We all have a retirement bucket list (dreams). They can be small, or gigantic, sensible to wild, achievable or otherwise.

And in my frequent interaction with other seniors, and reading FB threads from members of elderly groups, one of them stands 10 feet taller above the rest. Yes, some dream to travel, to fall in love again,  start a hobby or a business, a new career, or re-establish a better relationship with God.

But rising above all the noise is to be physically healthy or fit.

How many times have you heard people say, “I don’t mind having no money as long as I am healthy,” or something similar?

And for a good reason – all dreams are possible if you are healthy if not, nothing is.

Good physical health is a game-changer for people of all ages. For the elderly, it is essential. Everything revolves around it.

But what is to be physically healthy?

What is physical health?

Physical health is defined as the condition of your body, taking into consideration everything from the absence of disease to fitness level.

It is a critical factor in determining your overall well-being; of how you live your life.

And at our age, it’s kind of pretty tight. A person at 60 or beyond without any chronic condition of one form or another is as rare as a four-leaf clover. In fact, according to the National Council on Aging, 92 percent of people aged 65 and above have, at least, one chronic condition, and 77 percent have two.

As grim as the figures may show, it’s pointless to get so hang-up on definitions or cling to it like a barnacle on a ship’s hull. If those who are bed-ridden, or terminally ill still hope to get well and get on with life again, shouldn’t you?

Regardless of your health condition, never stop dreaming. Besides, modern science has come up with a lot of tips to help you cope with them.

BUT…

(Capitalization is done purposely for emphasis).

You have to make some changes in your lifestyle to be able to pursue and follow your dreams.

Here are some of them.

6 ways to maintain your physical fitness

I belong to the 77 percent of seniors with two chronic conditions: osteoarthritis and hypertension. While I am taking a maintenance drug for the latter, I take my osteoarthritis in a stride – by playing tennis three days a week and brisk walking in two.

And religiously adhere to these:

1.  Eating well

That you have survived this far means you have not been remiss in your eating. But you have to temper it down a little bit and put in healthy foods instead of junk.

While in your younger days, you shoved anything down your gullet, your stomach is not as strong now so treat it gently.

Don’t eat when you’re famished or over-glut when you do. Eat sparingly, just enough to take you to the next meal. And do take three square meals a day with light snacks in between.

Keep away from foods that can exacerbate whatever medical condition you may have like arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol problems. Some people eat indiscriminately for the reason that they are already taking medications for their medical conditions. This is a stupid fool’s argument. No drug is more potent than abstinence.

2.  Regular exercise

Exercise is important to keep your strength, mobility and other physical health outcomes you can think of. For diabetics, for example, it lowers blood glucose levels and boosts your body’s sensitivity to insulin.

Are you arthritic Then exercise to increase strength and flexibility, reduce joint pain and increase your stamina.

The benefits of exercise in the pursuit of your dreams are unlimited – provided you don’t overdo it or do something that can result in injury.

Exercise need not be expensive. In fact, it is the cheapest way to be physically healthy. You don’t need to go to the gym or buy expensive work-out outfits. Doing it at home is good enough.

Think of this – by keeping busy with household chores you can cover about 2 kms of walking per day.

3.  Get enough sleep

It’s not true that elderly people need fewer hours of sleep at night. Studies show that you still need at least 7 – 8 hours to feel rested and alert the following day.

Some seniors, however, have sleep problems. If you are one of them, consult your doctor or read some of those “how to sleep well” tips found on the Internet.

Remember, however, that except for taking pills, sleeping tips require constant practice until you get the hang of it. So don’t lose hope. Keep doing it  Pretty soon, you will be able to sleep like turning off a light bulb.

Chronic lack of sleep can have serious consequences. Aside from causing irritability, a bad mood and undue fatigue, it can also affect your immune system or result in cardiovascular disease.

4.  Avoid chronic stress

Stress is sometimes good. It rings alarm bells that warn you of potential harm or danger. It is bad for your health if it comes more often than necessary.

Here’s why…

Stress causes an adrenalin rush, raising your blood pressure and heart rate. It can result in physical health problems like cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and decreased immune system function.

People who can’t effectively handle stress often resort to overeating, alcoholism or substance abuse.

5.  Keep a healthy weight

Check your BMI (Body Mass Index). If it is within 18.5 to 24.9, you have a healthy weight. Anything higher puts you in the overweight range. At 30 and above, you are obese and time to shed off those extra pounds if you want to accomplish your retirement dreams.

And why is a healthy weight important?

Because being overweight or obese opens you up to health issues common to the elderly, i.e., diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, decreased immunity among others. It can even affect your mental health.

6.  Socialize

Socializing provides a host of health benefits like a better immune system,  a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Plus it makes you feel happier and healthier.

But you must do it the right way. Socialize with the right kinds of people. People you can easily get along with, supportive, not argumentative. People you can share personal matters with and keep them confidential.

And put it some variety to keep things interesting. For example, if you are a gym person, establish close friendships with a few people of similar interest. And do the same in your other activities. Having a variety of close friends in various fields of interest is a lot more interesting and widens your horizon compared to having only one or two.

To be physically fit is essential to everybody. Aging, however, causes some physiological changes that are uncontrollable. And these changes often pose unexpected threats to your overall fitness. Nevertheless, barring genetic forces, you can avoid or slow down the effects of these threats by simply modifying your lifestyle.

And this article shows you how -with no expense on your part at all except your time.

~oOo~

The post How to Be Physically Fit in Six Ways first appeared on Age With Charm.

Are you living your life to the fullest?

The question got you, didn’t it It made you scratch your head and ponder whether you are or are not. Either way will make you dig deeper into your soul, peel off its layers of pretenses to arrive at the naked truth. And nobody wants to appear naked – even to oneself.

But there’s an easy way to answer it. The key is to define life and living in terms that can be related to your day-to-day affairs.

What is Life

Defining life in specific terms is impossible. Scientists and philosophers have given it a shot, but no one has come up with an across-the-board definition. Great minds like Aristotle to Carl Sagan tried too, but they were not able to please everybody.

Not that there isn’t any. In fact there are more than a hundred. The problem is that biologists define it differently than physicists, and doctors from evolutionists. And if we sit down together, we could not come up with a definition to suit us both.

I was on the brink go giving up when I came across this definition from Webster’s which, I believe, best suit the goal of this article. It defines life as “the physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual.”

What is Living

Defining living is no less easy. It’s not for differences of opinion but it seems nobody even tried – except Kumar Abhijeet. He defines living as:

…the exciting phase of life where we actually overcome our fears and try to do things that other people think we can’t do…Living is the combination of all emotions whether good or bad. It’s your perception…Just do it and you will understand the meaning of life.

To add to it, is this line from somewhere: Living is the style or way you live your life.

The post Are You Living Your Life to the Fullest first appeared on Age With Charm.

Let’s get real.

Health in old age is not a parting gift you get when you retire at 60 or 65.

Or is it a reward from Heaven for a lifetime of good behavior.

Rather, it is like a retirement fund you build by saving consistently through the years.

But just as a retirement fund can be lost to mismanagement, fraud or other economic factors, your health, no matter how well you take care of yourself, can take a nosedive when you get old.

Age affects practically every organ of your body, i.e., eyes, ears, limbs, circulatory and nervous systems, the heart, brain, etc. In one way or another, they can make your health a little fragile, a little delicate than when you were young.

But it doesn’t mean you can’t lead an amazing and healthy life at 60 and beyond.

In fact, even if you get down with one or two the common chronic diseases that afflict 80% of seniors, you can still live a normal life.

Here are some excellent ways of doing it:

1.  Exercise:

Exercise improves stamina and strength. It slows down muscle deterioration, works up the heart and the circulatory systems. It also makes the brain manufacture more dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin – the happy hormones.

No need for a club membership or expensive outfits because you can do it anywhere if you want to. The parking lot of a mall early in the morning is as good as any.

Keep away from junk foods and All it needs is the discipline to do it consistently.

2.  Eat well:

This means never to go hungry or to over-eat. Both are bad for your health.

It also means a little care in what you eat. Old age affects the digestive system and metabolism, so temper your diet with fruits and vegetables, lean protein from lean meat, seafood, eggs and bean), whole grains and low-fat fat dairy products.

If you can’t get the full serving during regular meals because of appetite problems, eat snacks in between.

3.  Get enough sleep:

Don’t fall for the regular belief that old people “sleep less.”

Regardless of age, sleep experts say seniors should have about 7 hours of sleep to stay functionally healthy.

I sleep an average of 6 hours but take 45-min mid-day naps. Anything less would make me feel light-headed and lethargic.

4.  Don’t be a recluse:

While being a recluse if often necessary to get our bearings, to find ourselves, keeping away from the mainstream for long periods of time can have a negative impact on your health.

It can lead to negativity and depression. It can affect your immune system, your sleep cycle; makes you clumsy in social interaction and may even shorten your life.

So get out and be with family, friends, neighbors or even strangers (with care, of course), if need be.

5.  Travel:

If you feel claustrophobic and stress out, go for a drive or pack your overnight bag and travel.

Travel is my favorite therapy for loneliness and boredom.

Travel improves mental, emotional and physical health. It is educational and can leave memories and impressions that you can talk about with family and friends.

6.  Do volunteer work:

Another way of staying healthy at 60 and beyond is to offer your skills and expertise to a good cause.

Not only does it drive away loneliness, improves your mental health and is a good exercise, to be of help to others is an excellent way of having a purpose in life.

There is never a shortage of activities to volunteer into like your church projects, senior citizens centers near you, or half-way houses for kids.

7. Take care of yourself:

But the backbone of all these is your health. As the saying goes, “You cannot give what you do not have.”

So take care of yourself. Never miss consulting your doctor, and listen to your body for signs of potential health problems. Never take them for granted.

Remember that you are on your last leg of your life. Live it to the fullest. Celebrate for having reached this far. Now is the perfect time to be bold and brave for having survived everything life has thrown at you.

Please share this ray of hope to other seniors.

~oOo~

The post 7 Ways to be Healthy at 60 and Beyond first appeared on Age With Charm.

If diabetes is a boxing match, I would be at ringside.

The analogy is appropriate without a reason. My younger sister and brother are diabetics, so are my remaining two uncles. More than five of the guys I play tennis with are diabetics. A cousin had his right leg amputated because of diabetes and a friend lost one of his eyes due to the disease.

I have attended countless wakes of close friends who died because of diabetes-related illnesses.

Each day I see and feel their struggles to live fully despite the chronic and debilitating effects of the disease on their bodies.

Because of its omnipresence, I thought of making you more informed about this 7th most common disease among seniors.

What is diabetes?

Most of the diabetic people I know define the disease from its symptoms, not its cause.

Simply put, diabetes is a medical condition that occurs when the body lacks or has no insulin at all, or its insulin cannot convert the sugar from the foods you eat into energy.

Among seniors, there are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 is characterized by the body’s insufficient production of insulin, requiring its daily administration to make up for the shortage.

To-date, the cause and cure of Type 1 diabetes are still out of reach by science and medicine.

Type 2 is characterized by the body’s inefficient use of the insulin it produces.

Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes are generally the same as Type 1, but not as obvious. If fact, it might be years after you got it that you start feeling them.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common of the two and affects most of the 29 million diabetic Americans.

Both are incurable but can be managed, especially type 2 diabetes which is largely caused by inactivity and obesity.

Living with diabetes is like perpetually checking the Dos and Dont’s of daily living. But you don’t have a choice. If left unmanaged, it is fatal – after destroying every major organ of the body. In short, it is a very expensive and painful way to die.

Luckily, you don’t need to die or lose a leg or an eye. But you have to be disciplined in following these steps my diabetic friends are adhering to (I would do the same if I was one) if you want to live fully:

1.  Exercise regularly:

Type 2 diabetes means you either have too much glucose in your blood because of insufficient insulin or the insulin isn’t used properly by your body. In any case, exercise helps reduce the glucose levels in your blood.

Besides nothing is cheaper and easier to stay healthy than a regular exercise, with diabetes or no diabetes.

2.  Eat healthy foods:

Most people are funny. They gorge on anything until they get sick. Then they go on a diet which they never follow, anyway.will never follow;

Eating healthy foods becomes a default when you are a diabetic. You are constrained to eat foods low in sugar and saturated foods. Consult your doctor on the kinds of foods good for you.to take will never follow;

There is no truth that eating sweets can make you a diabetic. They just put you at greater risk especially when your metabolism has slowed down because of age.to take will never follow;

There is also no truth that there are good fruits for diabetics. All fruits are good, diabetic or not. Just limit your servings.

3.  Check your glucose levels regularly:

My uncle and a close friend always carry glucose meter (ballpen-like devices they press to their skin) to check their glucose levels before taking a meal.

Don’t ever be without one. And if you have one, don’t use it until you feel or confused. It may be too late by then.

4.  Don’t forget your medication:

It is easy to forget your medication if your memory is failing and you are taking more than one type a day.

Solve that by using a pillbox, or an alarm you can download into your smartphone or wristwatch.

If you are averse to new technology, use a chart to tick off each time you have taken medication.

Whatever you do, never miss your medication. Your life depends on it, especially if you are a live-alone senior.

5.  Examine your feet daily:

Check your feet daily for cuts or rashes that can get infected.

Use a mirror or ask the help of a family member to check parts you cannot easily see.

Immediately see your doctor if you see any to avoid infections that can lose you a leg.

My cousin had his right leg amputated for ignoring an infected mosquito bite.

6.  Regularly have a hearing test:

So far there is no direct correlation between diabetes and hearing loss except for the theory of damage to the small blood vessels inside the inner ear. But recent studies show that hearing loss is twice that among diabetics than those not afflicted by the disease.

To be sure, have your hearing regularly checked.

7.  Get an anti-flu shot:

What has an anti-flu vaccine got to do with diabetes, you might ask.

An anti-flu vaccine is important for elderly people to avoid potential complication

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), an estimated 1.6 million deaths, worldwide, were due to diabetes with almost half of them of people below 70 years old.

Diabetes is an incurable, wasting disease. You cannot win against it. But by doing an overhaul of your lifestyle, you can live fully without losing a leg or an eye.

Please share and to help other seniors cope with diabetes.

Image: http://www.healthliker.com/index.php/2016/04/30/diabetes-types-diabetes/

~oOo~

The post How to Live Fully If You are a Diabetic first appeared on Age With Charm.

When was the last time you went for a vacation If it was too long ago to remember, then it’s time to have one.

Do it now while you can. Going on a vacation and the traveling that comes with it is like a body-mind workout.

Navigating new cities, exploring museums, conversing with other people, practicing new languages, and seeing sights can flex your mental muscles, making your brain active.keeping your brain active.

And walking around city streets or museums, taking public transports and many other physical is good exercise.

Then, of course, the relaxation aspect, which is the main purpose of going for a vacation.

But things may not always go as planned. A lot of things can go wrong, i.e., missed flights, hotels below expectations, the weather is bad, and overshooting your budget, etc.

I’ve had so many vacations that went sour because of one thing or another; because I did not plan them well enough. And it can happen to you.

They gave me valuable lessons (and bad memories) and I am sharing these with you to spare you the anguish and waste of money.

1.  Choose where to spend your vacation:

With the ease provided by the Internet, choosing a vacation destination is not difficult. On the contrary, choosing one is a challenge.

There are so many things to consider like, distance from home, weather, places of interest, cost, etc.

My rule of thumb is to get inputs from friends and acquaintances. Ask around. It is better to get it from the horse’s mouth than from well-written, and often misleading, magazine sales articles.

2.  Decide when to go:

This is often dependent on the purpose of taking a vacation – for fun or relaxation – and your budget.

Go on “season” months if you want to have fun. But be prepared to spend a little extra because everything will be expensive, food, hotel or resort, souvenir items, and the like.

You will also be pushing and shoving against other tourists for a place to stay, a place to dine, a quiet spot on the beach, on public transports, etc. But it will be fun, right?

If you want to relax, go on “off-season” months. Everything will be cheaper plus the added bonus of not having to bump into people wherever you go.

I never go on “season” months. It defeats the purpose of having a vacation.

3.  Book a flight:

I always book a flight a lot way ahead than choosing a place to stay to avail of airline promos which have become common these days with the increasing penchant for people to travel.

The downside of this strategy is you won’t get a refund in case you miss the scheduled departure. It is a kind of “all or nothing” deal.

4.  Choose a place to stay:

Like choosing a place to vacation in, choosing a place to stay has become easy with so many travels cluttered across the Web.

Go through travel sites that offer lower rates for the same hotel or resort. Note down their contact details, i.e., email address, web URL, and telephone numbers.

Then check amenities to see if they offer everything to make your vacation remarkable and the Reviews section.

I go for hotels or resorts with a strong wifi signal in the rooms and a large swimming pool 

Read as many reviews as you can to have a good balance between the Pros and Cons. People have different tastes. Give emphasis on reviews similar to yours.

Once you have decided on a hotel or resort, give them a call or book your reservation yourself. Don’t do it online through travel sites. They may not be updated and you may not get seniors citizen discount privileges. It happened to me with Expderia.com during my last travel.

5. Make the necessary preparations:

Even if your scheduled departure is weeks or months ahead, it is better to start making preparations. Play them inside your head over and over again. In time, you will add or remove some items from your list of things to bring along.

Make a list of things and garments to bring along. No sense in bringing heavy clothing if you are going to the tropics and vice-versa. Never forget toiletries, undergarments, medicines, telephone numbers of family and close relatives or friends you can call in case of emergency.

Make sure your credit card can cover the trip or your bank account have enough funds to cover shortfalls if any.

Familiarize yourself with the place you are going to, and the hotel or resort you are going to stay. Know the directions in getting there and how. Read about the climate, the food, the culture, and most of all, the people – whether they are friendly and helpful or run away with your baggage. If possible, know the crime rates so you won’t fall victim to scam artists of crime syndicates.

This part of your vacation plans is the most crucial. It can make it memorable or nightmarish.

As people retire, they get bitten by the travel bug. A study was done by the AARP showing that 55% of American retirees want to go on domestic travel, 44% both domestic and foreign, while 3% plan to travel abroad.

It is very heartwarming to know that seniors these days no longer want to lead sedentary lives their counterparts did a few years back had.

Neither should you.

Please help other seniors by sharing this. Better still, subscribe to my newsletter to get a weekly update of the exciting and bittersweet life of a senior.

~oOo~

The post Surprisingly Simple Ways to Have that Remarkable Vacation first appeared on Age With Charm.

Have you experienced a heart attack, or thought you had one?

Two nights ago, I thought I could not see another sunrise.

I woke up in the middle of a deep sleep with extreme pain on my chest. It felt like a ton of bricks was pressing against my chest. I could hardly breathe. When I did, pain shot through my entire upper torso.

“Oh God, not a heart attack please,” I told myself. And my mind was flooded by thoughts of my best friend who is still recuperating in the hospital due to a triple by-pass just a week ago.

I lied still in bed for what seemed an eternity, debating whether to drive to a nearby hospital or call my daughter who is a doctor…Then fell back to sleep.

The alarm woke me up. The pain, though less excruciating, was still there.

After having my regular breakfast of a loaf of bread and milk chocolate, topped off by watermelon, apple, and papaya, I went for my daily morning exercise.

My routine consists of 45 to 50 mins of brisk walk mixed with modified push-ups and isometrics. I do it regularly but this time, I want to see if my heart will hold up.

To my relief, it did. My chest pain was just one of those anomalies that can happen to an old bloke like me. It was not a heart problem at all.

Like most of us, I take my health for granted, you know, the machismo kind of thing. Besides, I lead a fairly healthy lifestyle, and a heart attack, to my mind, is as remote as the North Pole.

I take my health with some kind of panache, the machismo thing  – like most of us. Not because I feel healthy, but because I lead an active lifestyle. I take a heart attack as remote as the  North Pole.

But I wouldn’t recommend that kind of derring-do for you or other seniors out there. You’ll never know if your chest pain is the real thing and heart attack kills – without warning.

So watch out for these danger signals. If they happen without any real reason, consult your doctor. It is better to be dead sure than sure dead.

1.  Excessive Fatigue:

Excessive fatigue can be due to strenuous activities or a coronary artery problem due to plaque build-up. This issue makes your heart work extra hard to get its normal supply of oxygen.

I asked a cousin how he knew that he had a heart problem. “Excessive fatigue,” he said. He could not climb a flight of stairs or walk the distance between two lampposts without pausing for breath.

2.  Shortness of Breath:

Shortness of breath is also a good indicator of a heart problem. This happens when the heart pumps less oxygen to the lungs.

The heart and the lungs work together to keep your body functioning. If one is impaired, the other is also affected.

Shortness of breath is one of the things I observe very carefully each time I exercise. While it is normal to gasp for breath at the onset of extreme activity if it persists after a short period of adjustment then, get an appointment with your doctor.

3.  Weakness:

Of course, if you are experiencing extreme fatigue and shortness of breath, it follows that you will feel weak.

Weakness results from the same reasons of other heart attack danger signals – lack of oxygen-carrying blood from your heart to your muscles.

4.  Dizziness and/or Cold Sweat:

These conditions occur because of the poor cardiac circulation to the brain resulting in clamminess and dizziness, especially when suddenly getting up from a bed or chair.

This should not be mistaken for the dizziness you may experience due to sudden positional or motion change which can happen after sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time.

5.  Discomfort or pain in the chest:

Chest pain or discomfort related to an impending heart attack is caused by diminished blood flow to the chest. It grows more intense until a heart attack occurs.

Call emergency is your chest pain or discomfort is accompanied by a heavy pressure or squeezing sensation in the chest, with pain radiating from to the neck. jaw and arm.

Take note, however, that these symptoms can also occur during a heartburn episode. Nevertheless, take no chances.

A heart attack is often called a “traitor disease,” or “a thief in the night,” because it strikes without warning.

Not exactly. Heart problems send out warning signals long before they happen – like an oncoming train. We just often ignore them, taking them as parts of aging. Maybe Yes. Maybe No. But would you play Russian Roulette with your health I guess not.

To make you more attentive to your body, ask yourself this question, “Am I a potential candidate?”

The Mayo Clinic has an excellent article about the risk factors of a heart attack, especially for seniors like you and me. Read it, take note of the risk factors and keenly observed your body’s language.

Millions, worldwide, unnecessarily die of  heart attack each year and in 2011, 787,000 Americans didn’t see another day or night of the harrowing experience of being struck down by the disease. Don’t be one of them.

Live a fuller life by doing something about your heart health; listen to it. Chances are you will hear it warning you that something is cooking, and it is not good for you.

The life you save will definitely your own.

~oOo~

The post 5 Effective Ways to Detect an Impending Heart Attack first appeared on Age With Charm.

Is there a member of your family who has had a bypass operation A friend, or you, maybe?

Then you must know it is something they (or you), don’t want to go through again, right?

The entire process, from pre-op preparation to post-op rehabilitation, is a series of tests, of prepping you up before you go under the knife, to making a new life of dos and don’ts after.

How do I know these My best friend had a bypass operation last December. Oh, he survived. But now I am left to drink and smoke alone – two vices that bound us together.

However, no matter how intricate or delicate the operation is, no matter how uncertain the results or expensive it may be, it is something you cannot say “No,” to without the risk of a death from a heart attack.

A heart attack (or myocardial infarction) refers to the death of a heart muscle due to loss of blood supply.

Lay people often call it cardiac arrest, which it’s not. Cardiac arrest happens when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions.

Though different, each can trigger the happening of the other. A heart attack results from a heart disease while cardiac arrest results from a blocked artery – chiefly the reason for a bypass –  one of the many heart anomalies that fall under the generic term “heart diseases.”

Heart Disease and Seniors:

Heart disease is the second most common medical issue among seniors (next to arthritis). But it is the top serial killer among people aged 65+, killing 489,722 U.S. seniors in 2014.

Of the various heart diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD) holds the top spot among seniors.

A 2013 report by the American Heart Association showed that there were approximately 42 million Americans in their 60s suffering from CVD. The percentage was higher in people in their 70s.

The silver lining (LOL!) is that 66% of CVD deaths occur in people 75 above.

At any rate, if you have a heart disease, regardless of age, worrying is not going to help you in any way. Most of the causes of a heart disease are modifiable by changing your lifestyle.

If you manage your heart problems well, you can enjoy old age even beyond age of 75.

Here are a few tips how to:

1.  Develop good habits:

Developing good habits is always difficult. But there is no truth that old dogs can’t be taught new tricks. You can and you must:

–  Quit smoking;
–  Get enough sleep;
–  Avoid stressful situations;
–  Limit your alcohol intake;
–  Develop a positive attitude.

2.  Adopt a heart-healthy diet:

You are what you eat and when you get old, what you eat can spell the difference between enjoying old age or frequent visits to your doctor.

To achieve better heart health:

–  Eat more vegetables, fruits whole grains and legumes;

–  Limit your intake of saturated (animal) fats and dairy products like whole milk, cream, butter, cheese, and ice cream;

–  Minimize eating baked foods like doughnuts, cookies, crackers, pies, and cakes that use hydrogenated vegetable oil;

–  When cooking or baking, use monounsaturated fats like canola, olive, and peanut oils;

–  Fill your diet with protein-rich foods like lean meat, fish, and vegetables. Eat foods that help bring your cholesterol down;

–  Eat the right kinds of carbohydrates such as those in quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and other high-fiber foods, and minimize your salt intake;

–  Don’t overeat. It stresses the heart. Drink lots of water to avoid dehydration and, above all, eat regularly to control your blood sugar, burn fat efficiently and regulate your cholesterol level.

3. Exercise: 

Several studies have shown that people who regularly exercise have less chance to develop coronary heart disease (CHD) than those who don’t. Even if they do at a later age, it will be less severe than sedentary people.

Exercise can reduce “bad” cholesterol and can raise the “good” kind.

Not only is it good for the heart, but also good for your overall feeling of wellness – a necessary ingredient to heart health.

4.  Socialize:

Studies have shown that socializing and social support lowers mortality risks and cardiovascular disease, especially if coupled with moderate drinking.

While heavy drinking is associated with greater risk of a stroke, light to moderate drinking does the opposite. People who imbibe lightly are less prone to strokes and coronary heart disease.

Every day more than 1,300 seniors die of heart attack (2014 figures). But your chances of being one of them is very slim considering that there were 46.2 million people aged 65 and above in the same year.

While this may sound consoling, but having a heart disease is like having a cocked pistol pointed at your temple. And it can go off anytime if you don’t manage it well.

Please share so other seniors will know that having a heart disease is not the end of the world. 

Image: www.steadyhealth.com

~oOo~

The post Cheatsheet for Seniors with Heart Disease first appeared on Age With Charm.