After having had three careers – teacher, artisan dressmaker and massage therapist – Hélène Berthiaume is now retired.

“As I now live alone, I have to take more charge of the emotional dimension of my existence, which means that I take the necessary actions to maintain pleasant and nourishing friends and family relationships. I often take care of my two granddaughters, who are 7 and 9 years old. We have a lot of fun together! I also choose hobbies that put me in warm contact with people.

I enjoy good health, except an anxious temperament which gives me migraines. As I have always found it important to do prevention, I consult in osteopathy, homeopathy and acupuncture. I have also practiced yoga and Qigong for several years. Now, I work out at the gym two or three times a week: cardio machines (treadmill and stationary bike), dumbbells for muscle tone, and stretching exercises. I also walk outside for an hour or two a week, sometimes more.

As for nutrition, it goes almost by itself: I have the advantage of not liking fried foods, alcohol or coffee. I eat vegetarian several days a week. I often buy organic food, because I think it’s worth paying a little more for it. Every day, I consume flax seeds, flaxseed oil and canola (rapeseed) oil to meet my omega-3 needs. I also take a multivitamin and a calcium supplement, but I take weekly breaks regularly. “

Excellent motivation

“I have been meditating almost every day for the past fifteen years. I also devote time to spiritual readings: it is essential for my inner peace and to keep me in touch with the essential dimensions of existence.

Art and creation also take a big place in my life: I paint, I make papier mâché, I go to see exhibitions, etc. I want to continue to learn, to open up to new realities, to evolve. I even make it a life project. Because I want to leave the best of myself to my descendants in every way – which is an excellent motivation for aging well! “

First an actress and radio host, Francine Montpetit has spent most of her career in written journalism, notably as editor-in-chief of the women’s magazine. Chatelaine.

“I have solid health and good genetics: my parents and grandparents died old. Although I did not do much physical activity in my youth, I have recovered over the years. I did a lot of walking, cycling and swimming, I even started downhill skiing at 55, and I walked 750 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago at 63, backpacking.

In recent years, however, the discomforts of aging seem to catch up with me with vision problems, joint pain and loss of physical strength. For me, it’s very difficult to accept losing part of my means, to no longer be able to do the same. Hearing health workers tell me, “At your age, that’s normal” doesn’t console me at all. On the contrary…

The decline of my strength sent me into a certain panic, and I consulted several specialists. Today, I am learning to live with this new reality. I have found caregivers who really do me good. I have established a health program that suits my personality and my tastes.

With dinners with friends, time spent with my children and grandchildren, cultural activities and travel, I also have time to give introductory computer lessons. My life is therefore very full â € ”without being overloaded â €” which keeps me alert and in touch with the reality of the present. Each age has its own challenge; facing mine, I act.

here is my health program :

• Mediterranean-style diet: seven or eight servings of fruits and vegetables a day, lots of fish, very little fat and no sugar at all.
• Supplements: multivitamins, calcium, glucosamine.
• Physical activity: mostly swimming and walking, for the moment, as well as the exercises recommended by my osteopath.
• Osteopathy and acupuncture, on a regular basis, to treat my musculoskeletal problems. These alternative approaches made me understand significant things about my relationship with myself and how to take care of myself.
• Emotional health: I relaunched myself in the adventure of psychotherapy, which allows me to “solve the case” of some demons and to face the shortening life expectancy. “

Screenwriter, filmmaker and producer for cinema and television, Fernand Dansereau recently published his first novel. Tireless, he will undertake a new shoot in a few months.

“In my family, I am one of those who have received the right genetic inheritance, like my cousin Pierre Dansereau, who is still professionally active at 95 years old. I have never had any health concerns and it has only been a year or two since arthritis has been causing pain in my joints.

I have always been involved in a lot of physical activity, I still downhill ski, cycle, and play golf. I also took up inline skating at the same time as my youngest son, who is now 11; I am not very skilled, but I manage.

The most important for my well-being is undoubtedly Tai Chi, which I have practiced for twenty minutes daily for 20 years. I also have a short 10-minute stretching exercise routine, which I do every day.

I see my doctor at regular intervals. I also see an osteopath, if necessary, as well as an acupuncturist for my respiratory allergy problems (hay fever). As for the diet, it’s pretty simple, especially since I don’t suffer from any cholesterol problem: I make sure I eat a good variety of foods, including lots of fruits and vegetables. I have been taking glucosamine night and morning for the past few years.

Le fa'alavelave

Age puts me in a strange situation. On the one hand, my body struggles to live, still full of energy and impulses. On the other hand, my mind welcomes aging as a great adventure that should not be shied away from.

I am experimenting with “the ecology of aging”. While I lose physical power and sensory sensitivity, I notice, at the same time, that barriers are falling in my mind, that my gaze becomes more accurate, that I abandon myself less to illusions … That I am learning to love better.

As we get older, our task is to work on expanding our consciousness much more than to strive to stay young. I think about the meaning of things and I try to communicate what I discover. And I want to give my children (I have seven) an interesting picture of old age so that they can approach this stage of their life later with hope and a little serenity. “