Today is your day Boomer! I am currently in the midst of an eight-week heart physio exercise program as I try to resume normal life after heart valve surgery. The three-day a week program involves 30 minutes of cardio and 45 minutes of 10 station weighlifting and stretching. It feels great and I am making good progress. Well, the World Health Organization is taking notice of us Boomers as we are among the 3.2 million world citizens that die every year from lack of physical activity. WHO says we should be doing this: 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. At least 10-minute intervals of sustained aerobic activity. For more health benefits, an additional 300 minutes of moderate or 150 minutes of vigorous activity. Three or more days with balance exercises. Two or more days with strengthening exercises. So...being as physically active as possible! This means, for example, getting into a routine and not overdoing it. Working into exercises gradually and getting medical advice if required. By the way, WHO and my personal physiotherapists all say the same thing: you should still be able to talk while exercising. If not, you are going too hard! It means the "social" aspects of this are also beneficial! So, let's get movin' Boomers and maybe do it with a friend. Cheers!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Today is your day Boomer! Baby Boomers, another health benefit is back! It is backward walking and the trend-often associated with the 1980s-is making a return as grey-haired wonders, like you and I, look for new-or-newish ideas to help keep us fit! According to cbc.ca, "walking backwards has shown that there's less impact on the joints by using these different muscles — and it can increase flexibility and even help alleviate back pain." One 62-year-old Boomer says "Every time I walk, I just do a little twirl and walk backwards for a bit, and I'll do it just a few times during my walk." It may look a little unusual and may get a few laughs from passersby....by consider the actual benefits. Clinical exercise specialist André Noël Potvin says "When you start to walk backwards, you actually start to rebalance the forces around the ankle, knee, hip and lower back." This really helps Boomers recovering from knee surgery and older Boomers who are havi...
Read more
Image
Today is your day Boomer! Relaxing in my hot tub this morning, I had reflections of the 1970 CCR song "Lookin' out my Back Door". Yes, that kind of druggy, but catchy song, about the view of your backyard. Mine is spectacular: colourful sunrises, big ponderosa pines, cheer, apple, fir, and weeping willow trees, two mountains, sheep and chickens next door, two frolicking golden retrievers, beautiful green grass and what seems like a thousand birds...including quail, pheasant, chickadees, woodpeckers, and blue jays. And what else? Well....the quiet, the solitude, and the chance for reflection with no sirens, car noise, yelling people, or neighbours invading your privacy. It was...is...just beautiful, and I am so blessed to live in a rural area in BC's Okanagan Valley. Boomers, what's out your back door? John Fogerty's "tangerines and elephants" or something like my cheeries and coyotes? Check it out and appreciate the little things in life. Cheers...
Read more
Image
Today is your day Boomer! Booze is becoming a bummer Boomers! That's right, we are drinking less...way less, according to the researchers. In fact, drinking rates across Canada have just reached a 20-year low. Stats Canada numbers look like this: "On average, Canadians bought the equivalent of eight drinks per week between March 2024 and March 2025, down from 8.7 a year earlier and 9.7 a decade ago. Beer, wine, and spirits sales all fell in both dollar amount and volume. Ciders and coolers were the only category to grow in that time period."(cbc.ca) This trend is especially prevalent in younger people, who maybe are turned off by the high cost of alcohol, their increased use of cannabis, and the social trends of having fun without suffering the next day. I don't see any numbers for Boomers yet....but I bet we remain as a near-the-top consumer as we grew up with booze as a recreational mainstay. By the way, some so-called experts say we are now entering a "po...
Read more