If Not Now, When?

THIS ISSUE: Living to 100

Table of Contents:

1) Editor's Note
2) Food for Thought
3) Feature Article: Living to 100
4) Teleclasses
5) Question & Answer
6) Our Services

Editor's Note

Hi,

March was a relatively quiet month. Unfortunately one of my big events was a series of visits to my orthopedic surgeon to have him check out some aches and pains in both of my knees. I had MRI's of both knees, but I don't get to see the doctor for the results until the end of this month. I had surgery on the right knee 3 years ago. Hopefully we can look at some physical therapy as a good alternative this time. I'm not real fond of surgery, and it hasn't really seemed to help. I guess I could consider giving up my martial arts workouts, which I do four times per week. I've been doing martial arts for 45 years now, and stopping just doesn't seem like a viable alternative for my mental well-being. It really affects my mental attitude and quality of life. I guess I'll have to wait and see what the doc has to say, and decide if I want to ignore him or not.

As the weather warms up I am starting to venture back outside to do my aerobic exercising. There are good and bad points to that. The good point is that I get to enjoy the fresh air and the scenery of the open desert. The bad part is that I can't monitor my effort as closely when I'm not on my treadmill. My treadmill allows me the ability to program it for precise grade, speed, time, and heart rate. That is a great benefit if you want to do a precise amount of exercise toward a specific goal, like weight loss or aerobic improvement. The other bad thing is that as it gets warmer here in the desert I have to start exercising earlier and earlier in the day to keep from working out in some pretty nasty heat. Trust me, even exercise walking when the temperature is over 100 degrees is not fun, and can easily become dangerous.

This month I'm writing about some interesting information I read about living to be 100 with good quality of life. This information comes out of two books written by the same author, Walter M. Bortz, M.D. I hope you find the topic and information as interesting as I did.

Good luck, keep exercising, and remember – "If not now, when?".

Best Wishes,

Tom Manfredi


Send any comments you may have to tom@fitness-after-50.com

My site fitness-after-50.com

Food for Thought

Feature Article - Living to 100

There are two books out titled “We Live Too Short and Die Too Long” and “Dare to be 100”, both by Walter M. Bortz M.D.. In them Dr. Bortz talks about expanding our “healthspan”, or our ability to live a long and active life. He discusses the possibility that we should think of an average life expectancy of 100 as our birthright. He talks about the shaping forces necessary for a quality of life to 100.

Does this sound too good to be true? Well, based on the way most of the population currently lives life, that's probably true. We hear all the time that our genetic ancestry plays a big part in how long and how well we live. Dr. Bortz believes that only about 10 percent of our longevity and healthspan can be traced to our genetic makeup. He talks about a study in which 27,000 identical twins had death gaps which averaged 11 years difference. That's a very big gap for people who have an identical genetic makeup. So maybe the way we live does play into the cards somehow.

Many reports today like to talk about all the advances medicine is making toward extending our lives. Again, Dr. Bortz indicates that doctors can patch us up and mend us, but they don't actually cure us. Medical science is starting to learn much about prevention, but currently doctors do far too little in this area. Again, Dr. Bortz feels that only about 10% of our longevity and well-being can be credited to medicine.

When I was in graduate school, my nutrition professor said that less than 5% of doctors take any courses is nutrition while in medical school. And yet, much of the current data indicates that proper nutrition is very important in preventing and reversing many conditions that have a detrimental effect on our longevity and well-being.

And to make things worse, doctors often seem hesitant to look at alternative ideas and therapies because these theories haven't been scientifically tested. Keep in mind that many Chinese health remedies were not scientifically tested until very recently, and yet, today they are being found to be effective in many cases. This isn't to say that every “miracle cure” out there should be tried indiscriminately, but the medical community needs to take responsibility for investigating promising ideas that may help extend our lives and improve our quality of life.

Based on Dr. Boritz's estimates, 80% of the responsibility for our own health, well-being, and longevity is up to the lifestyle choices of the individual.

What are some of the lifestyle choices we should be looking at? Exercise is extremely important. Do not slow down. Unless you are totally physically or medically impaired, you should be doing at least 30 minutes of sustained, rhythmic, vigorous exercise a minimum of four times per week. This doesn't mean you should just jump into a full blown exercise routine tomorrow. Depending on your current condition, you need to work your way up to a regular routine. If you have any physical or medical limitations, this might include getting approval from your doctor and possibly some guidance from an exercise specialist.

As I mentioned earlier, nutrition is also a big factor. Proper nutrition can do wonders for your health and well-being. At least 60% of Americans can benefit dramatically by eating properly and losing excess pounds. Again, this doesn't mean you should go out and try every quick loss program you can find. Look at the long term, successful programs that can help you lose weight intelligently and safely.

Another factor that can help tremendously is to keep a positive attitude. Maintaing positive energy flow is key to aging successfully. You need to create a positive mind-set that something good is going to happen. This is sometimes referred to as the “placebo” effect. That's where people who think they are receiving a drug or treatment that will help them get better, do get better, even if they really aren't getting the real thing. The mind is a very powerful tool when it comes to our well-being.

(c)2005 - 2009 Thomas D. Manfredi, MS

Teleclasses

I will be announcing upcoming teleclasses in this section in the future.

If you have a topic that you would be interested in hearing about in a teleclass, send an e-mail to teleclasses@fitness-after-50.com

Questions and Answers

Answer - It's never too late.

In a recent study, women over 66 who had been sedentary began a mild exercise program. They cut their risk of death in half and a decade later, they were enjoying most of the benefits of life-long exercisers.

After 35 we lose about 10% of our muscle mass per decade. But, exercising once a week can maintain that muscle, and exercising twice a week can actually improve it.

So, if your exercising, keep it up. If not, get started.


To get more information on various fitness and health issues, please go to my site – www.fitness-after-50.com


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If you have a fitness or nutrition question you would like me to consider answering here in the newsletter, just send your question, along with your first name and city, in an e-mail to quesandansw@fitness-after-50.com

Obviously, I can't answer every question submitted. I will choose one question each month to answer here.

About Our Services

On line fitness coach Tom Manfredi is the creator of the site "fitness-after-50". This site is designed with the mature adult in mind. There is a lot of information available on the site for anyone looking to start or restart a sensible exercise program. Learn more by going to www.fitness-after-50.com



Tom Manfredi, 1218 Easy St., Ste 101, Wickenburg, AZ 85390

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