Are You Aging Like a Rookie or Rockstar?

I turn 52 years old this year and some days I feel my age.  As a Physical Therapist in Bellingham, WA for the last 28 years, I realize how hard it can be to get older and still want to be active and strong.  Aging is normal and should be embraced, we can’t turn back the hands of time. However, we do have the ability to greatly affect our quality of aging through the lifestyle choices we make today.  So what is the difference between “normal” and “successful aging”? In our quest for aging successfully, we aim to limit/reduce our level of disability and disease, maintain a high level of brain health and cognition and remain socially engaged.  Elizabeth and I have fully embraced this concept to give us the best possible environment for successful aging. Have you?

6 Areas to Improve Your Lifestyle Choices

Making even modest, daily changes today can reap long-term benefits. The “compound effect” of building healthy choices around nutrition, exercise, restorative sleep, managing chronic stress, strengthening connections, and avoiding risky substances. 

What does that look like on a daily and weekly basis?  We should all be training both our physical bodies and our minds.  Strength training 3-4 times a week for both your upper and lower body, core work 3-5 times per week, and H.I.I.T. (High-Intensity Interval Training) 1-3 times per week for cardiorespiratory fitness.

Developing a Meditation practice is a scientifically proven way to reduce stress and anxiety, improve concentration, and elevate your mood. Elizabeth is a certified meditation teacher with over 70 free meditations on her website.  Even meditating for 5-10 minutes daily has shown to be effective.  Learning how we can control our breath with breathing exercises can affect our nervous system and can also be another tool to help reduce anxiety and even panic attacks.

But How do We Change Our Habits?

Deep down, we all know what we should be doing. However, many of us don’t act. We can talk about being lazy, unmotivated, or put up other barriers to finally making the commitment to changing to a healthier and happier lifestyle. If you have wanted to make healthy lifestyle changes, but haven’t it isn’t because you are lazy or undisciplined. It’s because you haven’t found your “Why”.  It all starts with a mindset, forming an identity, and establishing new, high-quality habits. There is a complete science to behavior change. Remember, the quality of our habits helps determine the quality of our lives. Learn how to form new habits now. 

What to do next

Your 3-step plan for improving your health, loving your life again, and taking charge of your health! 

  1. Schedule your next Physical Therapy visit with Bellingham’s premier Manual Therapy clinic, Integrative Physical Therapy today!
  2. Join our Facebook group for healthy aging tips, motivation, and a great online community 
  3. Are you over 50 and ready to Love Your Life Again? Let’s do this | Live Well 50 

 

Any questions? We have answers!

 

Cheers,

Best wishes,

Ed & Elizabeth Deboo, PTs

Integrative Physical Therapy, Bellingham, WA