When British resident FaujaSingh retired from farming, he spent a lot of time caring for his family.

And he had more time to rediscover pastimes he used to enjoy, like running.

So at 89 years old, he

put on a pair of

sneakers and a three

piece suit and showed

up at a local running

club event.

The runners kindly

advised him of more

suitable running attire

and welcomed him to

the club.

Since then, Singh has

finished dozens of

26.2-mile international

marathons, and at 101

years old he finally

decided it was time to

stick with shorter

races.

Singh credits his longevity to not smoking, not drinking

alcohol, and following a healthy diet.

Eating healthy and getting regular exercise really is the secret to

aging well. As you age, you lose more lean muscle tissue and

your metabolism slows.

That means you

need to adjust

your diet and

exercise habits

to protect your

health.

Here are some things you can do…

M a i n t a i n a h e a l t h y w e i g h t

I f y o u a r e o v e r w e i g h t o r o b e s e , y o u i n c r e a s e y o u r r i s k f o r h e a r t d i s e a s e ,

d i a b e t e s , s t r o k e , h i g h b l o o d p r e s s u r e , a n d m a n y o t h e r p r e v e n t a b l e h e a l t h

c o n d i t i o n s . Y o u c a n d e t e r m i n e w h a t y o u r i d e a l w e i g h t s h o u l d b e b y c a l c u l a t i n g

y o u r B o d y M a s s I n d e x . I t ’ s a s i m p l e m e a s u r e m e n t b a s e d o n a r a t i o o f y o u r

h e i g h t a n d w e i g h t . T h i s e a s y - t o - u s e c a l c u l a t o r f r o m t h e N a t i o n a l H e a r t , L u n g ,

a n d B l o o d I n s t i t u t e w i l l h e l p y o u d e t e r m i n e y o u r B M I . O n c e y o u k n o w y o u r

B M I y o u c a n s e t a g o a l t o l o s e w e i g h t , m a i n t a i n y o u r w e i g h t , o r g a i n a l i t t l e

w e i g h t i f n e c e s s a r y .

G e t r e g u l a r e x e r c i s e

Y o u d o n ’ t h a v e t o r u n a m a r a t h o n l i k e

F a u j a S i n g h , b u t y o u d o n e e d t o s t a y

a c t i v e . T h e C e n t e r s f o r D i s e a s e C o n t r o l

a n d P r e v e n t i o n r e c o m m e n d s a t l e a s t 3 0

m i n u t e s o f m o d e r a t e p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t y a

d a y . B r i s k w a l k i n g , a e r o b i c s , s w i m m i n g ,

o r c y c l i n g a r e e x c e l l e n t a c t i v i t i e s . E v e n

g a r d e n i n g a n d d o i n g c h o r e s a t a f a s t e r

p a c e c o u n t s . I t ’ s a l s o i m p o r t a n t t o d o

s t r e n g t h b u i l d i n g e x e r c i s e s o n a t l e a s t

t w o d a y s a w e e k . S i m p l e b o d y w e i g h t

e x e r c i s e s a r e e n o u g h t o h e l p y o u

m a i n t a i n y o u r m u s c l e m a s s a n d k e e p

y o u r b o n e s s t r o n g .

E a t a h e a l t h y d i e t

A s y o u a g e , y o u r c a l o r i e n e e d s w i l l c h a n g e . M o s t o l d e r p e o p l e n e e d t o e a t

f e w e r c a l o r i e s t o m a i n t a i n a h e a l t h y w e i g h t a n d g e t a l l t h e n u t r i e n t s t h e y

n e e d f o r b e s t h e a l t h .

B u t i t ’ s s t i l l i m p o r t a n t t o

e a t a b a l a n c e d d i e t m a d e u p

o f f r u i t s a n d v e g e t a b l e s ,

w h o l e g r a i n s , n u t s a n d

s e e d s , l e g u m e s , l o w - f a t d a i r y

o r s o y p r o d u c t s .

L e a n s m e a t s a n d s k i n l e s s

p o u l t r y a n d f i s h a r e g o o d

t o o .

Y o u r d o c t o r m a y a l s o r e c o m m e n d t h a t y o u f o l l o w a s p e c i f i c d i e t t o c o n t r o l

c h o l e s t e r o l , b l o o d p r e s s u r e , b l o o d s u g a r l e v e l s , a n d o t h e r b i o m a r k e r s t o

p r o t e c t y o u r h e a l t h .

If you need a little help figuring out what to make for your next meal and you don’t want to dirty up the

kitchen or make an oversized meal with lots of leftovers, take a look at the 70 different individual senior

meal options available at MagicKitchen.com. They’re healthy, delicious, and ready to eat in just minutes

without making a mess in the kitchen.