What Do You Need to Know … To Stay Healthy After 50?

Ive been reading a lot on being healthy over 50 lately. It seems a natural concern. Who would argue about health? When I was young, I was a hopeless hypochondriac, and this meant that I never stopped worrying about my health, usually in fairly ridiculous ways. I took my temperature in the morning and only if I didn’t have a fever, I went to work. Of course, I just about never actually *had* a fever. But I was always ready.

The obvious result of this was a lot of wasted time. But there was also a positive result. I have always been pretty health conscious. When I went to the doctor a couple of years ago, and she said “no real health concerns,” there were two ideas: number one, was I just lucky or did I make good health decisions, and number two, what should I keep doing since apparently I’m not dying young?

It’s now too late to die young.

So, what constitutes health for a woman over 50? In my book, first of all, lack of pain. Second, physical versatility, ability to perform both necessary and preferred activities, and third, fewest possible health treatments.

So far I have been enjoying most of this. I admit, my dream of returning to running didn’t come off. I can’t really run very well … or at least the problem of “leakage” plus much-advertised joint risks (too many friends speak of “knee replacement” OMG) have led me to decide “no” on running. The question remains, how did we get to relatively good health, and how do we stay there?

So, what do I see as being an over 50 health foundation?

1. Exercise. Some poeple walk the dog, some people do a workout video. I do yoga in the morning six days a week. Sunday, I take off. I also try to do a workout at the yoga studio three times a week. Web MD recommends 20 minutes of exercise, 3-4 times a week, for women over 50. There’s a lot of ways you could do that
2. Eating healthy. Some thoughts on a healthy diet for a woman over 50 are at Eat this, not that (These foods look healthy, but a little long on prep. It takes discipline and forethought to develop a menu that is time-manageable.) I would suggest, adopt one healthier food at a time. There’s been whole libraries written on diets. The thing is each person needs to develop a food practice that works for them. Someone else’s foods likely won’t work or won’t be sustainable. A long time ago I decided processed foods were, generally, out for me. But you can’t exclude all the unhealthy foods at once. Finding the foods that are healthy for you is a lifelong challenge and journey.
3. Spiritual Recovery. I belong to a 12 step group for families of alcoholics. I know this is usually considered body/spirit work, but I think it’s critical for health. Your mind and your body are connected. This article from Psychology Today talks about the attempts to suggest spirituality is not necessary for recovery. This article on Patheos talks about spiritual approaches for men and women over 50.
4. Journaling constantly for the last 20 years. I know, same as #3, but I believe this helps. Sometimes health problems come up because you’re not taking care of your emotions. Many addictions are out of control and having poor spiritual/emotional health makes it very hard to get them under control. Stuff like, me, back in my 40’s, and drinking eight to ten cups of coffee a day. I needed to stop doing that. Journalling helps you identify health and wellness goals and track progress. This article on Spirituality+Health covers the benefits of journalling.
5. Vitamins. I use a house brand vitamin for women over 50 and Vitamin B from Amway (yes, and that’s not all I buy from them I also use their skincare … more on that later). I’m currently researching collagen, but I can’t find out what is the right dose. I’ve referred this question to a doctor friend (okay, the friend is Tiara) and am waiting to decide how much of what kind to buy.
6. After you e done your due diligence let it go, like the song says. Only in the health and wellness sphere, it’s letting all the things that hurt you go, whether it’s a bad marriage or too many McDonald’s hamburgers. I hate to sound like a good life is a negative capacity — the ability to say no — but that’s kindof been my experience in the last two years.

And that’s my vision for being healthy over 50. We’ll see how that works.