Archive for Healh & Fitness
Samiyyah Staten, known to many as just “Sam” founded Spa-East in 2004 and put every ounce of her being in providing a local destination space for those in need of refuge of the hustle and bustle of life. Dedicated to the beauty industry, Sam has studied extensively over the years with doctors and scientists and now specializes in skin care and product ingredients.
Baby Boomers: Get Prepared to Face These Challenges
Posted by: | Comments
By Anna D. Banks, GCDF
As Baby Boomers age and are getting ready to retire, there are a number of challenges they face. While about half of them express that the loss of mental capacity is what they fear most as they grow older, most of them also say that they lack any sound planning for their retirement and that they do not perceive achieving the financial goals they require. The average net worth of Baby Boomers is just $78,000, which is inadequate for their long-term financial security and poses a serious dilemma as the expectation is that this generation will live well into their 80s, and most want to carry on living up to their 90s.
In addition to this dilemma, Baby Boomers also worry about the necessity of relying on government programs like Medicare and Social Security, as most of them feel that they have very little control about such programs. Only 7 percent indicate satisfaction with these programs.
According to surveys, it has been found that compared to 20 years ago, the importance today of such government sponsored programs has increased by 33 percent. And yet, just 58 percent of Baby Boomers say that they know about the newly available program, Medicare Part D, with just 21 percent planning on signing up on becoming eligible, while 41 percent say that they are not sure.
Failing health with advancing age is another concern that most Baby Boomers say they fear. And yet, paradoxically, it has been found that there is a vast disconnect about what baby Boomers comprehend as the right things they need to do to stay healthy and what they really do. For instance, while 90 percent feel that they need to exercise in order to maintain their health as they age, yet only 37 percent exercise and that too just about two days in a week, or even less than that, while 27 percent admit that they do not exercise at all. Compounding this, many of them are also confused about what a healthy diet is for healthy aging.
Much of this conundrum in behavior/understanding is due to the fact that most Baby Boomers think that advancements in medical science and health care will be able to cure the diseases they get and feel that these advances will increase their longevity. This means that many of the Baby Boomers will have to rely on medical science and the health care system in order to ameliorate the harm that they are bringing upon themselves by eating wrong foods and not exercising.
Hence, it is anticipated by most policy-makers that one of the biggest challenges will be funding the long-term health care requirements and other interrelated services for aging Baby Boomers. According to projections, beginning from 2011, a vast section of the workforce will retire, resulting in the decline in their incomes and a reduction of the tax contributions to the state. Simultaneously, an increased pressure will be exerted on the states to pay vast numbers of claims for government programs like Medicaid. On top of that, a health care system that is understaffed already will have to find enough trained personnel to take care of these large numbers of aging patients.
Another challenge faced by aging Baby Boomers is inadequate transportation. With an increase in elderly drivers, it is anticipated that there will be an increase in the rates of accidents. States then will be pressurized to tighten renewals of driving licenses in order to curtail elderly people from driving. This means that seniors will have to be largely dependent on better and more public transportation systems, which are not adequate enough at present.
Crime is another factor that senior citizens are concerned about. It is expected that with an increase in the population of aging people, there will be a corresponding rise in crime against them, such as burglary and fraud. Senior citizens will therefore require adequate protective services from the state.
Conflicts between generations for state funds are also set to intensify. The younger voting population is expected to protest more to get funds for issues like education as states allocate more funds to improve the lives of the elderly. Other generational issues are also set to arise as voters squabble over various state funds.
© 2008 Anna D. Banks, GCDF
________
Author’s Note:
Do you have any questions about career development or lifestyle changes for Baby Boomers, which you think others, like you, would want to know the answers? Email your questions to me at Anna@AnnaBanks.com.
Fitness For Today And Tomorrow
Posted by: | Comments
By Anna D. Banks, GCDF
The further along you are in years, the more vital it is to exercise. Exercising even moderately will help in reversing the effects of aging, as long as you are consistent about it. It is not merely about living longer, but about having a better quality of life, both today and tomorrow. By getting healthier and fitter, you will be able to continue doing the things that you have always found enjoyable, with less pains and aches, despite even being afflicted by arthritis.
A sedentary lifestyle is the only thing you need to avoid like the plague. You can take up almost any kind of physical activity to get started, although it must be reiterated that moderation is the keyword, especially when you begin or have some sort of debilitating ailment. What is the best type of exercise? Anything that you will be motivated to do regularly. The important thing is that the sooner you begin, the more benefits you will be able to derive from it. Although one cannot guarantee anything about life, but the odds are that you have fewer chances of being consigned to a nursing home for age-related factors if you begin exercising today.
Bear in mind, it is never too late to begin exercising. According to research conducted on elderly residents of a nursing home, it was found that people even in their 80s and 90s improved their muscular strength and balance dramatically after merely eight weeks of working out with weights.
In order to get the most beneficial results, you need to combine flexibility and strength exercises along with aerobics. These are the key elements of improving the functioning of your body physically, by increasing your flexibility, strength and endurance, as well as mentally, by increasing the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your brain.
Endurance or aerobic exercises include walking (with the goal of being able to cover a mile in around 17 minutes), running, jogging, cycling, hiking, dancing, swimming, lawn mowing, gardening, tennis, golf (as long as you walk and not use the cart), workouts on treadmills, climbers and stationary bikes. The duration of each session should be 30 minutes, and the minimum frequency, about three times in a week.
The examples of strength training exercises are lifting weights (take professional advice about the amount of weight to lift and the number of repetitions, when starting out), calisthenics (abdominal crunches, push-ups, etc.), and resistance exercises using bands and tubes. Strength training exercises should be done on the days when you do not do aerobics. You can do 8-10 types of exercises each workout session, which should be about 30 minutes in duration, and give yourself rest for at least 48 hours between each session.
Flexibility and stretching exercises should be done for about 10 minutes, ideally after every workout session, but you can do them every alternate day if you wish. Stretch each of your main groups of muscles, such as legs, arms, shoulders, trunk and back, each stretch lasting for about 30 seconds, with 3-4 repetitions for each group of muscles. It is important not to bounce or stretch to the point of feeling pain. Yoga has many excellent stretching exercises which are designed to improve the flexibility of your muscles and joints. Yoga also has a number of exercises that will improve your balance.
Physical activity can help you to improve your health and fitness tremendously. All you need to do is invest a minimum of 30 minutes of your time each day to exercising to prevent a wide variety of diseases and prolong your span of life. So go ahead, transform yourself from being a couch potato to an exercise aficionado, and reduce your risk of getting cardiovascular diseases, stroke, hypertension, and cancer, while you get fitter and stronger. By taking control of your health and fitness today, you will reap the benefits tomorrow.
Happy 1st day of Summer 2008!!!
© 2008 Anna D. Banks, GCDF
________
Author’s Note:
Do you have any questions about career development or lifestyle changes for Baby Boomers, which you think others, like you, would want to know the answers? Email your questions to me at Anna@AnnaBanks.com.