15 Good Things No One Tells You About Ageing
Plus March Challenges and The Importance of Exercise Snacks
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15 Good Things No One Tells You About Ageing
As we age, our bodies change; the reduction in hormones in mid-life influences our metabolism and our mood. Weight gain becomes a problem, our joints ache more, our sight and hearing deteriorate, and so on. It’s easy to concentrate on the negatives of ageing because there are many. However, it’s not all downhill, and recognising the good things that happen in our older years helps us maintain an optimistic and positive outlook.
The first one on the list is one I came to appreciate a while ago. I used to have thick hair that was inclined to be oily. Now, it’s still thick, but the texture has changed. It’s finer and hardly oily at all.
This is my list of positives of ageing. Can you add to this in the Comments?
We don’t have to wash our hair as often. As someone who had this arduous chore two or three times a week, it’s a pleasure to only have to do it once a week now, and it dries quicker.
We sweat less.
We can dress as eccentrically as we like, in fact it’s expected of us.
We know ourselves better and feel more comfortable in our own skin.
We have more knowledge about people and life.
Science tells us we are happier as we grow older.
We’re calmer (that doesn’t mean we’re not passionate about things - and life!).
We don’t have to conform to society’s norms.
We can donate our time as a volunteer.
When we’re of retirement age we get senior discounts.
We have fewer colds because our immune system has built up a certain amount of immunity to them.
The ability to problem-solve is streamlined after years of practice by the time we reach our older years. I do a brain game called Lumosity and my problem solving skill is way ahead of all the other skills in the Lumosity brain-game results for speed, flexibility, memory, attention, problem-solving and math.
We’re less inhibited.
Those who suffered from migraines are relieved that they become a thing of the past in older years.
We don’t care so much about what other people think of us.
Photo by Anastasiya Romanova on Unsplash MARCH CHALLENGES
This is the last weekend in February and we need to establish how to move forward into March, which begins next weekend, with our monthly challenge. Everyone likes the step count, so we’ll continue with that for the rest of the year, but fewer people wanted to do the squat part. Let’s not take that into March but add, instead, one or two exercise snacks per day. What is an exercise snack? See the article below this one.
This month so far has seen many of our group completing the 4,000 steps every day or walking more on some days, but not so much on others. Their step count balances out eventually, though. I belong to this section of the group. I also include the 20 squats, but I know some don’t want to. Others have pushed themselves to achieve many more steps than the target, some of these group members also do the 20 squats; some choose not to.
We’re a varied group, geographically. We have a contingent from the UK, and others from various states in the US, Canada and Ireland. This means we’re all exercising in different weathers and our timelines are not aligned. But it works. We all log our daily efforts when we can in the Chat Thread. Some names are consistently there every day, others are logging in when they can.
These are the people who continued the challenge(s) in February, in no particular order: Erica, Wendy, Patty, Joan, Graham, Karen, Lisa-Renee, Kelly, Steven (Steven and Graham are dog walkers so usually have no problem reaching the step target every day - and have happy dogs), Jennifer, Jim, Beth, Sarah Jody, Betz, Barbara, Dan, and Renee; if I’ve missed any I’ll ensure to include you next time.
To the Challenge Group: Let me know in the Comments if you’re not happy with the plan for March or if you have any observations about it, the plan is: to continue with the 4,000 minimum step count and add one or two exercise snacks per day; you decide how many you can fit in.
The Importance of Exercise Snacks
Science has pretty much established that a sedentary lifestyle is responsible for an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and that any form of activity benefits health. People who work in offices are particularly at risk as they have to spend much of their working life seated. There is now an alternative to this arrangement with standing desks. However, most office workers sit at their desk.
Current guidelines for physical health are that adults complete a minimum of 75 minutes of vigorous intensity or 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise per week, and a minimum of 2 muscle strengthening exercises. It’s difficult for most people to fit these requirements into a busy working life. This is where the new concept in the world of physical activity, known as ‘exercise snacks’, comes in.
The term ‘exercise snacks’ refers to engaging in brief sessions of exercise of around one to three minutes, spaced at intervals of 1-4 hours throughout the day. People can enjoy these brief sessions at any opportunity in offices, homes, and schools. The term was first coined by Howard Hartley in 2007 but it didn’t receive much attention until 2014 when it was investigated by Francois et al.*
You can fit in exercise snacks at home anytime; for example, while waiting for food to cook, while making breakfast, or between chores. Here is a YouTube Video with suggestions:
So, for the challenge, every day you decide which exercise snacks you’re going to do. Or it could be spontaneous, you might suddenly find you have a few minutes, and do press ups against the wall, or jog on the spot, or go up and down stairs a few times, do a few jumping jacks, 5 squats, whichever one comes into your head. Doing this every day will give you extra vitality and keep your body moving.
*Exercise Snacks and Physical Fitness in Sedentary Occupations
The Healthy Aging Workbook pdf
Do you want a source of information about all aspects of ageing healthily in one guide? Do you want to know about diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, creating a positive mindset, etc, in a handy workbook for you to engage with? With self-assessment tools and questionnaires for you to fill in to get a better understanding of where you are in these fields?
Leave A Comment
What do you think about the March Challenges and Exercise Snacks?
Can you think of another positive thing about ageing I haven’t mentioned?
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Thank you Patricia for this list. I would also add time, time to sit without worrying I have to be somewhere else or doing something else xx
Hi, 65 and still employed - do weight training 3x per week- walk, hike and am a road biker. I have knee issues and an old injury in left hip. I attest that weight training makes a huge difference in mobility. Every day is different- sometimes feel normal- sometimes takes 10 steps to get the juices in my knees to work!