Older People Make the Most of Life

As seen in USA Today
By Brandon Smith and Victoria Rodriguez

"Think you are happy now? Just wait. The best emotional times come later in life, according to the Gallup-Healthways well-being index.

The oldest group outscored the other three age groups in emotions, which was one of six categories measured in a sweeping study on well-being. Out of a possible score of 100, the 65-and-older age group scored 83. Those 45-64 had the lowest score, 76.

Credit experience, says Kay McCurdy, 72, of Springfield, VA. "You shift your idea of what a good life is into what you can have as a good life," McCurdy says. "You get realistic."

Elisabeth Burnett, 73, a neighbor of McCurdy's at the Greenspring retirement home in the Washington metro area, says having a strong emotional life takes a hefty dose of true grit. Burnett has a daughter going through divorce and has had to bury another grown child, yet she says she looks ahead with hope and joy.

"Today is the gift," Burnett says. "I think that's a kind of wisdom that comes with age that I may have had as a young person, but I didn't exercise as much as I do now."

Randy Weadon, 84, says honesty and discipline turned his sad life around. After going into diabetic shock one night and nearly dying, he started walking, lost 50 pounds and eventually got off insulin. He walks 7 miles a day to keep his weight down.

"I'm happier," says Weadon, also a Greenspring resident. "I have a better opinion of myself, and just all in all I'm a new person."

Comments

Your posture affects your mood

Poor Posture, Poor Mood Whenever you’re sitting at a computer, be conscious of your posture and keep your feet evenly planted on the ground. As many people are finding themselves spending more time sitting slumped behind a screen or standing on their feet for hours on end without a break, paying attention to your posture is more important than ever. If you’ve never thought much about whether you’re sitting or standing stance is doing harm to your health, you might want to start before you find yourself in a bad mood. Whenever you’re sitting at a computer, be conscious of your posture and keep your feet evenly planted on the ground. Each time we lean forward 60 degrees, the stress placed on our neck is increased dramatically. This can lead to numbness, pain, pinched nerves and improper breathing—none of which are good for your mood! Stress on your neck can also lead to tense upper back and shoulder muscles, resulting in headaches which can be very frequent for som...

Tips on Designing a Healthier Workspace

What’s Bringing on Your Back Pain?

Struggling to find the source of your back pain? Schedule a visit with our practice. Many people with sudden, acute back pain think, “But gosh, I didn’t even do anything!” What many folks don’t know, or understand, is that it’s not always a case of what you did five minutes ago, or what you did yesterday, or even what you did last week that’s causing the current problem; it’s more a case of “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” no pun intended! Discovering the Cause Sometimes it’s chronic stress that wreaks havoc on your nervous system and finally causes your back to “go out” or a “pain in your neck” because of the strain of carrying the weight of all that stress on your back and neck. Let’s use an everyday example to demonstrate. You go to the local eatery and put your purchase on your bank debit card. All of a sudden, bells and whistles go off because you didn’t have enough money in your account to cover that charge. It’s not this charge that “broke the bank,” it’s all t...

Diamond Chiropractic

Search This Blog