Healthy Living for Age 50 and Beyond (Part 1 of 2)

All human life has intrinsic value, including life in the womb. That's why Focus on the Family is standing up to help the world see life doing the movement to end abortion and love every heartbeat text heartbeat to 72,000. That's heartbeat to send me 10,000 mark your calendars for September 26 to witness a transformational pro-life event were calling at sea life 2020. Learn more@focusonthefamily.com/C life as a get older I know need watchmen way more carefully. I can't suck it in my can use to try to keep physically fit Mondays and my back is slowing me down. Well, my dad had his first heart attack. 62. I don't want to be like my doctor says no more sugar, salt, stat, or caffeine will give up eating well, maybe you can relate to those comments. It's been said that with age comes wisdom. Page also brings up some health concerns, especially as middle years.

That's our topic today on Focus on the Family your hostess focus Pres. and Dr. Jim Daly and on John John the middle years like the ending number arrived. Melissa, turning 50 is definitely a major milestone I'm gliding through this ducted of the 50s minute and I think it's safe to say, were no longer young. One things I feel I mean just doing regular stuff like yardwork on far stiffer joints in the muscles that I used to be. It's like what have I done of just yardwork.

It said you used to be able to can a weekend warrior it around the house and do yard projects and stuff with no ill effects at all. And now I have to schedule a physical therapy appointment. If I'm planning on doing.

That's my point will listen were going to complain a lot about her ills today by the we think this is very valuable. We have wonderful guest actually two wonderful guests to talk about this topic of fitness, I think it does apply to anybody.

Probably over the age 25 or 30 and you if you're below 50. Don't tune out because of these things that you need to be aware of and there's always exceptions, of course, but stepping over that line and I think 50s is a good line to think about because it's significant for a lot of reasons, but you're no longer building your life. You're kind of and it you're confident about who you become. Hopefully in Christ with humility your households in order things are going pretty well and that 50s decade, but one thing that can slip is your health yeah and were so fortunate to have the expertise of a former colleague and friend here a Dr. Walt Larimore joins us. He's been practicing medicine for nearly 40 years and currently works as an occupational physician at Concentra and UC health here in Colorado Springs and was a vice president at focus and physician residents forests from 2001 to 2004. He's an educator and medical journalist and author of more than 30 books, including for over 50 make simple choices today for a healthier, happier you stop by our website to get your copy the link is in the episode notes and I get the privilege of also introducing my wonderful wife Jean who I asked to join us because we needed a female perspective at the table so Jean welcome back. Well think you always a pleasure being here, and I'm excited about the fabulous contents of this book and this interview today and it isn't just for those over 50. That is true, and it is good to have both of you here okay Walt. Let's start with the general definition of good health.

You know we always check that box right excellent health, good health fair poor who checks the poor and really that's got to be a lot of Christian honesty to say is it's poor wrongdoing. Basically good enough is good health hope it's good enough. I'm planning on doing good guys look like you haven't even had a birthday to go for what my conundrum was I was asked that question I just finished residency do I did residency in family medicine, sports medicine, and then Barb and I went out to the mountains of North Carolina to a little town called Bryson city count of 900 people you've written about that in yearbooks of minded people.

38 Baptist churches in one God blessed that one of everything else but a second grade teacher called me and asked me if I would come as a new doctor in town. I come speak to her class and I said sure love to. What about she said about what is health thought well I can take care of sick people and disease people. But what is it really I thought my goodness, what is it and it actually led to research project.

I was doing some research training at the time inside surveyed 200 healthcare professionals, health policy people in 60 countries around the world, asked him what is health what are the top three factors that you would recommend your family and friends and it was from that research that this book and others have begun but I thought it was fascinating was the secular researchers who secular policy people to find help for wage slips of the others physical health and we can have an impact on that. But there's also relational health nurse family health or social health.

And when these days we seen some social unrest.

That's not healthy and then there's emotional nurse mental health and course with quarantine that we've all gone through reducing the impact of that and then perhaps the most important what I now call the four wheels of health, physical, emotional, relational, the most important spiritual and even the secular researchers realize that of the four wheels. That's the one connected to the power steering and that's really interesting organ to cover those for you know ironically Jean, you kind of attached quickly to the relational tire and Walt's analogy, which is funny to me because it helped me as I cam and exercise enough in a minute eat pretty good. That's good health, but it is much more than that in Jean I think is a woman. When the reasons I wanted you here. You quickly gravitated toward the relational tire and I'm thinking, what that's like in the way of good health and I got to talk to somebody and I can't go exercise has not get in the way and hit Howie, I just came around to some of his guys think how do girls think and I want to say before I saw Walt's book I thought of just what if someone were to ask me what is good health. I would've thought diet and exercise, but you help me realize what is true in my life that it is much more than that.

And yet the relational aspect is significant not just for women are all people I think that was meant very tall so that's why I'm eager to hear Walt your insight on all of this will.

Let's touch on that one for Jean saying the relational will. Moved the physical and the next time to have you back will talk about the other two with the relational side of it all.

For those wills physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, are interconnected. You cannot be healthy in one and unhealthy and the others. It just doesn't work. If something of your car. If one of the tires starts to go flat or starts to be out of alignment. You not to be able to go as fast as you want. Or, as far as you want and if you try to drive with nothing lovely your repair bills getting more expensive by the mile. You let me just say I can confirm that because yesterday we went on a bike ride was low on air and it was very much more difficult to say Jean beat me to the house but you actually did went into the house. You can is writing a flat tire so with relations funny as a physician. Most of the men I see are there not because they're not healthy, it's because a woman in their life said you go or else not make women in their lives. The daughters the sisters the wives and girlfriends & your wheels are a little wobbly. Get it checked.

Let me ask you that while really on the relational will in all seriousness again gender.

I think does play into this and I don't know that men you know, when you serve a man who's your best friend. How many of you have the best friend. A lot of people a lot of men say. I don't and so women gravitate toward that relational health pretty easily. Not not always.

Let's speak to the two genders.

In that regard. Women who are struggling with healthy, good relationship, and then who just don't other than superficial and I can be that way. Let's go play golf.

That's fun.

We don't really talk that deep good shot nice part. How do we get into deeper relationship is men is critical to understand this is critical. We look at the example of Jesus, he majored in relationships he had the three to whom he was the closest and the most intimate rested on each other's checks. I mean really close and then the other disciple's group that he spent a lot of time with teaching getting to enjoy in getting to leave and then he had the followers and then but he emphasized relationships and we are commanded in Scripture to act in every way as he acted both with those of the faith as well as I love my favorite name of Jesus and of sinners spent time with the tax gatherers and the Hilton people that didn't know him that measuring Russian women we look at the medical research what we find is that people who build positive affirming relationships, and then have to be a lot do better emotionally, they do better physically and spiritually. We cannot be as healthy as were designed to be without that fellowship that accountability Scripture has 41 and others that work to do with one another. So it's a critical part. Now I just want exchange yard to recover the relationship wheel significantly or adequately, and I think it's important also to emphasize Walt that you mention the positive relationships and that can be challenging because we do have friends or family members in our lives that don't contribute to a positive relationship so if there's someone who's really negative and I can't help spin the conversation can't help positive movement in a positive way. They keep getting back to negative. I found myself distancing from that a little more and I I think that's probably healthy, I love the writings of John Wesley, the cofounder of Methodism was back in the 1700s, but he was so concerned about the health of his family of his friends of folks that he fellowship with that he actually wrote a little piece about scalding healthy physic and for segment health. Back then, but he listed 37 principles of being highly healthy and several of them were relational but one that shall really resonate with Jane. It was actually his number one health recommendation is that people should have those who are much about them and around them who are sound sweet and healthy kind like that idea because it is finding those positive relationships, shedding the ones that are dysfunctional that are harmful to you and focusing on the positive is a critical part of our health. Maybe later we can talk about a test that I have the people to take that they can actually measure the physical, emotional, relational and spiritual health. Just to see where you're at because we don't know unless we look at sort like a bicycle tire. If you had just checked there that thing before I Jean and Troy took off the racecar driver is not gonna let it get that far enemy well and I just I know this may sound contradictory that I just mentioned how important it is to have positive relationships and of course, especially with family members are aware outside of our immediate circle. I'm not suggesting to cut people often and to spend time in prayer and that I do that and ask God to help me with that relationship in an IRA.

I wasn't trying to do better. Let's not yeah okay I'm happy that is seen is okay not talking to that will we've had some really good conversations about being fit over 50 out that we touched on anything yet, where mass is specific to 50s is great stuff with Dr. Walt Larimore.

He has written this book for over 50 and we've got that online you can find the link, enter phone number in the episode notes that Walt in your book to John's point fit over 50. Let's get to it you identify five habits that can help us live 10 years longer that that's a nice Dr. transaction. I may have start coming to you but one of those five habits is a tremendous amount of research on this and it's not just for over 50.

In fact, the folks that endorse the book of love and been on this program you think of Pat Morley and Pat Williams and Dr. Gary Chapman Jim Daly Smith once a while we hear there all said, what a terrible title. It shouldn't be that over 50. It should be fit. Overall, because the principles and work for everyone is in particular, these five researchers at Harvard have been for over a decade. Looking at what is it that makes people the most healthy if we had to look at something that would reduce the risk of premature death. The greatest what would it be made identified five habits that they say everyone about should employ number one never smoke never used tobacco, goat or go out with girls and smoker children.

The girls would number two, maintain a normal weight is close to normal writers you possibly can. I don't like that I resemble that from number three daily movement 30 or more minutes of movement some type of exercise five days a week number four no or limited alcohol and number five high quality nutrient dense diet a good nutrition plan and the date on this is stunning. If you look at 50-year-olds. Just as an example, the average male who at 50 is doing these five things will live almost 25 years longer think it is a male who is not doing that and the average female that's doing that will live almost 38 years longer sub 50% eight years, 58% increase in life expectancy starting at age 50. If you do that and so subsequent to the publishing of the book a number of the press phone push the Harvard people miscible. Not everybody can do this or not everyone will do this then look through look around.

What's he is a living longer. If your life quality is terrible.

For example, they said.

And so the researchers Harvard folks actually went back and looked back at the site. What if I'm overweight and I just can't get down to a normal weight and my doomed and so they look back through the data. Six. What if you only have three or what if you have only four of this. Does it still benefit you and without question it does, for example, if you have four of those five and you're a female, then you're looking at another 10 to 11 years of life expectancy over someone who doesn't have having four out of the five having four out of three out of the 53 out of the five your down below 10 years which are still ahead of the curve. So even a few of them makes a difference was even more remarkable was what if you get sick. If you have three of these are for the survivor. This doesn't change illness and the answer is not just yes but oh heavens yes it does so for example with people diagnosed with cancer who had all five they lived 20th half of them with 23 years longer. Of those who did not have any of the five, only half looked about 10 years longer with cancer so you're making the case for sure if the glacier are in the same thing showed up Jim for diabetes for heart disease. Now in our course can get older our wheels are going to get rusty. They're going to get wobbly you know John, you're feeling it when you pointedly asked him self in the mirror is just so that is in great with great you may be a little underweight. Actually, if you want to reduce your risk and the risk of those you love. With premature death. This are five things that you can begin to pick one pick one of the five and concentrate on it and when you conquer it you have fruit there. Go to the next. You implied one and I want to highlight it because my doctor seems to highlight it for me every time I see him it's the DMI I like BMW I don't like DMI so much. What is BMI this is your body mass index is the combination of your weight and height is a mathematical formula that's very complex but there's plenty of charts on the Internet on calculators on what what value is it I mean really well if it helps you with your with a call normal weight versus overweight versus extreme overweight versus obese class one obese class to and morbid obesity with each of those classifications. As you move above normal. Your risk of premature death goes up. And so it can become kind of a way to look at where am I and what do I need to begin to think about class.

Do you think Peter may have missed that vision God gave them. I think he did in the area of kale. I don't think God said the cameras. I think Taylor got setting everything but kale is what anything unclaimed for quitters also delay that you tasted like white heat that put a stumbling block. I am ever in a terrible allergy broccoli. I even under a bad taste in my mouth so uncertain about much at all, and other athletic kale is so what we know you've been courting a theologian about physical health and there are some people in the Christian community are either achingly fatalistic. God knows my days.

So whatever or be what's the use because my physical body doesn't matter what you said. Well, I think the heresy of my physical body that matters been around since the first century because God clearly incarnated, put in to a body into flesh, his only begotten son who was tempted in every way as we are tempted yet did not sin who understand suffering and travails who could have given up the spirit after 10 minutes on the cross, but chose to suffer chose to enter into her suffering.

He has given us a body that he has divinely designed and is divinely designed for it to operate well and when it doesn't. When there are those diseases or disasters or disorders that had us and who comes to my mind, Johnny Erickson, no right who is extremely healthy, not so much physically because of the body because of her quadriplegia, but talk about a woman whose healthy emotionally, relationally, and spiritually highly healthy, even with a body that's not doing well, but with the promise in Scripture that one day each of us will have that body that's whole complete, no more pain, no more suffering no more tears. The physical is critical. God gives us 14 use. I believe to Stewart title mentor, teach me that we always talk about time, treasure and talent.

We don't talk about the temple of the Holy Spirit that we are to Stewart and care for, and the purpose of this book was to help people steward the temple of the Holy Spirit, not just for themselves but as an evangelistic tool. This is a book you can give to your grandparents or aunts and uncles. Your older colleagues because it emphasizes not just the physical but also the relational emotional and spiritual right in word nearing the end. Today Walt Morgan to come back next time and talk to the mental health components those things and continue the physical, but let's turn the corner toward the physical even more so you know weightlifting is something you talk about, and I'm not gravitating jeans, thinking all your cherry picking but weightlifting is something talk about. It's interesting for me but before COBIT I was I was doing well with that writing we did well yeah yeah you were doing, the more of the treadmill and I was in the weight room, yes, but I was also in the way and I don't think you are in the cardiogram when I was intimate because I you know I had a pretty good one hour routine and I was very happy with that.

People I know would say it's great to do weightlifting them, but you need to do more cardio, but you know I only got so much time while you were doing great to speak to the benefit speak to the benefit of weightlifting and next time we'll talk about the benefit so grateful for Dr. Phil, Bishop Phil, I was LSU boy. Phil was an Alabama boy and his ex absent miracle that we could work together didn't LSU when time when it was am glad you brought that up as a mentor but the field exercise physiologist, that's his world is kinesiology's muscles is that this will help, and he makes a point, I think very clearly in the book that you need to combine especially as you mature and sweet talking all of us that you combine that cardio with the weightlifting because if you don't, even with the cardio muscle mass drops 5 to 10% as we age per decade. And so the dangers of that. How many of us don't know a relative or a grandparent or aunt and uncle didn't fall and get injured and we now know, with the right amount of of muscular work that we can reduce the fall risk, but we need to combine the cardio with that entry. What was it that made you want to do both with was your motive for that all probably recognizing the loss of muscle tone in my upper body, especially so I've always loved the walking and treadmill by recognizing that I needed as I have gotten older I used to do a lot of weight training and that stopped while I was raising children, and a lot of things that had a great model you guys have a working out together is Barb and I've started and that of the last decade that's changed our relationship is intrinsic time pressure coming guys listen this understand time pressure but how can you take that time and devoted to the relationship exercise at the same time she really combine some of these things to become more highly alleged true, but I need to make this confession that Jean she would never say this, but she one in high school. ABC Wide World of Sports arm wrestling competition in the 110 pound class and got a trophy whether I've got this little bit of fear that she's gonna like defeat me a great example of the importance of the female in the family is that you become not just your own healthcare quarterback you actually become the family's healthcare quarterback is what makes mama happy makes everyone happy when it that she got a body saying yes there will be penalty to pay and so for the mom's listening and the sisters listing the impact that you can have on the men in your life in each of these areas, not in a nagging rule but you have ways of motivating your kids hand you those you love you Emily and I do is sit ups to condense yesterday was getting old.

I just sent that's River by Greg because I know our son would prefer a bike ride over a lot and I just didn't know you can flip my tire before we left it working right. This is Barb will say he want to go make a walk with me or you want to sleep on the couch. I rarely say no to those in the patient all your great about that. Thank you and held out. This is been so good in word and come back.

Like I said next time talk about mental health issues. The other tires of your analogy, but your book that over 50.

Again, it applies to everybody and I think as a 3040 something you want to have your I am 150 60 and 70s and look like, but set yourself up to succeed in this area. We talk about devotional time and spending time reading the word. Those are all right and good, but spending time on your health and the temple of the Holy Spirit as you've identified is really critical. So thank you for this and will come back next time.

And that hit the issue again. Okay looking for to and meantime, stop by our website for that list of five things that won't referred to earlier.

You'll find the book fit over 50 make simple choices today for a healthier, happier you and an abundance of other resources as well and her number is 800 the letter a in the word family 800-232-6459 or stop by our website and we've got that link in the episode notes John like we often do, if you can make a gift of any amount to support the work.

Your Focus on the Family will send you a copy of Dr. Larimore's wonderful book fit over 50 as our way of saying thank you for partnering with us to help marriages to strengthen parents and to save a child's life. Your donation makes it big difference. And right now we have a matching grant opportunity for you to effectively double your gift so contribute today for contact details in the episode notes on behalf of Jim Daly and the entire team. Thanks for joining us today for Focus on the Family I'm John Fuller inviting you back. As we once again help you and your family thrive in Christ, Danny and Alicia thought their family was done until they listen to Focus on the Family something in that broadcast about being willing to open your heart to child that may need a how and I remember praying in the car.

19 think Lord is the direction that you ever want to take. I know that I'm not today.

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