You can’t do much without healthy bones, joints and muscles. As you age, it’s especially important to protect your “moving parts” with aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises.
These activities can slow the loss of bone density that makes you weaker and more likely to get hurt as you get older. They also lower your risk for arthritis and osteoporosis down the road. You may not be able to look young forever, but you can help yourself feel young for many years to come.
Getting motivated to work out on your own can be hard. But having friends join your activities makes them more fun! Exercising in groups has lots of great benefits. Two or more people can energize and support each other to keep moving. They can also help make fitness part of each other’s daily routine.
Plus, when you meet your health goals, it’s nice to have cheerleaders applaud your success and encourage you to set new ones. And another person can make you feel safe if you’re nervous about walking or jogging alone. So find a buddy and get active!
It’s easy to stray off the healthy eating path. When you don’t plan your meals, you’re more likely to go to a fast food drive-through or microwave a chicken pot pie.
If your schedule makes it hard to find time for food shopping or cooking, try creating a weekly menu of healthy recipes you can select from. This menu should include food that’s simple and quick to prepare; has healthy protein choices, such as lean meats or poultry; uses whole grain and vegetable ingredients; and stays yummy as leftovers. Shop in bulk and, for perishable items, pick frozen or canned options with no salt added. Then, when it’s time to whip up a meal, you’ll have everything you need.
When it comes to matters of the heart, there’s usually hope. Lifestyle changes can dramatically lower your risk for most kinds of heart disease, including the most common type, coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to a heart attack.
To help protect your heart:
Avoid smoking and alcohol.
Eating out can be great – especially when you don’t have time to prepare a meal or want to celebrate a special occasion without the work. The problem is that ordering can feel like a guessing game if you’re watching your diet. But there are ways to stay in control and keep your restaurant visit healthy. Start by ordering water, unsweetened tea or other sugar-free drinks. Then, fill up on low-calorie appetizers, such as salads and grilled vegetables, instead of bread and creamy soups.
For the main dish, choose broiled, grilled or steamed foods over fried ones. The same goes for sides: Say no to fries and yes to baked potatoes. You can also ask for smaller portions or share your meal with your fellow diner(s). If it’s still too much food, get a container before you begin eating and put half away to take home. Finally, choose fresh fruit for dessert.
Do you always have excuses when it comes to physical activity? Not enough time? Bad weather? No fun?
Being active is important to your health, so it’s time for you to look at why you can’t fit it into your day – and then find ways that you can! Have to work through lunch? Try taking three 10-minute walks throughout the day instead. Raining outside when you want to jog? Find an indoor track, or power walk in the mall. And if you hate the idea of “exercise,” make what you love work for you. You can garden, dance, do yoga or play running games with your kids and pets. Just get moving.
It’s hard to make healthy choices when you’re stressed. If you never seem to have time to take care of yourself, you might need to look at your priorities.
Where does your time go? Are you enjoying life and staying active? Or do you find yourself mostly staring at a screen or running errands? An activity log is a good way to track what you do throughout your day. Try it for a week to see what happens to all those precious hours. Then, work on scheduling the important stuff, like family meals, exercise and relaxation. It’s okay to pencil in a “break” for 10 minutes here and there. After a while, life should feel less stressful and more balanced.
When you want to get creative in the kitchen, marinating is a great way to bring lots of flavor to your meals. You just soak raw food in a liquid mixture – often vinegar, wine or oil (though you can substitute fat-free salad dressing) and various herbs and spices.
Because raw food carries a lot of bacteria, it’s important to take special care when you marinate. Meat or poultry should be kept in the refrigerator at 40°F or below. And if you want to use marinade as a sauce on cooked food, set some aside before putting any raw meat in it. Also, never reuse marinade unless you boil it first.
You hear a lot about aerobic activity for your heart, but what about your muscles? You use them for everything you do – from getting out of bed to brushing your teeth and driving. Keeping your muscles strong not only helps you stay active, but also protects you from injury, disability and the effects of aging. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only about 30% of adults in the U.S. do enough muscle training.
One way to change that is calisthenics, a form of exercise that focuses on your major muscle groups. It includes activities like push-ups, sit-ups, squats and lunges. You can start slowly as a beginner and build up your workout as you build your muscles. For best results, do these activities at least two days a week.
Your yearly health exam is your doctor’s way of tracking your health. It’s also how your doctor can rule out or take care of serious health problems. If an issue is caught early, it’s easier to treat and your chances for a full recovery are better. If you already have a medical condition or are in a high-risk group for getting one, make a checkup schedule with your doctor that makes sense for your health and lifestyle.
Take charge! Use the preventive care benefits, like your yearly exam, screenings and vaccines, covered by your health plan. Your checkup is an hour of your day that can add years to your life. Just remember to bring in any questions or concerns you have and be open about your health and family history.