According to the organisers of the Active Ageing Congress, as reported on the BBC website, over 70s should be inspired by the Olympics to take up competitive sport. I have long been an advocate of the importance of taking regular exercise for adults of all ages, but the prospect of hoards of over 70s signing up to play squash or even tennis does set a few alarm bells ringing. If said over 70s have been sitting on their backsides for 50 years or more, a sudden burst of energy could do more harm than good. Let's preach caution here please: anyone over 40, overweight and/or with health problems should seek advice from their doctor before undertaking any form of exercise.
However I would like to think that the Olympics has inspired a generation of young people to take up sport instead of playing the latest video games, and if it motivates older people to get fitter that is also a very good thing. Our parents and our grandparents didn't have it as easy as we do, with all our labour-saving devices. Housework and gardening alone were enough to maintain their fitness levels. Many of us drive everywhere during the daytime and spend our evenings slumped in front of the TV - and with a remote control we don't even need to get up to change channels.
John and I are both over 60 and we have a dog to exercise, so going for several walks a day is a necessity rather than just choice. Before moving to Spain however we ran several times a week as well as walking everywhere. Many friends in the same age group as us who live over here drive everywhere and seldom walk. They all suffer from a variety of health problems, many of which I am convinced would be helped by them exercising regularly.
The experts say that we should get 2.5 hours moderate exercise a week, which is less than half an hour a day. Not an impossible target, and it doesn't require the hard work and sacrifice that Olympic athletes have undertaken over the last 4 years, so why not switch off your PC and go for a brisk walk now?
Showing posts with label aches and pains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aches and pains. Show all posts
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
I'm a doctor - trust me!
First of all, I want to make it clear that I don't want to knock the medical profession. After all, my uncle was a doctor, my cousin is a doctor and many of my friends have been doctors. However they are very busy people, and they can't possibly know everything there is to know about maintaining good health when their chief priority is dealing with bad health. At times they must be tempted to just scribble out a prescription and buzz the next patient in, especially when they know that the medication works.
I have a friend - let's call him Ian. Ian has been a diabetic for 20 years and when he was first diagnosed he ventured to ask his doctor about the Low GI Diet. His doctor dismissed this by saying it was far too complicated, so Ian has been insulin-dependent ever since. Until recently, when his wife discovered a book about the Low GI Diet that wasn't complicated, and since then Ian's health has improved and he has been able to reduce the insulin. It is still early days, but Ian is hopeful that this is working - if only he had been given this help 20 years ago!
As we get older, the chances of developing age-related medical conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure, cardiac disease, joint pains, cancer - and of course diabetes - start to increase. Your doctor is there to help you when such problems arise, however who is there to help prevent such conditions occurring in the first place? Only one person can do that - you.
My father had high blood pressure and was on medication until the day he died prematurely at the age of 47. When my doctor told me that my blood pressure was a bit too high, I decided to lower it the natural way rather than relying on medication - after all, at the end of the day it hadn't prevented my father's death. I use natural supplements, relaxation techniques, regular exercise, a healthy diet and sensible weight control amongst other methods. Obviously I check my blood pressure on a regular basis, as if it does get too high I will need to go back to my doctor, but I see that as a last resort.
Of course we all need to use our common sense here: if you discover your blood pressure is dangerously high, please see your doctor immediately and don't try to self-medicate! Be wary of self-diagnosis too - in particular don't use the internet to replace your highly qualified doctor. I am talking mainly of preventing these so-called age-related conditions in the first place, as well as using natural methods to improve your health if problems occur, hopefully allowing your doctor to either reduce or even stop your drugs.
When I worked as a complementary therapist, I always advised my clients to tell their doctor about their treatment and never to reduce their medication without their doctor's consent. After all, I am not medically qualified and the key word here is "complementary" - I see natural medicine as working alongside conventional medicine rather than replacing it.
However I am a great believer in preventative methods such as regular exercise, a healthy and varied diet, and relaxation techniques. Surely it is better to prevent, or at least delay, age-related health problems in the first place? The internet is an excellent source of information, though please don't take everything that you read on a website as gospel (even this one!). Research widely, and remember that some websites exist mainly to sell their own products, even though their general advice may still be very good.
If in doubt, do talk to your doctor. You may need to be persistent if you want to use natural remedies, but emphasise that you aren't talking about replacing conventional medicine, just reinforcing it the natural way. He or she may not know everything, and if you have an old-school doctor they may be sceptical about complementary medicine, however doctors are one of the few professionals that most people still trust!
I have a friend - let's call him Ian. Ian has been a diabetic for 20 years and when he was first diagnosed he ventured to ask his doctor about the Low GI Diet. His doctor dismissed this by saying it was far too complicated, so Ian has been insulin-dependent ever since. Until recently, when his wife discovered a book about the Low GI Diet that wasn't complicated, and since then Ian's health has improved and he has been able to reduce the insulin. It is still early days, but Ian is hopeful that this is working - if only he had been given this help 20 years ago!
As we get older, the chances of developing age-related medical conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure, cardiac disease, joint pains, cancer - and of course diabetes - start to increase. Your doctor is there to help you when such problems arise, however who is there to help prevent such conditions occurring in the first place? Only one person can do that - you.
My father had high blood pressure and was on medication until the day he died prematurely at the age of 47. When my doctor told me that my blood pressure was a bit too high, I decided to lower it the natural way rather than relying on medication - after all, at the end of the day it hadn't prevented my father's death. I use natural supplements, relaxation techniques, regular exercise, a healthy diet and sensible weight control amongst other methods. Obviously I check my blood pressure on a regular basis, as if it does get too high I will need to go back to my doctor, but I see that as a last resort.
Of course we all need to use our common sense here: if you discover your blood pressure is dangerously high, please see your doctor immediately and don't try to self-medicate! Be wary of self-diagnosis too - in particular don't use the internet to replace your highly qualified doctor. I am talking mainly of preventing these so-called age-related conditions in the first place, as well as using natural methods to improve your health if problems occur, hopefully allowing your doctor to either reduce or even stop your drugs.
When I worked as a complementary therapist, I always advised my clients to tell their doctor about their treatment and never to reduce their medication without their doctor's consent. After all, I am not medically qualified and the key word here is "complementary" - I see natural medicine as working alongside conventional medicine rather than replacing it.
However I am a great believer in preventative methods such as regular exercise, a healthy and varied diet, and relaxation techniques. Surely it is better to prevent, or at least delay, age-related health problems in the first place? The internet is an excellent source of information, though please don't take everything that you read on a website as gospel (even this one!). Research widely, and remember that some websites exist mainly to sell their own products, even though their general advice may still be very good.
If in doubt, do talk to your doctor. You may need to be persistent if you want to use natural remedies, but emphasise that you aren't talking about replacing conventional medicine, just reinforcing it the natural way. He or she may not know everything, and if you have an old-school doctor they may be sceptical about complementary medicine, however doctors are one of the few professionals that most people still trust!
Sunday, 15 July 2012
The usual aches and pains
I remember my friend Sandra saying, when we were both in our early fifties, "I've got the usual aches and pains, that's all. It's to be expected at our age". I was a year older than her and my immediate response was "No! It's not normal to be suffering from aches and pains, even if you are over 50. See your doctor and sort it out!"
Now that I am over 60, I can state categorically that I still don't suffer from the "usual aches and pains", and certainly not on a daily basis. The last time we visited our local castle, which involved going up and down a lot of steep steps, I didn't have any problems coping with them. The following day though my legs felt a bit stiff, but there was a good reason for that and I was back to normal two days later.
John and I walk a lot every day, partly because we live on the edge of town and it's a ten minute walk to the nearest shop and partly because we have a dog to exercise. When we lived in the UK we both did a lot of running, however it's too hot at the moment for running to be enjoyable so we now prefer to go out for a walk. I think the fact that we have taken regular exercise over the years has helped to keep us fit and warded off potential aches and pains. I also think that regular exercise has stopped us getting overweight, which is another factor in many age-related problems. That was certainly the case for my friend Sandra, who never walked if a car was available, and unfortunately had the extra weight to prove it!
Do you agree that regular walking helps to delay the onset of age-related health problems? My mother walked everywhere, and she also played badminton every week, even in her eighties. She was a great role model for anyone wanting to be healthy in their later years. Should we all expect to be pain-free in our sixties and later, and not just accept it as part of ageing? My mother hardly ever had to visit her doctor, and certainly didn't complain of any aches and pains, but as well as taking regular exercise she was always very slim.
Do you have any other tips for staying fit and healthy in your sixties? If so, please share them with us.
Now that I am over 60, I can state categorically that I still don't suffer from the "usual aches and pains", and certainly not on a daily basis. The last time we visited our local castle, which involved going up and down a lot of steep steps, I didn't have any problems coping with them. The following day though my legs felt a bit stiff, but there was a good reason for that and I was back to normal two days later.
John and I walk a lot every day, partly because we live on the edge of town and it's a ten minute walk to the nearest shop and partly because we have a dog to exercise. When we lived in the UK we both did a lot of running, however it's too hot at the moment for running to be enjoyable so we now prefer to go out for a walk. I think the fact that we have taken regular exercise over the years has helped to keep us fit and warded off potential aches and pains. I also think that regular exercise has stopped us getting overweight, which is another factor in many age-related problems. That was certainly the case for my friend Sandra, who never walked if a car was available, and unfortunately had the extra weight to prove it!
 |
| Running the Race for Life 3km, at the age of 63 |
Do you have any other tips for staying fit and healthy in your sixties? If so, please share them with us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)