(BlackDoctor.org) – How do you become and remain healthier? It’s not just about what we do at the gym. It’s not just about how we eat. It’s amount so much more. Living a healthier, full life is all about striving for a mind-body balance every day. The Black community is susceptible to so very much – we as a people need to will ourselves to be great. We need to do mental, as well as physical, pushups to make the changes we need for the better lives we deserve. We need to flex our mental might to become proactive and get on that journey to become a fitter and healthier person.
But where do you start?
1. Become a master of adapting and adjusting to life’s challenges. After forty, life often becomes a whirlwind of change. Kids are leaving (and often boomeranging back), relationships are getting shaken up, parents need caregiving, careers change, you have to sell your home and move, finances get tight, and you may pick up a medical condition or two. Instead of shouting “Incoming!” and becoming paralyzed, you learn to accept the reality (adapt) and strategize the best way(s) to manage it (adjust).
2. Mind your hormones. Your body’s hormones can become of tornado of change, leaving in its wake big time changes in mind and body. You need a physician who can customize a lifestyle and medical approach to managing the expected mind-body changes that occur with perimenopause and beyond. If your doctor is unwilling to sit down and tailor an individualized program, then you need to find another one. Once you do have a program, it needs to be re-evaluated every 6-12 months to keep pace with the changes occurring as your body gradually goes into estrogen/progesterone withdrawal.
3. Toss your traditional body weight scale. As I’ve ranted about endlessly, pay attention to your body fat, not just body weight. Aim for a body fat percentage in the 20s, with 25% as a great goal. If you’re over 50, you can extend to 32 percent. Then whip a tape measure around your belly button and strive to get below 35 inches.
4. Minimize that belly. After forty, your body fat is more likely to be deposited in the upper body and belly and you run into girth control problems. Your lower pooch gets bigger and that extra belly fat spills out over your jeans. It’s time to rein in the calories and inject more intensity into your workouts. Controlling the amount of fat inside your tummy will save your life by preventing the diabetes, heart disease and cancers that plague African Americans.
5. Eat Less; Choose Well. Here’s a blast of reality. After forty, you have to start reining in the calories and selecting your foods more carefully. In essence, you have to pay attention! Don’t resent doing this. Instead, humbly accept that this is part of your over-40 reality. Simply learn the fine art of tasting (and not shoving food into your mouth), and eating the highest quality, whole foods to prevent the medical conditions that are more common after forty.
6. Move it already! When you do your regular cardio (no less than 5 times a week), kick it up a notch and do intervals of intensity. It really works to shake up after-forty fat.
7. Get strong. Everyone needs to do some form of strength training after the age of forty. You can’t shed weight if you don’t lift weight. You also want to become physically strong now to keep you vertical and independent as you age.
8. You need those ZZZs. Do everything you can to get the sleep you need. 7-8 hours is optimal for most women after forty. People who skimp on sleep have larger tummies/guts and more weight problems.
9. Be positive about what’s working. After forty, your body is starting to show some wear and tear. That’s normal. Don’t obsess about what doesn’t work (knees are hurting, back aches more). Instead, focus on what does work. Adapt and adjust to keep yourself going.
10. Make yourself happy. Do you even know what makes you happy? Really give it some thought. Stop right now and make a list of what gives you joy. You may be surprised to find that your list may be emptier than you thought it’d be. Guess what? What makes you happy is the reward you get for achievement.
BDO (http://BlackDoctor.org) is the World’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans.
