The Healthful Aging Thread

[audreyh1]

Researchers are developing next generation probiotics now that may combat c-diff without a fecal transplant - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28760934/

That’s good to know. I always take some probiotics during and for a while after a round of antibiotics to cure a diagnosed infection.

 

[travelover]

Yeah, I pretty much don't like the idea of someone else's poop inside of me! I wonder if there is a way to change your gut biome significantly by changing your diet alone?

This probably explains why my last dog lived so long. She was always eating other dog's poop off the side of the road.

 

[SoReadyToRetire]

I started weight training (heavy weights) about a year ago, and I feel great, even though I still have only puny gains compared to what a young guy could have done in that timeframe. Still, I estimate I've put on about 5lbs of lean mass.

And it should be strengthening my bones, tendons, etc., so I'll both be more able to catch myself and avoid a fall, plus reduce my injuries if I do go splat. Any morning aches and stiffness are also long gone, and I like being able to lift heavy things. And seeing my triceps.

Yes--THIS!! I started powerlifiting at 59, and I even competed in my first meet at age 60! It was truly one of the most fun days of my life. Lifting makes me feel younger, strong, and frankly, unbeatable!

And I'm a GIRL. With fake knees, at that.

There's nothing like having strapping young dudes see you deadlifting in the gym and come over to compliment your form. They always look so surprised when they see me loading up the bar. I even hold some records for my age and weight class.

Ladies, if you haven't tried heavy lifting, give it a try--you might just fall in love!

 

[becca]

At age 68 (almost 69) I take no medications yet (fingers crossed).

I walk almost every day with 2 friends. We go 5 miles in 1 hr and 15 minutes on hilly terrain. I have been doing this for 16 years.

I do yoga 3 times a week, hatha or yin. Pre-pandemic was going to in-person classes, then switched to zoom. Went back to in-person classes after being vaccinated in the spring and early summer but now with covid raging again back to zoom. I really miss the in-person classes and seeing my yoga friends. We still get together every couple of weeks for a hike, coffee or lunch outside.

I try to eat well. Very rarely eat red meat. I'm not a sweet eater but have a huge weakness for crunchy salty snacks, like chips. My weight is good but every now and then I have to cut back a bit when the scales creep up a little.

Sleep is kind of a problem. I don't sleep well even though I do everything the experts tell you to do to get a good nights sleep. My DH is the same. We think it's an age thing. For now I am just going with the flow and let my body dictate how I sleep, good or bad.

For my mind I read alot and play a lot of word games online.

Also spend as much time as possible with my grandchildren.

Overall I feel healthy and I am approaching my 20 year anniversary of retirement.

 

[iloveyoga]

I have been doing yoga for 19 years and it has made a very positive impact in my life. My favorite yoga teacher went on line for covid and she is going to continue in that mode. She offers two yoga classes a week, one chair yoga, and one 30 minute strength and balance class, all via Zoom. I do a monthly subscription to this and try to do as many as possible. I enjoy picking out a class for the day.

I also walk daily with DH or a friend. We swim every day when our pool is open (Iowa). I ride by bike too, but this has dropped off and I want to increase this again.

I try to watch what I eat and I am lifetime WW. Always room for improvement there.

 

[Scuba]

I’ve been pretty active ever since ER. I’m also a Lifetime WW but have a hard time maintaining. I love food and wine, but have cut back on both, especially wine and all alcohol, in recent years for health and weight maintenance reasons. I’ve recently started with intermittent fasting and hope that will help me with weight control.

I love hiking, biking, walking, tennis, ping pong, paddling and swimming. However my workouts have been hampered this year due to a groin injury. I just had an MRI of my hip and the results were not encouraging. I need to see what the doctor says about it in a couple of weeks.

One thing I’m curious about - how do you all know your a1c levels? I asked my doctor about measuring that in my last physical. He said because I was not diabetic or pre-diabetic, that is not something they normally measure.

 

[RetiredHappy]

I’ve been pretty active ever since ER. I’m also a Lifetime WW but have a hard time maintaining. I love food and wine, but have cut back on both, especially wine and all alcohol, in recent years for health and weight maintenance reasons. I’ve recently started with intermittent fasting and hope that will help me with weight control.

I love hiking, biking, walking, tennis, ping pong, paddling and swimming. However my workouts have been hampered this year due to a groin injury. I just had an MRI of my hip and the results were not encouraging. I need to see what the doctor says about it in a couple of weeks.

One thing I’m curious about - how do you all know your a1c levels? I asked my doctor about measuring that in my last physical. He said because I was not diabetic or pre-diabetic, that is not something they normally measure.

You need to change your doctor if he/she does not order the test that you want. How would you know whether you are diabetic or pre-diabetic or not without having the A1C test? Have you been tested for fasting glucose level? If so what is it?

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

I get my A1C checked every year. Insist on it or change DR's.

 

[audreyh1]

One thing I’m curious about - how do you all know your a1c levels? I asked my doctor about measuring that in my last physical. He said because I was not diabetic or pre-diabetic, that is not something they normally measure.

Standard of care is to measure A1C only if fasting glucose is elevated.

One of my doctors measures it anyway, as well as fasting insulin which is a early warning signal for insulin resistance which is a precursor to pre-diabetes/diabetes.

 

[audreyh1]

Lots of articles/studies about learning/playing musical instruments and brain health, including for aging. This is just one example from an Alzheimer’s site. https://www.alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/blog/does-music-benefit-the-brain

A research group in Spain set out to address this question by performing a meta-analysis of studies assessing cognitive function in adults age 59 or older that engaged in musical practice over the course of their lives, and a separate analysis of studies where participants received musical training as older adults (age 60-85) [3]. Consistent with previous studies, they found that involvement in musical performance throughout life was associated with protective effects on cognitive function, particularly when musical training began during childhood. Notably, the associated cognitive benefits extended beyond tasks directly relevant for musical practice to also include improvements to general cognitive functions, such as attention, reasoning, and speed of information processing.

The results were also encouraging for musical training in late adulthood, as the participants showed similar general cognitive function enhancements as the life-long musicians. Unlike training that begins in youth, where benefits appear to be maintained throughout life, the effects of training in later life may be more transient, as some of the cognitive function improvements were lost after participants stopped their musical training. This suggests that continued engagement in musical practice may be necessary for long-lasting benefit. However, the number of studies included in the second analysis was much smaller, so additional studies are needed to confirm these results.

I had the amazing experience of not playing piano for 37 years, resumed, and within 2 months was playing pieces I stopped playing that long ago and moved right on to more advanced stuff.

And some instruments may even help maintain finger/hand dexterity. That’s my guess and part of my motivation to restart piano. I had been playing classical guitar off and on during the piano hiatus.

 

[Amethyst]

The 1950s called; want their attitude toward older women's looks back

There's a pretty good weekly tabloid published in my area. Very useful for local news.

Less useful was a multi-page spread on "Style Tips for 60-year-olds who want to look better, not younger." The contents are arch, condescending, and...well, I thought of this thread when I read:

"Too much working out.
"Those mothers and grandmothers who are more taut, toned (and haggard-looking) than...20-year-olds? Not a good look. Sure, exercise of some kind is a must...Walk as much as you can...and don't use food as a pay-off."

but also Scuba, Athena53, and the rest of you - knock off that weight training, and quit doing anything more strenuous than a brisk walk. After all, you wouldn't want to look too good in your sequined tunic tops, capri pants, and moccasins!

 

[Music Lover]

^^
It's hard to believe in this day and age that some people still have no idea of the benefits of weight training.

Actually (and sadly), it's really not that hard to believe. Some people will eagerly believe anything no matter what the evidence.

 

[Aerides]

^^
It's hard to believe in this day and age that some people still have no idea of the benefits of weight training.

Actually (and sadly), it's really not that hard to believe. Some people will eagerly believe anything no matter what the evidence.

If you are a woman, you have been raised with literally decades of "don't get bulky!" exercise mantras.

This is from 2014 (not 1974), from Vogue. Granted it's talking about actors prepping for roles to look good on camera, but the message is clear:

"Cycling, lunges, and squats can create bulky muscles, unless you’re six feet tall and weigh 120 pounds. Avoid heavy weights or risk looking like a quarterback.

Simone De La Rue, one of the high priestesses of the dance-cardio craze, also eschews heavy weights. “Nothing more than two or three pounds. Ever,” says De La Rue.."

Makes me very angry.

 

[Music Lover]

If you are a woman, you have been raised with literally decades of "don't get bulky!" exercise mantras.

This is from 2014 (not 1974), from Vogue. Granted it's talking about actors prepping for roles to look good on camera, but the message is clear:

"Cycling, lunges, and squats can create bulky muscles, unless you’re six feet tall and weigh 120 pounds. Avoid heavy weights or risk looking like a quarterback.

Simone De La Rue, one of the high priestesses of the dance-cardio craze, also eschews heavy weights. “Nothing more than two or three pounds. Ever,” says De La Rue.."

Makes me very angry.

My GF's daughter is 21 and on the university track team (100 and 200 meter). She's 5'4" and 115 pounds and lifts heavy 4 times a week. She can't go anywhere without guys hitting on her. She could probably be a swimsuit model.

 

[audreyh1]

This is from 2014 (not 1974), from Vogue. Granted it's talking about actors prepping for roles to look good on camera, but the message is clear:

"Cycling, lunges, and squats can create bulky muscles, unless you’re six feet tall and weigh 120 pounds. Avoid heavy weights or risk looking like a quarterback.

Simone De La Rue, one of the high priestesses of the dance-cardio craze, also eschews heavy weights. “Nothing more than two or three pounds. Ever,” says De La Rue.."

Makes me very angry.

Lord almighty, I guess that “bulk up” myth for women is never going to go away. Complete and total hogwash. These people are uneducated- they don’t understand the role of testosterone.

Nothing more than 2 or 3 pounds? I’ll throw my 10 pound dumbbells at her!!!

P.S. when I was doing my heaviest weights ~15 years ago, I never looked bulky, just leaner. I had lower body fat so a little more muscle definition showed through.

 

[Amethyst]

It's funny - when I was a teen, that attitude seemed to be coming from older people, although not my parents, who thought women's fitness was great.

I remember being in high school and reading that women need not worry about developing big muscles - our hormones would prevent this. And even during my heaviest lifting years (30s through 50's, till my shoulders started to give trouble) I found this to be the case. My figure was well-defined, I was physically strong, yet "big muscles" failed to appear. And I didn't have to wait for a man to show up before I could lift or carry something.

As if this weren't enough, doctors actually recommend that older women train with weights - depending on age, as heavy as their joints can tolerate - to counteract bone density loss. Something that can really ruin one's looks.

If you are a woman, you have been raised with literally decades of "don't get bulky!" exercise mantras.

.

 

[Amethyst]

Same here! I think some measurements get added to the blood test profile when one turns 65, though.

Best wishes that your groin injury clears up soon. I do find it takes longer these days for injuries to resolve.

I
One thing I’m curious about - how do you all know your a1c levels? I asked my doctor about measuring that in my last physical. He said because I was not diabetic or pre-diabetic, that is not something they normally measure.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Is it possible to have high A1C levels if you glucose levels are normal? Our doctor had us do the fasting glucose test only, which was in range for both of us.

 

[audreyh1]

I am not a medical doctor or health care practitioner.

If you care about your metabolic health, here are common markers for insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia. If you are developing insulin resistance you are moving along the pathway to developing diabetes, fatty liver and/or cardiovascular disease, and you’ll probably have difficulty losing weight if you are a bit heavy already. All but the last two are blood tests. Any one of these raises suspicions, 2 or 3 makes it very strong.

• high triglycerides. Standard 150 is a bit high for an acceptable range.
• low HDL
• fasting glucose - if this is elevated it needs to be confirmed with HbA1C test
• fasting insulin - combined with fasting glucose, HOMA IR can be calculated. My doc likes to see fasting insulin below 8.
• ALT liver enzyme - best 25 or below. If it’s elevated can be an indication of fatty liver.
• blood pressure - elevated is strongly associated with insulin resistance.
• waist circumference - some docs use waist versus height to diagnose insulin resistance. It’s an indication of visceral fat, or fat within and around organs.

Why care about catching insulin resistance early? It’s the underlying cause of many chronic western diseases. Treating only the symptoms doesn’t do much good if you don’t treat the underlying cause.

How to treat insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia? It’s mostly a disease of diet. For most people some degree of carbohydrate restriction can quickly reverse many of the markers. Intermittent fasting is another approach. Many people combine both approaches. The point is to give the body long periods of time with low blood insulin levels which allows the body to correct the problem. Some people are more carb sensitive than others.

I bring metabolic health up because many chronic diseases associated with insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia get worse as you age. But they are not inevitable!

88% of American adults are considered to be metabolically unhealthy.

If you wondered where that number came from, as I have, it is from NHANES 2009-2016
Prevalence of Optimal Metabolic Health in American Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2016 | Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/met.2018.0105

 

[audreyh1]

Is it possible to have high A1C levels if you glucose levels are normal? Our doctor had us do the fasting glucose test only, which was in range for both of us.

Generally no.

Fasting glucose is an instantaneous reading. The HbA1C is a much better quality measure because it gives you the average of your blood sugar levels over the past 3 months as opposed to a one morning snapshot.

How does it do that? It measures the amount of glycated hemoglobin in your blood and I guess that changes quite slowly over time. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycated_hemoglobin

 

[Chuckanut]

As if this weren't enough, doctors actually recommend that older women train with weights - depending on age, as heavy as their joints can tolerate - to counteract bone density loss. Something that can really ruin one's looks.

A healthy body and a healthy mental state are very attractive.

Attitude, posture and body language speak volumes. One does not have to have Hollywood good looks, to look good. One of the advantages of hitting 55+ is that just looking 'average' for all the ages of your gender is actually looking pretty darn good.

Tasteful, well fitted clothing can make a big difference for men and women. Like the song says "Dress is my strongest suit".

 

[Scuba]

You need to change your doctor if he/she does not order the test that you want. How would you know whether you are diabetic or pre-diabetic or not without having the A1C test? Have you been tested for fasting glucose level? If so what is it?

Yes, I have had fasting glucose tested every year and it’s generally been between 85-99. One year it was slightly above 100. Based on this my doctor didn’t think A1C test was necessary, nor did FP he think insurance would cover it.

 

[Scuba]

There's a pretty good weekly tabloid published in my area. Very useful for local news.

Less useful was a multi-page spread on "Style Tips for 60-year-olds who want to look better, not younger." The contents are arch, condescending, and...well, I thought of this thread when I read:

"Too much working out.
"Those mothers and grandmothers who are more taut, toned (and haggard-looking) than...20-year-olds? Not a good look. Sure, exercise of some kind is a must...Walk as much as you can...and don't use food as a pay-off."

but also Scuba, Athena53, and the rest of you - knock off that weight training, and quit doing anything more strenuous than a brisk walk. After all, you wouldn't want to look too good in your sequined tunic tops, capri pants, and moccasins!

[emoji23][emoji23]

 

[Scuba]

I am not a medical doctor or health care practitioner.

If you care about your metabolic health, here are common markers for insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia. If you are developing insulin resistance you are moving along the pathway to developing diabetes, fatty liver and/or cardiovascular disease, and you’ll probably have difficulty losing weight if you are a bit heavy already. All but the last two are blood tests. Any one of these raises suspicions, 2 or 3 makes it very strong.

• high triglycerides. Standard 150 is a bit high for an acceptable range.
• low HDL
• fasting glucose - if this is elevated it needs to be confirmed with HbA1C test
• fasting insulin - combined with fasting glucose, HOMA IR can be calculated. My doc likes to see fasting insulin below 8.
• ALT liver enzyme - best 25 or below. If it’s elevated can be an indication of fatty liver.
• blood pressure - elevated is strongly associated with insulin resistance.
• waist circumference - some docs use waist versus height to diagnose insulin resistance. It’s an indication of visceral fat, or fat within and around organs.

Why care about catching insulin resistance early? It’s the underlying cause of many chronic western diseases. Treating only the symptoms doesn’t do much good if you don’t treat the underlying cause.

How to treat insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia? It’s mostly a disease of diet. For most people some degree of carbohydrate restriction can quickly reverse many of the markers. Intermittent fasting is another approach. Many people combine both approaches. The point is to give the body long periods of time with low blood insulin levels which allows the body to correct the problem. Some people are more carb sensitive than others.

I bring metabolic health up because many chronic diseases associated with insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia get worse as you age. But they are not inevitable!

88% of American adults are considered to be metabolically unhealthy.

If you wondered where that number came from, as I have, it is from NHANES 2009-2016
Prevalence of Optimal Metabolic Health in American Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2016 | Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/met.2018.0105

Thank you for this. So far I am ok based on this list, at least for the metrics I have. I don’t have a fasting insulin metric.

 

[Scuba]

Same here! I think some measurements get added to the blood test profile when one turns 65, though.



Best wishes that your groin injury clears up soon. I do find it takes longer these days for injuries to resolve.

Thank you. I had an MRI recently but don’t have my appointment to review results with the ortho doc until 9/13. The report I read online doesn’t sound very encouraging though, so I’m concerned.