I can’t believe that the last of the baby boomers turn 50 this year.
Wow, that’s the whole ‘flower power’ generation just about.
It only seems yesterday that we were singing “She Loves you Yeah Yeah Yeah,” wearing mini skirts and bell-bottom trousers and putting flowers in our hair.
Did we think we were invincible. Hell Yeah!
Were we going to give peace a chance. Oh Yes!
Were we ever going to get old. Good grief No!
And with that many of us really didn’t give as much thought to our health as perhaps the younger generation do today. Do you think?
I think they are so much better informed than we were at the same age about healthy eating, exercise and the chemicals in our food.
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Preventing illnesses as we get older
I was sent an infographic recently via the University of Florida (online) which I’d like to share with you.
This is not a sponsored post. It doesn’t in any way mean that you should ignore or change any medical advice you’re already receiving, or jump to take this advice without consulting a health professional first because obviously I’m not a health professional, but I think it’s a useful reminder for us to consider some of the more commonsense ways it puts forward, so that we can hopefully avoid getting ill as we get older.
I’m all for healthy aging.
The University of Florida have been doing research about women and aging and how to prevent some of the diseases and illnesses that we might face. “For women around the world the leading cause of death is heart disease, followed by breast cancer. 82% of women in America struggle with inactivity, and this is largely to blame for the 67% of women who are overweight as well as the 58% who struggle with hypertension, or high blood pressure. Most medical conditions and ailments that women face can be controlled and sometimes treated, so there is a possibility of reducing the number of deaths attributed to these illnesses. As research has shown, a healthy diet, exercise and regular medical checkups are the key ingredients for healthy aging for women.”
I think it’s a timely reminder for us all to keep on paying attention to our diet, exercise and mental health, and to get regular health check ups too.
You might also like : What health check ups should I have after the age of 50?
How to help prevent illness as you age
Are you looking after yourselves Lifestylers?
Why not make one healthy move today and in the comments write down and commit to improving your lifestyle in One Small Way and then make it a habit?
What’s Your Style?
I agree that the young need to be worrying about the amount of time they sit too these days, what with a computer screen being where they (as well as us bloggers) spend so much F2F time!
I’ve just instigated a stand-up desk for my lap top that I can (in the afternoon) move to a lower level where I have a pilates ball that also requires muscle-power to remain seated in an upright position! 😉
I’m not sure whether going out to exercise (for what amounts to such a small percentage of the day) is otherwise sufficient?
I agree with all of the above tips, especially in regards to sugar – it’s definitely something that has huge impacts on our individual health as well as our society as a whole. Did you know Alzheimer’s disease is now being referred to as Type 3 diabetes? I disagree with reducing fats though – good fats (avocado, olive oil, butter, and yes the fat off your meat) are so important for our bodies. Yes definitely keep away from processed foods that contain modified fats but our bodies need fat.
Hi Anne, thanks for your helpful tips. And no I didn’t know that about Alzheimer’s disease – how interesting.
Great advice. When you think about it, sugar has escalated in our world more than any other ingredient. I go shopping and see mountains of candy and cookies. Fifty years ago we never saw that. Eggs, meat, grains, fruits and vegetables have always been a part of man’s diet. I believe its all this excess sugar that’s part our increasing problem with disease.
I agree with you Laurie. So many processed products in the mix as well as mountains of sugar.
Love the information Jo, thanks. I am doing most things except giving up on eating less sugar. Some weeks great some not so. I now have a bag of marshmallows on my desk at work and I barely touch them, they taunt me though x
Good on you Rae for not being tempted too often. Although I’m all for the occasional treat 😉
Another great post Jo. As 60 too quickly approaches, I know I need to look after myself if I want to do what I want to do over the next 20 years. I keep in mind my mother’s problems caused to some degree by inactivity. And that is inducement enough not to follow suit. Keeping both mind and body active is certainly the way to living longer and enjoying life.
I think as we become more aware about health in relation to exercise, we’re realising how debilitating inactivity can be Jill. So yep, gotta keep moving. I’m looking into doing more of my blogging standing up 😉
I remember that anyone over the age of forty was ‘very old’ when I was young. Now I still consider myself reasonably young at the advanced age of 58 (although sometimes my body tells me different!) I hope to continue to take care of myself as I age and I’m certainly interested in learning how to do this. Thanks for the tips. 🙂
I also often feel that my mind is able but my body rather unwilling Kathy! But yes, 58 is considered middle aged these days rather than old aged which someone told me recently begins at 74 – so Yay, we’ve a way to go 😉
Another great post, thanks Jo! Your comment about this being the last year the Baby Boomers turn 50 is interesting…. I turned 50 this year and have always read that 1965 was the first year of Gen X. An internet search shows that the parameters of the generations vary, depending which list one reads….. I’m gonna hang on to my “Gen X” title (makes me feel younger!) but it was interesting to note that the dates of the generations do vary…..
Thanks Catherine! And yes, you hang on to that Gen X sticker with a vengeance (I would!)
Great infographic Jo and something we should all take note of as we get older. Although we may not have paid as much attention to our health when we were young as they do now I think we generally ate better, more fresh vegies etc and we had more exercise just in our daily lives. This is really something we need to make sure the younger generation understand as well.
As I was writing that I also thought that perhaps our food was less adulterated and we had to do more walking in our daily lives, Pam, so yes I totally agree there. Although my grown-up children are very aware of the role exercise plays in their lives, I also agree that they are more likely to be working jobs that require long periods of sitting at a desk in front of a computer.