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Most 50-year-olds have a decent chance of making it to age 90. Is life at that age a pleasure? It can be.
By Barry Ramo, M.D.
Newsweek
Updated: 1:08 p.m. ET Jan. 9, 2005Jan. 9 - At the end of a long day my last patient was a 50-year-old woman named Jolene Manning, an executive at one of the labs at my medical center. Jolene came for an evaluation of a heart rhythm problem that was easily taken care of. But her overall health troubled me. She had the metabolic syndrome: overweight, high blood pressure, high triglycerides and a blood sugar that portends diabetes. It affects nearly one in four Americans and dramatically increases the risk for heart attack and stroke. Jolene also had a high-stress job and a family history of stroke. It was clear that this intelligent, capable woman knew that she had to act to regain her health. But like many of my patients in their 50s and 60s, she lacked the motivation to confront the solutions. I scheduled her for additional tests and walked out wondering what I could do to help her change her life.
I found the answer in a letter on my desk. The letter held a clipping from The Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal. It had a picture of a thin, fit old man. “Winningest Coach in New Mexico history turns 90!” the caption said. On the bottom, my patient Ralph Boyer had written, “Thanks for keeping me going, Doc.” In truth, he and I both knew that his good health was his own doing. Like most healthy seniors, Ralph sees a clear link between how he lives and how he feels. Middle-aged patients too often don’t.
What could people like Jolene learn from people like Ralph? I’ve been interviewing patients to find out, and I’ve learned some valuable lessons. Most 50-year-olds stand a decent chance of living until 90. And 90 can mean frail, demented and lonely, or it can mean active, fulfilled and engaged. In my experience, people who age successfully are not just lucky. They’re motivated to take care of themselves. They understand that living healthfully is not a burden but a pleasure. They challenge themselves—and they revel in their own success. How can the rest of us emulate them? The insights I’ve gained boil down to four basic rules.
Know your numbers. Your weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol all have profound effects on your health—and the goals are essentially the same for an 80-year-old as they are for a 50-year-old. So don’t stop counting. If you’re overweight, buy a scale, set a modest goal, and meet it. Jolene felt powerless to change when I confronted her with her options six months ago. But once she saw what she could do for herself, everything changed. She joined Weight Watchers, which provided a peer group, a definite goal (20 percent weight loss) and a clear strategy for getting there. Losing weight improved her other risk factors, and it rekindled her interest in her clothes and appearance. She now takes care of herself not just to ward off illness but to keep herself energetic and attractive.
Make a plan. Exercise doesn’t just happen—you have to do it on purpose. Some of my patients set daily goals for walking, and use pedometers to monitor their mileage. And many discover that it’s easier to stay motivated if they don’t exercise alone. Jolene experienced more pain than pleasure when she first took up walking. But that changed when she found a friend to walk with and started losing weight. Now she is addicted to physical activity, because she feels so much better.
Face facts. That means having the courage to see your doctor for examinations, and hearing results that you may not like. When Ralph was 88 years old, he developed a melanoma that might well have killed him if it hadn’t been diagnosed and treated. “When you have something wrong,” he says, “you take care of it.”
Make connections. People who age successfully keep their minds, relationships and passions in high gear. Instead of sitting in front of television sets, they keep up with friends and relatives. They take part in churches, synagogues or volunteer organizations. And they nurture whatever talents they possess. Morris Gerber is a 92-year-old professional violinist who stands 4 foot 9 (“with heels”). When I ask him about his passions, he points to his wife, who is only 83. Morris had an aortic valve replaced last year. Many experts would discourage such a procedure in a man of his age. But Morris insisted on it, explaining that he still has “much more to do.” Now armed with a new valve and a pacemaker, he plays his violin every day.
Studies confirm what these patients’ stories suggest: the way we age is a matter of choice, not just genes or luck. We may not all age as well as Ralph or Morris, but that’s no excuse for giving up at 50 or 60 or 70. Besides reducing your odds of disability, the steps you take now will help keep you passionate about life as you age. Living well always beats the alternative. If nothing else, we should think about the example we’re setting for our children.
Ramo practices cardiology at the New Mexico Heart Institute, in Albuquerque.
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.
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