Hello Wellness Warriors! I’m Dr. Goldie. YOUR Women’s Health Expert, Obesity Medicine Doc and and generation “X” er. Last year many comedy fans were saddened to learn about the sudden passing of the beloved Golden Girl and comedic actress, Betty White just days before her 100th birthday. I’ve got to admit we were rooting for her with each passing year that she would become a Centenarian. But as fate would have it, although she didn’t quite make it, she did in fact outlive most of her peers.
In America, the average life expectancy approaches 78. Wow! How great it must be to be above average! But only if your quality of life is good. This concept is very relative though because what one person values another detests. What I mean by quality of life is our perceived value of relationships of health, capabilities, and abilities.
I’ll like to share with you 5 ways that you can add more value to your life as you age.
- Spend more time with family and friends. Social interaction is good for you. Those who maintain more social interaction and are politically and intellectually connected and have more perceived Have you noticed that nowadays people appear more engaged with their cell phones than the people they’re sitting with at a restaurant table? Or have you seen that people are more likely to take photos for social media than to actually enjoy the moments they have in their environments? We’re more concerned with the appearance of interaction than the act of interaction itself.
- Stay physically active. Whether you’re taking a yoga class or aqua aerobics, movement is medicine. It adds more optimism and longevity to your life. Exercise improves flexibility and cardiovascular health. Exercise produces chemicals in your blood vessels that prevent the sticky substances in the arteries from building up thereby causing plaques that lead to heart attacks and strokes. Avoiding being sedentary, will assist you in living longer, on average by 7 years. How about that? So, what do I mean by sedentary? The American Heart Association says that we should all participate in moderately vigorous activities for at least 30 minutes per day for 5 days a week. That means working up a sweat of sorts, not just a leisurely walk around the mall. Not that you shouldn’t do too because your cumulative movement matters, but we need to exert ourselves until it elevates our heart rate. Our maximum heart rate should be 220 – our age. Because I’m 56, my maximum heart rate should be 220 – 56 or 164 beats per minute. I should try to remain within 50- 85% of this to both burn fat and get the maximum benefit.
- Read or listen to books. This could be the bible, a history book, or even your favorite book of poetry. Reading keeps us mentally sharp and allows us to focus. It enhances memory and vocabulary. It may even delay the onset of dementia. When we read, we exhibit better concentration and even greater imagination; which is not just for kids.
- Listen to good music. This is one of my favorite things to do as it lowers stress and soothes our emotions. Music connects us to people or a welcomed memory of things we’ve experienced in our past. We connect music to life situations like graduations, weddings, and parties. Hearing a song on the radio can remind me of where I was the first time, I heard a particular song or who I was with. Sharing a tune connects me to my children and keeps me abreast of what kinds of music they enjoy. Even if I don’t much care for it.
- Expand your belief in your higher power. My grandmother was single-handedly the biggest influence on my spiritual beliefs. She shared her faith with me which subsequently influenced my decision to believe in a higher power of the universe whom I call God. I didn’t really understand why my grandma read her bible regularly or prayed or went to church services, but her faith sustained her. It kept her when her husband passed away. It sustained her when she became the only remaining sibling of eight brothers and sisters. My husband’s grandmother lived to be 103 years old! What an enormous blessing she was in the life of her family. She too was a spiritual woman with a strong belief in God. She shared her love and faith with all those who knew her.My granny lived to be 88 years old. Betty White made it to 99. These golden girls were a light to those who knew them. I too am encouraged to live my best life whatever age that is and if it just so happens to be 100, I’ll take it!
Bye for now and don’t forget to not just live well – but live well by design®️
Follow me on all my sites at @askdrgoldiemd.
