DeDivahDeals

Fashion and Fun after Fifty

Posts Tagged ‘grandparents are healthier’

Retire Don’t Rot ~ 10 Tips to Take a Stand Against Just Sitting

Hello friends, according to the American Heart Association, being physically active is important to prevent heart disease and stroke, the nation’s No. 1 and No. 5 killers. To improve overall cardiovascular health, they suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise (or a combination of moderate and vigorous activity). Thirty minutes a day, five times a week is an easy goal to remember. You will also experience benefits even if you divide your time into two or three segments of 10 to 15 minutes per day.

I wanted to repost this from October as a gentle reminder for us to get up and move!

Go Red for Women 2015

Most of you know that my grandmother lived to be 98, and if her body didn’t fail her, I’m sure she would have lived until way past 100, just as her father did, why, because she remained active. Every morning she was up, and if she wasn’t going to the MOT Senior Center, she was downstairs in the kitchen eating breakfast and drinking a cup of coffee by 8:00 am.

If she stayed home for the day, in her room she would be “messing with papers”, talki ng on the phone, reading her Bible or writing in a journal. She loved to watch her favorite television programs, The Price is Right, and General Hospital, and after dinner it was “Wheel of Fortune”.

 

She ate when she was supposed to with a “little something sweet” for dessert.  I never heard her complain about pain or an illness other than when her arthritis acted up, but I knew because I could smell the Apple Cider Vinegar she used to rub on her legs.

Mama Thanksgiving  2006

My grandmother didn’t officially retire until she was in her 80’s but she never let her body just sit. She remained active both physically and mentally, three days a week at the Senior Center and Church on Sundays. She continued to grocery shop, wash and iron her own clothes until she no longer could. After she became bedridden, for a year I kept her body clean and her mind sharp, we watched TV, played board games, had long conversations and I read to her in the evenings.

Personally, I don’t think that we were put on this earth to work hard all of our lives without an opportunity to just rest and retire. Retirement however, should not be an open invitation to sit around doing nothing allowing our minds and bodies to rot. Doing nothing but sitting all day increases the risks of getting Type 2 Diabetes, a decline in cognitive skills, and possible death from a stroke, cancer and heart disease.

If you or someone you love finds themselves with nothing to do after retirement, take a STAND against just SITTING with these 10 Tips.  Try to get up and move for at least 10 minutes for every hour of sitting. TAKE A STAND AGAINST SITTING

1. Walk on a treadmill while watching TV

2. Take a short walk around the house or go up and down the stairs

3. Pace while talking on the phone

4. Weather permitting, go outdoors and pull a few weeds or sweep the stoop

5. Walk to the mailbox or around the block with a neighbor, the kids or a pet

6. March in place during commercials

7. Turn on the radio or music channel and dance like nobody is watching

8. Use soup cans and do arm curls

9. Use a Hula Hoop or jump rope between programs

10. Chores – stretch while cleaning the mirror, mopping the floor or dusting

Join in on the conversation, what tips do you have for getting in 30 minutes of physical activity each day?

exercise while watching tv

 

New Year ~ New You! dedivahdealssignature2_thumb.png