Archive for the ‘Successful Aging’ Category

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Trying To Control Your Weight?

April 27th, 2010 by Linda | 3 Comments | Filed in Successful Aging

I don’t know about you but I am getting sick of hearing about the diet pills, new fad fitness promises and exercise moves that promise a younger-looking, healthier body.   There is no diet or exercise “program” on the market today that will work for everyone, but I know we have all looked for the “magic bullet” that will do the trick for us.   Maybe something seemed to work for you and the pounds came off, but didn’t they start creeping back on as soon as you didn’t follow “the plan” anymore?

What kind of life is it if we must follow and exercise or diet plan for the rest of our lives just to keep the pounds off and look 10 years younger.  Being addicted to the bathroom scale is just as bad as being addicted to caffeine or alcohol.   I have not been on a scale in a year and I just as soon never get on one again. At my age, I now judge how fit I am by how I feel.  It gives me the freedom to live the way I want.  I think deep down inside we all know how we feel (or should feel) when we are as healthy or as fit as we want to be.

Successful Aging Physically and Emotionally

I can tell when I am on the right road to living healthy and fit: (more…)

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Is Your Aging Brain Plastic?

April 8th, 2010 by Linda | 4 Comments | Filed in Successful Aging
HANNOVER, GERMANY - MARCH 02: A man, wearing ...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

There is clear indication that exercising our minds are one of the keys for successful aging.  I was reading about a New Age of Centenarians on postitscience.com where the author discusses she just found out more than half the babies born in developed countries today will live to be over 100 years old.

I agree with the author that we must do all we can to live a vibrant life, however I don’t agree that living longer gives us an extra stage to now include four stages: childhood, adulthood, old age, and now really old age.  I prefer to explain the additional years (more…)

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Second Middle Age – New and Mysterious

March 15th, 2010 by Linda | 4 Comments | Filed in Successful Aging

Second Middle Age and Baby Boomers

If you are like most of us, you probably believe that the improvements in aging and longer lifetimes means that you will be old for a longer time. This comes from the long-standing assumption that “old age” officially begins at the fixed chronological age of sixty-five. So adding more years would mean more years of “old age” to your life.

If you think in terms of old age with adjectives like decrepit, feeble, broken down and weak -what a bummer!  I have good news for you because, this really has not been the case.

Lifetimes have grown longer, but physical aging has gradually and rather mysteriously slowed down. If you don’t believe me take a look at these pictures of two well known ladies approximately the same age but taken in different decades….. (more…)

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Heart Disease – Clinton’s Reminder

February 12th, 2010 by Linda | No Comments | Filed in Successful Aging

Bill Clinton heart diseaseBill Clinton is hospitalize for chest pain. This was the news yesterday.

Two days ago I published a post explaining that heart disease is the number one killer of women.  Since the Red Cross dedicates February as heart disease month, I thought it fitting to remind women about the dangers of this silent killer.  And today we received another reminder from Bill Clinton.

In 2006, Clinton had quadruple bypass surgery and in 2005 he had scar tissue removed which was related to the bypass surgery.  Yesterday, he had surgery to insert two stents to restore blood flow, one in the same artery he had unblocked during the original surgery.

A CNN article quoted Dr. Allan Schwartz, New York-Presbyterian Hospital’s Chief of Cardiology “said the need for the procedure had nothing to do with Clinton’s post-bypass diet or exercise, which Schwartz called excellent. Rather, Schwartz said, this is “part of the natural history” of the bypass treatment.”

The article says Bill Clinton has been following the diet prescribed for his condition and exercising as well.  However, what happened yesterday is a natural progression to the bypass surgery he received and he could be in for more problems in the future.  Slowing down probably won’t help, but not to worry -there are medications out there and the prognosis is good.

What?  Since Clinton has left office, he has been running on a busy schedule.  He does need to slow down and take care of himself.  Sure there are pills but they can cause all sort of side affects so prevention and a healthy lifestyle is the key.

Heart disease is a chronic condition and may have no known cure, but there is more that can be done  other than ‘no junk food’ and some exercise.  How about rest and relaxation to reduce stress?  Or eating certain foods such as garlic and fish oil which have been associated with a healthy heart.

Can fish prevent heart disease? BBC science

From the series Can Fish Make My Child Smart, this episode looks at whether fish oils decrease the risk of heart disease. Is there a link? Free …

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Another Syndrome For Post-Menopausal Women

February 10th, 2010 by Linda | No Comments | Filed in Successful Aging

It’s close to Valentine’s Day so it is a good time to remind everyone that not only is heart disease the number one killer of women but that the symptoms can be very different from men.

Post-menopausal women should be especially aware of a condition know as “Broken Heart Syndrome”.  It’s a rare condition and even more rare to die from it.  However it should be a concern since there is still very little known about the condition.  What is known is that 90% of the cases doctors have identified with this condition, have been post-menopausal women.

The condition is caused by stress, usually emotional, but occasionally it has been triggered by physical stress. Experts say the combination of lower levels of estrogen with an unusual response to adrenaline can trigger the syndrome.

Symptoms can mimic a heart attack and can be very severe. However when tests done to confirm a heart attach such as checking for blocked arteries, the result are usually found to be in the normal range.  The difference is that X-rays will show that the left ventricle has taken the shape of a vase-like pot  used in Japan and the reason the Japanese call it Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy.  It is also know as Transient Left Ventricular Ballooning, Cardiac Syndrome X and Ampulla Cardiomyopathy.


Even though there is usually no long term effects of this type of heart episode, it’s important to take care of yourself when experiencing emotional trauma in your life.  Feeling overwhelmed, death and loss are emotional triggers can affect a healthy person in many unhealthy ways.  If you can’t mend that broken heart, at least do what you can to keep it healthy.

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Little Known Secret To Enhancing Your Sex Drive

February 3rd, 2010 by Linda | No Comments | Filed in Successful Aging

enhance sexual desireI was reading Dr. Dorree Lynn’s list of “Healthy Foods to Fire Up Your Sex Life” and the foods she lists are pretty much well known aphrodisiacs.

She lists all the usual ones; grapes, oysters, chocolate (the natural antidepressant) and honey. I have never heard of honey as an aphrodisiac but, I suppose, with its antioxidants, it could boost desire. Definitely worth trying.

I have found that maca is one of the best and oldest known aphrodisiacs in the world. The root of the maca plant has been used as a source of nourishment and healing for hundreds of years in indigenous Andean cultures. Now recently gaining popularity in the western world as the “lost herb” due to its energy boosting properties. Maca does not increase sex hormones, but instead, acts on them and works in tandem with your body’s natural rhythm, intimately enhancing the sex drive.  A great way start on the road to a healthy lifestyle and fight the effects of aging.

I have seen it for sale at better health food stores as a powder. You can add a teaspoon to water and drink it but I suggest adding it to a smoothie or chocolate milk instead. The taste is not that great unless you can get use to it.

This funny little video shows the effects of adding maca into your life. They, of course endorse their own product which I have never use, but I like the video anyway.

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