Mayo Clinic - Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging: How to Find Happiness and Vitality for a Lifetime

MAYO CLINIC
ON HEALTHY
AGING

Edward T. Creagan, M.D., FAAHPM
Medical Editor
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, Minnesota

Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging provides reliable information about dealing with the common physical, emotional and lifestyle-related changes that occur with aging. Much of the information comes directly from the experience of health care professionals at Mayo Clinic. This book supplements the advice of your personal physician, whom you should consult for individual medical problems.

This book does not endorse any company or product. MAYO, MAYO CLINIC and the Mayo triple-shield logo are marks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in review.

For bulk sales to employers, member groups and health-related companies, contact Mayo Clinic Health Solutions, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905, or send an email to SpecialSalesMayoBooks@Mayo.edu.

Published by Mayo Clinic

2013 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013935416

First Edition

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

ISBN ePub edition: 9780795336331

Editorial staff

Medical Editor

Edward T. Creagan, M.D., FAAHPM

Managing Editor

Jennifer L. Duesterhoeft

Product Manager

Christopher C. Frye

Editorial Director

Paula M. Marlow Limbeck

Creative Director

Daniel W. Brevick

Art Director

Richard A. Resnick

Illustrators

Joanna R. King, Michael A. King

Editorial Research

Anthony J. Cook, Amanda K. Golden, Deirdre A. Herman, Erika A. Riggin

Proofreading

Miranda M. Attlesey, Donna L. Hanson, Julie M. Maas

Production

Downtown Bookworks, Inc., New York, NY

Sara N. DiSalvo, project manager

Laura J. Smyth, production perdson

Contributing Editors and Reviewers

Julie A. Abbott, M.D.

Amindra S. Arora, M.B., B.Chir.

Ananda Basu, MBBS, M.D.

Brent A. Bauer, M.D.

J. Michael Bostwick, M.D.

Robert D. Brown, M.D.

Erik P. Castle, M.D.

April Chang-Miller, M.D.

Darryl S. Chutka, M.D.

Bart L. Clarke, M.D.

Stephanie S. Faubion, M.D.

Jean C. Fox, M.D.

Martha Grogan, M.D.

David S. Knopman, M.D.

Keith G. Kramlinger, M.D.

Edward R. Laskowski, M.D.

Mark Liebow, M.D.

Scott C. Litin, M.D.

Charles L. Loprinzi, M.D.

David E. Midthun, M.D.

Jennifer K. Nelson, R.D., L.D.

Paul D. Pettit, M.D.

Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D.

Lynne T. Shuster, M.D.

Paul Y. Takahashi, M.D.

John M. Wilkinson, M.D.

Indexer

Steve Rath

Administrative Assistant

Beverly J. Steele

Preface

This book is one of the most important purchases youll ever make. Why? Because it can help ensure that your later years are some of your best years.

Everybody knows the numbers; everybody reads the newspapers. We all know that individuals are living far longer now than in any time in history. We all know that modern medicine and technologies have pushed the envelope so that many people are still finding themselves well into their 80s and 90s. Does this happen by luck? Is this a roll of the dice? Absolutely not.

Living healthy isnt simply a reflection of personal genetics. It results from a combination of many factors including fitness, nutrition, preventive care, your personal outlook and your relationships - in addition to genetic influences. In other words, good health and well-being are generally the result of smart decisions and the right attitude.

The Mayo Clinic Plan for Healthy Aging is a compass. Its an instruction manual to help guide you and give you the tools you need to live life to its maximum - to do the things youve always wanted to do.

This book provides you the motivation, energy and knowledge to craft a future thats fulfilling and invigorating - no matter what that may be. The dedicated individuals who put this book together want you to fully enjoy what can be the most creative and meaningful years of your life.

The ball is in your court. Your hands are at the helm. The quality of your life now and in the future depends on the choices that you make today. Choose wisely!

Good luck and all the best as your personal journey unfolds.

Edward T. Creagan, M.D., FAAHPM
Medical Editor

Table of contents

Part 1

Taking charge of your future

Chapter 1

Its all about attitude

You dont like the thought of growing older? Well, guess what? You dont have to. Sure, the calendar may remind you that another year has passed, but that doesnt mean that you have to act, feel or look like youre old.

Getting older is a choice, not a sentence. You can just as easily make up your mind and tell your body to remain at age 50 the rest of your life, as you can accept the physical and mental declines associated with passage into your 60s, your 70s, your 80s and beyond.

The truth is, aging isnt a roll of the dice. You dont have to get old, if you dont want to. Thats because getting older doesnt inevitably lead to dis-ease, decline and dependence, as so many people believe. No matter what your chronological age, you can continue to enjoy good health, happiness and an active lifestyle.

Think about it. The years ahead can truly be a time of growth, creativity and renewal. Now that your children are grown up and out of the house and with more time on your hands, you finally can take the time to do the things you always wanted to do. For many people, these years present an opportunity to explore and discover new things, pursue long-awaited goals, nurture relationships and live with a keener sense of purpose and meaning. The golden years can be rich, indeed.

If you havent yet reached retirement, itll come sooner than you think and its never too early to start thinking ahead. To truly enjoy the years that await you, its important to make good choices now that will lead you down the right path.

This book explores many aspects of what you need to do and need to know to live stronger, longer and healthier at any age! The chapters that follow will provide you with tips, tools and strategies to help you feel young for years to come. Keep in mind, theres no single definition of successful aging. The process unfolds continually and varies from one person to another. If youve got the right attitude, the choices you make will be the right ones.

To get the most out of whats often termed the best years of your life, your first challenge is to examine your ideas and attitudes about aging.

A new perspective on age-old questions

Since the dawn of history, philosophers, poets, scientists and explorers have set out to understand the mysteries of aging. What does it mean to grow older? How can we live longer? What creates fulfilling later years? Though no one has discovered the Fountain of Youth yet, ideas about age have certainly changed.

Whats old?

Wearing tight jeans and a leather jacket, Mick Jagger can tear up the stage and work a crowd into a frenzy. Is this guy old? Most people would say no. But Jagger is turning 70. Some of his contemporaries in their 60s and early 70s: Robert De Niro, Paul McCartney, Cher, Harrison Ford, Martha Stewart, Bruce Springsteen and Sigourney Weaver. Little Richard, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman and Clint Eastwood are even older. They are the new faces of old.