Efforts to keep healthy/living

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!!

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!!!

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? ?

You are doing well Chino.

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

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

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 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 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)

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 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.

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 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

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.

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

Gabrielle, that's not true of all supplements. I have osteoporosis and before I could begin treatment I had to take a seven week course of high dose vit d and calcium because a blood test showed my vit d levels were too low.
After the treatment the levels had increased from 34 to 137 so those supplements certainly worked.
My dentist also recommended a vit c supplement to sort out a gum problem. That worked as well so I wouldn't dismiss all supplements. I agree though that some are useless. Multivitamins don't do much and it's better to eat a healthy diet but some obviously do help if you happen to be deficient.
I do twenty minutes a day on a treadmill, attend a tai chi class and tend my garden in the warmer months. I also try to eat a healthy, mainly vegetarian diet but at 75 I do suffer with IBS and acid reflux which was caused by the initial tablets for the osteoporosis, hence my GP switching me to intravenous infusions.
I take probiotics, make my own kefir but still the croaky voice persists so have to take omeprazole which I hate taking but it's the only thing that controls it.
I also take collegen supplements for skin, nails and hair and keep my clothes, makeup and hair modern without following every trend.
I look after my skin but don't spend a fortune on expensive creams and people are always surprised to learn my age. That, or they're being very kind!

I do think it's genes really, with the exception of gross obesity, general excesses & underlying medical issues. We don't have longivity in our family, heart disease & high blood pressure.
I'm not into healthy lifestyle as such, never been on a diet, used to smoke, moderate drinker in the past, no supplements,( I'm a nurse) but i do walk the dog everyday & swim once a week. I love food, i eat a variety of anything i fancy, i like to cook, (no ready meals). I eat chocolate most days. I can't drink coffee as it irritates my stomach, nothing else does! I do drink tea & lots of water.
I'm with gonegirl on the running, bad for joints & breasts!
A positive happy disposition keeps us healthy too..

I aim to run three times a week for 30 minutes (have been doing this for the past 5 months and feel better for it). I use the gym for the exercise bike and rowing machine about twice a week. DH and I regularly go on 5 to 6 mile hikes about twice a month. I attend one dance class a week. My problem is strength and as I detest weights have booked myself in to a Pilates class to see if that will help. I am trying hard at 63 to do as much as I can regarding diet too but probably drink too much wine three times a week and more when on holiday. Ouch!

I also supplement with Vitamin D3 - as per the NHS guidelines for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere (between October and early March). Would rather rely on NHS advice than the Mail.

(I was joking. Sort of)

Actually I have heard that agricultural soil in which our fruit and vegetables grow is not only depleted but also full of chemicals. This means you do not get all the goodness you need from your diet, however healthy it looks. You should always eat organic vegetables and fruit if possible.
l was driving along a country road in Cyprus a couple of years ago and saw a wonderful healthy lot of cabbages growing nearby, Then I saw a man walking along the rows wearing a mask and he had a large container of something on his back from which he was diligently spraying them all. A shop in the nearby village was full of healthy looking produce, but I would never have bought any of it.

No Janea! I meant 'placebo'!

Im 59 have been excercising for years especially the HIT workouts i weigh 8 st so being petite thats about right im still a size 8/10. Take no pills. Stopped drinking wine and never felt better. I think keeping active is the key as the chinese say keep moving .

I’m afraid I don’t set much store by anything the Daily Mail publishes.
The NHS advice is that most people do need to supplement Vitamin D especially in the winter months and there is evidence emerging of it having a wider role than of simply regulating calcium levels in the body.
www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-vitamin-d#reduces-depression

I retired 7 years ago and feel better physically and mentally now than I did then.
I think this is due to spending more (a lot) of time outdoors, more exercise, and a better diet. And less stress from not having to go to work.
I presume gonegirl that by the p-word you mean that form of exercise that is quite similar to yoga.
All I can say is that as we get older, prevention of falls is one of the most important factors in warding off frailty & immobility & maintaining quality of life, and anything that improves strength, flexibility and helps to maintain muscle mass is a good thing.

Biggest effort I made to my old age (68)....started by NOT learning to drive. I walk between 4/7 miles a day in my ordinary life style...I swim 3 times a week @ 7.30 am ...and cycle anywhere I need in local area. Don’t take vitamins ...eat very little amounts of food as hate cooking ...find the whole business of shopping for ...cooking it....eating....and clearing up afterwards is a time consuming nightmare when I could be gardening or reading or seeing to my grandkids!! Don’t ‘watch’ what I eat as I’m not interested enough. I think I have a healthy dislike of the whole food business/industry... and therefore don’t overeat. So to sum up....less food in mouth and more exercise...it’s helped to keep me relatively healthy although arthritis is beginning to give me trouble. Must have the only doctor who tells one to take less exercise!Hes on a hiding-to-nothing. Go out with a bang not a whimper!