The Come Alive Project

Tag: senior fitness

  • Energy Bite 345 – A New Wave of Seniors

    In earlier generations, most men and women entering their Senior years considered retirement to be a life of security and ease, with few cares in the world, maybe take a cruise, or to just “cool it”.

    Today, what more and more Seniors are really looking for is an active and healthy lifestyle, freedom from worry about things like long, lingering illness, falling, or being a burden on family or society. Seniors want a relief from the boredom of what once was considered the goal of retirement.

    As Joseph Campbell said, “I think people are looking for an experience of being alive.”

    What does it feel like to wake up in the morning feeling really alive? What does it feel like to look forward to the day ahead, and having the energy and vitality to be able to spend your day active and productive — doing the things you want to do without being dependent on having others tell you how to get through your day. Today, more active Seniors are discovering how.

    Or how about this. Imagine being in total control of your body and mind, with the strength and agility to avoid falls, the ability to climb stairs with comfort and ease, the ability to bend and twist and move your body any way you want to — total mastery over the way you move and control your body — as well as total control over the way you think and use your mind as you continue through life.

    Imagine how good it feels to be comfortable with the idea of doing nearly anything you have ever wanted to do with your life, but just haven’t done yet for one reason or another.

    This isn’t a pipe dream, and in fact Seniors everywhere are realizing that getting older is no longer a barrier to doing whatever you want to do with the rest of your life. And Seniors from most of the world are living longer, feeling better, and living in the Flow of Life, than at any time in world history. The current generation of Seniors is on the leading edge of the new movement of Seniors who expect more from ourselves than just the old line perks of retirement. 

    We won’t slow down and fall into the pit of someone else’s stereotype. We will laugh out loud at those who say, “OK, Boomer”.

    Today’s Seniors who get physically fit and transform our mindset for living, are energizing ourselves with a vitality that Seniors of previous generations could only dream of. Fortunately, Seniors today have a better knowledge of exercise, nutrition and the other attributes of living longer lives, and we are putting that knowledge to use to delay the onset of rusty hinges, brittle bones and the other accoutrements of aging that previous generations incurred much earlier.

    When we adopt those principles of healthy aging, we can be a truly valuable and functional part of society and not a burden on it. And that’s a blessing for our generation and for the generations yet to come.

    “It’s never too late to learn to Keep Your Old Body Young, Your Spirit Vital, Discover the Fountain of Youth Inside You and Turn on to The Flow of Life.”  — Bob McMillan (Me)

    It’s a great time to be alive!

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 344 – 11 Lessons and 10 Tips for Seniors on Vacations

    For the past week and a half, my wife, my grandson and I got away from the house and drove through the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee. I learned that I’m not as young as I once was as pointed out through these eleven lessons and ten tips.

    1. Dehydration is easy. It doesn’t take long to become dehydrated. Dehydration causes fatigue and lack of focus. It can be more dangerous as you get older. Tip: Drink more water.

    2. Injuries can come from a sudden movement when you are older. I learned this first hand. I was taking a picture from Blowing Rock, NC using my wife’s phone and I dropped it. I barely managed to catch it but I did — at the cost of a damaged shoulder. The sudden movement re-injured previous shoulder problems. it happened suddenly, quickly and painfully. Still hurts. Tip: Beware of sudden movements.

    3. It’s not as easy to exercise on trips. We stayed in a couple of different cabins on the trip with moderate floor space. The furniture takes up nearly all the space and there is both very little room and very little time to do a lot of different movements. But I managed to get in some exercise using stretch bands and the floor. Stretch bands are easy to travel with and provide good exercise. Tip: Take stretch bands on your next trip and use them. They don’t cost much and don’t take up much room in your travel bag.

    4.  It’s very easy to become grouchy. Dehydration is one factor. Another is just being an old curmudgeon. Aging and becoming a curmudgeon can go together for those who don’t smile, don’t move around much, and let our energy deplete. Tip: Smile a lot and move more.

    5. It takes longer to recover from exertion. Yes, when you are in your sixties or up, and you spend the day standing or walking, you get tired very quickly and you recover much more slowly than your younger brethren. I guess that portends the future. Tip: Exercise and real food helps. So does lot’s of sleep.

    6. Tourist walking is not the same as exercise walking. While you can get a lot of exercise while walking as a tourist, it’s slower, more time consuming and a lot less exercise. Plus there is a lot of just standing around which is hard on the hips and back. Tip: Move around a lot.

    7. Keeping up with a 15 year old grandson is challenging for an 80 year old. Tip: Stay fit. Keeping up with the kids is easier.

    8. The latest rides are much scarier than they used to be. Lots of loops and turns at 70 miles per hour facing straight down, then straight up. No tip here.

    9. Teenaged grandkids would rather play with their X-Box than spend a lot of time in an amusement park. They are also looking at their phones all the time, even in a great Theme Park. Fortunately, my grandson thoroughly enjoyed the scary rides. But getting back to the cabin, the X-Box goes on first. Tip: I guess we have to deal with it and watch out for kids with their heads down.

    10. Last week we were in Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN. What a well designed Theme Park. But where’s Dolly. She’s close to my age. Tip: Don’t look for Dolly. Enjoy the one you’re with.

    11. People are a lot larger in the South. In fact, many are huge. I’ve seen a surprisingly large number of VERY large people over the past week or so. It must be the fried foods and sweet tea they serve in the South. Most of them move VERY slowly — seniors, middle aged, and young kids. As the French say, Americans are the “balloon people.”  Tip: Eat less and move more, particularly if you live in the South.

    I learned these 11 lessons during this trip which ended this past weekend. Another lesson is that the Smokies are beautiful mountains with a lot to see and do — but, it’s good to be home.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 343 – Fundamentals of Dehydration

    “Don’t be a drip, take a sip.” — Anon.

    We are half way through Summer with it’s accompanying hot weather and humidity. Seniors have a tendency to dehydrate and overheat more easily than younger people. With that in mind, I dragged out some old notes and quotes and put together these thoughts. While heat is a major contributor to dehydration, lack of fluids will cause dehydration regardless of the temperature.

    Dehydration can be a serious problem with Seniors. As you age, you lose the recovery power of your youth and when you get truly dehydrated, it may take longer to rebound from lack of water in your body. The more you age, the longer it takes to recover. Of course, the better physical condition you are in, the better you are able to handle the recovery.

    What are the symptoms of dehydration? Mild to moderate dehydration results in increased thirst, headache, lightheadedness, constipation, dry mouth, fatigue, and lack of the need to urinate. Severe dehydration may result in severe thirst, lack of sweating, confusion, irritability, fever, low blood pressure, rapid breathing and heart rate, and may end up in loss of consciousness. Severe dehydration can also result in kidney problems and overall decreased blood flow resulting from low fluid content in the body.

    “No spit, no sweat, no need to go . . .
    Fix it all with H20 ” — Anon

    With Seniors, the symptoms of dehydration do not appear suddenly. But once you become dehydrated, the symptoms can escalate quickly. Studies show that Seniors also lose their sense of thirst as you get older, so you are not as likely to notice the need for fluids as early as younger people.

    How about adding salt intake? Here is an interesting bit of information. Studies have shown that lack of salt contributes to cardiovascular problems. What? I always heard that salt is bad for you. These studies show that seniors should consume no less than one teaspoon of salt, nor more than three teaspoons of salt per day. Those who did the studying found that most seniors were well within this range when they were totally on their own. But most independent living facilities provide a low salt diet at dinnertime which can potentially lead to mild dehydration. 

    What kind of salt should you use? I find sea salt or Himalayan rock salt to be better by far that normal table salt with all its additives. Trader Joe’s sells a Himalayan rock salt in a small grinder. You can always find sea salt or rock salt pre-ground but you miss out on the fun of grinding.

    According to the Mayo Clinic website, the best way to prevent dehydration in seniors, and everyone else for that matter, is to drink plenty of water and eat plenty of water content foods like fruits and vegetables, and to avoid alcohol. Duh.

    We are also told that seniors should be careful about venturing out on really hot and humid days and to keep plenty of water handy at all times. Don’t skimp on salt, but don’t go overboard either. Double duh.

    Most medical websites say basically the same thing relative to seniors. Drink plenty of water whether you are thirsty or not (remember the sense of thirst is diminished with seniors. Be alert for symptoms and catch them early. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance if the symptoms are noticeable, and don’t hesitate to contact emergency or medical personnel if you or anyone with you deem it advisable.

    “What ever you do,
    Take water with you.” – Anon

    It seems so elementary, but so often we forget. We intend to drink plenty of water, but we don’t. Take heed.

    Thank your for reading.

    NOTE: The above quotes came from here.