Advanced Infirmation: Do Not Grow Old Fat

The reality of our own mortality hits us some time in our thirties; we realize we will not live forever, and we recognize that people are living longer than they did fifty years ago. Some toss it off in a cavalier manner, a few go death-scare crazy; most are somewhere in the middle with me, getting it that we just do not have forever, and consoling ourselves with the fact that we still have longer.

I decided when I was forty-nine that I needed to shed the weight now or face for certain debilitating health issues when I aged: knee problems, arthritis, (try moving three hundred pounds out of bed when everything hurts), heart or other organ problems from the stress of the extra weight, diabetes (Type II usually results from obesity), etc.

Advanced Infirmation is the process of increasingly developing new illness as you age more rapidly than normal due to obesity.

When I moved to Florida to be with my mother, I found myself transported from small communities in rural areas of California, working with young teachers and younger parents and children, to a megalopolis, for me, of a city, Delray Beach, in a single housing development of more than 12,000 over fifty-five years old residents. (There are more people in this one development than in many of the cities I have lived in.) Most of these people bought these condos decades ago; the majority of the population here is over seventy-five, and most of them are in their eighties and nineties. I want you to know  Bette Davis was being subtle when she said, Old age is not for sissies.

We see people here on a daily basis who need assistance or devices to get around: aides, walkers, wheelchairs, canes; we see folks on oxygen, as their circulation or lung capacity or heart strength impairs their ability to get air. We see not so old people, the young crowd (in their sixties), who are already obese, sedentary, and heading for all of the health problems associated with Geriatric Obesity.

Restaurants are full of people conversing about their sciatica, diabetes, blood pressure, edema (water retention), fatigue; the list is long, and the same conversations are overheard everywhere we go, coming from new strangers. People converse regarding their multiple medications, with varying directions on times to take them being confusing; they fear taking too many of something or not enough of something else. Many are taking so many somethings, I worry that they suffer drug interactions they are not even aware of. I imagine that these might even present to a doctor as new symptoms, and yet another drug will be prescribed.

There are a few people who walk here, but itis mostly the young sixties crowd; the majority of folks here get no more movement in a day than dressing and undressing, and going out to the clubhouse to play cards or take a ceramics class, or go shopping, if they go out at all. Many are quite housebound. Most are overweight. Most consume very large quantities of breads and sweets, and pre-packaged, over-processed foods and meals. If boxed sugar cereals and the TV dinner were an affront to good nutrition when I was five, bagels, Danish, and the microwave dinner have got to be an affront to good nutrition for the golden years.

There are three commodities you can not buy: love, health, and time. But you can invest in them now, and bank away for tomorrow: invest money in the bank, time in your loved ones, and energy in exercise for your future health.

If you do an internet search on obesity and health, you will come up with thousands of sites. (Yahoo returned 27,400,000 listings.) Among other ailments, obesity is listed as increasing the risk of illness and death due to diabetes, stroke, coronary artery disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, and kidney or gallbladder disorders; it may increase the risk for some types of cancer, and is also a risk factor for the development of osteoarthritis and sleep apnea (a condition in which one stops breathing when asleep for brief moments in time; an apnea incident can be fatal.).

I belong to the Baby Boomer generation. In 2005, the Census Bureau put out a special statistics report. The following statistics come from this report:

In 2006, the oldest of the baby boomers, the generation born between 1946 and 1964, will turn 60 years old.

78.2 million Estimated number of baby boomers, as of July 1, 2005.

7,918 Number of people turning 60 each day in 2006, according to projections. That amounts to 330 every hour.

50.8% Percentage of women baby boomers in 2005.

$2,695 Average annual expenditures on health care in 2004 for people ages 45 to 54, the age group that is the heart of the baby boom generation. When budgeting medical expenses, baby boomers should expect increased health-care spending as they age; for instance, those aged 55 to 64 spent $3,262 and those 65 and over, $3,899.

57.8 million Number of baby boomers living in 2030, according to projections; 54.9 percent would be female. That year, boomers would be between ages 66 and 84.

The Future: 4,041 Number of continuing care retirement facilities in 2003. Many boomers could have parents in need of such facilities or may have to move into such a facility themselves in the future.

No matter when you start, a healthy lifestyle improves your quality of life and may extend your life span. People who are physically active, eat healthily, avoid tobacco and alcohol, and who get regular check-ups are more likely to look forward to many years of staying active and independent than those of us who deviate from this regimen by varying degrees.

More than fifty percent of people die from preventable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and stroke. How a body ages is linked in part to family patterns of aging and genetics, but the greatest impact on how well we age is made by our personal health behaviors. Our daily lifestyle choices have the most influence on how well, or poorly, our body ages, and what quality of life we have when we are old.

Choose an exercise you like and stick with it. Regular exercise is even more important for seniors than other age groups. Their risk of disease and lost mobility is greater. Look for ways every day to exercise in work and play. Stretch and walk whenever possible. Studies have been done which show that even sedentary people in their nineties can build muscle.

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Do not think you need to run out and buy exercise suits and join a gym; in fact, if you are over fifty pounds overweight do not even think about an exercise program at all: just think about starting to re-awaken your muscles.

Exercise your mind by reading, learning a new skill, or researching something that interests you. The greatest enemy to the mind is depression; the greatest cause of depression is stagnation. Research shows that senior citizens who maintain hobbies or take on learning new skills suffer less depression and less dementia.

Chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer are having a greater impact on an increasingly aging population. Mental and neurological illnesses, such as depression and Alzheimer's disease, are more common in older adults. According to the Good Health Practices Study, a fifteen year study of more than 6900 people, researchers identified seven health habits that were good predictors of how long people lived. People following five or more of these health practices lived as much as eleven years longer than those following three or less of the following regimens: regular aerobic exercise (at least 30 minutes 3x/week), moderate alcohol use only, a good and restful sleep at night, maintaining a recommended body weight, eating a good breakfast daily, avoiding junk foods, and not smoking.

It is never too early or too late to take the path of healthy aging. Making healthy choices can have a big impact on how you feel, both physically and mentally. You need not reinvent your life or lifestyle (though you may choose to down the road) but every healthy choice you make now in lieu of an unhealthy choice puts you one point further towards feeling good now, enjoying a longer life, enjoying life longer.

Disclaimer: This article is educational in nature, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, please consult your physician.

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