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Guest Post

I'm offereing this guest contribution to my blog today--in honor of the fact that I will not have to go on more blood pressure medications as long as I continue to do well on the DASH diet.  I had a doctor's appointment today and my blood pressure was down from last fall...and I still need to lose a few pounds.

Living Healthy: Why It's Easier Than You Think


Living healthy is so important to us 'old folks'. I have always been a health advocate, so I've always been interested in living healthy. My husband, however, was a little harder to convince. By the time he was in his 40s, he had high cholesterol and needed to exercise more to lose some weight. He took his cholesterol medication, but kept on with his junk food and sedentary lifestyle. It was when he was 54 that we found out that he had more serious health problems that could have probably been avoided if he would have taken the doctor's advice when he was younger.

Living healthy doesn't mean following the food pyramid to the letter, exercising religiously, and never indulging yourself. It means moderation, knowing when enough is enough, and staying active in some type of way. If you are able to take walks a few times a week, it's okay to splurge and have junk food every once in awhile. If you eat healthy meals all the time, it won't hurt you to take a day off from exercise. The point is that you need to moderate yourself and make sure that you're not doing too many unhealthy things at the same time.

Everyone knows that being healthy is the leading cause of life. In my work, I've seen research that shows that as many as 75% of deaths related to known 'age issues' could have actually been prevented. People who died of heart disease, heart attacks, stroke, and other conditions that are assumed to be related to age, could have potentially lived longer if their lifestyles had been healthier.

You don't have to be a health junkie like me to live a long, happy life. You just have to stay active, cut down on the indulgence, and make sure that you're aware of your state of health at all times. What fun is retirement, after all, if you spend it in and out of doctor's offices or unable to enjoy things because you aren't in good health?

Contributed by Mary Albert, a blogger for a senior lifestyle web site that provides advice for the 55+ age group as well as information on medical alert systems.

Comments

  1. Good for you, Olga! Moderation seems to be the key to good health.

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  2. I'm pleased to hear the report about your BP. Perhaps you'll be able to get off a few pounds this summer.

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  3. Everyone knows that being healthy is the leading cause of life. That was my favorite line and one I'm going to try to remember.

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  4. Congratulations on your results!!!

    Excellent guest post.

    I so wonder, how people [bloggers I read] can continue to "get away with" being over weight, indulging in all sorts of food/drink, and not trying to do any exercise??? I wonder! I wonder! And I pout about it, a lot, too.

    No, I'm not perfect. I have my goals to accomplish. But having to have 3 stents placed in 3 nearly clogger heart arteries, really made me wake up. We considered we were eating in a much more healthy way, than many. Oooops! Not good enough for my arteries, I guess.

    And onward I go, trying to get "all my ducks in a row." Still being amazed that people who are in their 50's and beyond, can "get away with murder," in the eating/exercise department. -sigh- I know the young can but... I thought most of us reached the cut-off point, around mid life..........

    Silly me. Just work on myself, I know!

    .♥.

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  5. Good advice. And good for you, Olga!

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