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Healthy Living
Healthy Living – healthy aging. If you are gifted with longevity, celebrate it. Confucius said, “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.”
What are we doing to stay healthy? If you never smoked that is one thing in your favor but if you have not stopped smoking, now may be the time to do that. An occasional glass of wine, beer, or an alcoholic drink is delicious, but the three-martini lunch is not in your best interest. Maintaining you weight is important but as we age, this becomes more challenging too. Running miles was great once upon a time but now, a good walk, with a bit of forced walking (walking faster with bigger strides) may a perfect segue to your new exercise regimen.
Benchmark Numbers to compare with yours:
Weight - The BMI (Body Mass Index) should range from 18.5 to 24.9 to be in the “normal” range. Your medical support team can test this for you.
Waist – Put a tape measure around your midsection (your bellybutton will help find that) and measure; if your circumference is below thirty-five inches for a woman and forty inches for a man, you are doing very well.
Numbers - Blood pressure: less than 120/80, Total cholesterol: less than 200 mg/dL, and Fasting blood glucose (or blood sugar): less than 100 mg/dL
Exercise - at least 2 1/2 hours of moderate-intensity activity each week.
Sleep – between seven and nine hours per twenty-four hours appears to be right for adults; ideally you are sleeping at night.
Mood – being moody is one thing but being moody all the time needs intervention.
Support – friends, support group, and your medical team help with hurdles, we all have them.
Diet – The FDA defines “serving size” as the amount consumed at one sitting by one person. Maybe you have noticed that the serving size has expanded to two-columns; the one on the left is a single serving and the one on the right reflects the entire package. The nutritional information is provided for single and entire package was developed by the RACC: Reference Amounts Customarily Consumed.
