Staying healthy as we age

“Every evening, after supper, I have two fingers of whiskey” he said, explaining his dietary and lifestyle habits that he said ensured good health in advancing age.

I admit it. I am getting soft and old. I used to embrace the cold, dark and wet days of winter with a combination of endurance and exuberance. I would include a variety of winter activities, including cross-country skiing, hockey, ice-skating and downhill skiing.

Now, as I advance in years, I enjoy several months of almost daily swimming. During the last couple of years, I have made it a habit to swim early morning laps at the Parkinson’s Recreation Centre in Kelowna.

As my biological clock ticks upward, I am much less robust to jump in a cold pool and begin vigorously exercising. I must warm up first in either the hot tub or sauna for a few minutes before. It is during the warmup phase that you meet other like-minded individuals. Being somewhat gregarious by nature, although somewhat reticent in the early morning, and after one cup of coffee, I still like to engage in casual conversation with others. It was during one particular cold morning in February that I talked to a refined Swiss gentleman.

“I feel great” he said. He divulged it was his birthday and he was turning 84 years of age. He was a tall, balding and slightly paunchy gentleman of European stalk, with soft muscles and connective tissue. He said he was married for a long time. He had lived in different cities, including cold and harsh northern locales throughout Canada after he emigrated here. He worked hard in a variety of hard, physical jobs. He retired in Kelowna and was enjoying his twilight years in relatively good health, unencumbered by physical ailments that usually accompany aging.

He described his dietary habits. He said he hardly every ate out and never ate processed or refined foods, except for occasional fine European chocolates or pastries. For the most part he ate unprocessed whole foods, including whole grains and cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables. He was not vegetarian and ate some meat, chicken and fish. He was not a smoker and was moderate drinker. He took “baby” (low-dose) aspirin and a blood pressure (medication) and a few vitamins, but that was all.

Good health is a relative term that can mean different things for different people. The World Health Organization defines good health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

Most people agree good health with advancing age is a blessing. The Irish writer and playwright George Bernard Shaw is often quoted as saying “Youth is a beautiful thing; too bad it is wasted when you are young.” The acerbic and derogatory quote expounds the virtues of good health in youth. The innuendo of the statement is that old age could be fraught with health problems. Furthermore, Shaw pointed out that you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. Youth, like good health, can be fleeting.

Many of the chronic diseases of aging are cumulative and debilitating. Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, depression, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, kidney disease, lung disease, osteoarthritis and Parkinson’s disease can occur.

Life is precious. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize life is a self-limiting process. The duration of our individual existence obviously varies from one person to another. If you have relatively good health during your existence, it is most likely a combination of good luck and hard work.

Your genetic pedigree can determine your inherited weakness and tendencies. If you inherit good genes, you may live a long time despite your circumstances and habits. We all know somebody who had bad dietary and lifestyle habits yet managed to live a long time with no health problems. Despite drinking, smoking, not exercising, eating the wrong foods this individual was genetically blessed with relatively good health. That occurrence is more rare than common for most people.

For most people a combination of good diet and lifestyle habits can ensure relative good health with advancing age. Eating healthy helps to ensure good health. A diet rich in unprocessed, whole foods, fresh fruits and vegetables contains an abundance of vitamins, minerals and other phyto-nutrients that help the body work better. Daily exercise can help to maintain mental, physical and spiritual well being. Good social connections can also be pivotal to maintaining good health.

The proverb “the road to perdition (commonly quoted as ‘the road to Hell’) is paved with good intentions” further expounds the idea that action is needed to make our goals become a reality. Good health requires action.

The information provided in this article is not intended to constitute medical advice. All information and content are for general information purposes only.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.