MYTH #1 You have to get old and feeble and then you die.
This just doesn’t have to be your fate. The #1 key to longevity is movement. Keep moving so death can’t catch you. Of course that’s kind of a joke but there is some truth in it. The thing that will kill you the fastest (barring some random disease) is a sedimentary life style. The less you do and the less you move the faster your organs start to figure out you’ve given up and they start to shut down. Your muscles start to atrophy, you get weak, your balance goes next because your legs aren’t strong enough to hold you. Then comes the most common first nail.
THE FALL This is where seniors most often start their fastest decline, after a fall involving a hip fracture or worse. This by itself can increase mortality rates by 20-30%. WHY? Simple! It leads to less movement and an even greater sedimentary lifestyle. It can also lead to depression, and the downward spiral continues. People become afraid to move and do things. That brings us to :
MYTH #2 “I’m too old for that” !
GOOD NEWS THOUGH! More to come soon in our next installment
