In one of my recent posts ‘Tips for Staying Topside’, I wrote that falling is right at the top of a ‘Worry List’ for older adults. Adding to this worry are the unwelcome and, often, all to visible signs of the consequences of falling, such as bruising, pain and other soft tissue injury.
Continue reading “‘DeFeeting’ the Fear of Falling”
Category: Successful Aging
More ‘Can Do’ conversations
This is the second post relating my recent conversations about ‘Usual’ vs ‘Successful’ Aging with a group of older adults. I was comparing what ‘usually’ happens with strength to what can happen … and what actually does happen with persons in their ‘second fifty years’ who regularly participate in a strength training program. As I said in my previous post, I spent some time talking to members of the audience after the talk, and we discussed a number of important points relating to active, healthy aging. I wanted to share the rest of these with you in this second post.
You CAN read on now! Continue reading “More ‘Can Do’ conversations”
‘Can Do’ conversations
I was talking the other day about some interesting statistics relating to strength and aging, during a presentation I was giving on ‘Usual’ vs ‘Successful’ Aging. The focus of my talk was to compare what ‘usually’ happens with strength to what can happen. More importantly, I wanted to talk about what actually does happen with persons who intentionally set out to increase their strength through a regular program of strength training. After the talk, I spent some time with members of the audience and we discussed a number of important points relating to active, healthy aging. I wanted to share these with you over the next two posts.
You CAN read on now!
Continue reading “‘Can Do’ conversations”
Tips for staying ‘Topside’!
What’s up with falling down?
Falling, and the fear of falling, is right at the top of a ‘Worry List’ for older adults – and here’s why
More than one third of adults 65 and older fall each year in the United States
Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma
However there is also GOOD NEWS…
Despite what society in general, and even older adults in particular, think, AGING IN AND OF ITSELF IS NOT THE CAUSE OF FALLING! Continue reading “Tips for staying ‘Topside’!”
Being Responsible, Jointly
‘Dem Bones’
The hip bone’s connected to the back bone,
The back bone’s connected to the neck bone,
The neck bone’s connected to the head bone,
Now shake dem skeleton bones!
I heard this song on the radio a lot when I was just a young boy in the UK. Even if I didn’t get all the words correct, the song – actually a spiritual whose lyrics were taken from a chapter in the Bible (Ezekiel 37) – perfectly describes the function of joints. Whatever and wherever their type or location, joints all do the same thing – they connect and help to move ‘Dem Bones’ Continue reading “Being Responsible, Jointly”
Strength Training 101
In my earlier post on the Habits of Successful Aging, strength was right at the top of the list. This was not an accident. Strength training is now recognized as perhaps the most effective way to maintain and improve your energy, vitality, independence and quality of life!
Strong Medicine
The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank;
William Shakespeare (‘As You Like It’ 1623)
Less than thirty years ago, we were still not too far removed from Shakespeare’s vision of old age. Continue reading “Strong Medicine”
The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Agers
WHAT kind of life do you want to lead? This is such a broad question it is hard to respond beyond something like ‘I just want to be happy’ (not that there is anything wrong with being happy!). However, more definitively, I think that most people would agree that a life of meaning, good health, and independence is something to strive for. Whatever kind of life you want, however, you are probably more likely to achieve it if you are intentional about your ‘wants’ vs just drifting along and letting life happen to you. Continue reading “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Agers”