How healthy is your lifestyle?

[Dreamer]

My lifestyle used to be alot healthier than it is at the present time. I am small boned, 52 and my weight has crept up to 129. My all time high was 135 when I had my daughter at age 35. I had a bone density test and it is showing that I have thinning bones. I am not good at taking calcium pills or the chews, but I do like milk and drink a couple of glasses a day. I drink lots of water.

I go in spells where I eat pretty good and fair amount of exercise and then I fall off the wagon. Daughter's schedule is pretty demanding and she is a very picky eater. We do a lot of take-out and I am sure that is helping to contribute to the recent weight gain. Also, I unfortunately have a huge sweet tooth! I normally walk for exercise and have just started back in this week.

I was able to kick the tobacco habit at the end of 1985. I would love to have the money that went up in smoke from DH and myself!!

Dreamer

[Zipper]

Eagle, as I've mentioned before, you and I are the same age.

You do come across a little to the right than me. I think I'm more in Cut_Throat's range in my old age. ;

I think in life you go the opposite to what you were in your youth.

I was very right wing, pro Viet Nam in the 60's, but now that I have my own kids and grandkids, I'm more centred in "MY"60's. I think Iraq is a total f*ck up!

As to your question above, I'm Canadian and I accessed our Canada Pension Plan at 60.

Every eligible Canadian is also entitled to Old Age Security at 65.

CPP + OAS is pretty close to SS.

Maybe we'll cross paths some day.

Mrs. Zipper and I like to head south in winter.

London ON is a cross between Detroit and Buffalo in the winter!

Spring, summer and fall are great though. Great beaches within minutes.

[MRGALT2U]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zipper London ON is a cross between Detroit and Buffalo in the winter!

Well, hey..............at least we agree on London Ont.

Had lunch with my only brother today. I would say he is a health nut.
He does drink, but otherwise is very careful about his diet. He also
rides a stationary bike and does 500 "crunches" EVERY day. Been doing it for
decades. He used to do 100 push ups daily but can't any more
(all sorts of arm/shoulder problems - me too). Anyway, he sure looks good.
I am too lazy to go through all that. Fortunately, I can keep my weight down by
dieting and walking. Beyond that, my genes will have to save me.

JG

[laurence]

Nords, I too have found that since I started eating healthy that I suffer greatly when I indulge in the foods I used to crave. I had a carne asada burrito today and my stomach is screaming at me right now.

TH, no teeth yet? Just wait until that first one comes in, YOUCH! I let her take my finger to play with and all of a sudden I thought a switchblade was stuck in my knuckle! Why are baby's teeth that sharp if all they can eat is baby food

[pbrane]

I don't want to boast, but for the "science" of the survey...I thought I'd chime in. I'm 49 and work out at the Y almost everyday -especially in winter. I shoot the basketball around to loosen up, then get on the lifecycle for a 20 minute hard ride, then to the weights. Before I joined the Y all I did was walk the beach and do push-ups (I was up to 150 and I did 180 a few times) and then a little swimming. Now my new "goal" is to do 25 chin-ups by next birthday (50th). I'm 6'2"+ and 173 lbs. Now that the weather is nice I've been outside on my bike more getting as much sun as I can.

Another point that I'd make is that as far as eating healthy, I have plenty of time to do things right cuz I have nothing better to do. I see this as another big advantage to being retired. Plus, I love to cook. I see alot of working folks who never have time to eat right and they pay for it in poor health.

-pb

[Eagle43]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zipper Eagle, as I've mentioned before, you and I are the same age. You do come across a little to the right than me. I think I'm more in Cut_Throat's range in my old age. ; I think in life you go the opposite to what you were in your youth. I was very right wing, pro Viet Nam in the 60's, but now that I have my own kids and grandkids, I'm more centred in "MY"60's. I think Iraq is a total f*ck up! As to your question above, I'm Canadian and I accessed our Canada Pension Plan at 60. Every eligible Canadian is also entitled to Old Age Security at 65. CPP + OAS is pretty close to SS. Maybe we'll cross paths some day. Mrs. Zipper and I like to head south in winter. London ON is a cross between Detroit and Buffalo in the winter! Spring, summer and fall are great though. Great beaches within minutes.

Well, thanks for answering.

I'd love to meet you and Mrs Zipper if paths cross. Then we could get a cold one and really debate. I'm going back to Canada one day. I want to take the train across the southern tier. Maybe we could look you up.

[Helen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamer My lifestyle used to be alot healthier than it is at the present time.* I am small boned, 52 and my weight has crept up to 129.* My all time high was 135 when I had my daughter at age 35.*

Dreamer, we are close here. I'm 48 and very small boned, my weight started creeping up this year, I'm at 127. I've started walking for an hour after work and hit the gym about 4 days a week for 1/2 hour. I'm starting to see some improvements.

I quit smoking and drinking five years ago and feel much better.

I haven't had a bone density test yet, but I was warned that it's worse for those of us who are small boned.

I did have my cholesterol tested and yikes - 293. I can't believe it, I haven't eaten any meat except seafood since I was 19. My good cholesterol is very high, so I am avoiding the statins.

I'll see if the exercise does any good at my next physical. I'm thinking that my cholesterol is a genetic thing so I doubt it will drop much.

I was always healthy till I hit my forties. I started having dizzy spells and a hearing loss. In the process of determining I have Meniere's (an inner ear thing) they discovered a brain anuerysm. The brain anuerysm was taken care of and I'm on meds for the Menieres. The other thing that started in my 40's is anxiety. Nasty stuff, I went on Zoloft for that and it has taken care of the problem. I'm hoping I have taken care of everything and will have clear sailing for a while...

Best of luck to us all,

-helen

[MJ]

A long healthy future to both of you.

[ESRBob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by th Eh the sleep aint too bad. He decided in the last week to forgo sleeping through the night and get up every 3 hours instead. And then sometimes wake up again 14.2 seconds after I fall asleep from putting him back down. This week momma goes back to work, but she's changing to day shifts from night shifts, so it wont be so bad. But I'll "own" him 100% for ~3-4 days a week. He's a peach though...sitting here in my lap drooling profusely, waiting to go for a ride to the mall...

TH,
Not sure if parenting advice has caught up with this today, but we were always told to make the kids sleep in another room and learn to fall asleep without you yada yada. We finally brought his little bed in next to ours, and/or stuck a mattress on the floor of his room and slept on it alongside him. It worked out great for everybody and no longlasting psychological damage as was warned. And best of all, good sleep all around for the parents, and the kids.

The new appraoch started the day I broke his crib when I fell asleep hanging over the side of the damned thiing trying to pat once him every umpteen seconds or whatever the silly regimine was.

[wabmester]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ESRBob Not sure if parenting advice has caught up with this today....

They've even given it a name: "the family bed." We took that route too. It was the only way we could sleep, and I *love* sleep. We eventually transitioned the kid to a separate bed next to ours, and then to her own bedroom by the time she was two. She still crowds in with us once in a while. I strongly recommend getting a king-size bed if you take this route.

[MRGALT2U]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wabmester They've even given it a name:* "the family bed."* * We took that route too.* *It was the only way we could sleep, and I *love* sleep.* * We eventually transitioned the kid to a separate bed next to ours, and then to her own bedroom by the time she was two.* * She still crowds in with us once in a while.* *I strongly recommend getting a king-size bed if you take this route.

I have often made changes/decisions where I opined "I will never go back",
only to revert to my old ways and thus have to eat my words. I knew the
king sized bed would always be with me as soon as I got one. Pure
bliss from the first night. A purchase never second guessed once.

JG

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbrane Now my new "goal" is to do 25 chin-ups by next birthday (50th).* I'm 6'2"+ and 173 lbs.

One a day or in one session?

I'm not down to 173 yet but the pullups have gotten a lot easier after losing the first 25 pounds.

Our dojang's black belt qualification test requires a two-mile run at an eight minute pace (no problem), 100 situps in two minutes, and 100 pushups in two minutes. I can probably get back to 100 situps in that time but the 100 pushups is gonna be a joint challenge... luckily that's at least two years away.

[pbrane]

Hi Nords:

I might have some trouble with the 2-mile runs, as I havn't done any running (other than for chasing my missed 3-point attempts around the basketball court) for quite awhile. I'm also too cheap to buy running shoes. My old (1951!) Raleigh 3-speed doesn't rquire any special shoes...and I found it on the curb! Totally free exercise.

As for the sit-ups, I use a machine with all the weights loaded on, and I do 2 sets of 25 everyday. Chin-ups are in one quick shot. I do as many as I can until it feels like my aorta's gonna pop...

-pb

[HFWR]

Good advice: If you decide to take up jogging/running, do yourself a favor, and DON'T skimp on running shoes. Your feet, knees, ankles, and back will all thank you!

How often do you surf, Nords?

[Eagle43]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Have Funds, Will Retire Good advice: If you decide to take up jogging/running, do yourself a favor, and DON'T skimp on running shoes. Your feet, knees, ankles, and back will all thank you!

Been there, done that. I ran what I counted as 11k miles or so. Knees forbid it now. So I use the stationary bike and the elliptical machine.

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl How often do you surf, Nords?*

It goes in squirts spurts.

South shore is back for the summer (actually until late Oct) and White Plains Beach is a huge bunch of breaks with plenty of parking only 30 minutes from the house. I'll try to go there at least twice a week plus whatever the kid will put up with on weekends. On a great day I'll be in for 90 minutes before my arms turn to spaghetti. On a quieter day it takes 2-3 hours. I'm grudgingly beginning to accept that the only surfing I can do for longer than that involves a high-speed Internet connection.

If the surf stays up next week like it did last week then we're talking three or four times per week. But I'll pay for that at tae kwon do practice.

After October I don't seem to do very well. When the North Shore comes up (and the south dies off) then every surfin' fool in both hemispheres descends on Haleiwa. For the last two winters I've been going up to Haleiwa Ali'i Beach Park (I've only been surfing three years) and jostling with guys paying $2000/week to sleep in a cinderblock hovel efficiency. Traffic is a parking lot, the parking lot is overflowing, the break is small with a brisk current, and the waves are frequently higher than 10 feet. You can imagine that it's not quite the aloha image the Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau attempts to convey... it reminds me more of parts of southern California. (I enjoy having the turtles pop up to check out the surfers, though.)

So this year, and this time I really mean it, I'm going to take the time to scout out places closer to Waialua & Mokuleia (opposite the meccas of Pipeline & Waimea) or see if the west side holds up in winter. It just means a lot of driving and possibly a wasted afternoon without easy surfing.

I have enough leg muscles & cartilage to run two more miles, but I think that I'm pretty close to warranty expiration. It's probably a reaction to not having to do it for a Navy grade anymore.

Anyone read Stretching Scientifically and tried his program? If you can't make out the cover art, that's the author doing a full split on a couple metal chairs while holding his toddler on his shoulder. (The back cover shows him doing it with a major babe sitting on his right hip.) I've read through it once and it's like reading a Grateful Med survey of medical research. I'm going back again to focus on the martial arts parts and it seems like a good program. He cautions everyone that it should take a year to reach the full split, that not everyone can do it with same results, etc but I'm already seeing improvement after just a month.

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We've tried the 'family bed' thing. With three dogs, three cats, and three people even a king size bed gets a little crowded. In particular, the space near the top of the bed between us (where the little baby bed thingy goes) is highly prized by four of the six animals (two having given up completely).

He's got his own nursery, which is a 10x11 sitting room right off our master. That works because I'm a horrible insomniac and have to watch tv for hours sometimes to get back to sleep. Baby quacks, i'm up for 2 hours. TV on, baby wakes up. Vicious cycle.

He's done better since I've been giving him baby tylenol before bed, so that probably confirms the teething. But man is it early (4 months old). And i hate giving him anything, even something this mild.

Problem should be mostly solved when momma starts working day shift instead of 6pm to 6am. Then at least I'll have a little help and wont have to keep him out of the house during the day while she sleeps.

Man are you guys some toothpicks. I'd have to cut off a couple of limbs to get down to ~175. Last time I checked I was in the 240 range.

[ESRBob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by th He's got his own nursery, which is a 10x11 sitting room right off our master. That works because I'm a horrible insomniac and have to watch tv for hours sometimes to get back to sleep. Baby quacks, i'm up for 2 hours. TV on, baby wakes up. Vicious cycle.

Yoga, man. It'll have you sleeping like a baby again. Cut that. It will have you sleeping through the night in no time. May help take off a pound or two, too.

Course if your insomnia means you post long thoughtful pieces here, not sure if anyone wants to see you cured!

You want to get to know these childhood remedies -- Dimetap will knock the little suckers out for a few hours and give you a chance to get some sleep. Even if you don't use it, nice to have it in your arsenal. (maybe 4 months is a little early for dimetap though!)

[MRGALT2U]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ESRBob Yoga, man.* It'll have you sleeping like a baby again.* Cut that.* It will have you sleeping through the night in no time.* May help take off a pound or two, too. Course if your insomnia means you post long thoughtful pieces here, not sure if anyone wants to see you cured!* * You want to get to know these childhood remedies -- Dimetap will knock the little suckers out for a few hours and give you a chance to get some sleep.* Even if you don't use it, nice to have it in your arsenal.* (maybe 4 months is a little early for dimetap though!)

A manhattan and a Xanax should work fine (for you, not the baby)

JG