Making a Mistake With Your Health?

Doctors and experts on the "Boomers" (1946-1964) say there are some common mistakes men and women of this generation tend to make when it comes to their health and well being. Giving these areas a little attention now could make all the difference in their ability to enjoy hard-earned retirements. However, boomers seem to have an overly optimistic view about everything from money to health.

As a result, when it comes to making decisions about your health, boomers sometimes think that if they delay doing something, a better solution might come along. At the other end of the spectrum, there are those who hop on the Internet to learn everything about their symptoms and possible treatments, thinking they can out-research their doctors or find the latest alternative cure. Either way they end up putting off taking action.

Some baby boomers do a great job of taking care of their bodies and minds.  They watch what they eat, exercise regularly, meditate, go to Yoga classes and listen to their bodies and the latest health findings.

Working Long Hours and Too Tired for Anything Else!

Then there are the other boomers--the ones working incredibly long hours, too tired to hit the gym or whip up a healthy meal. Squeezed between taking care of their growing children as well as their aging parents, they know what they’re supposed to do to lead healthy lives.  -- They just don't do it.

According to a 2005 study by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, obesity rates substantially grew for baby boomers, compared with the generation before them. When members of the prior generation were 35 to 44 years old, 14% to 18% were obese. At comparable ages, 28% to 32% of the youngest boomers were obese.

What’s more, even when boomers' behaviour and choices lead to serious problems, their health may still not come first. According to data from Internet survey provider Greenfield Online of 1,000 people ages 42 to 60 years old who’d been previously diagnosed with hypertension, only 24% said the condition motivated them to change their lifestyles.

What Are You Eating?

With people now fully aware they're expected to live into their 90s and even 100s, simple changes in what boomers eat and how they think can affect the quality of the later years. Making an effort to add more fruits, vegetables and lean meats to one’s plate will not only help boomers trim the fat, but also could help them fight diseases that may develop in old age, says Dr. Marie A. Bernard, professor and chair of the department of geriatric medicine at the University of Oklahoma. “It will certainly leave you at a baseline higher level of fitness,” says Bernard, also a member of the senior health center staff at OU Physicians group.

Plan for Post-Retirement

Making specific plans for life post-retirement can play a big role in maintenance of blood flow to the brain too, which helps keeps boomers alert. Studies of retired people who sat around and did nothing versus those who went on to do something new showed the latter group did better at maintaining vitality, Bernard says.

Being physically active, and getting involved in projects and hobbies that excite us are more important than we realize.

Why Are We Here?

Retirement is not always a good thing.  In general, people need to have some sense of purpose. Those individuals that have goals live longer and better lives.

It's Not Too Late!

In my practice, I frequently hear patients say they wish they'd treated their bodies better when they were younger. It is not too late to turn things around! Studies have shown that 90-year-olds who started regularly lifting weights as small as a half pound were able to build muscle strength and become more active. Imagine how much progress a 50-year-old could make!!

The key is taking it slow. Pick just one thing you want to address and give yourself time to succeed before moving onto the next thing.

 

Our Goal is To Help With Your Goals

At Osteoklinika our goal is not only to relieve pain but to treat pathological changes that occur in the tissues of the body that led to discomfort, inflammation and restricted range of motion. This approach addresses many musculoskeletal conditions down to the cellular level, therefore speeding up recovery. We call it the method of Bio-Structural Integration™.  Our objective is to find the source of the problem, correct it and allow the body to return to a normal physiological balance and this can occur at any age!  It is not too late to turn it around!  I would be happy to hear from you to help you be the best boomer you can be!  Please call me at 905.660.8810 or visit my website at www.osteoklinika.com. - Andrew Subieta M.Sc. R.M.T. C.L.T.