Whistle While You Walk ... with Energy Boosters
Professor David J. Demko
Okay, so we all laughed at those old Geritol and Seratan commercials that promised our pooped parents an extra jolt of energy for their haggard lives. Well, what goes around, comes around. And now, middle-aged boomers are searching for ways to keep their "want to" in sync with their "can do".
If you don't know already, boomers don't plan on "going gently into that good night" of old age. On the contrary, boomers are kicking and screaming their way into, E-gad, old age. But where does one find the magic elixir of youthful energy. Well, it ain't in St. Augustine's "Fountain of Youth". Ponce de Leone got old, didn't he.
You've scavengered through the health food store. A lot of that stuff looks kind of "iffy", sometimes downright dangerous. If fact, I saw a TV commercial that portrayed a supposedly 80 year old guy who looked like Rambo. I wondered if those were real muscles or tumors exploding under the guys skin. Anyway, I'm not interested in living for ever. I just want to energize for middle-age body with a little more get-up-and-go.
Interestingly, the energy most boomers seek is no further away than the produce section in your local grocery store. The folks at "New Choices" magazine have put the whole plan together in their April issue. It seems that eating carrots, walking, and listening to music are three excellent ways to boost your energy. So says psychologist Robert Thayer, California State University, in an interview with New Choices.
Thayer's research found that music can be a potent way to increase your energy. "Bad moods generally involve low energy and increased tension," says Thayer. "If you boost your mood by listening to music, you're effectively raising your energy or lowering tension, or both."
Offering an additional angle on energy, New York City dietitian Susan McQuillan, says that feelings of fatigue as the day wears on may be caused by a fall in your blood glucose levels. The process can be reversed within minutes with a sugary snack. "I recommend carrots rather than candy. The sugar from a carrot is absorbed into your bloodstream and provides energy just as quickly as the sugar from a candy bar, but a carrot also provides fiber and vitamins."
Thayer adds that a brisk walk of only ten minutes can be both a tension reducer and an energy booster. You get a greater effect, of course, if you extend your brisk walk to twenty minutes. Here's the best part. The benefits of your twenty minute walk can last nearly two hours.
If your energy has gone bust, then here's the proverbial bottomline on how you can give it a boost. Walk (don't drive) to your local grocery store and buy a bag of carrots. Oh, by the way, while you're walking to the store, listen to some upbeat music. This simple chore will give your energy a triple-boost. You may feel so good, you'll whistle while you walk.
See related articles in the AgeVenture archives.
Mall-Walking Campaign Helps Heart Health
Diet & Lifestyle May Lower Blood Pressure
Lifestyle Study Says Elders Improve With Age
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