“A body in motion will age better than one on the couch!”
As anyone that has read my prior posts knows, I’m trying to accept the fact that I am aging. While I am struggling with my face cracking a lil’ bit, I’m more concerned with those hidden cracks. A hidden crack could have taken my life, if I wasn’t a tad vain. For years, my blood pressure was 120/80. Consistently. My medical stats were good. I would end up in ER for some old crazy mess like bursa fluid leaking from my elbow. (I know. Don’t ask.) But the doctor would always take my BP, look at my age, and comment. As I understood those were good numbers. At least they must have been better than most women my age. (and possibly, my complexion)
Well, a few years later, at probably fifty-three, all hell broke loose AGAIN in terms of life changes and stressful situations. Major life changes are already stressful, but throw in the day-to-day BS we all deal with, and it affects you in ways you do not even realize. In the end, my vanity saved my life.
I mentioned in a prior post that I noticed this rash the day before I was leaving for vacation. It was on my arm and wasn’t pretty, but my biggest fear was that it would get worse and make me miserable on my trip. I went to urgent care and from there, was taken to ER where my BP was something crazy like 190 or something. Stroke level! The scary part was I felt fine. Had it not been for that rash, I might not be writing this today. Obviously, a vacation was just what I needed. And then I needed to come back and address this life threatening issue. I had no desire to pop pills or worry I was going to drop dead any time soon. I had shit to do!
When I returned, I saw my primary care doctor. After a long talk, (which I know, doctors don’t do, but mine is amazing!) he told me I had what he thought was “situational high blood pressure.” In other words, he believed it was 100% related to stress and that if I changed my “situation,” it would go back to normal. (or at least improve greatly) In the interim, he put me on a low dose of BP meds. Although I’m pretty anti-drug, I was even more anti-death!
Well, my situation has changed a number of times since then, and I can’t lie, not necessarily for the better. (Especially at the moment!) As a result, I cannot say that any stress was eliminated, nor was my high blood pressure. Then I learned that it was highly likely hormones and menopause probably played a part in the change as the increased BP also corresponded with going into “the pause!”
So, what I needed to do was to find ways to relieve stress and balance my hormones. There are numerous ways one can go about doing this.
BUT, guess what does both? Ding! Ding! Ding! EXERCISE! Bet you guessed that one correctly? Oh wait. You cheated. It’s in the title!
I was pretty good about exercising, but I went through periods where I fell off the exercise wagon. I always felt guilty about it because it is something I had done pretty consistently for 30 years. (One of the few habits I could be proud of!) But, I’m back into my routine and I’m telling you it works wonders when you are consistent. You feel better after you do something good for YOU. You have more energy. You sleep better. And eventually you start to look better! BUT, what is more important than the way you look, is that you are healthier! You will BE better!
It has been proven that not only does exercise help keep the inside of your body together, it also appears to slow and possibly even reverse the affects of aging. I know people find it hard to believe, but you CAN heal your body and one way is through exercise. “Being physically active has many benefits, including reducing a person’s risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. And on a daily basis, it can help people feel better and sleep better,” said Janet Fulton, Ph.D., of CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity.
And guess what else? Better sleep helps keep your face from cracking! BONUS!
During these crazy times, most of us are stressed the hell out! Some of us have lost our jobs. Some have watched the value of their investments and 401k’s drop significantly. Some of us didn’t have much to start with. Some of us are isolated alone. (Which some days you think to yourself, this ain’t so bad!) But isolation really isn’t healthy for anyone for a prolonged period of time. Others are isolated with folks they would rather not be isolated with! I am guessing that can be REALLY stressful.
These are difficult times for sure, but I credit exercise with keeping me sane. (Well as sane as I was before March!) Physical inactivity is one of most important risk factors to our health. Sedentary lifestyles rank high in leading causes of DEATH. Exercise strengthens your heart muscle, improves blood flow to your entire body, but during these times, the benefits of exercise to focus on are reducing stress and anxiety. (Which CAN kill you!) Exercise has even been shown to lighten depression.
AND, if you happen to be isolated with a spouse or mate you actually still like, exercise also enhances libido, which is great news for women going through menopause and hormonal changes that caused you to forget that thing was even still down there!
I’m sure many of you are already working out and exercising. That’s great. Let’s keep it up. This post is mostly directed at the sedentary! The couch potatoes. You know who you are………Don’t look around. I’m talking to you!
Just start. Easier said than done, but do it any damn way! No one said go run a marathon, but if the only exercise you get is going to the kitchen for a snack, this is for you!
Walk! A brisk walk a few times a week can work wonders for your physical and mental health. Enlist some other couch potatoes. Hold each other accountable. Ya’ll can multi-task. You can take a walk and talk about people. I’m just kidding. That is not positive action. Shame on me. But, I know. Sometimes it is just damn necessary. In a NIH study (National Institute of Health) higher daily step counts were associated with lower mortality risk from ALL causes. So, to quote the words of MARTIN, (ask a black friend if you didn’t watch the show) “GET TO STEPPING!”
Which leads me to another way to do some stepping! Take the stairs. If you don’t want to go out, use the stairs in your house! If you live in an apartment building, take the stairs! When we finally get back to work and if you work in a high rise building, take the stairs. To start, just try taking the stairs a flight or two. You can hop on the elevator at any time. Work your way up to a few levels. Just don’t show up on the 12th floor gasping for air and a sweaty mess!
Get yourself some hand and ankle weights. If you are going to be on the couch, do some curls and leg lifts. There are many exercises you can do from a chair! (Youtube it!) If you don’t have weights, make some weights. You have something heavy in your house that you can fashion into weights! Get creative. You can watch your RHOA (Real Housewives of Anywhere) and curl. You can exercise on the sofa! Just scootch your ass off the edge of the sofa and do some dips. (Google it) Don’t just use those arms to bring a snack or a glass of wine to your lips. Curl some weights. Earn that wine! Weight-bearing exercises are great for you. Weights help you maintain muscle mass and stronger bones. (So you don’t be “falling and can’t get up!”) Nobody has time for any damn osteoporosis! And no one is suggesting you need to get competition ready. We are not trying to make bodybuilders here. We just want to keep the buildings from crumbling.
High intensity workouts for less than 15 minutes have been shown in studies to have the same, if not greater fitness benefits than hours in the gym. And that just means short bursts of intense exercise and resting in between. But before you decide to become Carl F’n Lewis, or some other Olympic sprinter, consult with your doctor and tell him or her you are planning to get kick ass ripped and see what he or she says. Okay, just tell him you plan to start an exercise regimen and you’re not planning to kick any ass. Work your way up on this one! Baby steps! But steps!
Get yourself some comfortable shoes and workout gear. I know we wear that stuff as fashion, but it really is made for EXERCISING! (Seriously. Those are not pants.) It really doesn’t matter what you wear on your body so long as you can move and breathe. But those feet are super important for stepping! Get the right tools for the job!
So in closing, I repeat. “A body in motion will age better than one JUST SITTING on the couch!”
Now GTFU and move!
If you have any exercise tips to share, please do! I would love to hear from you.
A lifetime of regular exercise slows down aging, study finds …
Wow, talk about a wake up call! I have always taken my low bp numbers for granted assuming they will stay lower forever. Thank you for sharing!
Hi, I did the same. But menopause combined with stress can change those numbers quickly. I had an appointment in Jan and my numbers were close to normal again. I was told if I maintained that for 6 months, I could stop pills. After a few personal setbacks, they shot right back up! Stress is a huge factor! Be proactive. Stay healthy!