To 50 and Beyond: How to Eat, Exercise and Live Well

Once you reach 50, you have to work harder to take care of your wellbeing and guard it against major health concerns. However, incorporating a few simple, wellness principles into your lifestyle can help you to eat healthily, stay fit and live well over 50:

 

1. Eat healthy fats: There’s no denying that saturated fats are bad for your arteries and heart health but, if that wasn’t enough to deter you from eating them, they can also damage your memory and concentration. This means that your heart AND brain are at risk unless you cut down on red meat, butter, and other foods high in saturated fats. That’s not to tar all fats with the same brush, however, as some fats can even have a positive effect on your heart and brain. Therefore, try to up your intake of fatty fish and fats from plants, like flaxseed and nuts.

 

2. Fill the empty nest: No one likes it when their kids leave home. Ok, you might like it a little bit at first, but then empty nest syndrome kicks in and you’re left knocking around a big, quiet house by yourself, or just you and your partner. However, if the quiet and space is troubling you, why not fill it again by adopting a pet? Not only does this do wonders for your mental and emotional health, but having a pet like a cat or a dog may in fact lower your cholesterol levels along with your risk of heart disease. Pet owners are also less likely to need to visit the doctors’. Wellness experts aren’t too sure as to why this is, but, at the very least, having a dog means you have to go for a walk everyday, which is always good for your health.

 

3. Protect your joints: You may be worried about how running may affect your bones and joints, but hitting the big 5-0 doesn’t mean you have to give up your morning run (my Dad’s just turned 51 and ran his 12^th marathon on his birthday). In fact, a new study has even gone so far as to suggest that running may actually strengthen your knees, and research has shown that running doesn’t raise your risk of arthritis. However, if you do have arthritis or damaged joints already, running might be one speedy step too far. Still, low-impact exercise like walking or biking is vital for strengthening your muscles, supporting your joints and lessening your pain, no matter what conditions or injuries you might have, so talk to your doctor about a suitable exercise programme.

 

4. Rediscover your sex life: Your sex life changes as you get older, but that doesn’t mean a turn for the worse; being that little bit older and wiser means you’ve got more experience, you’re more confident, and you’re just so much better at it than you were when you were in your twenties. The fact that you’re in a different stage of life means you have fewer hang-ups and constraints to worry about, like the kids walking in on you, or even making new kids! However, because older people are starting to realise that they’re less tied to the worries of family planning, rates of STIs have skyrocketed in this age group so make sure you still wear protection if you’re having sex with someone new.

 

5. Don’t stop learning: Just because you’ve got more knowledge and experience under your belt doesn’t mean that you’ve seen and done it all – surprise yourself! Don’t stick with the familiar and the comfortable; go out and look for new places, friends and experiences. Always wanted to travel or play like Hendrix? Start learning a language or taking guitar lessons. Not only is this good for the soul, but new experiences will build new pathways in your brain, keeping your mind healthy as you age.

Categories: After 50, better sex, doesn, fats, health, Healthy Fats, joints, nbsp, saturated fats, sex life

After 50: How to Have the Best Sex You’ve Ever Had

How often do you need to have sex in order to have a “healthy” sex life? This was the question bugging Barbara Hannah Grufferman, author of The Best of Everything After 50: The Experts Guide to Style, Sex, Health, Money and More, who endeavoured find out how sexual health and wellness changes after 50.

 

Grufferman details a recent study by The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behaviour, which found the two variables most associated with the amount of sex you have are your age and your marital satisfaction. As you get older, you have sex less often, particularly if you have lower levels of martial satisfaction. The study showed that half of couples age 65-75 still engaged in sex, but less than one quarter of couples over 75 were still sexually active. Grufferman comments, ‘This study left me feeling that the older we got, the less we got it. Not good.’

 

This led Grufferman to consult friends in similar situation. ‘We all had the same question,’ she says. ‘I love my husband and he loves me, so why aren’t we having more hot sex together, like we used to? We want to have sex, but sometimes we just aren’t into it. How do we get in the mood? We all hated thinking that things were slowing down, and that they might slow down even more. For sure, menopause can sometimes make sex uncomfortable for some women and our libido can drop off. But, just because a woman is post-menopausal, does she automatically lose interest? Forever? Was that my future? Was I supposed to lock this door and throw away the key?’

 

After plenty of worrying and worry-inducing research, Grufferman finally met with Esther Perel, author of Mating in Captivity, who argues that sex after fifty may be the best sex you’ll ever have. Perel noted that while you may be under the misconception that menopause affects your wellness to the point where you no longer want sex, the majority of women over 50 are sexually healthy and, for those that aren’t, simple solutions like lubricants or oestrogen are available. She added that men experience more sexual functioning challenges as they age, which can be troubling and so they often avoid sex. This causes the woman to think he’s no longer attracted to her, which results in a sexual Catch-22.

 

Armed with this uplifting information, Grufferman outlines her three tools that women can use to get into the mood:

 

1. Arousal. ‘Watch a movie or read a book, have a fantasy, put on some sexy lingerie,’ Grufferman suggests. ‘Many things can arouse us. Arousal can lead to desire, and desire leads to sex. Figure out what gets you going and use it when you need it.’

 

2. Desire. Grufferman explains, ‘Desire is wanting to be turned on. With this entry point you want to get aroused, and you want to actively engage in getting turned on with your partner.’

 

3. Willingness. ‘This is the most important entry point for women over 50,’ Grufferman asserts. ‘It’s the willingness to be engaged in desire. If you’ve been ignoring, neglecting or denying your sexual self for a while, then you must consciously decide that you want sex in order to even let yourself feel desire. We talk ourselves into doing things all the time going out to an event, cooking dinner but people don’t think about talking themselves into having sex.’

 

Grufferman concludes, ‘After 50, we’re at a sexual crossroads, and need to make a choice: We could go through menopause, and realise that our experience of sex is changing and decide that we are done with it, and shut down that part of ourselves, lock the door and throw away the key. Or, (the much more fun choice) we could embrace this new life with a sense of freedom and fun; no more periods, no more worries about getting pregnant, no more doing it because there has to be a result, . . . and you may very well find yourself having the best sex . . . ever.’

Categories: After 50, desire, entry point, grufferman, healthy sex life, Marriage, nbsp, nbsp grufferman, sexual, sexual health, Women