Total Health After Fifty "Something"

There are magazines for men's health, magazines for women's health, articles on your health, his health and even the dog's health every place you go; I notice something though: All those articles and brochures have very healthy appearing young adults on them. What about the health of us somewhat older, greyer, beat up by life and tougher than boot leather folks? The assumption appears to be that either you never get old or you never look old if you follow the writer's advice. Beyond that was an implied assumption that if you are over fifty you must be unhealthy.

Nearly all of the methods did advocate some form of walking as part of the exercise routine. However most of the advice was for pretty radical diets and even more radical exercise programs. If you are out of shape and over fifty you don't need to bounce and strain to get in shape. In fact you should not bounce, run, lift weights or do aerobic dancing unless you are in good shape and have been used to doing it already. Total health and fitness is as simple as a good walk preferably with good walking company. A companion you love, or walking your dog, gives you the proper motivation to get out there and actually do it.

Get out your favorite walking shoes and read on for a little common sense advice on staying totally healthy way past fifty. If you do not have a favorite walking shoe yet consider these top picks: New Balance Walking Shoes, especially New Balance 833 which is said to have a nice roomy rounded toe area that won't bother your bunion. Asics Gel-DS Trainer, is a lightweight shoe considered good for "training" purposes. If you go short to medium distances look at the Nike Air Skylon shoe. It is lightweight and flat but flexible and comfortable. Don't be limited by these suggestions. Find what is best for you.

Good walking shoes and a walking staff or walking stick are essential safety equipment. Finding a good staff is an adventure in itself and you may want to order one online or find one in a local sports walking store. (Remember this is for folks who have reached the age where a fall may mean a break instead of a bounce.) Check the www.backpacking.net/walkstik site for a great list of reasons to carry a walking stick plus ways to choose one for yourself. For a look at some truly beautiful and wonderful sticks check this site: www.brazos-walking-sticks.com, more sticks at the walking cane store at; www.thewalkingcanestore.com and more at www.MyTrekkingPoles.com . Well you get the idea. Just Google something original like "walking staff", or "walking cane", or even "walking stick", and you will get all sorts of sites and advice.

Reaching the golden years does not mean automatic health problems. There are many ways to maintain or to achieve total health after fifty. At the risk of sounding boring I must tell you something you already know. Moderate, consistent and persistent exercise does more to keep your mind and body healthy than all the supplements in the health food store. (Now don't get me wrong here, I'm very much in favor of the health food store but that's another story.) So you have been active all your life because of the type of work you did and are now retired….or conversely you never did do much exercise and now you are retired. Now what?

I know that jogging, power walking and other high impact forms of aerobic exercise are touted as the magic formula for weight loss and glowing good health but a wise old doctor told my husband "It's not how fast you go it's how far you go that counts". A gentle romantic stroll around the wildlife ponds below McNary Dam can meander for miles and not endanger my husband's health and yet afford me the opportunity to walk faster and take some extra loops if I want. I have discovered that I get just as much benefit from walking slower and further as I do from short hard sprints.

In spite of all the ads you see there is no magic shoe that is best for every foot. Walking shoes must fit you and give complete support of the structure of your foot. It should be flexible and cushion you from the hard realities of the trail (translate that to rocks and occasional sticks in the path). If you have positioning problems with your feet, the shoe should compensate for that in order to protect your joints. What your friends wear or what your "twenty something" son wears may be all wrong for you, so find a professional fitting guide if you have problems. You may want to see a Podiatrist if you have painful feet or bunions, plantar warts or other foot issues.

You will begin with a moderate distance for your weight and condition and increase distance, speed and walking style as you feel more "in shape". Just because a shoe is called a "walking shoe" in the store does not mean it is the best choice. Some of these "walking shoes" are not well made and are a marketing dream and a walker's nightmare. Just put them on and walk around the shopping area long enough to see if they really do fit right, the arch is well supported, the heel is not moving up and down inside the shoe, and the toes have plenty of room. Be sure the stitching is secure and the sides and toe are sturdy and supportive without being too stiff. For a wonderful list of places to find good walking shoes visit the about.com site http://walking.about.com/cs/shoes/a/shoestores.htm .

If you plan to hike on trails that go up and down hills (hikes in the woods or nature trails may fall in this category) you may want to consider hiking boots instead of walking shoes. If you are going to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (or even a tiny stretch of it) you will want good support for your ankles. Hiking boots tend to be pretty heavy and inflexible for normal flat trail walking, or walking on the street, so only buy hiking boots if you are going to do some serious "off roading" on your feet.

Walking where you are comfortable, interested and unrushed probably has more mental health benefits than an hour on the counselor's couch, especially if you do it with someone you are compatible with. The exercise stimulates endorphins and facilitates blood flow to all your organs contributing to an overall feeling of well being.

I have a cousin who was a logger all his life (a strenuous lifestyle to say the least) and now is retired. It is too easy to sit in his kitchen munching on some lovely culinary delight while he watches the birds come to the feeder outside the window. His weight has shot up, his blood pressure skyrocketed, cholesterol……well, lets not go there. Then the class reunion and the celebration from heck…..(I cleaned that up a little for you). The result was an attack of gout that put him in a wheel chair for a month. There was a way to avoid all this. Even for my cousin who has many old injuries that slow him down and make strenuous exercise painful. The best way is the good old fashioned stroll. He is barely out of the wheelchair now and starting that process of recovery with the short non-stressful meanders around his yard and across the street to the mailbox. The key to his total health and recovery will be to continue a moderate walking program on a consistent basis. I think he is pretty convinced now but it took a lot of ill health and pain to convince him. But we wise ones can learn from other's mistakes and start our walking programs early to avoid problems late.

I know you are just dying from curiosity about my age since age has been one focus of this article; but I am not going to tell you my age. I will confess to being "somewhat" over fifty but that's as far as I will go on personal confessions. Just take it from me….I have been around enough years to be an expert on both age and walking.