One of this weeks topics is my favourite subject at the moment. I have working really hard on trying to stay healthy for a while now. I probably did not get serious about it until I was well over 50 but I just did not really have the time, working lots, doing the family thing squeezing as much into every day as physical posable.
My number one tip is properly the hardest or it is for me anyway. Focus on food, drink and diet. I reckon if you can master your diet your eighty percent on the way to your best healthy you.
Eating clean and healthy is much easier said than done. Especially with the busy life styles and pressure most people seems to be under these days. For years, processed and fast foods was the only way I could get everything done.
I got away with it while I was young but eventually things started to change or catch up with me. First off I seems to be getting injured more and was taking noticeably longer to recover from niggles and strains, I had picked up at work or playing sport. Looking back I think it was a combination of slowly losing a bit of strength, mobility and putting on a few extra pounds in the wrong places.
I always used to think because I like working out, playing sport and had a physical job I could eat what ever I wanted. That idea could not have been further from the truth and as I aged it became painfully more obvious.
The food I eat is still a work in progress for me, I tried many things, diets, eating salads but just could not get anything to stick. Until I just started changing one little think at a time. Dropping all sugary soft drinks for coffee, then cutting back on the coffee with vegan protein shakes. One small step at a time definitely works for me but I still mess up every now and again and order the burger, fries and beer especially if on holidays in Bali.
Getting plenty of exercise is my number 2 tip. Any form will do, cross training over a number of different fields is probably best. I love my running but some where a long the line I lost strength and could not even do one chin up. It has taken ages to slowly try and build back up to 4. I read some where you can lose 1 percent of your strength per year. I really feel the need to work more on my strength and maintain a full range of motion to keep myself healthy and active as long as possible.
My number 3 tip is to get plenty of rest, recovery and sleep. I have had to really prioritize more rest , I really struggled to find a photo of myself sitting down, there is still always so much to do around the house and yard. I still get way too many little aches and strains, I think this is all closely related to not enough time off my feet.
