Today is your day Boomer! "83 per cent of Canadians don't get enough physical activity, 30 per cent have high blood pressure and 31 per cent are obese."(CBC.ca) Do these numbers shock you? They should. They reflect a recent study of over 30,000 Canadians aged 45 or older, and they point to increased risk of dementia. Yikes! But what can we do as a generation of Boomers to reduce this risk? Here are 12 "controllable" strategies according to the medical experts: Physical inactivity
Hearing loss, Obesity, Hypertension, Mid-life traumatic brain injury, Depression, Less education early in life, Sleep disturbances, Diabetes, Smoking, Excessive alcohol consumption, and Social isolation. Now, some of these are less-controllable than others....but number one, by far, is exercise! And they mean at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week! Are you doing this? About 700,000 Canadians have dementia and that number is expected to double in the next 25 years. Whew...let's get to it Boomers. Cheers!
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...

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