Just turned 50; any good book recs?

[kima]

kind of an awkward title. :o

I turned 50 (gulp) a couple of weeks ago and so decided to have my first real check up in five years.
Everything seems to be just fine. :) I am getting a bunch of tests done for my thyroid etc but I anticipate everything will be fine.
Except for a very painful shoulder and bad headaches and a huge energy drop just before my period I have little to complain about.

My doctor is wonderful-my age , into fitness etc. and we got talking about what happens to your body as you age. She was trying to counsel me to accept that I am not an athlete any more and it really is okay to walk during my runs. :rolleyes: I get down on myself and feel that i am wimping out when I "take it easy". It was a very interesting discussion.

I am at the crossroads of acceptance. By that I mean I don't want to give up and just sit in my rocking chair now that I am old. Nor am I am able to do the things I once did with ease ten years ago. I want to push myself because it is what i am used to but I also want to stay active for the long run.

Okay all that has little to do with my question! :D

I would love some recommendations for books that tell you about what happens to your body as you age. A kind of "now you are 50" guide to what is going on at the cellualr, muscular, cognitive, emotional etc. level. Of course I am interested in the menopause and female specific changes but I am also just interested in what happens to all our bodies at this time and as we grow older.
Any books I should read that are geared to the layperson?

[DmOrtega]

Sorry, I don't have book recommendations but I wanted to say that as we get older our muscles start to atrophy, naturally. One of the best exercises you can do for flexibility while maintaining muscle mass, is yoga. There is lots of research on yoga and the health benefits. For me mostly, if I can walk, run, or bend, without hurting then I feel so much better. I deal with back issues and since returning to yoga daily, my back problems have subsided. I can bend, run, and take a fall without straining my muscles.

Another thing you might consider is changing activities. Running is hard on the knees and feet. Maybe running less and walking more. I started using Nordic walking poles during most of my walks. Using them works the whole body similiar to the way cross country skiing does. It's a good workout.

The History of Nordic Walking.

Nordic Walking started in Finland in the early 20th century as a summer training exercise for cross country skiers. The real breakthrough of Nordic Walking as a practiced exercise came in 1997, when a Finnish company, in cooperation with athletes and sports medicine experts, invented a new wrist strap system to make the present-day Nordic walking technique possible.

Europeans adopted Nordic walking as a favorite activity because of it's time-efficient, low-stress, total body workout. Cross-Country skiing has been long recognized being one of the most effective body workouts for burning calories and building cardio-vascular fitness combined with reduced stress on your joints.

Now, thanks to Nordic Pole Walking, all this and more can be achieved without the skis and the snow, anytime;

all year round
in any climate
on any surface!


The Present

With the rapid growth and numerous benefits that are being experienced by this new form of physical activity it was to be expected that it would not be long before this style of walking crossed over the borders of Finland and was adopted into other countries as a preferred method of exercise for health/rehabilitation and fitness.

Nordic Walking was soon adopting various nametags as it was being identified in new countries, so out of respect to its country of origin the term "Nordic Walking" is used to describe this healthy activity..

Beyond Finland Nordic Walking has been well received in numerous countries such as Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Norway, and Sweden and is now progressing well into other countries such as Japan, Australia, Netherlands, UK, and the USA.

As Nordic Walking is experiencing accelerated growth in such a short period of time and is now amongst the fastest growing new health & fitness activities worldwide.
Copyright ANWA 2005


The Benefits of Nordic Walking from http://www.anwa.us/index.php?Health%20Benefits&id=3

Many doctors agree that Nordic walking is one of the most effective cardiovascular workouts because it works all major muscle groups in the body.

Recent studies by the Cooper Institute, Dallas, showed that Nordic walking burned more calories, increased oxygen consumption, and can be up to 46% more efficient than normal walking.

Nordic walking is also great for weight loss. By using the Nordic walking poles, you increase your heart rate on average 10-15% more than normal walking. This means you can burn well over 400 calories per hour, much more than normal walking, which only burns approximately 280. An additional energy consumption of 1500-2000 calories a week while doing physical activities reduces your risk of getting sick. You can achieve this by walking with your poles approximately 3 hours every week.

Nordic walking offers more health benefits than regular walking, jogging, biking or running.

Normal walking, even with a fast pace and good stride, only uses approximately 70% of the muscle mass in the body at any given time. Put some Nordic Walking poles in your hands, and with the proper technique, you will now be utilizing up to 90% of your body’s muscle while increasing your heart rate significantly. Just look at the picture opposite comparing heart rates between standard and Nordic Walking.


And if you are interested, I recommend checking out the Canadian Volksport Association at http://www.walks.ca/Yearrounds.html. There are plenty of groups that walk, cross country ski, and bicycle, all over Canada. The people that participate in Volksport are all ages with all abilities.

Ageing doesn't mean that we must stop being physicaly active. We have the opportunity to do so much more then our parents did. It can be a very exciting time in our lives to have so many new options to keep us youthful and active. :)

[Valerie226]

Diversity. Start doing strength training with weights. especially your upper body and core. I'm 60 soon and still run on the treadmill & use the elliptical. muscles need work to stay strong. I don't worry about doing huge mileage but split it up with different activities. yoga is good for flexibility and strength, depending on what kind of class. exercise helps counter age related weight gain and so many more benefits. .

[wallycat]

Welcome to my club!!
Thankfully, you're not in the breast cancer rankings :D ;)

Everything I've read insists that walking is the ideal aerobic work-out...so I have given up my jump rope (most of the time) and I've quit running and enjoy walks with DH.
Yoga is an amazing thing you can incorporate for stress/meditation, strength AND stretching.
Oprah has a doc on her show...Memhet Oz (sp?) and he and his co-writer (another well known doc) just wrote a book on YOU...staying young
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512iGM-ORpL._AA240_.jpg
Andrew Weil also has a website on aging ....

As my DH puts it...it sure beats the alternative ;)

[GingerPow]

Oprah has a doc on her show...Memhet Oz (sp?) and he and his co-writer (another well known doc) just wrote a book on YOU...staying young
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512iGM-ORpL._AA240_.jpg
Andrew Weil also has a website on aging ....

As my DH puts it...it sure beats the alternative ;)
I have that book! It's great. I am such a baby boomer, it's not even funny. Coloring gray hair, using bifocals, hypothyroid, achy elbows and creaky knees, but I have this mental block to seeing myself past the age of 32.

Your DH is absolutely right, Wallycat - aging beats the alternative. I decided a long time ago that I don't mind getting older, but I'll age the way I'd like to, or at least as close to it as possible.

What's that saying from that old commercial..."fighting age every step of the way?";)

To answer the original question; I'd recommend this same book, "YOU, staying young." Also, Gary Null's book on "Power Aging."
http://www.amazon.com/Gary-Nulls-Power-Aging-Null/dp/B0002EAU5O/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201308992&sr=1-3

There is a new one out that I'm interested in but have not read yet, "The Age of Miracles, Embracing the New Midlife" by Marianne Williamson.
http://www.amazon.com/Age-Miracles-Embracing-New-Midlife/dp/1401917194/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201308910&sr=8-1

Oh yes! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIMA! :D

[gabbyh]

Kima...all I can tell you is, you are in the best years of your life! I'll be 57 this year and I look forward to my 60's:D

If you're interested in hormones, all of Suzanne Somers' books have information, not all that I would suggest to everyone, but it brings bioidentical hormones out in the forefront...also, Christian Northrup's books are good also...and the above recommendations for Dr. Oz's book is a good one...all of his books have some great info!

I'm a nurse that now works for an anti-aging company...so our focus at times is a bit unconventional...but had I not gone to work there, I don't think I'd be as healthy at my age as I am!

ENJOY!!

~Gail

[GingerPow]

Christian Northrup's books are good also...
YES! How could I have forgotten Dr. Northrup? Her books have answered so many questions, given me incredible insight, and helped me through some unknown territory. Good recommendation Gail!

[kima]

Thanks everyone for your replies.
I have seen and read many of the books recommended here. I am actually looking for something that simply explains medically what happens to your body as you age. I find it very interesting for some strange reason. :o

I have done some yoga but right now I can not do it due to my frozen shoulder. I will get back into it. I also want to try Nordic walking-it is all the rage here.

I will pick up the YOU book. The cartoon drawing in it have turned me off every time I have picked it up but I think the info in it may be what I am looking for.

I agree that a well balanced fitness routine with strength training is crucial. As soon as I can I plan to return to the weights. Right now I can't even do one pushup.
You are absolutely right wallycat that I have much to be grateful for. I do not have one medical problem that is not very minor and the ones I do have are of a "mechanical" nature.
I am down about turning 50 just interested in learning what is going on in this complex body of mine.

Thanks for the happy birthday wishes Ginger P! :)

[Gumbeaux]

Just turned 50; any good book recs?

Maybe this (http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Over-Ph-D-Joel-Block/dp/0735200580/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201323171&sr=8-1)?


http://shop.com.edgesuite.net/ccimg.catalogcity.com/op/6200000/6209400/6209481/image.jpg

[kima]

I don't need a book but thanks. :p

[boisewinesnob]

http://shop.com.edgesuite.net/ccimg.catalogcity.com/op/6200000/6209400/6209481/image.jpg

LOL, that just reminded me of a book my parents had called Sex After 60. It was probably 100 pages and they were all blank. ;)

[BucknellAlum]

I have the Dr. Oz book too, and I also was turned off by the cartoons and some of the pop-culture adjective phrases ("Like TVs, toys and lingerie, cholesterol comes in different sizes . . "). But the book does have good solid descriptions of what happens in your body and how to keep it running optimally.

Another book I really like is Canyon Ranch's Guide to Living Younger Longer. Here is a link to it in Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Canyon-Ranch-Living-Younger-Longer/dp/068487136X/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201361761&sr=1-5

And Happy Birthday!