My Healthy Living for Brain and Body - by Linda L. Osmundson
I recently taught Healthy Living for Brain and Body for the Alzheimer’s Association. When I teach, I add my personal experiences to the scripted curriculum. The class reminded me of my own healthy living habits – not always optimum, though my neighbor says I’m 85 going on 65!
For instance, I do not get quality sleep. I had never lived alone until my husband passed in 2018. I lived with my parents and brother, with a college roommate, with roommates before marriage and with my husband and family. Now, simple sleep interruptions, like the house settling, wake me. Even though I set a sleep routine of bedtime and wake time, quality sleep eludes me. My Garmin watch monitors my sleep so I know I get the required six hours a night and more, but there are disruptions.
I never smoked, but my husband smoked a pipe until he suffered a heart attack at age 48. Second-hand smoke causes health issues as well. “I don’t make a lot of smoke,” Bob claimed. Yet, a picture with his brother-in-law, me and Bob proved otherwise. His exhaled smoke obliterated my face in the picture!
I seldom practice what I preach about exercise! My exercise comes from walking up the hill to get the mail, going up and down my stairs to the basement or shopping. I never park close to my destination but rather force myself to walk from farther away. Unfortunately, my treadmill serves as a holding place for odds and ends. Maybe I’ll move it to a better location, or not. At my age, reaching a goal of 6000 steps a day is still fairly easy, but 10,000 is hard.
Cooking for one isn’t fun. I do cook when the mood strikes; otherwise, I eat leftovers from lunch out with friends – once a week with dementia support group members and once a month with crafter friends. Those meals always provide enough for dinner the next day. Sometimes, I have a bowl of cereal! Occasionally, I subscribe to meal preparation kits like Home Chef. But soon they all begin to taste the same, and each meal lasts for three or four days. I tire of them and unsubscribe.
I feel I do a good job of self-care. Every morning, I work several brain challenging puzzles – Wordscapes crossword puzzle, NY Times daily Wordle and another unlimited Wordle. A jigsaw puzzle– mostly 500 pieces but sometimes a 1000-piece – waits on the special table I purchased. I read two or three books a week in between my social and volunteer activities. I stay connected to people through NoCO Trad Jazz Society board, music/dance activities, friends from social groups, volunteering, a writer’s critique group, church and family.
I keep my yearly physicals and watch my numbers – blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and weight. I learned while caregiving that stress is a killer, so I try to control my stress level. It’s easier now that the caregiving is over.
My healthy living practices certainly need improvement: How are yours?
Linda L. Osmundson authored the award-winning three-book series How the West Was Drawn – Cowboy Charlie’s Art, Frederic Remington’s Art and Women’s Art. Like the series, her newest book, Papa’s Changes, Dementia Through a Child’s Eyes is meant for readers age 7 - 107. Hundreds of her articles have appeared in magazines, anthologies such as Chicken Soup for the Soul, blogs and newspapers. Discover more at LindaOsmundson.com.