“If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?”  This quote by an unknown author should motivate you to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Words are easy, the actual work needed to keep a healthy lifestyle in today’s world of fast food is difficult.

How difficult?  Obesity¹  affects more than 3 in 4 Hispanics (78.8 percent) and Blacks (76.7 percent). Extreme obesity affects more than 1 in 10 Blacks (13.1 percent), and about 1 in 20 Whites (5.7 percent) and Hispanics (5 percent). How is obesity measured? The Body Mass Index (BMI) is the tool most commonly used to estimate overweight and obesity in children and adults. Click here to use the online tool for gauging the BMIs of adults.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided these additional facts about obesity² :

• More than one-third (36.5%) of U.S. adults have obesity.
• Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of preventable death.
• The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.
• Obesity is higher among middle age adults age 40-59 years (40.2%) and older adults age 60 and over (37.0%) than among younger adults age 20–39 (32.3%).

What can You Do?

National Institute on Aging has an exercise and physical activity campaign designed to help you fit exercise and physical activity into your daily life. Exercise can reduce the risk of age-related diseases and disability. Get inspiration from NIH’s Go4Life³  website.

Work Out at Work

• You are more likely to exercise if it’s a regular part of your day. You can make it happen if you put exercise at the top of your “to-do” list, and look for easy ways to add physical activity to your regular schedule:

  1. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
  2. Take a walk with co-workers during your lunch break. An exercise buddy can help you stick with your plan to be more active!
     

     Be good to yourself will help you stay healthy at 50+

  3. Instead of sending an e-mail, walk down the hall and talk with a co-worker.
  4. Park away from your office and enjoy the walk.

 Eat a Healthy Diet

Special Nutrition Concerns for Older Adults from ChooseMyPlate.gov⁴  include:

• Add flavor to foods with spices and herbs instead of salt and look for low-sodium packaged foods.
• Add sliced fruits and vegetable to your meals and snacks. Look for pre-sliced fruits and vegetables on sale if slicing and chopping is a challenge.
• Ask your doctor to suggest other options if the medications you take affect your appetite or change your desire to eat.
• Drink 3 cups of fat-free or low-fat milk throughout the day. If you cannot tolerate milk try small amounts of yogurt, buttermilk, hard cheese or lactose-free foods. Drink water instead of sugary beverages.
• Consume foods fortified with vitamin B12, such as fortified cereals.

Visit the ChooseMyPlate.gov website for more useful tips.

More Resources

The following information includes resources and tools for women and men. Find advice and information to meet your needs.

• SuperTracker
• BMI (Body Mass Index) Calculator
  

  Extra weight, especially at the waist or with muscle loss, can raise health risks.

• 10 Tips for Men: Get the Facts to Feel and Look Better
• 10 Tips for Women: Make Better Food Choices
• 10 Tips for Men and Women: Healthy Eating for an Active Lifestyle
• Adult Energy Needs and Body Mass Index Calculator
• University of Nebraska Extension: 30 MyPlate Steps to a Healthier You
• US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Women’s Health: A Lifetime of Good Health, Your Guide to Staying Healthy (for women)

Remember These Points!

1. Pay attention to weight and shape. Extra weight, especially at the waist or with muscle loss, can raise health risks. Talk to your doctor about weight concerns.
2. Don’t smoke or use tobacco.
3. Keep your brain active. Get tips for a healthy brain at brainhealth.gov⁵ .
4. Brain Health You Can Make a Difference^{6  –}A helpful brochure about your brain
5. Be good to yourself. Get enough sleep. Stay in touch with family and friends. And surround yourself with people you enjoy.
6. Get regular medical checkups.
7. Drink only in moderation if you drink alcohol.

“Those who think they have no time for exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”  ~Edward Stanley.

Click this link to get free Health and Wealth information to improve your life.  Enjoyed this post? Share it and read more here.  Questions?  “Ask the Pharmacist a Question!”  Jay Harold is always looking out for your health and wealth.

Bibliography

1. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/Pages/overweight-obesity-statistics.aspx
2. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
3. https://go4life.nia.nih.gov/
4. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/
5. https://brainhealth.acl.gov/
6. http://www.eldercare.gov/eldercare.net/public/Resources/Brochures/docs/Brain-Health.pdf