to add up to bad health and feeling crummy. That is the sad fact of life; small mistakes can take a huge toll and make us miserable or even be fatal. Another sad fact is that the health industry is a business enterprise in my country and good information is not obtainable or hard to obtain.
Healthy habits include healthy eating, the right and kind of physical activity, and a positive attitude and emotional support. As we age, we have to work harder to live healthy in these three ways, but if we know what we need then we know what we can do to stay healthy. I have made changes in my own life and I know people who have made changes in their own lives to improve all three areas. I also know people who have situations that are overwhelming and they don’t seem to have a good choice, but that is true at any age, but most of us can make some change even if it is our attitude and/or just focus on what is possible. I know that the older years diminish our capacity and our resources but it also gives us wisdom and leisure time and in some ways, the older years are or can be as good as any other years.
I hope this blog is not too long and will be read through and make some Chatters feel more positive and look for ways that may just make a BIG difference in the way they feel and look.
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Well, I agree with what you say Roseinbloom especially about moderation in what we eat & drink, I for one remember so many benders and excesses when I was younger as so many of us must do. These days I still eat and drink mainly what I want , but always counteract the food intake with exercise to burn it all off,.. I am coming up to my 72nd year now and still driving 44 ton trucks ( but only part time now, mainly covering holiday relief or sickness ) but never the less I have to pass a very stringent medical every twelve months to do so, as all H.G.V Drivers over 65 do, which even means going for an exercise e.c.g (treadmill ) at the local hospital, but well worth it as it gives me an m.o.t. too.
I also agree about the positive mental attitude too, its so easy to give in to things when the going gets tough, I used to think nothing about going to the shops half a mile away in the car just to get a paper,.. but make sure I walk or cycle there these days,. even when its raining. Oh yes and I was a smoker all my life too, but gave up when I retired at 65. so the point I am making is, Its not too late to change, its all down to attitude and yes we do have to try that little bit harder as we age, but in my opinion its well …worth it
Tom, or m.o.t backwards ( grins )
Tom, thank you for telling your story to show people that you can stay healthy but you need the right kind of medical help and you have to be willing to make a few changes. If the doctors would treat all people as they do you instead of supplying meds instead people would do better. Your doctor knows that you need to work and can if you follow some health rules. No pills will help bad habits.
Almost everyone I talk to at the gym push themselves to the gym and then tolerate the class. They don’t love it. Some people have sports they do love, but they need more than that, or they just don’t love any exercise. I am not good enough at any sport to play on a team or with others. I wish I were and I may get better as I continue to work on balance and coordination.
tomtwodogs, I am curious why you managed to quit smoking after you retired. Did you get a health scare? Maybe having to prove you were healthy changed your attitude? Maybe, more seniors need a health check to drive or just a health check un general. I know it isn’t legal, but doctors should give them the right information and not dispense meds as they so often do up to 10 or 15 meds for people who are not actually seriously sick.
Hi Rose thank you for your reply, and yes I did have a slight health scare just before I retired, I went for my annual H.G.V. medical which I had pre booked, and when I arrived I told the doctor that I had a bronchial infection before he started to examine me,.. well he put the stethoscope to my chest and confirmed what I had said ,and then gave me some linctus to take. He then did my medical which costs me £100, and pronounced me fit to drive trucks for another 12 months. The next day I was taken into hospital with double pneumonia and pleurisy lol. That doc has since been dismissed from the practise I might add, but it served its purpose in so much that I thought I better try and look after myself a bit better in the future. Since then I have cycled the Devon coast to coast Ilfracombe to Plymouth cycle route ( Sustrans route 27 ) crossing Dartmoor complete with tent and stove, and also walked the South West Coast Path, which I thoroughly enjoyed, my latest medical sent me for an e.c.g. at the local hospital where I had outstanding results, so not bad for an ex smoker eh, ?. I guess if you put your mind to it,.. sometimes we CAN move mountains.
I forgot to say Rose, these days I feel fitter than I have done for years, but I know I am slowing down somewhat from my younger days, but hey that,s only to be expected eh.., in general I would describe myself as…. “Happy as a man that thought a cat had just done its business on his Pie, then discovered instead,… it was an extra large Blackberry ” ! ( winks )
Tomtwodogs. I understand and you have. A way with words. People may listen to you better than to me. It is good that you gave up smoking and are able now to feel good and enjoy life. We do slow down but we need to push ourselves some.
All things in MODERATION. (and a bit more exercise, lol) So far, so good.
tessa, at sums it up pretty well.
Rose I must disagree about people listening to me more than you, your input to S.C. is amazing you have put some lovely topics on here, I am still reading them keep it up kidda !. Oh and call me Tom,.. – Two-dogs was my truck C.B. Handle and what other drivers call me ( amongst other things )… grins.
Tessa, so far so good,… indeed !
Thank you, Tom and the more people who say what needs to be said the better.