A story recently ran in Forbe's magazine online that detailed the life of the author's 92-year-old mother in law who still is mostly able to live independently and stay relatively active.
Want to be active at 90+?
She lives in a retirement community but still lives in a separate apartment that allows her to live mostly on her own. The article notes that one of the most important things about continuing to live alone at 92 is she still makes herself move daily.
Every morning, Alice begins her day with a walk on a treadmill. She sets it for about 2 MPH, and even if it hurts, she walks for 15 minutes. She told the author that many days, she would rather just lie down on the couch and sleep. 'But I make myself do it.'
That is just the first part of her daily fitness routine. Next, she goes to the retirement center gym where there is a large pool that she uses for water walking for 45 minutes per day. She does not swim and usually does not get her hair wet, but she exercises in a way that is easy on her joints. Total exercise per day: One hour.
Healthy Diet
Alice also eats right. She eats fruits, vegetables, chicken, lean meat and whole wheat bread. She never eats junk food and never touches sugared soda.
According to the article, here are four key ways that a person well over 80 can continue to stay independent:
- Work out for an hour per day, even if you have sore joints. Do what you can.
- Eat right - no junk food or soda
- Have a good social life - continue to engage with other people and have activities to keep you busy
- Take your medications - whatever your doctor prescribes take it regularly, and add supplements if needed to get all the vitamins and minerals you need
