The art and practice of maintaining good heathy habits during middle age and beyond.
To some it may appear unfair to concentrate on men's health as opposed to paying homage to female maladies relative to the title of this article. The good thing about what I offer can be synonymous to women alike in some cases, unless otherwise, this would be specific to men. Moreover, I’m a prime example of the issues I’ve been stricken with beyond middle age concerning life during the aging process, Co9vid-19 notwithstanding. Middle age and beyond status quo in this regard has much more to do with healthy options, living with no aches, and anything on the upside of no pain with a lot to gain. As with the current pandemic it would behoove all of us to catering to healthy options for protective measures. It doesn’t take much after you’ve lived a bit for your body to talk to you in ways that remind you that aches and pains are part of the process. More often than not, I’ve been asked the question, “How are you feeling?” Usually I find myself hesitating before answering simply because I may be trying to adjust to the latest ache or two, or I would want the inquirer to use an empathetic mindset to understand that to be in my place they'd KNOW how I feel without asking. I’ve come to conclusions as I educate the young and old alike that time waits for no one, and that our timing is not the same as God’s. Health and temperance fuels moderated concerns when dealing with our bodies and keeping good healthy regimens. Let’s face it, change is inevitable; we all are gearing toward retirement and looking for good sunsets and meaningful sunrises. Those changes will be negligible at first — fluky things, like not remembering things that don't matter anyway as you joke about ‘senior moments’.
But something real is happening in your life regarding the way it was and the way it is now. You're starting to slow down — but again, it's gradual. Your brain will start to lose about 0.5 percent of its volume each year from now on. Then there's the psychological functions and the receptors that impact various functions — Serotonin (mood), Acetylcholine (memory, learning, and concentration), and Dopamine (movement, motivation, and learning), but don’t get discouraged by the aforementioned ‘big’ words. If it means something to you in cognition then you’d want to do research for better understanding. They become elementary when our motor begins to tell us another aspect of our existence that we need attending to. I’m sure there will be, and are detractors who will say that they are fine living the life they live, and that there’s no need to panic, right? Don’t let it be a false sense of security. Yes, you may be feeling good about yourselves; you exercise, you eat right, and you’re in pretty good shape for someone your age. Don’t be disillusioned. Still, getting older can bring on health problems as our bodies change and you ignore signs and symptoms. I for one, disregarded the Covid-19 warnings at first…I felt that I was immune in a cavalier way, feeling that it wouldn’t affect me. Boy was I wrong! Not everyone will get them, but some medical conditions become more common or more serious after we get a few decades under our belts and our immune systems are exposed. So what should we do?
First and foremost it would behoove us to know and respect how and why our health is important. When it comes to prevention and early detection, men’s health often takes a back seat to women’s health—all because we are expected to be hale and hearty being the dominion of familial welfare…and to be macho upholding the epitome of strength. We can be stubborn and hard-headed and ignore signs and symptoms. Yet, the most common conditions affecting us are diabetes, high blood pressure, including heart disease, prostatic, testicular, and colon cancer that have implications causing havoc psychologically as we deal with mental acuity. What you’ve read thus far in this article will only confirm what we already know…we are aware that those symptoms are indicative of men being on the same page of suggestive ideas for healthy solutions. Women have their own issues as their bodies are more complex foreign to what we deal with. What truly can align ourselves to the quest of good health is for meaningful application to embody enough will-power behind efforts living holistic lives. If living can be easy, then we MUST overcome that which would render us diminished in favor and devoid of flavor. Oftentimes it comes down to thinking of healthcare as something that happens in our doctor’s office, or only when something dire happens and we at the last minute decide to do what should have been done much earlier; but really, it starts with the multitude of smaller, if not essential decisions that we make with at least three things that will allow us new leases on life:Eat Healthy – Any doctor worth his/her salt will admonish us from not eating to minimize catastrophic proportions. They will readily tell us to eat right with an abundance of fruit, vegetable, and whole grains in our bodies; to limit foods and drinks in higher calories, sugar, salt, fat, and alcohol, including carbohydrates. The key to it all is being balanced in our eating habits for healthy weight management.Exercise Regularly – On a personal note, at this stage of my life I confess that I simply do not have the will and ways of exercising constantly for a considerate mindset. I admit that I’m lazy, content with my routine and oblivious to change. I don’t advocate this mindset to those who may be reading this article.
Yes, I KNOW what needs are necessary for my health issues to revolve around regimens for bodily exercise, and I’m getting better at due diligence. We all should be active for at least two and a half hours a week, including activities that raise your breathing and heart rates, which in the process strengthen your muscles. I endeavor for obedience to cardiovascular adherence and so should you!Pay Attention to Your Body – Your body is like a clock with timing mechanisms recording what needs for you to monitor your health. All connectives in your body have tasks synonymous with each other. Your heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, colon, prostate, et al…they are functional adjuncts that will let you know that there will be problems if you ignore symptoms. How many times will you ignore that back pain (or can you)? You are gaining weight at an enormous rate, you tire easily and your breathing is irregular, and there’s not enough pep in your step. Our bodies don’t lie and are truly barometers measuring signs for better maintenance. Paying attention to your body, getting the proper rest to ward off stress and irregularity is the key that unlocks the aforementioned pep in your step!
More often than not the Lord will give warnings, or put you in dire straits to get your attention. I took that personal when I was stricken with pandemic ills and ails. I’ve had one of the most dangerous symptoms of Covid-19 with pneumonia, where blood clots traveled from my feet to both of my lungs. As a result I was hospitalized for a month. After being put down with a special blood thinner (Heparin) via intravenous (IV) administration, I ultimately lost traction in my legs where my muscles atrophied with nerve damage. After the hospital stay it was diagnosed that I needed both physical and occupational therapy, and spent another 30 days in a rehab treatment center learning how to walk again. As you’re reading this essay, I’m currently relegated to a wheelchair with my mind and stamina intact exercising perseverance for my recovery ONLY because I’m aware of a healthy regimen for adherence. The lessons here are that everything is tied together—healthy living, and staying safe in our environmental settings to secure safe(er) habits. Better yet, if no adherence to any of this information is par for your course, you are on an inevitable collision course for deterioration of your body. Those blood clots were a wake-up call for me, simply because I’ve known others to have succumbed to them if not recognized early. God had to get my attention, though. Now that I have no choice but being attentive, I can now look up to Him knowing that it’s His will for my recovery, and I’m determined to walk again.
In closing, there are many conclusive decisions we can make for healthy options with the temerity knowing that the clock is ticking ever so relentlessly where the Lord knows for sure the right time! Good viable decisions should always be our quest to delay maladies, ones that are carefully considered, drawing on all relevant information that is consistent with how we want to live our lives. Even if these decisions don’t result in the ideal result, know that we can be understandable and that sound judgments are those we can live with helping us live better. We cannot ignore the implications of the Coronavirus Pandemic virus that fuels the Covid-19 scourge. Inadequate immune systems and ignoring basic precautions, be it not masking or not adhering to distance requirements have dire, disappointing and deadly results. Personally, I’ve had my problematic issues with healthy living. This is why I’m sharing with you information and options for awareness. Men pay attention! I want health and temperance working for you as well as for me as I change for a healthy, wealthy and a wiser way of living…what about you?
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