Growing Old Has Never Been Better

Are you one of us?

The lucky & smart enough who’ve reached the special status as a senior citizen?
If so, Congratulations!
‘Senior Citizen’ can be anyone over age fifty.
Although nowadays, fifty may be considered the halfway point in an expected lifespan.
We intend to remain active, healthy, and safe, living with purpose, excitement, and happiness through those extended years.

By contrast, reflect on our parents and grandparents’ generations.

As a kid in the 1950’s, I remember the oldest person in our middle-class Chicago neighborhood. We called her ‘bubbie’. She looked ninety-five, but was actually in her early seventies.
People were considered old in their fifties, and they looked and acted it.
They became ‘senior-citizen-old’ if they made it to their sixties. That’s where most ended their years.

Not anymore.

Science, technology, and access to information have changed all that.
With simple changes like tweaking diet and staying active, we can live longer, happier lives.
We can be healthy, happy, and strong.

I did it.

I know because at age sixty-nine, I did it.
I’m living proof of someone living a robust, healthy life after almost losing it all due to my own stubbornness, neglect, and apathy.
And, if I could do it, so can you. Or, maybe you’re more advanced than me with experiences & knowledge to share.

The possibilities.

Staying healthy, happy, and strong in your senior years takes some common sense & effort, but is far easier than living the alternative.
Cataract surgery and other procedures have made formerly devastating vision troubles a thing of the past. I had mine done and the surgeon claims my eyesight is now equal to a sixteen-year-old’s.
Life changing doesn’t begin to describe it.
I was also basically deaf.
Everyone knew to yell so I’d hear them. New acquaintances asked why I talked so loud. It didn’t sound that way to me.
It was a particular irritation between me and the wife. She grew to hate the constant yelling.
This went on for twenty years, getting worse the last few.
Then, I got hearing aids.
They improved my life and everyone’s around me in huge ways.
I tackled my bad teeth too.

Over the years I’d done a pretty good job keeping up with regular dental hygiene and dentist visits. Had cavities filled, an extraction when needed, even a crown done back in the day.
Then, in my late forties & fifties, I became increasingly lax and eventually did not care for them well.
The dreaded day came. I noticed my front teeth were suddenly moving! Could that be true? Happening to me? And yes, blood on my gums.
It terrified me and I knew there was big trouble to face.
A visit to the dentist confirmed I was a bonafide candidate for full dental implants. Just like those patients you see in the TV commercials.
So, I got a set of dental implants with titanium components that will never get cavities or give me any grief. They’re beautiful and resolved that issue.
Once again, I was a brand-new person.
I could chew food without pain, enjoy hot and cold drinks, nibble corn on the cob or bite into a thick steak. All that, plus I had a smile equal that of any Hollywood star.

And, it gets better from there.

I went on to have fourteen separate medical issues resolved after a lifetime of never seeing a doctor for anything.
Several were serious enough to require surgery.
I learned I did not have a brain tumor after it appeared I might.
I discovered I had a rare, potentially deadly  bone abnormality called the ‘Xiphoid Process’, weird as that sounds. I was cleared safe for now and will delve into it on a separate post.

The 100,000 Mile Tune-Up – A New Lease On Life

In essence, I had underwent a ‘100,000 Mile Tune-Up’ and came out ‘smelling like a rose’ and created a new lease on life.
It’s motivated me to share what I’m learning as I navigate this medical journey and hear what you’ve experienced so I can learn from that.

Happy ~ Healthy ~ Strong

I’ll be presenting ideas focusing on three key areas for an optimal senior life:
Happy ~ Healthy ~ Strong

Happy includes exploring senior sexuality, loneliness, community, depression, and more. Healthy will cover new medicines, technologies, and approaches to treating illness and aging concerns. Strong will collect the best ideas in longevity, exercise for seniors, and ways seniors are staying fit.

I do the heavy lifting for you.

Every day, I wake & scour the world’s news, following hundreds of experts on longevity, staying active & fit, and checking the latest technology.
I choose the best, most informative, and most promising stories to present in an easy fun format, saving you the hassle and time of doing it yourself. You can trust that you’re getting what’s relevant and real because I have the tee shirt. I’m right there with you

A Cornucopia of Senior Knowledge

There’s a lot of knowledge which can add years to our lives.
Ideas like modifying our diets. Plant-based is all the rage, but there’s a flex plan allowing some meat & dairy which I like even better. We’ll discuss.
There’s the ‘biggies’ including diabetes, blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and stroke – all will receive coverage.
And we’ll visit plenty of other senior concerns like macular degeneration, dementia, bone loss, colon health, and well … you get the idea.
On the flip side, there’s the marvelous promise of new technologies, drugs, and research resolving all these problems and more. And often, they are available to those who seek them out. But you have to know of them first.
I’ll share stories of others who are demonstrating longevity with vigor and zest. We’ll see what’s working for them and can for us.
Included will be some nostalgia, jokes, and cartoons related to senior living to add a little fun and share a smile here and there.
We’ll look at exercises specially designed for seniors. Work together on flexibility, balance, and mobility.
Maybe start some strength training with light weights. Ouch, I haven’t done that yet.
And, discuss sports like tennis, bicycling, walking, swimming, golf, pickle ball, and many others seniors enjoy.
We’ll look into ways of maintaining our mental well-being too. Topics like staying socialized, dealing with brain fog, apathy, depression, and loneliness – all common amongst seniors.

Thank you for reading through these opening thoughts. The goal is to keep you Happy, Healthy, and Strong!