by A. C. O'Brien

Created on: August 25, 2010

Do you want to develop diabetes? High blood pressure? High cholesterol? Or would you rather age well, healthily and with a minimum of weight related disease?

These are easy questions to answer but many of us are having a hard time sticking to the path that will get us to that healthy ripe old age. The habits that we follow early in life will lead us, either to weight gain and a myriad of disease or to happy and healthy elder years. 

Some 60 year old folks are sitting in nursing homes today. They are disabled, with amputations or strokes. They suffer severe obesity or are just unable to care for themselves after an unnecessary fracture due to osteoporosis. Other 60 year old  people are out doing, they dance, ski, run marathons, and climb up to clean the gutters and windows on their own two story homes. If you had the choice, which type of 60 year old would you rather be? I'm guessing the later, I know I'd rather not be sitting in a nursing home at 60 or 80 for that matter. Like most of us, you would prefer to remain active and fit for your life.

Well now is the time to start on that healthy path. Form the healthy habits now that will get you there.

Start or step up your exercise program. A start could be a walk around the block after dinner, or just to the far corner. A step up could be a longer walk, or a faster one, or the addition of wind sprints to your program. Perhaps you could find a different path and add a hill or two to your program. What ever stage of "getting going" you are in, keep it up and keep advancing. You will smile at your wisdom when you reach that 80 year mark.

Eat more vegetables, greens, yellows, reds, oranges and yes purples and blues. Fill your plate with a rainbow of vegetables until you can just fit your fist on the edge of the plate. Then add a bit of meat the size of your fist. OK, you are ready to sit down to eat.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner  do not all need to include meats. Beans, nuts, soy, quinoa, low fat cheeses and mixed grains all can offer you the protein that will keep you full and fit.

Choose fruit for desert, perhaps with a half golf ball size piece of cheese. Opt for yogurt and fresh fruit for your final course. You will enjoy these combinations and your health will improve. Your habits will too.

To age well, keep your habits healthy and find something good to smile about daily.

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