We have all heard the saying, “Health is wealth.”
When I was younger, I’m not sure I gave that saying much thought. As we get older, though, those words start to mean a little more.
Getting healthy doesn’t necessarily require some complicated diet, expensive supplement, or the latest workout program. Most of us probably already know many of the things we need to do.
Eat better. Move more. Get enough sleep. Drink water. Maintain a healthy weight. Reduce stress. Get rid of some bad habits.
The difficult part isn’t knowing what to do.
The difficult part is actually doing those things consistently.
That’s something I’m learning during my own journey to become healthier after 65. I can have several good days where I’m eating properly, getting my workouts in, and feeling like I’m finally figuring everything out.
Then life happens.
Work gets busy. I get home late. I don’t feel like cooking. I skip a workout. One trip through the fast-food drive-thru becomes two or three.
Suddenly, I’m wondering what happened to all that motivation I had a few days earlier.
Maybe getting healthy isn’t about being perfect. Maybe it’s about developing enough good habits that we continue moving in the right direction even when life doesn’t cooperate.
Here are some of the areas I’m trying to concentrate on.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
This one certainly hits home for me.
I’m currently working toward losing weight myself, and I’ve learned that the number on the scale can affect your attitude more than it probably should.
A good weigh-in can make you feel like you’re accomplishing something. A bad one can make you wonder why you’re even trying.
But maintaining a healthy weight is about much more than looking better or seeing a certain number on the scale.
Excess weight can increase our risk for conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, joint problems, and other health issues.
As we get older, there’s another reason maintaining a reasonable weight becomes important: we still want to be able to do things.
I want to play golf. I want to travel. I want to walk around a college football practice without getting exhausted. I want to climb stairs without thinking about it. I want to remain independent and active as I get older.
For me, those might be better reasons for losing weight than simply trying to reach a particular number on the scale.
Eat Better—But Keep It Simple
Nutrition can become incredibly complicated if we let it.
Low-carb. Keto. Mediterranean. Intermittent fasting. High-protein. Low-fat.
I’ve read about many different ways of eating, and I can find myself going back and forth wondering which one I should follow.
Maybe I’m making it harder than it needs to be.
I know what most of my better food choices are.
Lean meats and fish. Eggs. Fruits and vegetables. Reasonable portions of rice and potatoes. Nuts. Yogurt. Plenty of water.
I also know which choices tend to get me into trouble.
Fast food. Soda. Too many sweets. Snacking when I’m not really hungry.
I don’t think I need to eat perfectly every day for the rest of my life. I want to enjoy a good meal on vacation. I might want a burger occasionally. I’m certainly not planning to spend the rest of my life without dessert.
The goal is to make the healthier choice the normal choice rather than the occasional one.
Keep Moving
Exercise doesn’t always have to mean going to the gym.
That’s another lesson I’m trying to learn.
I enjoy going to the gym, but there are days when work and life make getting there difficult. That doesn’t mean I have to sit on the couch for the rest of the evening.
Take a walk.
Ride a bike.
Play golf.
Do some squats and push-ups at home.
Take the stairs.
Spend 20 minutes at the gym instead of skipping the workout because I don’t have an hour.
Especially as we age, physical activity isn’t just about burning calories. Resistance training can help us maintain muscle and strength, while walking and other cardiovascular activities help maintain endurance and overall fitness.
The objective isn’t necessarily to train like we did when we were 25.
It’s to make sure we’re still moving when we’re 75.
Identify the Habits That Are Holding You Back
This may be the hardest part.
We usually know what our bad habits are.
Mine aren’t exactly a mystery.
I know when I’m using being tired as an excuse not to work out. I know I could drive home and make something to eat instead of stopping for fast food. I know when I’m eating because I’m bored rather than hungry.
Knowing that doesn’t automatically make changing those behaviors easy.
Instead of trying to eliminate every bad habit tomorrow morning, I’m learning to work on making one better decision at a time.
Drive past the fast-food restaurant today.
Get the 20-minute workout today.
Drink water instead of soda today.
Tomorrow, do it again.
Small decisions don’t seem very important when we make them, but hundreds of those decisions eventually become our lifestyle.
Don’t Forget About Sleep and Recovery
This is one area we sometimes overlook when talking about getting healthier.
We talk about food and exercise, but our bodies also need an opportunity to recover.
Getting adequate sleep can affect our energy, appetite, mood, concentration, and ability to exercise. When we’re exhausted, making good decisions becomes more difficult too.
I know that when I’ve had a long day, that’s when the excuses become easier.
I’m too tired to work out.
I don’t feel like cooking.
I’ll start again tomorrow.
Taking care of ourselves means recognizing that recovery is part of the process too.
Work on Your Mindset
I’ve written about mindset several times during my weight-loss journey because I continue to believe this is where many of my battles are won or lost.
It’s easy to be motivated on January 1.
It’s easy to be motivated after a good weigh-in.
The challenge is maintaining that mindset after you’ve gained two pounds, skipped three workouts, eaten fast food twice, and aren’t particularly happy with yourself.
That’s when you have a decision to make.
Quit—or start again.
I’m learning that starting again is a skill.
You don’t have to wait until Monday.
You don’t have to wait until next month.
You certainly don’t have to wait until January 1.
Your next meal can be better.
Your next decision can be better.
Your next day can be better.
Appreciate What You Can Still Do
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve also started thinking differently about gratitude.
It’s easy to concentrate on what we can’t do anymore.
Maybe we can’t run as fast. Maybe we don’t hit the golf ball as far. Maybe recovery takes a little longer than it used to.
But what about everything we can still do?
If you can walk, appreciate the walk.
If you can play golf, enjoy the round.
If you can travel, take the trip.
If you can exercise, appreciate that your body is still capable of getting stronger.
Sometimes improving our health isn’t about trying to become the person we were 20 or 30 years ago.
It’s about taking care of the person we are today.
Pay Attention to Your Health
There’s also more to staying healthy than diet and exercise.
As we get older, regular medical and dental checkups, recommended screenings, vaccinations, and paying attention when something doesn’t feel right become increasingly important.
Healthy living shouldn’t replace medical care. It should work alongside it.
We can’t control everything that happens to our bodies. Genetics, injuries, illnesses, and plain old bad luck are part of life.
But there are plenty of things we can influence.
And those are the things worth concentrating on.
Getting Healthy Is Really About Living
Maybe I’ve been looking at health and weight loss incorrectly.
It’s easy to make everything about the scale.
Did I lose a pound this week?
How many calories did I eat?
How many times did I get to the gym?
Those things matter, but they’re not really the end goal.
The goal is to live.
I want to have enough energy to enjoy my day.
I want to keep playing golf.
I want to travel.
I want to remain active.
I want to be able to get up in the morning and do the things I enjoy doing for as many years as possible.
There isn’t one magic food, workout, supplement, or diet that’s going to guarantee that.
It’s probably much simpler than that.
Eat reasonably well.
Move your body.
Maintain your strength.
Get enough sleep.
Take care of yourself.
Enjoy your life.
And when you have a bad day—and you will—wake up tomorrow and try again.
We can’t control everything about our future health. But we can make choices today that give us a better chance of enjoying tomorrow.
That’s reason enough to keep trying.