When you lead a mostly sedentary life, your circulatory system won’t work nearly as well at delivering the necessary oxygen and nutrients to your system as it would if you were more active.  Regular physical activity make your body more efficient at delivering those nutrients and oxygen to your heart, lungs and brain resulting in more energy for you regardless of the activity that you are performing.

If you participate in a regular exercise program like the one offered by the Wilsonville, or if you just decide to take daily brisk walks around the Wilsonville’s beautifully landscaped grounds you’ll begin to develop a more conditioned and more efficient body that will be capable of easily getting through all of your daily tasks and chores with energy to spare.

As an added benefit, if you keep your caloric intake approximately the same after you’ve begun participating in regular exercise, you’ll begin to lose some excess weight.  This means that you’ll not only be able to get through your day’s tasks quicker and easier, but that you’ll look better doing it!

Things change for you as you get older, there are less things that you need to be “on time” for – no job, no alarm clock, less regular activities and less meetings with friends means that you aren’t bound to any kind of schedule – and though that may sound like a blessing, it can really turn your world and your health upside down if you aren’t careful.

If you find yourself having difficulty getting out and getting the activity you need on a regular basis, you need to develop a plan, complete with a schedule (preferably written down so you can actually feel and see it and be held accountable if you fail to meet it).  Try it and you’ll be surprised at just how effective the simple act of writing down a regular schedule can be in terms of keeping you active in your fitness plan.

It also helps if you are in an independent or assisted living community that has regularly scheduled activities to participate in – or a facility like the Wilsonville that has a physical fitness program that residents can participate in to ensure that they get the activity they need to remain mobile and healthy.  A fitness plan can be incredibly beneficial, but the only way it will actually lead to any positive benefits is if you follow it regularly.

photo credit: koalazymonkey

The results of studies published in the April 2010 issue of the journal “Sleep” suggest that performing everyday activities like showering, getting dressed and eating at the same time every day can dramatically improve the quality of sleep that a person gets.  Subjects who followed normal daily routines not only got better overall quality of sleep, but they also fell asleep faster upon getting into bed and spent more of their time in bed sleeping rather than tossing and turning.

You can’t underestimate the impact that getting ample, high quality sleep will have on your life.  With better sleep you have more improved focus, higher energy levels and you are less likely to be moody or short tempered – in short, getting better quality sleep will help to improve your overall quality of life.

That’s a big benefit of living in an independent living or assisted living community that has benefits like a regularly scheduled physical fitness program and regularly scheduled healthy meals.  The helpful staff at the Wilsonville can help you to organize your daily life into a regular routine so that your nights can be more restful and full of high quality sleep – ensuring that you are as happy and as healthy as possible.

photo credit: craigmdennis

The bad news is that there are some contributing factors that lead could lead to osteoporosis that are completely out of your control – things like getting older, going through menopause and your genetics.  For those of us with all of the uncontrollable factors that can contribute to osteoporosis, there is some good news, there are things that you can do that will help you ward off the many negatives associated with the disease.

Getting the right quantity of certain nutrients via a well balanced diet and supplementation can go a long way toward managing the symptoms of osteoporosis and strengthening the bones to prevent fractures.  The Wilsonville provides delicious meals that are designed to be healthy and nutritious and assistance with required medications is provided to ensure the health of the residents.

Exercise is another key component to combating the effects of osteoporosis, the regular activities and the exercise program offered at The Wilsonville are the perfect way to safely and effectively increase strength and improve bone density which will make breaks and fractures far less likely.

Just because there are contributing factors that are beyond the scope of our control, that doesn’t mean that we all need to fall victim to osteoporosis.  A healthy diet, the right supplements and medications and regular activity can help us all fight the effects of osteoporosis and live a more pain free and fulfilling life as we age.

photo credit: patrix

Unfortunately, we can’t completely prevent the effects of aging, but there are certain practices that we can follow that can help to have us feeling as though we are putting off the most common feelings associate with getting older.

A sensible diet including lots of raw fruits and vegetables along with appropriate supplementation and the right amount of exercise can help to keep the negative side effects associated with aging at bay and help to keep body weight in the right range for height.  A sound nutrition plan and regular activity are also associated with the prevention of many diseases.

As people age and need more help with life’s daily processes, the need for proper nutrition and regular activity becomes an even greater necessity.  A stable assisted living atmosphere with an educated and caring staff can help to ensure that residents receive the best possible care in every respect.  This can often mean a reduction in the rate of cognitive and physical decline when compared other less supportive environments.  The staff of the Wilsonville does everything in their power to ensure the health and well being of the residents and does it in an atmosphere that feels as close to home as possible.

photo credit: William Cho

Recent studies suggest that high cholesterol levels in midlife raise the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia in later life.

“What’s good for the heart is good for the mind,” says researcher Rachel Whitmer of Kaiser Permanente. Her study, published in the journal Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, found that even borderline-high cholesterol levels (200 to 239 milligrams per deciliter) in middle age raised the risk of late-life dementia by about 50 percent.

Read the entire article:  Midlife Cholesterol Linked To Dementia : NPR

The scientists are seeking qualified study volunteers.

In earlier animal and human safety trials, a gene therapy drug called CERE-110 was injected into patients’ brains, initially via modified skin cells, later using a harmless viral carrier. CERE-110 carries a gene that promotes long-term production of nerve growth factor (NGF), a natural molecule that helps brain cells live and function longer.

“NGF is known to support the survival and function of the neurons that deteriorate in Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Michael Rafii, an assistant professor in UCSD’s department of neurosciences. “These neurons produce a chemical called acetylcholine, which is important in memory and cognitive function. The hope is that restoration of this system’s function may improve memory in Alzheimer’s patients.”

Read the entire article:  Clinical trial of Alzheimer’s gene therapy moves forward – SignOnSanDiego.com

Neurons in the brain – illustration
Credit: Benedict Campbell. Wellcome Images
images@wellcome.ac.uk