As a young boy I grew up with my circle of friends that I called “the guys”. There were 5 or 6 of us that did almost everything together. We roamed the old neighborhood, played baseball (and football, and basketball), went to the movies together, and we went to the same neighborhood school (we were all in the same class).
We thought, and we still think, that it was the greatest neighborhood to grow up in in the whole world. There were dozens of families with 3,4,5,6 or more kids all living in a small area of mid-town Omaha. We had friends up the ying yang as far as our eyes could see. You didn’t get along with everyone but who did? As one of my friends recently pointed out the homes back then all had front porches and many of us did not have air conditioning yet. So, everyone (parents and kids) gathered out in front talking to neighbors up and down the street.
One of those memories all of my friends treasure involved taking turns invading someone’s house… more specifically, the kitchen. We all developed a fondness for Joe’s house because his mom always had cookies. Pat’s house had the basketball court (the driveway). Andy’s home had a swimming pool. Dick’s house had sandwiches. My home had whatever.
But what we really remember is how everyone’s mom was so good to us. I tell my sons that I had several extra moms when I was growing up. Those moms either fixed us food to eat, or told us to get the hell out of the house and go play. But, we were pretty lovable so usually the moms made us good eats. The memories of those occasions are grand.
Adding fun and fitness to one’s daily routine helps with overall health and sense of well being at any age. Balance, strength and endurance training all go a long way toward overall health but I want to dedicate this article to steps we can take toward social, intellectual and emotional well being.
Social Interaction
An evening at the movies
When was the last time you planned a movie night with one or two friends, or even with a group? Whether it’s a classic Clark Gable or Doris Day film from the early days of Hollywood or a suspense filled new release, a show with lively discussion after the movie around a café table with the same friends will do a great deal of good. You’ll be amazed at how the stresses of the day find their way to the back burner.
Take a class
Many seniors’ communities schedule monthly or weekly get-togethers to celebrate a member’s birthday, gather for board games, ceramics classes or a group outing. The social interaction will help to alleviate feelings of depression that can result from isolation. Whether you’re part of a seniors’ community or you’re spending retirement years in your home, check your town website for seniors’ activities, take a class, meet new people and treat yourself to monthly or even weekly gatherings with other seniors.
Intellectual
Stimulate the mind
Keeping your brain active will help ward off feelings of depression and what better place to start with brain exercises than at your local library. Many libraries today offer courses or seminars in a wide array of subjects.
Enroll in a class
If you’re feeling that this age of technology has left you in the dust, try catching up a step at a time. A great first step could be enrolling in a class and you’ll surprise yourself by how quickly you’ll catch on while getting the brain in gear at the same time!
One of the best investments we can make in our futures is toward our own personal health. Becoming involved in a regular routine of activity, even if it’s light activity, and getting regular exercise throughout the week is a positive and healthy habit and a great addition to a lifestyle.
The main types of exercise that seniors benefit from most are in these four areas:
• Stretching
• Balance Training
• Strength Training
• Endurance Activities
Stretching helps avoid stiffness from exercise
It’s important to stretch before heading out on a walk or going swimming, basically before any form of exercise, the muscles benefit from a few minutes of stretching. Stretches help get the blood flowing and avoid soreness afterward by warming up the muscle groups that you’ll be working.
Balance helps reduce risk of falling
Balance exercises are important as we age in helping to reduce the risk of falling. There are many great resources for balance training on the Internet requiring a minimum of equipment. The website eldergym.com is a great place to start with routines that will help improve balance, and with integrating exercises into daily life.
Strength will help with muscle stability and prevention of osteoporosis
Strength training will help with building muscle tissue and reducing age-related muscle loss. The eldergym.com site has an extensive collection of strength training routines. Along with the advantages in everyday life several health advantages to strength training are that it will help in the prevention of osteoporosis and in stabilizing large support muscles.
Swimming for Heart Health
Activities such as swimming, walking and bike riding will build endurance while improving heart and circulatory system health.
If you cannot fall asleep at night it may be due to your old flat bed. When you lie on your flat bed you force your curved body to fit your flat bed causing your body pain by aggravating your achy muscles, joints and health problems. What most of us don’t realize is, when we feel pain our body is communicating with us telling us something is wrong. Pain tells us to stop what we are doing and immediately seek relief! However we ignore pain and accept it as a normal part of getting older. Unfortunately ignoring pain can turn a minor pain into a major problem. The discomfort and sleepless nights you maybe experiencing is your body telling you, “I can’t sleep on a flat bed anymore! It hurts! Please find a better way to sleep!” This may explain why you are tossing and turning all night; why you can’t lie in bed past 4 AM; or why you are sleeping on the couch or in the recliner. As a result you wakeup tired and exhausted. You wake up more tired in the morning than when you went to bed the night before.
Sleeping on an adjustable bed with your head elevated and your legs slightly flexed can support the natural curve of your spine. Lying in this position your muscles relax, your eyelids become heavy and you can go to sleep faster. Electric adjustable beds can alleviate your achy muscles and joints at night giving your muscles a chance to relax and recuperate while you sleep. Those who sleep on an adjustable bed can notice that nighttime aches and pains are significantly reduced and sleep is induced faster and they sleep longer than when they slept on a flat bed mattress. After you make the switch from sleeping on an old antiquated flat bed to a luxurious and comfortable adjustable bed you can begin to wakeup rejuvenated in the morning and feel rested all day long.
It says something about our Baby Boomer generation that the poets who have given us a large portion of our collective identity are rock stars. Today those poets are aging rock stars, growing old right along with the rest of us.
So when Pete Townshend of the Who prayed all the way back in 1971 that “…we don’t get fooled again…” he undoubtedly had no idea that we would in fact get fooled again, many times over. And, if I’m not mistaken, they’re still trying to fool us.
Before I go too far, let me assure you that I’m not some kind of conspiracy lunatic, although I do believe that there is indeed a conspiracy against our money. It’s too obvious to think otherwise.
So who, exactly, is trying to fool us? I think there are lots of folks who give it a go, everyday. Let’s face it, when you think about our massive, sprawling, bloated, ineffective and inefficient government, that’s probably a good place to start.
The politicians who run and rule the government have their political action committees, not to mention their own agendas. The political action committees also have their own agendas, not to mention a seemingly infinite amount of cash, all destined for the political coffers – and personal pockets – of the politicians.
On top of all of this, you also have the government itself, a vast bureaucracy focused on self-preservation as opposed to the delivery of value. On the other side of the table are the huge corporations who make their money from the very government that governs us – and, supposedly, them. Deals are made, checks are written, contracts are issued, and more checks are written.