How to Have a Healthy Lifespan

SPEAKER_00 0:00

The following is for informational purposes only. For medical advice, please see a medical professional.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Welcome to Staying Alive with Margaret and Susie. Thanks for coming back for another episode. Yeah. Susie, so glad to be with you. So um this is an episode that I started thinking about a few months back that I wanted to throw in the mix. And this episode is about health span, which is different from lifespan. It's a term that that gerontologists use. And when they're looking at their aging patients and they want to see how healthy their patients are through the remaining years of their life till their last breath. And and what they found is that unfortunately, on average, there's about a 15-year span where we're not that healthy for the last 15 years of our lives. That's on average. That's on average. And so uh Susie and I in in these programs, it's it's all about we want our health span to be equal to our lifespan. That's what we're shooting for. So even though things happen and we we have to get treatment for for various things, you've heard heard about that in previous episodes. We keep going to stay as healthy as possible so that we are vital and zestful and fully active till the till the very end. And so that's what we're shooting for here. Right. And um, that's what we want to talk about.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

You know, it's interesting when you say that. I think about my my book group, we spent a lot more time talking about our health than we did 10 years ago. Let's just put it that way. So, you know, I I think it becomes more of a topic of conversation amongst our peers. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

And hopefully talking about tips and and not giving up. Like right. Um, and so we really want to encourage people that lifestyle changes can happen at any age. These things gerontologists who study this area, what they what they found is that they've done research in nursing homes where people are like in their 80s and 90s, and they're they identify people who have balance problems and they put them on weight training routines and improve their improve their balance and and find that changes. Hey, you and I have a good friend who just started drinking water more often.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

And it totally changed, you know, changed how he feels. Oh, that's so and more clear and feels better, you know. So so you there's little things that you can do that, you know, I think when you're younger, you're maybe doing some of those things for yourself, but you're not doing them consistently and you're not doing them mindfully.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:11

You know, you're you're drinking water when maybe when you get thirsty or you're and you're busy and you're drinking too much coffee and you're working and and maybe you're exercising on the weekends or exercising because you want to be in a marathon or something. But I think that it becomes uh necessary for it to be more mindful.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

And also, you know, time-wise, you know, when you're older, you you have time, if you're retired, to do some things to really help yourself.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Yeah. And it does take time. On the topic of of water, uh, I'm I want to link that back to um ger what gerontologists know is that falls and fractures are the things that most affect healthy lifespan. And um dizziness is number one caused by dehydration.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:03

So yeah, and and older people don't think that. They think, oh, it's my medication or something. Right. Really, they're dehydrated.

SPEAKER_02 4:10

Well, and some I hate to say it, but some medications make can kind of make you dehydrated too, almost. Right. You know, right. So dehydration and and also I've been told there was a medication I had to take for a while, and I've been warned, you know, drink plenty of water when you're taking that medication because it can also damage your kidneys if you don't.

SPEAKER_01 4:31

Yeah. You know. So everything that you can do to keep your balance, to prevent falls and fractures. Um, in my case, I I do strength training because I have osteoarthritis and and issues. And if you see me, that that's the thing that most gives away my age is is my posture. So I'm constantly working on body strength, strength balance training, balance training to to improve that and uh really watch my water intake, that's for sure. Yeah, yeah. I don't drink.

SPEAKER_02 5:10

I know falls can really I've had three concussions in like probably 10 years, 10 or 11 years, and um I started noticing that my balance is is off, so I have to really be mindful about doing things for it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Yeah. And some people, you know, the risk and the benefit, you just have to weigh it out. Like some people want to, for instance, continue to ride a bike in their 80s or something. Um for me, the risk of falling and breaking something, like I'm kind of I don't mind never riding a bike. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

I'm kind of I'm kind of there too now. I I like to ride my bike. I I still have my bike and I love bikes, but I'm hesitant, yeah, because of my the fact that I've had three concussions. Yeah. And um, you know, but there are things you can do and they're pretty simple things for balance too. I mean, it's not it's not a lot of, you know, and and I've said before in a previous episode that I'm a yo-yo exerciser, but you know, it's also sometimes important for somebody like me to find variety. You know, like maybe some days you're getting on your exercise bike, and some days you're going for a walk, and some days you're doing some yoga, and some days you're doing some strength training, and and you know, and never never say, Well, I'm too old to exercise. You can do exercises that are super beneficial sitting in a chair. Yeah, chair yoga is really effective. Um, there's you can do strength training sitting in a chair. You know, there's a lot of things that you can do.

SPEAKER_01 6:53

It's and I know and I never have stopped walking either.

SPEAKER_02 6:56

Like as long as soon as as long as we can walk, we wanna Well, and there's strength training programs at a lot of senior centers and a lot of uh gyms or YMCAs have programs specifically for seniors.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Yeah. Well, from from that, let me segue into there may be things going on in your body, say you're in your 50s or 60s, and you've started to identify things in your body that you think need perhaps need repaired in order to have a healthy 70s and in 80s experience. I had that because I knew I went on um uh a trip to the mountains of Tuscany with with my husband and a couple friends my age when I was in my late 60s, and my knees were so bad, I thought I'm not gonna be able to keep doing what I want to do for the rest of my life. My doctor's been telling me for years, get the knee replacement. They've they've really perfected that now. It's gonna change your life. And you know what? I did it, and it did. Like um now here I am in my mid-70s, and my knees are operating so well, and I can do things that I couldn't do in my mid-60s because well, my one knee in particular was so bad. And so you've had both knees done, Margaret? I had both of them done.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 8:27

So so be aware of what those things are. Um I had a um congenital um heart prola valve prolapse, it's called. And so um the valve just really wasn't operating anymore. I knew that I could be short of breath and stay on medication my rest of my life or get this valve replaced. And I and I knew because it runs in my family, that my um my mother and my aunt got to be like in their late 80s on in on oxygen and saying, Oh, I think I want to get my valve done now. And the doctor said, Too late, you're on the oxygen tank for the rest of your life, lady. You know, it's like it's not safe anymore. So I got that taken care of. And I mean, it was scary, but hey, to not be short of breath for the rest of your life, it's a wonderful thing. So, you know, just you have to weigh out the risk, benefits of all these different things. Uh, you heard um and hopefully you met Jennifer Ashby in one of the previous episodes, she mentioned that she has found a congenital brain um weakness, and and all they have to do is go in and and correct this small little spot, and then she won't have this brain weakness for the rest of her life. She's six years old and super healthy, and it's considered a low-risk operation where in 10, 15 years it could be something that would be life-threatening if she left if she left this this weakness in interesting.

SPEAKER_02 10:10

I wonder how she found it out. Yeah, that's interesting. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

So be aware of the genetic factors in your family, be aware of your own history, and don't be afraid to get things taken care of so that you can have a really healthy and fun experience in your 70s and on as we are.

SPEAKER_02 10:36

Yeah. I mean, things happen that sometimes interfere, like an accident or something like that, but but you really can be proactive and get ahead of the game. Um and hopefully keep keep on going, keep on tricking.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

I mean, most people I know have physical therapists uh in their 70s. Like I don't think I have any friend in their 70s that doesn't have a physical therapist.

SPEAKER_02 11:01

Or hasn't been to see a physical therapist.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

Yeah, and and has like a whole stack of exercises because um different parts of our body start getting pinched and sore, and uh range of motion gets affected, and and then we can work on it and yeah, and we do it and um and it works, it really works.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Yeah. Does that say that we're not gonna have arthritis when we get to be nine, if we live to be 90, 95, we probably will, you know. There's some types of arthritis that are that are you know, you you're gonna have experience when you're quite old. You know, maybe I know a lot of women, it seems I know who are get older, their hands start to hurt, you know, those kind of things. And and um, but you just have to keep trucking.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Susie swims. A lot of people we know swim, right? Do you like that, Susie?

SPEAKER_02 11:55

Yeah, I I do, and I I I can't believe how good I feel when I swim.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Yeah. Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 12:01

Yeah. And I have to admit, I don't love chlorine. Some pools are saltwater. Unfortunately, I don't live in a place that has a saltwater pool, but I I do go to a very good pool that, you know, it's somewhat chlorine. Yeah. But but it really feels like it's perfect for my body because also I have some swelling. This I did not know. I think this is an interesting medical fact. When you have swelling in your body, being in cool water and moving helps with the swelling. So my physical therapist told me to swim or to be in water, um, not hot water, not a hot tub, you know. Yeah. Um, but it being in the pool is super, super good for my swelling. And so um it and it feels right. It just feels right. So do things for yourself that feel right.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Yes, yes, yes, yes. So uh we're planning on having a health span that equals our lives, and we're doing everything we can, and that's what we want to tell you about today. So I think we'll end it there. Yeah, and so please like and subscribe.

SPEAKER_02 13:08

Thank you so much. Yes. Okay, until next time. We are staying alive.

SPEAKER_00 13:16

You've been listening to Staying Alive with Margaret and Susie. This show is hosted by Margaret Cooley and Susie Hymist. To subscribe to our show, leave a comment or ask a question, please visit staying alive with margaretandsus.com. Our podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. If you've enjoyed our program, please feel free to leave us a five star review. Thanks for listening.