Physical Wellness As We Age
Dear Tacit,
As I get older, my body is changing. Any pointers for what I can do to stay in good health, as I move into my golden years?
Signed: Physical Wellness As We Age
Dear Physical Wellness As We Age
Your question comes at the perfect time – Tacit is facilitating a FREE workshop on this very topic, in the next week (you are very welcome to attend – see below for more details). As you may know, I am a therapist, and not at all medically trained. But we are lucky enough to have a registered nurse who is also a therapist on our Tacit team. She is the person who is running the workshop and I am deferring to her expertise for the answer to your question as well!
As we age, there is no doubt about it – our body slows down. The choices we made in the first 50 years of our adventures around the sun start to catch up to us! And our genetic predisposition to certain illnesses and ailments starts to make itself known (if it hasn’t already). If we know how to accommodate what our brain/body is needing as we get older, we will create resiliency – this allows us to be healthier and stronger, longer. Proper hydration, balanced nutrition, quality sleep and physical movement (to whatever degree we are physically able) play a critical role in our overall well being.
Because we are holistic beings, when something starts to be a challenge in one area of our body, the ripple effect of that problem impacts numerous other areas of our functioning as well. The good news is that by making small improvements in just one area, we can actually feel the changes and help ourselves feel better in multiple ways!
Here’s one example: as we get older, our heart and blood vessels become stiffer. They have to work harder, and this, in turn, tends to increase our blood pressure. By making small changes in our heart health, we improve our BP – and many of those heart health changes will also help improve our flexibility and joint pain, our physical strength and endurance, and our overall balance. These changes help us feel much better. We have fewer bumps/bruises and broken bones, and our physical energy levels start to climb. This, in turn, helps lower cortisol (stress hormone) and improves our memory, our focus/concentration abilities and our sleep. And each of these improvements also boosts our overall emotional state – lessening depression/anxiety, increasing motivation and socialization, and making us feel more connected to our purpose and life satisfaction.
With all the many ways our body ages and changes, there are just as many ways to help it stay well. Here are a few starting places to consider:
Pay attention to your nutrition. Lower your salt/sugar intake. Eat at least 4 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Switch to more whole grains (less processed foods), healthy fats, and lean proteins. And yes, sadly – steer away from those always yummy cured meats, bacon, sausage, lunch meats, cheeses, gravies, and sauces.
Stay regular! Drink more water, eat fiber and exercise regularly, in order to ensure that you are pooping enough! (We all have at least one food item that helps us in this area by the time we are 50 LOL Use that to your advantage!) Or try some over-the-counter supports if needed (check with the dr/pharmacist first).
Increase hydration. Flush out stress hormones, and maximize your body’s functional efficiency by ensuring you drink enough water. You need more than you think! As an example, our brain is 75%-80% water. So, if we want to think clearer, remember better and feel more emotionally stable, we have to make sure we are giving our brain what it needs to function properly. This goes for every other part of our body as well.
Get active. Try to incorporate movement throughout your day, at regular intervals (even 5 min, 3 times a day, is a win as you are starting out)! Go for walks – hop into the pool – try chair yoga/stretches – focus on finger and toe exercises if you have limited mobility. Add resistance training in ways that work safely for your needs, so you can build muscle mass and strength, which will improve balance and coordination as well. (These kinds of activities are always more fun with company – join a fitness class or make plans for connections with friends to make things more enjoyable.)
Stretch every day. You would be amazed at how a short period of simple stretches can really make an impact on the loosening of your ligaments, tendons and tissues. And this is a wonderful way to get circulation and blood flow improving too!
Talk to your dr or pharmacist or naturopath about ensuring you are getting enough Calcium and Vitamin D in ways that don’t counteract any medications you are also taking. This might be in the form of supplements or just by changing what you are eating (adding in items like kale, salmon, broccoli or buying enriched dairy products and juices).
We are so conditioned to think in terms of big changes – drastic results – complete overhauls. But as we age, the truth is, even the smallest of improvements have really far-reaching results! The changes need to be consistent – new healthier habits have to be incorporated into our lifestyle (again, to whatever degree is possible). But the end results will make us so much better off, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Take care!
As mentioned, Tacit is partnering with Beaumont FCSS and the Beaumont 50+ Club, to provdie a 1-hour Workshop called Physical Wellness As We Age, on Friday, September 13th. This FREE in-person workshop will be happening at the Beaumont 50+ Club (5204A 50 Ave) at 11:00am. You do NOT need to be a member of the 50+ Club or a Beaumont resident to attend – everyone is welcome! Join us for an information session that focuses on tips to overcome challenges and improve the quality of our physical health as we age.
Do you have a question you would like us to address? Please feel free to reach out to us at counsellors@tacitknows.com. Your answer will be provided confidentially.
Want to start your counselling today?
Make an Appointment
Add Comment