.png)
Age is a number. It doesn’t have to be how you feel.
I talk to clients all the time who have issues with chronic inflammation, joint pain, poor sleep, irritability, difficulty losing weight, and fatigue. Then they say, I am (insert number here) years old, so I guess it’s just part of getting old. Sure, many things change as we age. We have more experience and knowledge to make informed decisions. Maybe we have more expendable income. Maybe we are no longer in a partnership we thought would last forever, or maybe we had an injury that changed our ability to do something we love.
I am not interested in denying the reality of change, but I also do not want to be a victim of the status quo. What I mean by that is this: you may have seen your mother or grandmother progress through her life and become increasingly weaker, forgetful, more dependent on others, and less able to connect, relate, and understand. Maybe she ended up in a nursing home with a poor quality of life until the day she died. Sadly, her death may have felt like a relief to those around her if she was unable to go outside, get out of bed, or even remember the people she loved. This is a very common picture these days.
In contrast, I know you have seen other women like Martha Stewart, Betty White, or maybe your own mother or grandmother live a full, vibrant life well into their nineties. When they did die, they had a few weeks or months of decline. Not years of lingering and suffering. So, what is the difference? Is it genetic?
We are talking about two different “spans.” Life span is the number of years you are alive or how long your heart beats. Health span is the number of years you feel vibrant, strong, and capable. My goal is for every client to feel their best, capable, and strong for the length of their life.
How do I do that? Here is a list of the most impactful things you can do to ensure your health span matches your life span.
1. Diet is our first goal. Cue a huge eye roll! I know what you are thinking. “Oh, good advice. How would I have ever known that.” The truth is, you can know what is good for you or what you “should do” but still not be doing it. We can get distracted and confused with all the new gadgets and medical advances. Should I do keto or intermittent fasting? Is long-distance running better for weight loss or high-intensity interval training? The truth is the answer is different for every person. So don’t feel like a failure if your friend lost 20 lbs. on keto, but you tried it and gained 2 lbs. That diet is not for you, and that’s ok. So, what should you do? A whole-food diet is the best choice. That means less processed foods, sugars, and breads. It also means adding more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and fish or other lean meats. This diet leads to less inflammation in the body, which then decreases your risk for poor health outcomes like heart attack, stroke, hypertension, etc.
2. Exercise is equally important for good metabolic health. I suggest you find an activity like walking, running, hiking, dancing, or yoga that you really like and do more of it. Start slow and increase your time and intensity as your body allows. After the age of 30, we all begin to lose muscle mass, so regular exercise to help maintain and gain muscle will support your strength and balance and keep you active well into your 80s and 90s.
3. Bio-identical hormone therapy (BHRT) Beyond treating symptoms of hot flashes, poor sleep, irritability, and all the fun of menopause, there are other health reasons to consider taking BHRT. Both estrogen and progesterone work together to maintain bone strength. Both hormones are thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect, and as mentioned above, high amounts of inflammation eventually lead to an increased risk of heart attacks or stroke. Testosterone promotes healthy smooth muscle, which in turn has a positive effect on metabolism. BHRT is not for everyone. We used to believe hormone replacement was dangerous and should be avoided. Now, however, we have updated research showing that BHRT is quite safe and protects against disease states like cancer and heart disease.
4. Meditation. There are many benefits to meditation. We live in such a fast-paced environment with many demands on our time and energy. We feel guilty if we stop and take time for ourselves. There are so many benefits associated with a meditation practice, including better sleep, increased energy, improved focus, and less stress, just to name a few. If you are like most people, you might say, I don’t have time to meditate. You will always find the time once you experience the benefit of a regular meditation practice. If you don’t meditate but are curious about how to start, I suggest you check out Insight Timer. There are free and paid versions of the app.
I am not saying that there are no real limitations or injuries that happen over time that may decrease mobility. I am also not suggesting we all pretend we are 25, and no one or nothing can change that. What I am suggesting is that there are modifiable and non-modifiable factors that contribute to aging. We are not a victim of aging and the inevitable slide toward the nursing home. This is about focusing on the modifiable factors, four of which I listed above, and doubling down on those to empower yourself to be as strong and healthy as possible.
No matter what your current age is, if you want your health span to match your life span, then I suggest investing in the activities above. If you have more questions about BHRT or how to incorporate any of the suggestions above, reach out to us at Hummingbird Healthcare. We can help.
