From The Berkeley Wellness Letter The Wellness Guide to Multivitamin/Mineral Pills :

It’s possible—and preferable—to get your nutrients from a healthy, balanced diet. But surveys show that many Americans fall short in a variety of key vitamins and minerals. Moreover, recent research has underscored the importance of some of these nutrients, notably vitamin D and folic acid. And some studies suggest that people who take multivitamin/mineral pills have a lower risk of several diseases, including colon cancer and possibly cardiovascular disease, and may have a better immune response.

Consider taking a multi if you are in one of these groups:

People over 60.

Women of childbearing age.

Pregnant or breast-feeding women

Strict vegetarians

People on weight-loss diets

Anyone not eating a balanced diet

They add: “But keep in mind: Even if you take a multi, you still need to have a healthy, balanced diet. These pills are not magic bullets. Foods—particularly fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—provide fiber as well as countless beneficial phytochemicals not found in any pill.”

Even if you think you are eating a balanced diet, if you buy your food at a supermarket you might be surprised to learn that the food might not have the nutritional content you expect. In the article Recommended Vitamins and Minerals for Women - Why You Can’t Get the Nutrients You Need From Food Alone Womens Media:

“Does your lifestyle really allow you to eat 6-11 servings of bread, cereal and pasta, and 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, along with 2-3 servings of milk, yogurt and cheese and the same amount of meat, poultry, fish or other protein foods? Do you eat like that? Do you want to? Are you active enough to consume that much food and maintain your “ideal” weight?

Your body needs a fairly precise mix of 59 nutrients daily including 13 vitamins and 22 minerals. Here’s why you can’t get them from food alone.”

Learn more here with a Google Search on Multivitamins and Womens Health.

In the Woman’s Day article 20 Minutes to a Better Body the author offers a simple total-body workout in just 5 moves. No expensive gym membership is needed, just a pair of dumbbells from 5 to 8 pounds. Each exercise described is low impact, and included in the article is a photo slideshow where the exercises are demonstrated. After a few weeks on this exercise plan you should see (and measure) positive results.

If you want to mix a bit of social interaction with your fitness, why not join a fitness class at your local gym or continuing education center? Tai Chi is becoming very popular, and most cities have classes available. Tai Chi Moves Seniors into Healthful Positions details the health benefits for older people :

“Researchers reported in a recent Annals of Behavioral Medicine that Tai Chi movements helped seniors improve their physical functioning. Ninety-six healthy, but inactive adults ages 65 to 96 were assigned to either a 6-month Tai Chi class or a control group. At the end of the study, more than half of those enrolled in the Tai Chi class who had reported functional limitations at the start of the study indicated improvement. This is consistent with other studies showing the benefits of Tai Chi for seniors — most notably, in reducing falls.”

The benefits of keeping healthy as you grow older are many, and it can be as simple as spending 20 or 30 minutes a day.

First, increase calcium intake to offset the natural loss of calcium from bones.

Next, add fiber to your diet to lower cholesterol levels and to help prevent colon cancer.

Finally, watch the calories to keep you slim, trim, and flexible.

The Weight-control Information Network (WIN) has put together a very useful guide to healthy nutrition called Young at Heart: Tips for Older Adults which provides an easy to understand and to follow guide to eating healthy as you get older.

Tips range from deciding what is a healthy weight, planning and preparing your meals, and how to safely and easily add exercise to your fitness routine. If you feel like learning more about nutrition and aging they also have a comprehensive list of links including additional reading for nutritonal health, plus related topics of interest.

From the Royal National Institute of the Blind fact sheet: Understanding age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Broadly speaking, there are two types of macular degeneration or AMD, usually referred to as “wet” and “dry”. This is not a description of what the eye feels like but what the ophthalmologist (eye specialist) can see when looking at the macula.

“Dry” AMD is the most common form of the condition. It develops very slowly causing gradual loss of central vision. Many people find that the vision cells simply stop working like the colours fading in an old photograph. There is no medical treatment for this type. However, aids such as magnifiers can be helpful with reading and other small detailed tasks.

“Wet” AMD results in new blood vessels growing behind the retina, this causes bleeding and scarring, which can lead to sight loss. “Wet” AMD can develop quickly and sometimes responds to treatment in the early stages. It accounts for about 10 per cent of all people with AMD.

This condition is more prevalent in women than men but there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. From the National Eye Institute:
Your lifestyle can play a role in reducing your risk of developing AMD.

• Eat a healthy diet high in green leafy vegetables and fish.
• Don’t smoke.
• Maintain normal blood pressure.
• Watch your weight.
• Exercise.

AMD is detected during a comprehensive eye exam that includes a visual acuity test, a dilated eye exam, and tonometry. According to the National Institutes of Health on Age-related Macular Degeneration “You should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Your eye care professional can monitor your condition and check for other eye diseases. You may also be advised to take the AREDS supplementation.”

In the article Even Light Exercise Can Decrease a Woman’s Risk for Heart Disease, Dr. Joseph Mercola explains “Current guidelines for physical activity recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise such as brisk walking, on most days of the week. Previous guidelines recommended vigorous activity such as jogging or cycling, for at least 20 minutes three times a week to lower heart disease risk.” I know it is hard find time to exercise, but simply taking a walk around the neighborhood can help lead to better health.

Another benefit of light exercise for women is helping reduce the risk of osteoporosis. “Exercise is essential for reducing the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease in post-menopausal women” according to Dr Karen Birch, Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of Leeds.

In the article Light to moderate exercise key to health in post-menopausal women Dr. Birch states “It is essential that women exercise moderately before and during the onset of menopause,’ argues Dr Birch. ‘Post-menopause, the loss of the hormone oestrogen results in a reversal of the protective effects. Women’s bone mineral density begins to decrease, their arteries begin to become stiffer, their cholesterol levels begin to rise and their risk of becoming diabetic increases. These physiological changes are much slower in women who participated in an active lifestyle prior to the menopause than in those who were inactive.”

You’ve worked hard to get to this point in your life. Make the best of it by enjoying a healthy body!

BBC Women’s Health Guide - excellent general guide to women’s health issues
IVillage Women’s Health Issues - guide for women of all ages, plus methods of dealing with womens health issuses, and active message boards where you can ask questions and discuss health topics.

CDC Women’s Health - this site is the official site of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and you’ll find links to the extensive information available on women’s health issues.

From the English women’s magazine Saga, the article It’s Never Too Late - How exercise prolongs active life and why now is the right time to get going :
“It may feel natural to slow down a little as you grow older, but the reality is that after the age of 50, we need more exercise, not less. This is because exercise is the way to slow the decline in muscle strength that accelerates as we grow older.

Those who lead a sedentary lifestyle run serious risks of damaging their health in many ways. Being inactive means running a higher risk of developing obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and depression. But by the same token, research clearly shows that even moderate amounts of physical activity have enormous health benefits, not just for the body, but for the mind too.

And it’s never too late to start. Even people in their 80s and 90s have been shown to regain muscle strength and mobility by regular, gentle exercise.”

The secret of weight loss is that muscles burn calories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When your body is fit it naturally burns more calories, keeping you slim and trim and feeling your best.

Walking up stairs burns 70 calories, while playing with the kids results in 50 calories burned.

And everyone’s favorite activity, passionate sex, burns 45 calories in 10 minutes, if it lasts that long

Click here for the calorie burning chart from Health Magazine.