AGING FAQs
Everything you always wanted to know about aging but were too afraid to ask. I’ll research your questions and share the info. I hope the answers inspire you to live your best years ever.
What key elements will increase the likelihood that I’ll live longer?
Maybe we should rephrase the question and ask how can I live longer better? According to David Suzuki, in his Nature of Things documentary: “Aging Well, Suzuki Style”, the key ingredients are :Exercise: Now this being #1 doesn’t surprise you, right? Blood flowing, fresh oxygen to organs, muscles, cells, heart pumping, brain fog lifting, anxiety, depression reduced/minimized/gone; self-esteem/worth improved, sleep better, feel better…of course. According to David, simple walking is the best medicine. Harvard Health recommends 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, which translates to brisk walking – elbows bent, arms pumping!. Did you know they say the remote control contributes to 2 lbs a year of weight gain? Get up and move!Maintaining a healthy diet: A European diet has always been touted as the best all-round diet to follow. Low in fat, lots of veggies and fruit, legumes, grains. I’m going to add: variety so you don’t get bored. Let’s not deprive ourselves and remember what our mamas said: ‘everything in moderation’.Having a purpose in life: It was always important to feel like we mattered, so why should that change at a certain age? We need to feel like we still have a purpose in life. There is a conversation in The Crown Netflix series between Prince Philip and his mother, where she says: “It dawned on me when I turned 70, that one is no longer a participant but a spectator and it’s just a matter of waiting and getting in the way”. Old people are viewed in many societies as a cost, one that is ruining health care programmes. How can we feel valued and play a contributory role in society? That may dear friends, is up to us. Society is not going to deliver it up for us. Create that purpose, that value. Find a community to belong to and to participate in: a yoga community; a reading, music, garden, drama club; volunteer at a library, a daycare, a foodbank. What did/do you love to do? Start checking communities and clubs on Google. Figure out how to belong and participate. Mayor Hazel McCallion said at the 2019 unveiling of her Zoomer cover: “You have to encourage people to be active, to have a purpose in life. If you have a purpose in life, then you know where you want to go, you know what you want to try to accomplish.”Maintaining a fire in your belly: Ahhh, this is it. The golden ring. Find a passion that drives you to remain active and engaged.
Why do I need to keep my brain active?
An active brain keeps your neurons firing. Stimulating the brain with an assortment of activities: Sudoku, crosswords, reading, learning, hobbies, all promote clearer access for the neuron highways in your brain that send signals to other cells in your brain. The “road less travelled” is not what you want your brain to experience. We do not want those neural pathways to get overgrown, grow cracks or fill with dead leaves and debris and eventually be abandoned. We want them to keep firing on “HIGH”. It’s called “neuronal firing” and that’s how our brain cells communicate with each other. New pathways are created every time you start/learn something new and then do it again and again. Your brain is STATION CENTRAL CONTROL. Keep it engaged with new stuff and do not stop doing the stuff you’re already doing that needs brain power.Why is movement so important?
In an interview with Richard Eisenberg, in “Next Avenue”, published Aug 13, 2020, about half of the people in their 70’s have difficulty stooping, crouching, kneeling. By the time they are 80, almost two-thirds do. And over half of people who are 80 have difficulty lifting and carrying something as heavy as 10 pounds….” That is why movement –movement done safely, is so important. You don’t want to become just another statistic. Movement that reminds your spine of how it was designed to move, asks your muscle to work and keeps your bones alive. What are the 5 major movement of the spine you ask?
Flexion, rounds the spine forward; extension, rounds the spine back, rotation, twists the spine, lateral flexion is side bending and my favourite, wait for it…. axial extension because it decompresses and vertically lengthens your spine. You grow taller…at least while you’re lengthening upwards to the sky. Sun Salutations allow you to marry these spinal movements with deep inhales and exhales creating a beautiful dance as you move your spine. You can do them seated on a folded blanket on the floor or in a chair. Check you my video on seated Sun Salutations.Bones, tell me how they are alive?
According to Bone biology / International Osteoporosis Foundation, “Bones are living tissue which have their own blood vessels and are made of various cells, proteins, minerals and vitamins. This structure enables them to grow, transform and repair themselves throughout life”. That’s how a broken bone mends.Why do older people sleep less or have trouble sleeping?
Apparently, we need as much sleep as our younger adult friends – 7 to 9 hours each night. As we get older, a good night’s sleep becomes more elusive. We often get less sleep than what we need and one reason is that we often have more trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. We sleep less deeply and wake up more often during the night – apparently 3 or 4 times each night. Anxiety, discomfort, pain and bathroom visits contribute their share of zombie walks during the night. This results in less deep, dreamless sleep time and it is this deep sleep that allows our systems to re-boot so we can wake up feeling well-rested . One possible answer may be that older people produce and secrete less melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. Poor sleep is associated with eventual poor health. Wouldn’t it be great if all a good night’s sleep required is a good mattress and a new pillow? Sleep Country here I come!So how can I help my sleep stay asleep?
Have you tried meditation tapes, a restorative yoga practice before bedtime, some warm milk? Apparently warm milk contains a natural, sedative-like amino acid. They say if you’re not asleep in 20-30 minutes, get up and do a quiet activity such as reading or listening to music. Feeling sleepy after that? Get into bed again. Still staring at the ceiling 20 minutes later, repeat and go to the words: “get up…”. Personally, if my monkey-mind is still active when I go to bed, I’m awake for hours trying to solve all those thoughts, knowing so well that there’s nothing I can do about any of them in the wee hours! If I’m on social media or any of my electronic devices beyond 10:00 pm, I can guarantee you that I’m still awake at 1:00 am. If I get out of bed and onto the floor and do child’s pose (balasana), with my forehead touching something (carpet, stacked fists, folded blanket) and I focus on feeling my back body rise and fall as I breathe, my mind eventually gives up!