Orange County Office on Aging

As New Year’s resolutions are crafted and settled on, it is important to remember some key point when deciding what you are resolving to accomplish over the next year. Make sure that your goals are achievable, measurable, and realistic.

1. Get Fit. Men tend to be “weekend warriors”, exercising a lot over a short amount of time, increasing the chance of injury and burn-out. Commit to a consistent physical activity schedule (5 days a week of at least 30 minutes is recommended) and one that is balanced between cardiovascular activity and resistance training.

2. Veggies are your friends. A balanced diet of moderate proportions will ensure that there is the chance to eat meat, but still enough room to eat those fruits and vegetables. Your body needs those vitamins and minerals found in produce, whole grains, and dairy products, so don’t deny it. Treat your body well so that it will treat you well as you get older. The Office on Aging has handouts of the new MyPyramid for Older Adults.

3. Go to the Doctor. If a suspicious symptom appears or something just doesn’t seem right, it is time to see the doctor. Attacking a problem from the start allows you to work with your doctor to determine a treatment before the condition progresses to a more troublesome stage. However, don’t just go to your doctor when something is wrong; preventive screenings are very important to health maintenance. Older men should get prostate cancer, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, colorectal cancer, and depression screenings.

4. Quit Smoking. This can be a difficult one, but so worth the time and effort. Lifelong smokers have a 1 in 2 chance of dying of a smoking-related disease. Within minutes of smoking your last cigarette, your body begins to return to pre-smoking conditions. For example, within 20 minutes blood pressure begins to drop, within 1 day your risk of heart attack declines and is cut in half after a year, and after 10 years lung cancer risk, drops by 30-50%. There are many programs offered through your doctor or the community, however it may take more than one try to be successful. Don’t give up.

5. Ease Stress. Exercising is a great and effective way to get rid of some of that excess stress. Though not traditionally seen as the masculine way to relieve stress, meditation, yoga, and talking out your frustrations can also work.

New Year’s Resolutions for Women
Erin Ulibarri, MPH

The start of a new year often brings about self-made promises of good behavioral intentions. However, resolutions should be achievable, measurable, and realistic. For example, instead of saying that you want to lose 25 pounds, commit to making some lifestyle changes that will help you achieve that ultimate goal.

Here are some suggestions that can lead to success:

1. Eat, but Don’t Pig Out. Don’t eliminate whole groups of foods from your diet, such as carbohydrates or desserts. Instead, focus on eating “good carbohydrates”, dessert once a week, less fast food, or more fruits and vegetables. Strive to eat according to the new MyPyramid for Older Adults (available from the Office on Aging).

2. Jump Outside the Box. You don’t have to be a member of a gym to be physically active. There are many ways to get the recommended 5 days of moderate exercise each week. Walking, gardening, taking the stairs, tennis, or bicycling are all activities that can be done in the home or outside. Women, especially, need to remember that strength training (with weights or resistance bands) is just as important as physical activity because it helps to maintain strength, bone density, and muscle mass.

3. Guard Against the Bone Thief. It’s never too late to start getting enough calcium in your diet. Women over 50 should eat (either through food or supplements) at least 1,200 mg of calcium each day. This is about 3-4 servings of dairy products, dark-green vegetables, or dried beans. This will help to ward off osteoporosis, a disease that robs the bones of its strength and can lead to bone fractures. Weight-bearing exercises (walking, dancing, aerobics) and strength training also help slow the onset of osteoporosis.

4. Take Health Exams and Get an “A” for Good Health. Health screenings are also very important for older adult women, especially mammograms and colorectal cancer, osteoporosis, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and depression screenings.

5. Spend time on yourself. Women often put everyone else first: a spouse, parents, grandchildren, or friends. Women are the caretakers of everyone but themselves. Resolve that this year it is OK to spend some time on your own well-being and health by taking time to exercise, meditate, read a book, or anything that is enjoyable. Stress can cause havoc on a women’s health, often leading to stomachaches, weight gain, anxiety, sleep problems, or high blood pressure.

Call Office on Aging Information and Assistance at 1-800-510-2020 or 1-714-567-7500 with any questions on how best to fulfill your 2008 New Year’s Resolution.