Yes, You Can Get Take Control of Your Health after 60

6 Steps to a complete health transformation.

Break free of obesity, chronic pain and fatigue. Begin today by embracing lifestyle choices that put you in charge of your health.

Step 1 – Diet – Eliminate inflammatory foods.

It all begins here, you can’t outwork or outsmart a bad diet. How we react to food is mostly dependent on our inherited genes. Our journey to optimum health begins by determining how we respond to the foods we eat. I suggest beginning with the Whole30 program. This plan requires the elimination of inflammatory foods for 30 days and then asks you to carefully re-introduce them to see which ones initiate an inflammatory response.

Here are eight common indication that someone may have a chronic inflammatory condition:

• Body pain, especially in the joint
• Skin rashes, such as eczema or psoriasis
• Excessive mucus production (ie, always needing to clear your throat or blow your nose)
• Low Energy, despite sufficient sleep
• Poor digestion, including bloating, abdominal pain, constipation and loose stools
• Spare Tire around your waist - cardiovascular medicine experts call belly fat a "hotbed" of inflammation.
• High blood glucose levels
• Puffy face and bags under your eyes.

Some of you will be able to handle the reintroduction of dairy, nightshades, legumes and grains others will not. Rule of thumb is to minimize processed foods and sugar, try to eat local, seasonal and organic vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts, pastured meats, free range poultry and wild fish.

Primal Food Pyramid

Step 2 – Exercise Add a couple of sessions of moderately high intensity interval training (HIIT) to your weekly fitness plan. This is exercising that gets your heart rate up to over 80% of the maximum heart rate for your age for short periods followed by recovery intervals. It’s best to utilize a variety of movements that engage multiple muscles and mobility for best overall health and fitness results.

Amazing benefits of HIIT of training:

• Increased V02 (improved cardio-respiratory fitness – your heart fitness score) 
• Decreased Systolic and Diastolic Pressure 
• Increased High Density Lipoproteins 
• Decreased Triglycerides and fasting blood glucose 
• Decreased Oxidative Stress and Inflammation o Increased Adiponectin, insulin sensitivity 
• Increased PGC-1 alpha (key regulator of energy metabolism) 
• Increase in the maximal rate of Ca2 re-uptake o Increased availability of Nitric Oxide 
• Improved Cardiac Function o Improved Enjoyment of Exercise 
• Improved Quality of Life 

Move more:  Get out and go for a walk with your spouse or take the grandkids on a hike, anything that gets you out of the house and into the fresh air. Fresh air and sunshine have numerous health benefits for us all. ... Fresh air and sunshine can help seniors fight common aging challenges as well. Spending time outdoors lifts our spirits, warding off feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression

Lift something heavy – Strength train at least twice a week.

After 60, you can lose 3 percent of your muscle mass a year, which comes out to about 4.5 pounds of muscle strength per year. Strength training helps you regain the muscle you lost and helps your cells remain younger since exercise slows cell aging. Exercise doesn’t just make you feel younger, it may turn off the aging process in your chromosomes.

The Benefits of Strength Training

• Reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, back pain, and depression. 
• Help you manage your weight. 
• Improve your balance. 
• Help you sleep better. 
• Improve glucose control. 
• Increase strength and muscle mass while raising metabolism. 
• Promote more independence as you get older 

Step 3 – Meditation and Yoga - Research has shown that meditation and yoga for seniors, which combine meditative discipline and a purposeful flexing of muscle groups, can improve digestive health, reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve sleep patterns, and alleviate feelings of depression.

Step 4 – Get Engaged Socially

Tips for Improving Social Engagement

• Cultivate social connections with people of different ages, including younger people.
• Join a club or take a class to meet new people.
• Visit, call, or email regularly with relatives, friends, and neighbors.
• Volunteer, or visit a lonely neighbor or friend.

Benefits of Social Engagement

• Improves physical health. Another benefit of being socially active is that in many instances it correlates to keeping you physically active as well. Seniors who have a higher level of social relationships are more motivated to maintain good physical health as opposed to their less socially engaged peers. This can lead to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk for some cardiovascular problems, arthritis and some cancers, not to mention improve nutrition and boost the immune system, as we tend to eat more in social settings. 
• Increases longevity. Research from the Assisted Living Federation of America showed that seniors that were more active socially were more likely to live past the age of 90, and on average lived 5.4 years longer than those who were less engaged. This can be linked to the increased physical and mental stimulation that seniors with more active social lives enjoy. 
• Avoiding isolation and loneliness. According to studies, seniors who are engaged in regular social activities reported higher self-perception and lower levels of loneliness. In fact, research has shown that socially isolated seniors are more likely to develop long-term illnesses such as arthritis, chronic lung disease, impaired mobility and depression. 
• Creates a sense of belonging. Along with the many health benefits, staying socially active can give seniors a sense of belonging and make them feel more connected to the world. Participating in group activities and conversations allows seniors to create a support system as they age.