One of the first comments I hear when you mention something like this is, “Oh, I can’t help it. It’s genetic…….my mother had it (or father).”
The old genes vs lifestyle debate rears its ugly head once again.
Unfortunately, many people use genes as an excuse for their poor lifestyle choices, which end up causing their declining health.
In an article I read recently by Cardiologist Donald Lloyd-Jones, he says some genes do lead to disease although he emphatically states: “But for most people, a healthy lifestyle trumps inherited risk.”
He also goes on to say more than 100 types of genes may play a small role in a person’s risk – “But by far the biggest factor is lifestyle.” Your daily habits — such as what you eat, how active you are, and not smoking — strongly affect your heart health. Those are up to you, no matter what’s in your family’s medical history.
Reducing your risk of lifestyle diseases is a two-step process which anyone can do with just a little bit of discipline and altering the environment you operate in on a daily basis.
The first part of becoming “a new you” is to lower your risk of contracting heart disease, diabetes and other dangerous lifestyle illnesses and diseases.
And that is, to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Just for the record, many people would replace the word “lifestyle” with diet but I don’t believe in diets.
Simply because Diets Don’t Work.
Depending on which study you choose to read, anywhere from 60% to 75% of your fitness is dictated by the food and drink you consume each day.
Eating and drinking the right foods gives your body the fuel it needs to support physical activity. So the decision to an a happy and independent lifestyle in your retirement years starts with no more processed foods, takeaways, cakes, sweets and soft drinks but plenty of fruit, vegetables and foods found in a Mediterranean diet.
And here’s what you can expect with a real Mediterranean Diet. Have a good look. I have been following it for years – it is not onerous like most diets it more of an eating lifestyle. Here’s a little enticement for you……you can still drink wine!
No matter what type of physical activity you perform, this process boosts your immune system, and leads to a stronger, healthier body and mind.
Once you adopt a healthy diet, you should then start strength training. This is especially important for women over 55.
Before you say, “I’m not strong enough or fit enough to do strength training” understand this……strength training does, in many cases, mean lifting heavy weights.
But strength training also encompasses body weight training which is ideal for baby boomers as it is low impact and much easier on your bones and joints. You just need to start where your body feels comfortable and work up from there. It is also a good idea to see your doctor before embarking on any new fitness program.
You don’t have to start with weights. You can use your own body weight.
With body-weight exercises you use the weight of your own body plus the force of resistance as an exercise platform.
This means you don’t have to go out and spend a lot of money purchasing heavy weights and bulky fitness machines. You already have the weight of your body to use as an effective strength training mechanism.
How Strength Training Helps Lower Your Risk of Disease
WebMD.com, the American Heart Association, and Diabetes Australia agree on a lot of important health issues.
One of their many tips you can follow to become healthier is to use strength training to lower your risk of falling prey to the alarming growth rate of lifestyle diseases.
Here are some promising statistics reported by these health authorities.
• When you strength train, you lower your type II diabetes risk. This benefit increases the more you strength train each week.
• Strength training for 2.5 hours per week lowers your risk of diabetes by 34% as opposed to staying sedentary.
• Strength training makes your heart stronger, and improves blood circulation. This strengthens your ability to resist heart disease.
• After contracting heart disease, strength training can help reverse the symptoms.
When your heart is weak, it is prone to disease.
This is true of any one of your organs and all of your body parts. Strength training makes your heart pump faster, forcing oxygenated blood throughout your body to improve muscle growth.
In this way, strength training, whether it be lifting traditional weights or performing body weight exercises, leads to supreme heart health.
This, in turn, lowers your risk of heart disease.
Strength training, also called resistance training, leads to muscle growth, a healthy weight, and it switches on your metabolism to help burn more fat for longer each day.
It also increases the ability of your body to resist developing diabetes.
Find more important info here: Does Seniors Staying Fit Help Prevent Illness and Disease?
Cheers – John – your Active Ageing Mentor and Coach.
P.S. Help a friend find better health……like and share – thanks.
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