People make mistakes all the time, but when we begin to make mistakes regarding our health, that’s when trouble comes. It appears the older a person gets, the more they will become set in their ways and if they have lived for twenty plus years with bad habits and so on, the chances of them changing may be an uphill battle.
One of the biggest health mistakes that people make throughout the course of their lives is choosing not to eat correctly and exercise. Eating properly and getting enough exercise, not just when you are older, but during the course of your life is extremely important to the overall health of your mind, body, as well the spirit.
The more we move through physical activity, the more we are going to want to get out and move because exercise and various other forms of physical activity will release the “feel good” endorphins in our brains which will train us to push for more in our lives.
No matter what age you are, it’s always a great idea to move and get physical exercise as much as you can if you want to feel better and live longer. What are some of the biggest health mistakes that people over the age of fifty will make?
Well, each individual is different in what they do and how they essentially live their lives, but there are some noted mistakes that this age range will tend to make when it comes to the overall health of their mind and body. Today, we are going to be discussing some of those biggest mistakes made for people over the age of fifty.
Not Taking Time for Yourself
When you do not take time out for yourself, this can leave you with some very bad health issues, and you normally wouldn’t think that, but it’s true. You must remember that it’s not selfish to focus on yourself and take time out of your day or week to do what makes you as a person happy and relaxed.
How is all this good for your health? Well, keep in mind that when we are engaging in things that make us happy, our bodies will tend to experience that trickle-down effect and follow along with all of that good energy. Most of us in our fifties and plus have lived out our younger years working more than likely, five days out of the week, raising a family and preparing the little ones for the world ahead.
What have we done for ourselves? It’s so important to our health, both mentally and physically that we take the appropriate time out to finally do the things that we have always wanted to do.
It is The Golden Years for a reason, right? There have been studies conducted which proved that when people engage in what they want to do, they become healthier from the inside out because they are joyful. Happiness will bring good health because when a person is happy, they will tend to move more; hence, exercise.
When you are happier, you will tend to eat better because it feels so much better than eating unhealthily; hence, emotional eating. Do what’s right when you get up in age and take a little time to do what makes your soul happy because eventually, your health will thank you for it.
Our souls and our bodies are connected to one another. Happy people tend to live longer because they feel as though they have something worth living for.
Not Eating Correctly
We must eat correctly not just in older age, but all throughout the course of our lives if we want to feel and look better, as well live longer.
A lot of people in their fifties and plus will nine times out of ten, have some type of joint issue. That’s just the way it goes when we get up in age because of the wear and tear our joints undergo throughout our younger years. It’s part of the natural aging process.
Eating a lot of fruits will help to cut down on forms of inflammation throughout your joints, so eating that handful of blueberries every morning for breakfast will actually do you some good when you get up in age.
So many people think that when they reach a specific age, usually when we get older, that it’s time to give up and call it quits, and this is such an incorrect way to think and live because as long as you’re still alive and moving, there is always hoping to feel, look, and act better.
It’s never, ever too late to start eating correctly! A few candy bars ever once in a while isn’t going to hurt anyone, but it’s when we tend to go overboard is when trouble comes because too much sugar is very hard on our liver to process.
It’s also been linked throughout various forms of research that eating a proper diet can even assist with memory loss and that can really come in handy when we get up in age, as a lot of people’s memory tends to go in and out.
So, instead of starting out your morning breakfast with a sugary meal, why not fix yourself some oats and a cup of tea?
Not Getting Enough Exercise
Studies show that when you don’t get enough exercise, you tend to lose your vigor for life; inside and out. Moving on a regular basis will help to keep us feeling and looking younger and who doesn’t want that up in the later years of their life?
Many people after a certain age will develop a lot of depression and anxiety from getting older because that’s something in which we absolutely cannot place a stop to; getting older. It scares a lot of people, and they tend to obtain that giving up personality and feeling.
Studies have also proven that when you don’t get out of your house and move around during some type of physical activity, this type of behavioral pattern can a lot of the times cause your depression and anxiety to get worse because you are not activating the brain and your physical body to move and feel better on its own.
You should be getting at least three or four days in of physical exercise each week to keep your bones and muscles stronger, as well the brain too. When we exercise, the chemicals in our brain open and tend to expand like when we do Yoga. It’s what we like to call, releasing those “feel good” endorphins, kind of like a runner’s high feeling.
That’s what physical activity will do for you, so it’s always important to try and get enough exercise in each week that you can.
What type of exercising should I be engaging in? Walking the track at your local gym is a great way to get your daily exercise in and walking around two or three miles per day is great for your overall heart health, keeping your blood pressure down and making your heart pump more blood.
That’s what is so great about joining a health club because you will have the chance of getting out and meeting people your own age, making new friends. Just think how easy it would be to walk two or three miles on the track when you’re speaking and engaging with a friend.
A health club can also be a great mental relief for people; a great social experience along with the physical exercising.
When We Ignore Our Heart Health
When a person gets to a specific age and feels as though they are doing fine, many times, they will ignore their heart health because hey, if I feel fine, why change anything? This is the absolute worst thing that a person can think and act upon.
Heart health at any age is very important because our hearts help to function and regulate our whole body. A lot of people that are up in age or right at their fifties will sometimes forget to focus on their heart health because they are so busy with life changes such as becoming grandparents for the first time, finally getting to retire from that job and so on.
It’s very easy to forget about the overall health of your heart, that is until something happens and then it’s usually too late.
We need to be more encouraged by preventative care of the heart and not wait until something happens or we develop a heart condition. Make sure you are going at least once or twice per year, to your family doctor to check up on your heart, making sure your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are balanced.
Anyone can have a heart attack, yes, but it’s more common in individuals who are aged fifty and above because their hearts tend to be weaker up in age. Once again, this is another great reason to always check upon your heart.
Don’t ignore your heart health when you get up in age and that also includes eating properly throughout the day. Make sure you eat low-fat foods, a lot of fruits and vegetables. Studies show that heart disease is the number one killer of women.
Getting enough rest, appropriate foods and drinks throughout the day, as well regular checkups at your doctor could save your life.
When We Don’t Maintain Our Weight
Not maintaining your weight tends to occur with individuals in their later years and the reason is unknown as to why this happens to each individual. It could be that person is dealing with depression and anxiety, they could have a health condition which will prevent them from walking and running, the list could go on and on as to why people gain weight and keep it on in the later portions of their lives.
The key factor is to try and not let yourself gain additional weight in your fifties and beyond because you could develop diabetes and heart failure because of all the additional weight you could be carrying around. There have been multiple studies conducted which proved that women going through menopause tend to put on extra weight due to the hormone levels changes, so diet and getting enough exercise during this time is crucial.
The holidays are especially a bad time for anyone to gain extra weight, but it’s harder to keep it off when you get older because your metabolism will naturally slow down as we age. It has been proven that your metabolism will slow down to five percent every decade after you turn forty. Why would this be? Well, it’s because from the loss of your muscle and your muscle plays a very important role in maintaining your metabolism.
That’s why it’s also quite vital that you keep an exercise routine going all throughout your life, not just when you get older. Start now, and your body will thank you!
When We Skip Our Screenings
The reason as to why people aged fifty and plus skip their screenings could have many different reasons, according to that individual. A lot of people don’t like the specific doctor that they will have to see, cannot afford to go get a screening, and some people just think that they are fine simply because they feel good.
It’s important to remember not to wait until something in your body goes wrong and then go to the doctor, but take those preventative care screenings throughout your life because they could detect an early onset of a serious condition that you may not be aware you have.
There have been multiple levels of research completed, attempting to locate the reason as to why so many people aged fifty and plus are skipping their screenings, but each result will be different according to that person.
There have also been records noted that most people within this age bracket will skip their screenings due to not having a reason to pay, not liking the physician performing the exam, as well not having a reliable source of transportation.
It would be recommended that you go at least once per year to keep up with your regular screenings and if you happen to not have a reliable source of transportation, you could always call a neighbor or have a member in your family take you. There are ways.
By going and having your regular screenings, your doctor may be able to detect an early onset of a specific condition that could very well, save your life.
Thinking Sex and Intimacy is Over
When most people get to a certain age, they think that sex is over for them due to specific conditions that could prevent them from enjoying sex and intimacy as they did when they were younger. Even in our older years, it’s important to still include sexual behavior in our lives.
Did you know that sex in later years has been linked to living longer? It has been noted that having regular sex for women aged fifty and above can lower their risk of hypertension.
There have been previous studies conducted which proved that engaging in intimacy and being very close with one another can actually reduce stress, depression, and various other forms of emotional issues and need in both, men and women.
We all need one another, and that’s the bottom line. People of all ages need physical contact, whether it be a hug or personal intimacy with a lifelong partner. Just because someone gets older doesn’t mean that they should give up on having sex and being intimate with one another, as it could keep us living longer and a great way to keep the heart and muscles healthy, too.
There was a study completed at the University of Manchester which proved that eighty percent of sexually active men over the age of fifty admitted to being quite satisfied with their sex lives. What’s even better is that eighty-five percent of women aged sixty to sixty-nine admitted being satisfied with their sex lives, too.
Losing Your Sense of Purpose
This may not sound like a health mistake, but it can be for people that give up on life during older age. When we give up in the later years of our life, that type of behavioral pattern will trickle-down to how our bodies will function as well.
Our mind tells our body what to do and how to feel and when we go into older age with a defeatist attitude, our physical body will be more open to getting sick, feeling weak and so on because of what our mind is going through, the emotions and spirit of who we are.
Why do so many older people lose their sense of purpose in the world? It would seem as though the older a person gets, the more they find out who they are and how they want to live their lives. Well, this is true for some, but keep in mind that most people in their fifties will have children moving out and away, their partners, as well parents could become sick and die off, and overall just having that empty nest feeling.
By letting yourself get depressed and not getting out in the community to preoccupy your mind and body, you will be sacrificing your health. Studies have proven that happier people tend to live longer.
Not Drinking Enough Water
Not drinking enough water has been linked to high, as well low blood pressure, fatigue, cholesterol imbalances, impaired memory and or concentration, as well being dizzy along with other physical issues.
A lot of people in their later years will be drinking water thinking that they are getting enough, but in fact, they are not. As most people already know, it’s recommended that you get at least eight, eight-ounce glasses of water each day to keep dehydration away, as well the other conditions we have mentioned above.
Not drinking enough water throughout the day can cause people to have headaches and in some individuals, even pass out.
It’s also been proven that staying hydrated helps with skin complexion, will increase your energy, will prevent cramps and even sprains.
Plain water would be best to consume because by drinking plain water, you will be prompted to not consume as many calories throughout your day; a study conducted by researchers from the University of Illinois.
In fact, the researchers also discovered that increasing plain water drinking from anywhere to one in the range of three cups per day could actually reduce your calorie intake by sixty-eight to two-hundred and five calories each day!
