The Legal Side of Being Fit Over 40 - The Living Will

Do YOU Have a Living Will?

First of all, what the heck IS a living will?

Simply put, a living will allows you to give specific instructions, in advance, about what relatives and and medical personnel should do in the event that you are no longer able to make these decisions or express your wishes due to accident, illness, or some other incapacitating condition.

The living will used to be a simple document with a limited expression of the maker's wishes. They left a lot of blank spots for relatives and medical personnel to try to fill in based on the little they DID know. Of course, as the arsenal of medical interventions expanded, and the ever-present threat of a potential lawsuit grew as well, the living will improved as well.

At first, the living will was an "iffy" document in some states. Today, however, most states accept a properly executed living will. In fact, the original document has expanded to include both an Advance Healthcare Directive and a durable Power of Attorney for those tasked with making on-the-spot decisions for the maker of the documents. You can even create a document which outlines your wishes for final disposition.

While you can always find a lawyer to draw up the appropriate documents, as well you should if your estate is large or if the distribution may be complicated, there are many do-it-yourself living will legal software or legal forms kits available for those whose needs will be simple. These kits often sell for less than $20 and can save hundreds of dollars in legal fees.

Click Here to find more information about the living will and other do-it-yourself legal documents.

Fitness After 40 - 2 Tips to Help Prevent Prostate Cancer

Two recent studies indicate that there are a couple of things a man can do to help prevent prostate cancer. Both studies were performed by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health.

The two studies appear to have established links between reduced risk of prostate cancer in some men and consumption of coffee and participation in regular exercise. The lower risks associated with exercise were found in men who exercised vigorously least three hours a week.

The coffee consumption thing may be a little more controversial. The bad news is that the level of consumption which helped prevent the risk of certain deadly forms of prostate cancer is a bit large....six or more cups a day! The good news is that it does not seem to be related to the caffeine in coffee as the same results occurred with decaf as well.

You can learn more about the two studies here.
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Like to learn more about how to be fit over 40? Click Here.

An Excellent Blog on Aging...Besides my Own, Of Course

Just stumbling around the dark of the Internet, and came across an excellent blog by Kathy Laurenhue. The blog is called Wiser Now, and deals primarily with Alzheimer's and related topics. Kathy also covers dementia and aerobics for the brain.

I have often commented here and other places about how important it is to literally exercise your brain. I suggest you do that now. Click Here to visit Wiser Now....er, now.

Don
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Fit Over 40

Fitness After 40 - More Exercise and Brain Power Links

Speed it Up for More Brain Power

We're not talking about racing, here. In fact, for our age group, simply getting out and doing can be our version of "speeding it up".

You have to realize, that if you have NOT been exercising, almost any physical activity becomes exercise. However, as our bodies become accustomed, over time, to a new level of activity, any positive results tend to level off. A classic example is the overweight person who starts walking regularly and intitially notices a weight loss. After a while, the weight loss stops even though the person keeps on a regular walking schedule. They may be healthier and lighter than they were before they started walking regularly, but their body will reach a new condition of stasis.

This is why so many exercise programs involve some form of progression. Each of us is at a given position in terms of weight, health, cardiovascular ability, etc. Any change we make to our lifestyle will generally be reflected in some sort of change to that position.

Now, one of the changes which can occur is a change in brain power.

This can occur in anyone at any age, but when you consider the negative changes which can happen in the brain of someone over 40, it's good news that simply going for a regular walk can improve the performance of the brain.

A University of Pittsburgh study and other studies have indicated that regular exercise, particularly cardiovascular exercise can encourage growth in the area of the hippocampus responsible for memory and verbal learning.
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Click here to learn more about how to be fit over 40.

Fitness After 40 - Tai Chi linked to sense of touch

A Great Exercise for Seniors

I have been a proponent of Tai Chi for years. I actually preferred doing Yoga and eventually settled on weight training and cardio (mainly walking at age 64) for my own personal fitness choice, but I have remained interested in this ancient exercise form for years. I spend a lot of time researching things that are good for senior health, and Tai Chi keeps coming up.

Now, a Harvard study says that Tai Chi may help protect the area of the brain which is responsible for the sense of touch. In fact, the study showed that those 50 to 60 year olds who practiced Tai Chi regularly seemed to have a sense of touch equivalent to those half their ages.

There are so many things which require a good sense of touch, which seems to fade with ages.

When you realize that Tai Chi can help improve health in general, give you a better sense of balance, helping to prevent falls, and give you a renewed sense of touch, learning more about this ancient system could be of value.
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Fitness After 40 - Walk Your Way to a Better Brain

Actually, this tip is good for anyone of any age, although it has proven quite effective in helping us older folks maintain brain function.

First of all, let's just remind ourselves that regular moderate exercise is a great thing for the body and the mind...again, at any age. In fact, seniors who exercise regularly tend to have better brain function than those who don't, and since you guys, I'm a young 64 myself, are my target audience, get up and get movin'!

Okay, tirade over, what is the best exercise for brain function?

Well, while, as I have pointed out, almost any exercise is better than none, walking tends to rise to the top of the list. Not just walking, as a group of University of Michigan researchers have recently pointed out, but walking in a specific environment.

Study co-author Marc Berman, a PhD candidate and psychology researcher, says that to really affect the brain positively, you should walk in a park or other natural environment, as opposed to an urban setting or busy city streets.

Business and noise, including the omnipresent Ipod, tend to distract and confuse the brain, leaving it relatively flustered and without focus or allowing it to process information and essentially "keep house". Walking in scenic, rural, natural settings, however, allows the brain to actually get a lot done with a minimum of distraction.

Just as the regular, physical exercise which helps bathe brain cells in the oxygen rich blood it needs to stay young and work well, this regular "working vacation" can help the brain maintain its ability to process information even after the walk is over.

Recommended Reading: The Complete Guide to Walking, New and Revised: For Health, Weight Loss, and Fitness (Walking Magazine)
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More Tips on How to Be Fit Over 40

Being Fit Over 40 Can Help Control Pain and Reduce Falls

Is There a Link Between Chronic Pain and Falls by Seniors?

Well, even without a study, such as the one recently done by researcher Suzanne G. Leveille, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and the University of Massachusetts, and her colleagues, I personally have felt that there definitely is a link. Of course, my belief is based on personal, anecdotal evidence rather than any empirical study. However, here's my line of thinking, and then I'll tell you what the study said.

First, let me say that I am 64 (65 next March) and have had pretty severe osteoarthritis for several years. Additionally, I have suffered a back injury, and am no stranger to chronic pain. I am personally active, walking regularly, exercising with weights regularly, and do a lot of standing, walking, reaching, and moving around in general, even when I am not engaged in actual exercise.

I know pain first hand. As someone who exercises regularly and who has practiced meditation and yoga for years, I am quite in tune with the actions and functions of my body and how they interact. I also study aging, particularly from the viewpoint of exercise, fitness (mental and physical), and how to cope with the events that are a natural part of aging.

Over the years, I have observed that, despite my personal level of fitness and my exercise habits, I find that I often move like an "old man". It is usually an unconscious form of movement, kind of like Tim Conway's old skit, and I have noticed that while it is sometimes just linked to the stiffness which occurs sometimes, like when you first get out of a comfortable chair, it is also commonly linked to the pain which I am feeling at the moment. Sometimes it seems that my body wants to move as gingerly as possible (without asking me, of course) in order to avoid those actions which might produce pain...or at least to minimize it.

At those moments, I have noticed that my sense of balance is somewhat compromised and my ability to navigate around obstacles is somewhat diminished. I have often felt that I know exactly how many "old people" become less and less active and more likely to fall, or at the least bump into things...an act which can lead to a fall.

However, due to my regular physical activity, I can usually push past such moments and shift into a smoother, more controlled and efficient form of motion. We're not talking graceful here, but at least more functional.

Since I have my good days and my bad days, and I experience pain even on the good days, I can understand how chronic pain, the fear of it, and the attempt to escape it can lead to the sort of situation in which an individual may be less adept at being able to prevent falling. A person who is less active is also more likely to suffer worse consequences of a fall, by the way.

Back to the study by Suzanne G. Leveille...

Without going through the entire setup and administration of the study, the results were pretty much what I had personally observed myself. Pain can cause muscle weakness and slowed response, and some effects could be in expectation of the pain or in memory of it. The fear which people have of potential pain can cause them to not only curtail the very physical activity which could help protect them from falling or the injuries associated with falling, but can also cause them to move in ways which may actually contribute to their possibly falling.

As you would expect, by the way, more pain seems to be related to a greater likelihood of falling.

Regular physical activity can help restore and maintain the individual's mobility and personal sense of control and freedom while helping to manage the pain as well. Since, in addition to the affect on the individual's life health-care costs associated with falls account for more than $19 billion in costs each year, a few minutes of regular exercise seems a good investment to me.
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One way to prevent falling is by being physically fit. Click here to learn more about being fit over 40.

A good little mini-course on preventing falls can be found at Balance-Exercises.com.