3 Lessons My Body Taught Me About Aging

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3 Lessons My Body Taught Me About Aging

Last week I celebrated my 64th birthday. I must confess that every year as another birthday approaches I feel a smidgen of trepidation. As the primary caregiver to my 90 year old mother, I see what age does to a body on a daily basis and it is not always pleasant. So this year I decided to look back on my year and see if I could pick out anything that would give me hope for the future. What I discovered surprised me!

1. I can improve my health as I age.

Six years ago, I started my journey to wellness. I changed my lifestyle and thanks to nutrition, natural supplements and exercise, today at 64 I weigh less, my body fat % is down, my energy is up, my cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose levels are perfect and the inflammation in my joints is under control. I take no medication. Because of my success with my health, last winter I was able to check off an item on my Bucket List and I competed in and finished the 30 mile Can Am International Sled Dog Race in a driving snowstorm over very challenging terrain. It was a GREAT year!
Not everyone wants to run a sled dog team but it’s safe to say that everyone wants to feel good and enjoy good health. I have come to realize that I not only have a role in my wellness but I have a responsibility as the primary advocate for my body. While my doctor is there to deal with ILLness, I am and should be in charge of my WELLness. I may not be able to turn back the clock but I can slow it down. It’s NEVER too late to start!

2. It is possible to become an “athlete” in your 60’s!

I have always considered myself “active” but I’ve never considered myself an athlete. That is, not until I read my body fat % after I weighed myself last week. Knowing your body fat % is critical if you are working on a weight loss or weight maintenance program. Body fat can be measured a variety of ways. Trainers can measure it with sophisticated equipment but body fat can also be measured at home either with a scale that measures both weight and body fat or by using a hand held device like the Omron Fat Loss Monitor. Why is that important? If you are on a weightloss program it is important to know if the weight you are losing is coming from fat stores. If it isn’t then you may be losing weight from valuable muscle and that is not something you want to have happen at any age.
In our Transitions program we go over Body Fat Guidelines in evaluating a body’s fitness level. Over the past 5 years I have been in the Fit range but last week I discovered that I am on the verge of finding myself in the Athlete range! I am thrilled! To think that I could be in the Athlete range at my age is a great boost to my morale.

3. “M” can stand for Muscle not Metamucil if you are willing to put in the effort.

Last week, when I read my body fat %, what I noticed was that my body weight hadn’t changed even though my body fat % had lowered. In my case, that is a good thing, since I have already reached my goal weight. What is happening is that I am burning fat while I am building muscle and while muscle weighs more than fat the weight scale stayed the same but the fat monitor went down. In my case it happened as a result of tweeking my workout schedule and making sure the majority of my calories came from plant-based non-inflammatory foods. At the beginning of June I decided to add a few more classes a week to my workout by doing Pilates so that I could tone and strengthen my muscles. Pilates is the fastest most efficient way I have found to burn fat while toning muscle. It is also great to rehab during an injury and it is a very non-aggressive way to exercise. While Pilates is working great for me, the important thing is to find an activity that you love doing that helps you crank up your exercise to another level. Whether it’s swimming or cycling, or running or zumba, find something that can work on your cardio but make sure to include resistance work because that is where the fat burn happens when the muscles break down and rebuild. Think of it this way: Picture a baseball. It weighs 3 ounces. Now picture a beach ball. It too weighs 3 ounces. Which would you rather be? I’m going for the baseball!

Win a Transitions DVD and Journal!

Trivia Question!

If you are interested in changing your lifestyle and want to learn how to eat better, cleaner, healthier, here is your chance! The first 2 correct responses to my Trivia Question will receive a Free Transitions DVD and Journal. It will get you started toward a healthier lifestyle!

Question: Which member of The Powers Pack do I refer to as my “Joie de Vivre?”

Hint: Check out The Pack Bios on this site for the answer. Good Luck!
Respond in the Comment section below.

Until next time! Live well!