Fitness in Older Age

As my daughter goes off to her new job for a Central West shire council, it reminds me of the pressures of a new relationship that impact on your health. 
Mia is challenged by her partner's late sleeping routine, love of meat and snacking on lollies. In my case, some thirty years ago I too had to accommodate a late sleeper and a lazy eater. She went on to have an affair, develop obesity and diabetes. While I was drawn in to that unhealthy lifestyle and social isolation, I did maintain a reasonably positive attitude and keen interest in surfing and sailing. My abiding appreciation of the benefits of journalling,  meditation and yoga kept my head just above water. I now realise too that my losely Christian beliefs kept my spirit in a good place.

With those negative pressures removed, and some psychological healing, I've been building my yoga practice, surfing regularly and focussing on a future afloat has allowed me to follow a lifestyle pretty much to my ideal. Each day now I wake early and listen to a church service podcast. My focus is clearly on the lessons arising from Gospel readings, rather than the church rituals, and it feeds my drive to maintain a good moral life. After this I journal to help process thoughts and ideas that preoccupy at the time. I then do a sudoku puzzle, a Spanish lesson and read 10 pages from a classical sailing  book. Then I do 20 minutes of yoga. 
As my lack of flexibility, particularly in my hips, I've included several stretches. Amusingly, these are often the same moves that posters of soft porn use, and it makes my online research a bit spicey! 
I have a short "solid" build so cannot achieve many of the extreme asanas, but if I concentrate on doing my best, I continue to gain great benefit. Improved movement and lack of back or joint pain through the day is reward enough. 
To help my strength, I have now incorporated a 5 x 50 routine: 
     - 50 pushups
     - 50 lunges
     - 50 squats
     - 50 sec. of sit against a wall
     - 50 sec planking.
I'm not yet up to the 50 reps. but can manage the last two stages. 
A new, as in this week, diet is being trialled. One thing I have long struggled with is my weight. Despite eating vegetarian meals and avoiding snacks, I still feel puffy.My best results from diets I've tried previously, were based on eliminating carbs. I eat less and feel less bloated after eating. Anyway, I came across Eddie Abbew, an extremely fit olser African fellow in England. Aside from swearing like a sailor's wife, he really encourages avoiding breakfast, cereals, potatoes, pasta and carbs, to focused on meats, fish, fruit and veg. I still need to eat out my carb stores in the pantry, but I am introducing these foods to me diet and will see how it goes. 
Following winds to you.