Baby Boomers: Jump Start Your Health

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If you are one of the over 70 million people in the United States in the “baby boomer” category that are starting to feel not so much like a “baby” but more like a “seasoned older person”, well check this out. You can look and feel 10 years younger just by tweaking your diet and regular daily routine. How are you going to do this? First, I want you to keep a record for three days of everything you eat along with what you do for exercise or activity. Include one weekend day. How? Just use a note pad or your blackberry or a word document…whatever works for you. If you swallow it, I want you to write it down. Make note of what you eat, how much of it you eat and what time you eat it. You can even note how you're feeling emotionally in case you're stress eating. Do this for three days. If you're honest with yourself and accurately record your habits, I promise it will be very eye opening. After all, it doesn't count if you don't write it down, right? Somehow we forget about that piece of Snicker's cheesecake or large order of fries we ate in the car if we don't write it down. This is all about you and all for you. No one else needs to see this three day record. I also want you to keep track of your exercise and physical activities for these same three days. Did you walk the dog this morning? How long? Make a note of it. Did you mow the yard on Saturday? Wash the car? Walk the mall looking for shoes for an upcoming wedding? If you're moving, write it down.

After three days, take an up close and personal look at your record. Are there any trends you notice for the three days? Maybe you skip breakfast or reach for chocolate at two o'clock each afternoon. Are you drinking several beers before dinner and then not hungry for food? Are you stress-eating? Maybe you didn't move off the couch all day on Sunday. When you write down what and when you eat and how active you are, it's easy to see patterns…patterns of the positive things you do each day and the patterns that could use some tweaking. Highlight all the great things you are eating and doing and pat yourself on the back. Way to go! Now, think about one or two areas where you could jump start your health and how you might do just that.

If you are like many boomers, your kids are now on their own and suddenly you have a little more expendable income. When you think about it, it is kind of a cruel joke, isn't it? You have finally finished paying off college tuition or your daughter's wedding and now you have some extra cash to do whatever you want. The problem is you're 25 years older and you might be feeling it in a big way. That's one reason I had you keep your three day record. What did you record tell you? Maybe you're eating out more and cooking less. That's fine. Just be aware of those obscene portion sizes that can add weight to your belly and backside. One tip that really works is to ask for a to-go box right up front when your meal comes and immediately put part of it in the box for the next day. This puts you in control of how much you eat. Otherwise, you know how easy it is to chatter at the table and pick at the entire meal until you eat it all…even when you're full.

Maybe you're in an exercise and activity rut and need to step outside your comfort zone. Decide to step out and do something you've wanted to do but didn't have the time. Take a ballroom dance class or join a hiking club or weekend biking group. There's a quote on the wall at the gym where my girlfriend works out that reads “you don't stop exercising because you're growing old…you grow old because you stop exercising.” You don't have to run marathons. Maybe consider entering a walkathon a few months down the road. This will give you an incentive to train. Walk a little each day. Brisk walks first thing in the morning can really energize you for the rest of the day. Remember to stay hydrated and stretch before walking. It's a real buzz killer to get excited about exercising and pull a muscle thirty seconds into it. Stretch your muscles every day, even on days you don't walk. Another great form of exercise, and one I personally love, is yoga. If you like a little competition, take tennis lessons. Many county parks and recreational facilities offer classes at a reasonable price. Though playing singles is a more rigorous form of exercise, playing doubles can keep your heart rate up as well. My girlfriend plays team tennis and one of the women on a competing team is 84 years old. If you can dream it, it's out there and waiting for you to try. It's your time now.

The same goes for food. Try a new fruit this week…maybe star fruit or a blood orange. Or add new greens to your salad. If you always use iceberg or green leaf lettuce, add red leaf or some arugula. Toss some excitement and nutrition into your diet. Next week, add that meal you skipped or try a snack in the afternoon so you're not so ravenous at night. Include foods that may improve health and decrease risk for disease such as Brazil nuts for prostate health, blueberries for memory, lentils and beans for energy, sardines and salmon for your hearth, and tomatoes for your skin. All of these foods and exercise ideas will jump start you on the way to better health.

Age is a number but what you do about your age and health is up to you. Jump start your health and keep it a top priority. You're can feel and look 10 years younger. Go for it…you're worth it!