Aging Wellness

The thyroid is a gland (a hormone-producing organ) located in the front of your neck.  It manufactures a hormone that affects many bodily functions, including heart rate, respiration, the central nervous system, and the reproductive system, and helps control the metabolic rate of the body.  There are two main problems that can occur with thyroid functioning:

Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is the production of  too little hormone, causing  fatigue, weight gain, memory and hair loss, depression, difficulty sleeping and swallowing, mood swings, enlarged thyroid gland (also known as goiter), dry skin, intolerance to cold, and/or high cholesterol levels.

On the other hand, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) is the production of too much hormone resulting in irritability, nervousness, muscle weakness, tremors, irregular menstrual periods, weight loss, sleep disturbances, goiter, vision problems, palpitations, heat intolerance, and/or impaired fertility.

According to the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, up to 12% of Americans have thyroid disorders.  Women are much more prone to thyroid disorders than men.  Hypothyroidism is more common than hyperthyroidism, especially among older women. The risk increases with age.  Only 6% of 40-year-old women have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, compared with 21% of those over 75.   It’s estimated that more than half of all cases have not been diagnosed.  Testing is easy and should be considered if you have a family history of thyroid problems, symptoms that may be related to a thyroid disorder, high cholesterol levels, had radiation to the neck, or have diabetes.

Published by Joanne Deck, CWC

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When you think about aging and wellness, what thoughts do you hold? Does it seem inevitable to you that your physical strength will diminish and your energy decline as you age? Do you expect to be ill more frequently and for longer periods of time? When you get injured, do you think that it will take longer to heal at your age? I hear these ideas expressed by people all the time. I’ve had them suggested to me we when I broke my toe recently or felt fatigued because I had cut my sleeping short for a couple of consecutive nights.

Studies show that these expectations do not have to hold true. Experts in body/mind healing such as Deepak Chopra confirm this.

So why do many people experience these outcomes? Often it’s a combination of lifestyle changes and thoughts. As we age, many of us are less active, and we lose muscle as a result of our more sedentary lifestyle. In turn, we gain weight because we don’t reduce our food portions although we’ve reduced our activity levels. Less muscle and increased weight drains our energy more quickly, so we feel tired more often. Our reflexes suffer and we can’t respond as quickly as we used to, so we may get hurt more easily. Yet rather than recognize our role in all of this, we chalk it up to aging, which only exacerbates the problem!

I urge you to deny any thought or suggestion that your health and abilities must decline in any way as you age. You CAN be well as you gain years and wisdom. Do your part to care for yourself. Look for opportunities to move, nourish yourself with a balanced diet of healthy foods in moderate portions, and listen to your body. Rest when you need to and follow your doctor’s advice. Finally, decide to expect the best, and you can achieve the best! 

This post is written by Joanne Deck, CWC of Nurture You.

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If you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension or high blood pressure, then you’ve probably been told to reduce your sodium intake. But with 75% - 80% of our sodium coming from processed and restaurant food, reducing sodium to the recommended 1500 mg./day or less can be very difficult to do. But take heart, according to Environmental Nutrition, new studies show that even moderate sodium reductions combined with healthy eating can have a significant effect on blood pressure.

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is the most often suggested approach to lower blood pressure through lifestyle changes. The DASH plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fat free or low fat dairy products, whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts and limits red meat, sweets, and added sugar. The fruits and vegetables are seen as being particularly effective, in part due to their high potassium content. To implement the diet, many nutritionists suggest dividing your plate into fourths. Use two of the fourths for vegetables; one fourth for a protein such as meat, fish, legumes, or eggs; and the last fourth for a whole grain or starchy vegetable such as a potato. Supplement your plate with a serving of fruit and one cup of milk, and you have a complete meal.

It’s still a good idea to lower your sodium intake as much as possible, and it is getting easier to do so. Food manufacturers have been adding lower-sodium options to their product lines, and this trend should continue as pressure from the American Medical Association and the Center for Science in the Public Interest mounts. In the meantime, opt for fresh vegetables, meats and fish rather than canned; read the nutrition labels on foods carefully as the differences between similar products can be vast; choose lower-sodium or no-salt options of canned soup and vegetables; and use salt-free seasonings in your home cooking.

Finally, don’t forget to make other healthy lifestyle choices that impact blood pressure: limiting alcohol consumption and exercising. Women should have no more than one drink per day and men two, and everyone should be striving for a minimum of 30 minutes of vigorous exercise at least five days/week.

This post is written by Joanne Deck, CWC of Nurture You.

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You may know that vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, so it’s added to milk and found in many calcium supplements. But did you know that vitamin D also has been shown to boost bone density in the hip, increase muscle growth and size (improving balance and reducing the risk of falls), lower the incidence of periodontal disease, and hinder the growth of cancerous tumors? It has also been linked to positive effects on the immune system, slowed progression of osteoarthritis, and reduced risk of both forms of diabetes.

Given these emerging findings, many health experts would like to see the current recommended level of vitamin D, established almost 10 years ago, raised from 200–600 International Units (IU) a day to 1000 IU. Vitamin D is manufactured by your skin when it’s exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, sp exposure to the sun can enable your body to manufacture some or all of the vitamin D you need. Depending on where you live (your latitude), the darkness of your skin, and your age, 15 minutes of sun on your face and arms twice a week without sunscreen may do it.

But you won’t achieve vitamin D production if you wear sunscreen, which is always recommended. Not to worry though, vitamin D is added to many foods because it’s not found naturally in a variety of foods the way other vitamins are. Some common foods which contain vitamin D include: salmon (360 IU in 3.5 oz.), tuna fish (200 IU in 3 oz.), Quaker Oatmeal for Women (140 IU), milk (100 IU in 1 cup), and Yoplait yogurt (80 IU in 6 oz.). Read the labels of the food you eat and use supplements as needed to reach your 1000 IU a day goal.

This post is written by Joanne Deck, CWC of Nurture You.

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It’s often said that gaining weight is virtually unavoidable as we get older, but is that really true? The facts are not encouraging. Currently between the ages of 25 and 65 people gain one pound of weight per year. But, they also lose ½ pound of lean tissue every year. This means they have actually gained 1.5 pounds of fat per year. So over a 40-year period, the average American gains 60 pounds of fat while losing 20 pounds of lean mass, a very unhealthy combination.

If we’re concerned about aging wellness, the good news is that this is not inevitable. We need to be aware of how our lifestyles shift over the years and make the necessary adjustments. Younger adults tend to be engaged in activities that keep them moving such as playing sports, raising children, and completing projects around the home. These activities shift as we age – our children grow up and leave home, our incomes rise so we hire outside help, and we attend social events rather than participate in sports. Being less active means we must consume fewer calories, an unpopular option for most people, if we are to avoid weight gain. What’s the answer for aging wellness? Look for ways to stay active and maintain muscular strength to keep your metabolism high. Experts have found that the major element in enabling older adults to be independent is maintaining their muscular strength, so don’t overlook strength training in your exercise program.

This site is written by Joanne Deck, CWC of Nurture You.

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