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

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It's been said that with age comes wisdom. Age also brings up some health concerns, especially as years and that's our topic today on Focus on the Family your hostess focus Pres. and Dr. Jim Daly and on John Fuller, John the middle years. I don't like the number you listen.

Turning 50 is definitely a major milestone I'm gliding through this decade 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. I'm far stiffer joints in the muscles that I used to be. It's like what have I done just yardwork. It's that you used to be able to can a weekend warrior it around the house and 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 our ills today, but 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 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.

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 focusonthefamily.com/broadcast to get your copy 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, thank you.

Always a pleasure being here, and I'm excited about the fabulous contents of this book. In 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. Yeah, 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 since poor wrongdoing. Basically good enough 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 different about that in your books 9 and people 38 Baptist churches in one God bless 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 the research project. I was doing some research training at the time so I surveyed 200 healthcare professionals, health policy people in 60 countries around the world. I 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 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 attach quickly to the relational tire and Walt's analogy, which is funny to me because it helped to me as I cam and exercise enough and I'm in 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 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 were peopled by 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 sake of the relational will never move the physical and the next time you have you back will talk about the other two with the relational side of all. For those wills physical, emotional, relational, spiritual, are interconnected. You cannot be healthy in mind 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 and me to the house but she actually did went into the house, you can achieve 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 were saying your wheels are a little wobbly. Get it checked. Let me ask you that Walt 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 a best friend what people lament 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 putt. How do we get into deeper relationship as 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 closeness and the most intimate rested on each other's tests. 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 hate and 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 that 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 of Scripture has 41 and others that work to do with one another.

So it's a critical part.

Now I just want to stay in yard to recover the relationship wheel significantly are 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 for sick 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 help. 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 help just to see where you're at because we don't know most realtors are like a bicycle tire. If you have just checked their thing before you, Jean and Troy took off like a racecar driver is not gonna let it get that far enemy now and I just I 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 be better. Let's not yeah I'm happy that is seen is okay not talking to that person. If uncle 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 fit over 50 and we've got it@focusonthefamily.com/broadcast. Call us if you have any questions 800 K in the word family 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 what of those five habits is a tremendous amount of research on this and it's not just for over 50 fact, the folks that endorse the book of love and then on this program. Think of Pat Morley and Pat Williams and Dr. Gary Chapman Jim Daly Smith once in a while we hear there all said, what a terrible title it should be fit over 50.

It should be fit. Overall, because the principles and work for every one of us, 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 every one of us should employ number one never smoke never used tobacco uncle Claude go out with girls mature girls with number two, maintain a normal weight is close to normal latest you possibly can. I don't like that I resembled a 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 and 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 folk pushed the Harvard people miscible. Not everybody can do this or not everyone will do this when I look through look around. What's is the 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 their data safe. 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 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 that you make in 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 we get older our wheels are going to get rusty. They're going to get wobbly you know John, you're feeling when you have pointedly asked him self in the near yes. 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 BMI guy like BMW. I don't like BMI 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 when what value is it I mean really well. 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. Do you think Peter may have missed that vision God gave him. 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 in a positive way that you tasted like wow why do you put a stumbling block. I am ever in a terrible allergy broccoli. I even under bad taste in my mouth so uncertain about much at all.

In Iraq, but kale is so what we know you've been quoting a theologian about physical health and there are some role in the Christian community who are either achingly fatalistic.

God knows my days.

So whatever or be what's the use because my physical body doesn't matter what he 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, 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 for to 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 in 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, your aunts and uncles. Your older colleagues because it emphasizes not just the physical but also the Russian emotional and spiritual right in word and 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 we know weightlifting is something you talk about, and I'm not gravitating genes thinking all your cherry picking. But that 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 that I don't think you are in the cardiogram to do that when I was intimate because I you and 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 benefits think of the benefit of weightlifting and next time we'll talk about the benefit concert for Dr. Phil, Bishop Phil, I was LSU boy. Phil was an Alabama boy and it's actually absolute miracle that we could work together didn't LSU when is time when it was am glad you brought that up as a mentor but the Phil's 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 looking. All of us that you combine that cardio with the weightlifting because if you don't even look at 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 who 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 injury.

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 in Jebusite 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, CB of the 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.

We got a trophy whether I've got this 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 suffer 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 and will I do is sit upstairs yesterday was getting all that I just sent that's referred 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. I read this blog 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 indentation I would like to add all your great about that.

Thank you that have all 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 fit 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 can 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 it 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. That's focusonthefamily.com/broadcast or call 800 the letter a in the word family and John like we often do, if you can make a gift of any amount to support the work you're 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. And right now we have a matching campaign that is due to the generosity of some friends. He'll match your donations dollar for dollar so please make a generous contribution to date of the work of Focus on the Family and go twice as far as a thank you by sending 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.

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