Anyone I’ve ever spoken to over the age of 60 wants to live independently for as long as possible. However the concept of aging in place, remaining where you live now, will probably require some adapting to changes that take place as you get older.

I am convinced that the keys to staying independent are:

• maintaining good cognitive and physical function, preventing disease, and managing well your current medical conditions.

Physical activity is important not only because it helps maintain or increase your muscle mass and strength, but it also protects you against cardiovascular disease and improves other conditions like high blood pressure. Another very important benefit of exercise is it helps older adults with their balance and flexibility, two important conditions that help prevent falls.

Walking and exercise, for example, increases your breathing and heart rate so that more blood flows to your brain, improving your energy level. In fact, studies show that in response to exercise, cerebral blood vessels can grow, Another study of senior citizens who walk regularly showed significant improvement in their memory skills compared to sedentary people. Walking also improved their ability to learn, concentrate and reason abstractly.

In a study of senior women who walked regularly,  it was found that they were less likely to experience age related memory loss. This research was at the University of California at San Francisco where they measured the brain function of nearly 6,000 women over an 8 year period. They found that the most active women had less cognitive decline than the other groups, just over 40 percent.

In the meantime, be realistic about where you are in your health and how age-related changes may be affecting you. Staying independent requires finding help in areas where you may need it. There are many resources available in just about every community and some of those resources may be members of your own family.

Waiting too long to get help may put you in a box that is too difficult to exit. For example, if you require a knee replacement, get one before you injure your hip because your knee is working right. If you need to use a cane to keep you in balance, use one and lower your risk of falling down. And if you need to lose weight to get your blood pressure and cholesterol count down, there is no better time than right now.

To  your success for healthy aging,

Ruthan Brodsky

I have this dear friend who closed his business 11 months ago and is floundering about what to do now. His father retired over a period of years and stayed in a warm climate for a couple of months and then for 6 and 7 months. His father could afford to enjoy a leisurely life when he retired and he did. He also had a couple of major health issues that curtailed his activity so retirement was a perfect fit at the time. But that was then and this is now.

My friend has been thinking about starting a new business, something part time I suspect, and is even willing to work for someone else if the person and work are suitable. So far he has arrived at a fat zero and encouraging him to look in this or that direction seems to make matters worse. So I mention the idea search when I see him because that’s all it is now, but I quickly move away from that topic.

Today a new version of retirement is emerging from the trauma of the credit crunch and the simple fact that we are living longer. Some of us will be living 30 and 40 years after retirement.

The messages are mixed. A European study recently reported that the newly retired are much happier since they stopped working. The same group of researchers also reported that workers slept better after retirement than previously. The participants were 15,000 French workers, most of them men, who answered questions 7 years before they retired and 7 years after their retirement. Workers who felt worse before retirement reported greater improvements when they retired.

The other side of the coin in my next post.

If you are retired are you at a happier place or has the economy made that question too difficult to answer. Let us know what you think.

To your healthy and successful retirement

Ruthan brodsky

Sleep patterns to change as you get older along with all the other physical changes.  Most people tend to have a tougher time falling asleep and then more trouble staying asleep than they did when they were younger. The problem is, no matter what the common thinking is all about, your need for sleep doesn’t decline as you get older. In fact your sleep needs remain fairly constant. Read the rest of this entry

I don’t believe that you can stop aging. Neither do I believe that you can reverse aging. I do understand that there are medical and surgical and pharmaceutical things you can do and have done to you that may help you look younger and may even give you more energy, but those aren’t the secrets I’m seeking.

I’m convinced that the secrets to not becoming old are wrapped up in the lifestyle habits I need to include in my daily activities that will give me:

• the strength I need to lug groceries and play with my grand kids and push a vacuum;
• the flexibility I need so I can back up into a parking space and get in and out of a car without struggling;
• the smarts I need to continue to be productive in whatever I choose to do;
• the compassion I need to accept my aging and all the losses that will accompany those years.

Secrets To Health and Aging is an exploration to discover what we need to know and do to lead extraordinary lives as we age.

I suspect you have additional ideas about what your secrets are to healthy aging. Will you share them with us? Scroll down to comments and type your tips for healthy aging. Let’s see how much good information we receive.

To your healthy aging success.

Ruthan