Let’s face facts – as we age, most of us become increasingly less active. For some people, it’s a lack of energy, while for others, old injuries and wear and tear on our bodies causes pain. Many older adults are sedentary, spending nine to 13 hours a day sitting, according to research. If you are sedentary and would like to get moving again, here are seven tips that can help. 

Eat a healthy diet

It may seem surprising to start with food, but proper nutrition is essential for mobility. Your body needs a healthy balanced diet to fuel movement. Here are a few examples:

Nutrition is a complex science, but it plays a significant role in our health, so it’s important to understand at least the basics.

Fortunately, there are many dietary tools available to help, including free ones from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provide guidance on what to eat and drink to help us:

You’ve probably heard (and used) expression, “But first, coffee.” If you’re preventing heart disease, you might want to rephrase: But first, tea! 

Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world. It’s high in flavonoids, plant-based compounds found in a wide range of foods including fruits, vegetables, nuts, tea, chocolate and wine. Flavonoids are a significant source of antioxidants, which protect cells against free radicals, helping to stave off chronic conditions like heart disease – the leading cause of death in the U.S. 

Maintaining healthy cognitive function is a vital component to living a healthy life. Almost 10 percent of Americans older than 65 have dementia and another 22 percent have mild cognitive impairment – the earliest stage of memory loss, according to a study published in JAMA Neurology.

If you’ve ever been outside in the snow on a sunny day, you know how blinding it can be. The same is true when you’re out on a boat or at the beach. 

On days like this, the sun not only hits our eyes directly, it reflects brutally off the bright surfaces. But that’s just visible light, which can hurt and strain your peeps. Ultraviolet light, which you can’t see, also affects our eyes and bounces off sand, water and snow. It’s dangerous and linked to several eye-related diseases.

The food most of us eat could be slowly killing us. The Western diet, laden with sugary processed foods and red meats, is one of the top reasons the American life span had declined  in recent years. This type of diet raises our risk for overall death as well death from heart disease and cancer. 

That said, there’s good news if you’re still eating a Western-style diet: Switching to a Mediterranean-style diet, which involves adding:

TRANSCRIPT:

What we eat profoundly influences how long and how well we live. 

Hi, I’m Dr. Michael Roizen, chief wellness officer emeritus of the Cleveland Clinic and author of The Great Age Reboot. I’ve launched an app called the RebootYour Age app, designed to help you live better, longer!

If you smoke, you already know it’s dangerous. It’s the leading cause of preventable disease and contributes to one of every five deaths in the United States every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The real discussion is about quitting. About 70 percent of smokers would like to quit. 

Why Do People Smoke?

About 90 percent of smoking adults began during adolescence. But there are distinct differences among the genders regarding their smoking habits. 

Getting consistent, good quality sleep is crucial for your health. Sleep deprivation raises your risk for:

What's the best exercise for stroke victims? Patients may have a new tool to help them recover from the debilitating effects of a stroke: seated Tai chi. A new study has demonstrated the ancient Chinese martial art is a beneficial form of rehab.