Efforts to keep healthy/living

No Janea! I meant 'placebo'!
gonegirl Haha! Sorry! My bad, as they say

My mum didn't know about diets or healthy eating. She didn't like cooking but she baked a lot. She didn't use face creams and make up. She lived to be 100. Not too bad. My sister was 79, my middle sister is 83 and I'm 78 . Mums philosophy didn't do us any harm. She did believe in doing nothing. We were all taught to keep ourselves busy.

I have had dogs all my life so have always walked but this year I have joined the Walk 1000 Miles in 2019. I have increased the pace and distance I am walking and am amazed at how much better I feel both physically and mentally

I dontb eat much meat, eat lots of veg but rarely eat fruit, just dont like it, stopped smoking about 5 years ago, dont drink, apart from the occasional baileys
I rode a bike for a lot of years to work, i take Vit D prescribed by my Dr, not on any other meds, but recently told i was pre diabetic, probably due to my sweet tooth, so i have cut down a lot on them
MY only health problem is Haemochromatosis,[ iron overload ] so have to have about a pint of blood taken when my ferritin gets too high which is rarely, it doesnt affect me at all ,although my twin sons have it and lots of health problems connected with it
I walk everyday with my little dog who is quite old and going blind, so not such long walks at the moment
I am only 5ft tall and just put a bit of weight on, which i will probably lose in summer when i am more active in the garden etc
My main problem is that my hair is thinning, again genetic,always looked after my skin though, and have very few wrinkles, but a bit of sagging of jowls,
I am often told i dont look my age
I do think genes come into it, my mum lived to 96, and her mother to 91, i am 76 next week

I have done nothing special. I do eat well and have a daily glass of. Guiness and red wine with my dinner. Keep an active mind. I shall be 96 in May.

All these posts seem to me to show how much is down to sheer chance, tho I take my fair share of vitamins myself.

Most adults, esp women, take sensible care of themselves,
But I do think that with the exception of a few well known hereditary conditions too much can be claimed for genetics, making it a feel-good factor for some and a worry for others.
For our own generation for instance, much of our parents’ and grandparents’ long term health must have been dependent on how heavily they smoked, which was very heavily for most in the cities during the war, not their own genes.
There are also the l/term effects of industrial and environmental pollution about which little is known. Unclear how all this can be weighted against our gymn-going and turmeric.

I take Vit D every day on advice of doctor who thinks everyone over 50 should take it.
Other than that just my Yoga which is brilliant & I've been doing it for decades & I do a dance class once a week too.
I do miss dog walking as we only have cats now but don't need the tie of a dog now.
I'm sure the wine & gin help too!! ( only at weekends)

I have always been healthy, no serious illness...don't smoke and hardly ever drink...don't eat sugar or processed food, but at the age of 72 have developed unexplained peripheral neuropathy. All blood tests good and blood sugar low;; no sign of diabetes or low levels of vitamin B12 or D3. Doctors suggest nothing but pills to help pain with very unpleasant side effects, which I try not to take. Husband, also fit, developed unexplained blood problem leading to treatments and blood transfusions over ten years and died four years ago. I still try to eat as healthily as possible and have always looked after skin and protected it over the years and I will say that it has paid off. I do think it is important not to take very high dose multivitamins unless a deficiency is diagnosed. I did this and have heard that too much B6 long term may lead to neuropathy.

I am nearly 68. I still work full time. I don't have central heating...just a multifuel burner on my lovely narrow boat that I have lived on for nearly two years. I have been veggie for nearly 40 years and vegan last five months. I never get colds. I do take a multivitamin a couple of times a week...mainly for the iron which can lack in my diet. Yes I look after my health. It is important to eat healthily and you don't have to spend a fortune to do so.

I lived in a caravan once, with just a little coke stove to keep warm. Happy days.

I was 80 last December and until June of last year had never had any health problems but then I developed polymyalgia which took a long time to be diagnosed- however after starting to take steroid tablets every day I felt as though I was back to normal. Then in November I had a bad chest infection and muscle aches from that only disappeared 2 weeks ago.
Now feeling ok again so hope it stays that way
Do not do anything to stay healthy apart from going to a Move it or lose it class each week and trying to have a reasonably healthy diet.
I feel fortunate to have got to this age without too many health problems in the past

You are doing well Chino.

Longevity is not in my family tree so I've already got a bad hand dealt to me in that regard. I practice yoga regularly, I used to run but I broke my foot and lost my fitness streak. I try to maintain a better skin routine since I looked in the mirror in a very unflattering light and gave myself a kick up the bum. I take a generic multivitamin and cod liver oil. I have no idea if this helps but if it does then its not a bad thing.
I'd be interested to know if I should consider taking specific vitamins after reading this thread and the popularity of vitamin D. Anyone know of a way to get an idea on that? ?

I think it has a lot to do with your genes. However, I've kept my weight down, do some dancing, keep my hair from going grey and reckon I could pass for ten year's younger. I dress smartly and wear makeup every day whether I'm going out, or not. I wouldn't say that I eat healthy foods but staying active helps. I like the sun, which goes against me and I love chocolate . . . but hey, you have to have some vices!!!

I started taking turmeric and black pepper tablets for my arthritic fingers some months ago. I didn’t notice any difference for three or four months, but I recently noticed that my swollen knuckles weren’t anything like as swollen as they have been, and I certainly haven’t had as much pain in my hands as in the past. It seems to be working!!

itsmyfirstrodeo you can buy test kits for vit d online. This is one. betteryou.com/vitamin-d-testing-service

This is my favourite curry cook-book.

Lots of healthy eating recipes.

I am also watching Parveen's Indian Kitchen on Sunday mornings and just HAD to have one of these

I've never enjoyed sport or exercise so it's always been an effort to make myself do them . I've never had a weight problem so losing weight wasn't an incentive although I'm naturally active and do a lot of gardening.
I tend to view supplements as snake oil. My mother spends a fortune on them with no discernable results.
I do eat a fairly healthy diet.

I was pretty healthy apart from asthma until it started going downhill in my early 50s. Now 60 I have Rheumatoid arthritis, osteo-arthritis and arrythmia. I take a load of drugs and more drugs to counter the side effects. Mostly is fine and manageable but I do fear the future and hate the drugs.

So in the last year or two I've made changes. I discovered Pilates and do two classes a week, I walk every day and go to the gym once or twice a week (I loathe it but still go).

I try to be healthy. I will be 70 this year. I've never smoked, I'm probably about half a stone overweight but try hard to keep it down. I walk every day and eat quite healthily. I have two bad habits - excessive worrying and probably too much . My mum never drank or smoked and was dead at 58. My father was a chain smoking alcoholic and lived to be 70.

The last two weeks have restarted my healthy plan after Christmas food was used up. I like to walk and to do some exercises have a dvd of Thai chi which I exercise with.
My hair is short and grey and I visit my hairdresser every five weeks.
I live a positive lifestyle with positive thoughts.
Take statin, and calcium tablets which are taken from October to May usually but had a fall 4 years ago broke my hip. So have to take them all the time. Have learnt not to stress too much.

Of course I disagree Gabrielle I do believe supplements make a difference. At 29 my husband was nearly crippled with back pain then he started taking cod liver oil off the spoon and has done ever since. Apart from a twinge on very rare occasions he has had a life free of back pain and he is now 75. His father had ankolosing spondolitis and was bent double DH discovered he also has the condition but thankfully due to the CLO it has never caused him any trouble.
We take a probiotic, vit E, vitD3, multi vit and I take CLO in a capsule. I'm considering taking tumeric as DH doesn't like curry or the smell.

Recipe from the cookbook Maerlot mentioned. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/6465024/Anglo-Indian-chef-creates-worlds-healthiest-meal-a-curry.html

Oh Sheila how does one learn not to stress? Wish I knew.

Also, lots of people talking on here about cod liver oil. What's the difference between that and omega 3 oil, or do some people take both?

What a useful thread this is.

I take Omega 3. I'm not sure if it's the same as cod liver oil.

Explanation of the difference here. I know it's a selling site but the explanation is good. www.simplysupplements.co.uk/healthylife/infographics/cod-liver-oil-or-omega-3