Seniors Site

It’s been a while since the last time I posted about exercises befitting seniors. While browsing through racks in a fitness shop one day, I stumbled upon an instructional video of line dancing with elderly people on its cover, which got me thinking at once, could line dancing be a perfect exercise for seniors?
Having quite an experience with line dancing, I can personally recommend line dancing for seniors who would like to stay physically active. Not only will line dancing keep your body in great shape but also your mind sharp. Furthermore, joining line dancing classes promotes camaraderie and healthy socialization amongst seniors. Indeed, line dancing can be fun and it brings back memories from the past since most songs used for such practice came from an era we all know and love!
Routines taught in a line dancing class are simple enough for seniors to follow, even those with limited range of motion. Let’s just say, line dancing classes guarantee no broken bones—just pure fun and enjoyment for seniors! Just like any other exercise, it has health benefits which may interest seniors furthermore. Line dancing can help seniors improve or promote:
·    Cardiovascular health.
·    Muscular strength and endurance.
·    Flexibility.
·    Better blood pressure management.
·    Mind-body coordination.
·    Weight management.
·     Positive outlook, emotionally and mentally.
Unfortunately, line dancing classes are not readily available in some areas. For which, seniors could use instructional videos which they can follow at home. Line dancing videos for seniors can be bought in most fitness stores and online ones as well.
Line dancing is also considered as a great stress buster! Since you are most likely to concentrate in doing the steps in right sequences, it takes your mind off stressful things. It also helps in exercising your memory as you need to memorize those steps and do them right to avoid bumping hips with your fellow line dancer! Moreover, as reported by The New England Journal of Medicine, seniors are encouraged to join dancing activities such as line dancing and ballroom dancing since they engage both mind and body thus lowering your risk for dementia and other related heath conditions. Read article here: Use It or Lose It — Do Effortful Mental Activities Protect against Dementia?
Doing line dancing sessions for twice a week is enough to extend your life to a couple of good and fulfilled years more. It can certainly help you look and feel young even in your golden age, as well as preventing you from age-related diseases. These things alone are enough to convince seniors to try line dancing today!

Not because you reach a certain age, you stop fussing about the way you look–and this is with special notice to the working, female seniors. Yes, you especially! Even those who do not keep a daily job and just enjoying the luxury of doing the things that please you, or perhaps those who stay at home most of the day, hear ye! Now, more than ever, is the time to take it slow and focus more on your well-being which includes improving your self-esteem and as much as possible, fight the signs of aging, or at the very least, it give a good fight! Make your working days as fab as possible by doing these simple and handy tips:
·    Moisturize, moisturize! We all know that dryness comes with age and if you are not careful, your skin will definitely show it! When you go out shopping for your personal care products, always go for the ones with moisturizing effect. Load up on lotion, body crèmes, lip balm and hair care products. These should be your “regulars”.
·    Seniors who are not comfortable wearing makeup everyday can go for light, natural look. This should include the “basics” like lip gloss or lip tint, mascara and blusher and a little eye shadow. If you’re a little clueless about what colors fit your skin tone, visit your friendly neighborhood makeup counter for a free consultation. Won’t hurt too if you buy a couple of product from them.
·    Go easy on the eye liner. Dark, heavy eye liner can make you look older and definitely you don’t like that! Go for lighter colors, and apply just enough to make your eyes stand out without making you look old.
·    Protect your skin from further sun damage. You don’t need it, not back then and especially not now. Good news is, you don’t have to layer up anymore, there are beauty products with SPF in the market today such as tinted moisturizer with SPF.
·    Protect your hair too! Your crowning glory deserves some love and protection too. Wear a fashionable hat if you need to step out of the office or perhaps sport an umbrella to protect your hair and scalp from too much sun exposure.
·    Go easy on foundation and powder. These substances just make a home in nooks and crannies of your face a.k.a your wrinkles, sits there until you wash them off. How horrible can it get?
·    Use concealer on strategic areas, just make sure your concealer is a good brand to start with.
·    Ditch the pencil-thin eyebrows, instead go for natural but clean look. Better yet, get it done professionally.

Losing weight must be the hardest part in trying to look good and feel young. Unfortunately, this is the only way to get you there. Never had I imagined losing weight would be a struggle. Back then, you just have to watch your eating portions and do whatever you need to do in a day, plus squeeze in some time accompanying the kids down the park, and you’re on your way to losing those nasty looking flabs. Today, you even have to make sure you’re eating the right kinds of food as some are known to make you fat, especially my personal favorite, the Quarter Pounder. I say, these fattening foods have their own way of tricking us into eating them, why don’t we trick ourselves instead to losing weight? Also, I don’t know if America is conniving with these nasties as everything in this side of the world looks bigger nowadays! Bigger portions, bigger plates, bigger everything! Even a liquid diet won’t work in this day and age as everything liquid today is laden with calories in such horrific proportions!
It seems that the safest substance to consume is water—just the plain kind. Good news is, water is actually good for you and you most probably know that by now. It hydrates you and can even save your life especially during hot months that put us seniors in high risk of heat stroke. Also, loading up on pure water will definitely cut your eating portions since it gives a false feeling of being full. I bet you heard about the weight loss trick which involves drinking a glassful of water before every meal. I tell you, it’s effective. While you’re at it, try to drink water every now and then during the meal itself. Overtime, your body will adjust to smaller food portions which will eventually lead to an effective and long-lasting weight loss.
Problem with seniors losing weight is that they need to do it while maintaining a healthy diet. In other words, it is not any more healthy for seniors to engage in drastic weight loss program and as much as possible, they are encouraged to do it slowly as to give the body time to adjust with the changes. Here are some tricks seniors might find handy when trying to cut back on calories, but of course, you know you need to do some exercises to go with that, right?
·    Get a food partner. Your food partner must be someone who would gladly share a dish with you. Like stated earlier, portions nowadays are bigger hence the need to share them with someone so that you get only the right portion to eat.
·    Drink ice water! It sure is a treat during sunny days and it kicks up your metabolism a notch!
·    Eat slowly and chew your food properly. Seniors, help your digestion! Also, it takes 20 minutes before your brain tells you you’re already full, no matter how much you have eaten.
·    Do without diet sodas. Artificial sweeteners are bad for you. If you like something sweet, go for homemade fruit juices instead.
·    Get moving. I will not suggest biking as it may not be possible for all seniors but when you can, use those feet to get you from one destination to another.
·    Clean your fridge and pantry. Throw away those high-calorie temptations and replenish stock with healthier grabs.

If you are interested in getting fit and sexy, you should always remember that your body was not built with a switch, such that it is impossible to turn it off and on whenever you like it. Even a younger body needs to adjust when adapting a new lifestyle, and exercise, goes without saying, is a lifestyle meant to be adapted.  Especially with an aging body like ours, we need to take it slow, give our bodies some time to adjust and just enjoy the moment.
Like what I always say, staying fit and healthy is a lifetime commitment. A commitment you do for yourself. While staying fit usually results to slimmer, sexier body, it should not be your motivation and should only be considered as an additional reward for being a good girl/boy. It is because, almost always, you don’t lose weight and tone the body instantly. It takes time and hard work. If you focus on losing weight when exercising and you don’t get the desired result at once, you get easily discouraged and may even see exercising as a tedious task to do, hence unfinished fitness routines and ineffective weight loss programs.
Most of my senior friends have just started their fitness programs and they don’t have prior experience with any kind of exercise. However, they managed to stick with it and actually enjoy it. Here are some of their tricks on how they were able to start their exercise routines the right way:
·    Start slow and ask questions. In other words, they were curious—and managed to stay that way even if they already made it past the beginner’s level. They never assumed the role of a know-it-all and would ALWAYS seek assistance from professionals. This way they were able to uncover pro’s secrets and practice them too.
·    Feel your body responding. When exercising, focus your mind more on how your body responds. If a certain pose makes you feel weaknesses you never knew existed, let your instructor know and try to strengthen that part with his or her guidance.
·    Never overtrain. It’s easy to get obsessed with a program especially if your body is responding well to it. Unfortunately, obsession only occurs in your brain and it clouds whatever your body might be telling you. Overtraining causes injury and it is never recommended to anyone especially seniors and older people. Rest whenever needed and stay within healthy workout limits.
·    Try other sports. Just as long as it keeps you active and you enjoy it, engage. Engaging in other sports will help you stay away from getting bored with repetitive workout routines.
·    Find time for it. Making your fitness program a part of your daily life will make it easier for you to reach your goal, whatever that may be. Find your most comfortable time for it and follow it religiously, like you would when taking a bath or brushing your teeth.

Aside from the basic and generally known fact that organic is good for your health, going organic really has many great benefits for an aging body like ours—and I am not only talking about market-bought organic foods and whatnot—it includes your backyard, homegrown produce which your hands have personally tended and cared for.
I have heard complaints from my penny-pinching friends when it comes to going organic. Seniors who are very conscious of their money-spending activities have expressed the same thoughts—that going organic is indeed expensive—and I have to agree with that. Although I really couldn’t see the reason why organic products cost more—like it discourages us to finally make the switch, sellers tell me that it is actually the demand/care combo it requires just to be able to arrive safely on our tables. Apparently, it is much easier and cheaper for traditional farmers to deliver in bulk than organic farmers hence the stiff price.
However, seniors should know that you don’t have to buy organic produce each and everytime as you can yield your own especially if you are a good gardener. If lucky, you can even earn money from it by selling some of your produce to your neighbors. You can also keep free ranging animals as long as your local authorities permit it. When aiming for all-organic produce, make sure that you are farming right. Some of the basic guidelines are:
·    Make sure that the soil is free from any chemical i.e not treated in any way with pesticides and chemical-based solutions.
·    Must be “fed” with organic fertilizers only.
·    Should maintain an all organic diet through its different stages of growth.
So why is organic good for you? First of all, anything that is chemical will have a reaction the moment it touches your blood. This reaction can never be good for you as chemicals are not a natural substance for the body to recognize. Most of the time, it considers these substances as a foreign object and will try to fight it. Problem is, these chemicals are a lot stronger than our immune system which only creates havoc inside of us. Most chemical byproducts found in the blood causes diseases and illnesses and can sometimes make underlying ones resistant to treatments. By avoiding products that are drenched with harmful chemicals, you are saving yourself from these life threatening diseases or at the very least, boost your immune system to fight them off.

Before I proceed, let me remind seniors all over the world that losing weight is neither easy nor instant. I would like to think of it as an adapted lifestyle in which you should leave behind bad habits to embrace a life that is healthy—bland food and all! Problem is, we only face this problem when it is already in front of us, staring back like an ugly monster. I, for one, am guilty of this. There were days when I’d rather stay at home and sleep than run my usual mile just because: it’s too hot or too dark outside; my running shoes gave up or I’m having a bad-knee-day. Fast forward and I’ll have 3 days of useless procrastination, only to find myself staring at those awfully huge thighs screaming “RUN!!”. Even though, the ever loyal partner would say that I appear no different from the other day, I swear, that guilty feeling always kills me!
So for the benefit of seniors who would like to lose weight, actually maintain it and manage to keep sanity intact, here are my 10 easy ways to lose weight:
·    Don’t be obsessed with that weighing scale! Actually, you don’t have to do it everyday. Weigh yourself every single morning and it’ll definitely drive you crazy! Pressure is not good when trying to lose weight. Bottom line is, relax and just do what you can to lose weight—not your mind.
·    No fad diets. Most of the time, they are very dangerous for your health, especially those which promise instant results. Based on my very extensive record of losing weight, no fad diet is ever doable and maintainable except if you are a model aiming for a stick-thin figure. Fad diets are crazy, and you know it. They will only ruin your good fitness program.
·    Accept that there will never be a shortcut for losing weight. It’s always a combination of exercise and diet. All you can do is make it fun and somehow, “stickable”.
·    It’s okay to “break the commandment” sometimes. It is impossible to totally give up the habits you love especially if they make you happy. Indulge yourself when you feel the urge, just don’t let that throw you off the fitness track.
·    Seek help. Losing weight can be a battle for most seniors but with supportive people cheering for you, you’ll be able to fully adjust to your newfound lifestyle in no time!
·    Be conscious of the food you eat. The first few weeks are the most crucial as probably you are not used to healthy options. Always stay on guard during these times.
·    Being healthy is not all about losing weight. It’s training the body to keep age-related, as well as lifestyle diseases at bay.
·    Never consider losing weight as a task or a problem to be solved. A problem, when solved, you stop exerting effort for it. On the other hand, staying healthy is a lifelong commitment to yourself.
·    Stop blaming outside forces for your poor choices in life. You have gotten fat because you ate too much and moved a little for a very long time.  In other words, you let yourself go, it’s time you take responsibility for your actions.
·    Don’t give up. So what if you are not seeing results? Just as long as you feel good about it, there’s no reason for you to stop. Never stop challenging yourself!

Losing weight is much more than following a strict diet and exercising. I say, when you want to really lose weight, you need to prepare yourself in every aspect of your life, especially emotionally and of course, physically. If teens and midlifers with stronger and more stable bodies are having a hard time following these two simple rules, then what should we expect from an aging body like mine?
With slower metabolism, limited range of motion and digestive problems, seniors are indeed puzzled on how to really lose weight and stay healthy for the rest of their lives. It seems that the odds are now reduced to almost half. Take into consideration the fact that seniors SHOULD never engage in anything drastic and life threatening which I find in every fad diet that comes my way!
One of the reasons why I find it hard to lose weight is that I always find myself shifting from one fitness program to another and end up with several fitness programs with zero results. Why? Just because I heard someone has been successful with her program and I want to try it too. Unfortunately, frustration strikes me first before I see anything tangible to hold on to! In addition to exercising hard enough, a senior must be able to stick with “the plan”. With that said, your fitness program should be something you really enjoy doing or take an extra effort to make it enjoyable on your part. A fitness instructor once told me that the best fitness program is a combination of cardio and light strength training. For seniors, it could mean jogging and Pilates on a regular basis.
Making your body strong enough to endure exercise is a must. This means seniors are allowed to eat to fuel the body as well as provide your body with enough sleep. I understand that some seniors are having a hard time getting enough sleep however, never harass yourself and end up frustrated for not getting any sleep at all. Seniors must gauge themselves, if you feel you can do exercise with little sleep, then by all means, go.
A proper mindset is also important when trying to lose weight and even in maintaining an ideal weight. As much as possible, try to aim for a healthy body to help you live longer, rather than a stick-thin figure which I think is not too charming to see. Furthermore, a balanced mind and body requires a stress-free lifestyle. While it is impossible to live a life free of stress, there are ways to de-stress yourself like getting a massage or joining a Yoga class.

Yoga is not all exercise, in truth, it is a lifestyle for all yoga enthusiasts. As your yoga instructor might be teaching you, practicing Yoga means releasing distractions your mind and body might be having right now.  In order to maintain a healthy, balanced equilibrium, Yoga teaches us to limit disturbances in our daily lives by way of unburdening ourselves of lies, hatred, violent thoughts, unfaithful acts, and even refocusing our thoughts away from material things which tend to occupy a human’s mind most of the time. The practice of Yoga will not only make you physically fit and strong but also will help you maintain a mind that is both balanced and aligned to each and every part of your body, making movements more controlled.
Like most seniors, the major reason for us to get engaged in Yoga is fitness and hopefully regaining balance. I must admit, the first few sessions were harder than I thought it would be. I found myself dangerously swaying left to right, even toppling over many times while I eye enviously other seniors in the room confidently doing all the poses without hesitation. Fortunately, my instructor has been very patient with me, helping me to attain right form and posture during sessions, even allowing me to rest when needed.
But like I said, Yoga does not stop there. To further help us in achieving perfect health inside out, we must also give attention to the food we eat. Eating the Yoga way, both quantity and quality are considered. It should be a source of your body’s vitality and restore health no matter what age you are in. A Yoga diet is mostly veggies and fruits. As much as possible, it should be fresh and natural. In a Yoga diet, it is also advisable that we eat less than our capacity everytime so that we are always light and active.
Proper digestion is very, very important in a Yoga diet. Chewing your food slowly everytime you eat will tremendously help your digestive tract in processing your food intake hence proper digestion. Overeating is a big no-no as it will only make you feel heavy, not to mention overloading your digestive system, making it harder for the body to absorb essential nutrients.
The practice of Yoga also believes that the food we eat has a direct effect on our mind and body’s equilibrium. It influences the way we think and act thus keeping a wholesome diet is very important if we want a physically and mentally healthy life. Those who are strictly into Yoga diet know that avoiding stimulating food and beverages is a must such as coffee, alcohol and spicy food.

There’s no doubt everybody in this room has had their so-called “senior moments” or in cyber lingo, mental glitches, like it’s something you can defrag, reboot or upgrade when necessary. Although subjective memory loss is almost always a portent of dementia, or so these medical researchers say, let’s for once consider this as a matter of being unorganized and always in a hurry. I say, there’s totally no harm in considering ourselves normal, healthy persons, right?..
Milder terms for memory loss are forgetfulness and absent-mindedness. These two, for me, connote that I am indeed a busy person that I have no time for such unimportant things like my keys and my wallet. Yes, I like fooling myself sometimes just for the humor of it. But let’s face it, sometimes it gets so irritating to forget things just when I needed them most, especially in cases when I need to take medications on a strict schedule then I find myself in the middle of the day wondering if I took my morning meds and have absolutely no idea if I did. Talk about frustration!
Let me tell you, forgetfulness knows no age, gender or whatsoever. This morning, my grandkid asked her mother if she saw his toy truck when I just witnessed him the night before bragging about it like there’s no other one like his toy. You see? Only when it occurs to seniors, we’re “marked” FOREVER! Here are my tips and tricks to avoid the inconveniences of forgetfulness and at the same time improve senior’s memory skills:
·    Maintain an organized life. It may be harder to do but take it from me, it really does wonders! I always make it a point that I visit stores with office supplies in them or even bookstores and browse through racks to see if there’s something new for me to use such as an organizer with better organizing capabilitites, sticky notes, etc. Anything that will help me remember things round the clock!
·    A place for everything and everything in its place. A bowl just beside the door proves to be very helpful to my key-hunting activities because I just throw them in the minute I step inside the house and pick them up on my way out. All my medications go to my bedside drawer as it is easier for me to reach for them when I need them.
·    Take memory enhancing vitamins. There’s no use hiding forgetfulness from your own doctor. Let him do his job and make your life a little easier and more convenient.
·    Brain exercises are the best! Try online games that will challenge your memory skills. Some can be downloaded to your computer so you can access them even offline.
·    Make it a habit to calm the mind. A calmer mind is a focused one. You will easily remember things if your mind is not too cloudy with unnecessary things.

Of course! And if I may say so, seniors are more than ready for change nowadays. Seniors today are living longer and healthier lives, unfortunately, our skin doesn’t always match our inner being. Honestly, one of the worst experiences we have to contend everyday is looking in the mirror and see a saggy, wrinkly face when you really are feeling 10 or 20 years younger than your true age. Unfair right? Especially when you know you fought hard for your health, only to end up with bagful of wrinkles evenly distributed around your face.
I have some friends who underwent the knife, some got their happy endings while others end up with a face a million times worse than what they exchanged for. I, for now, am sticking with my natural face but God knows, if I get to live some 40 more years and end up with jaws just above my collar bone, then I will definitely make necessary arrangements to Costa Rica—and fast!
Actually, it’s never a sin to be vain, just as long as you are doing it for yourself and never for others. Well, that’s according to me. When you reach a certain age, somehow you will hear a nagging voice inside of you saying that maybe it’s time to take care of yourself instead. For some, this voice gets a little louder earlier in life, say midlife?..
Whatever your reasons are and no matter how intent you are in having a plastic surgery, seniors need to be reminded that safety should always come first. I consider plastic surgery as merchandise wherein you shop around to find a retailer that suits you best. They may offer you the same thing and would promise you the same end result but let’s face it—and no pun intended—it’s a traumatic experience and not to mention risky. So if you’re adamant in getting it done, make sure you go for a doctor that would provide you with lesser stress and great results. This, you could only know by getting feedbacks from previous patients or from friends and families who underwent the same thing.
It is important that you do your research first and go meet previous patients to know about the procedure more before going to the doctor. The reason for this is, sometimes, cosmetic doctors tend to get all flowery with words that it gets harder to spot the “not”. In other words, it’s fairly easy to get blinded with promises and not see the warning signs at once. Aside from that, it is best if you explore other options aside from the ever popular face lift. Today, there are many non-invasive procedures that are available to erase those wrinkles away depending on the severity of the problem. Again, go for the ones that won’t stress you much and won’t require too much healing time. Lastly, always check your doctor’s credentials and make sure he or she is qualified to do such procedures. Bear in mind that it is your face at stake.