As an octogenarian getting out of bed each morning is getting more and more difficult with each passing day. I do realize it's a general problem for a significant cohort of the population, but for many different reasons! My reason - my stiff and aching body is a little slow in getting itself into gear. I wobble precariously to the closet where I attempt to get my feet into a pair of slippers. Now this is easier said that done. I am over six feet tall and suddenly it's a damn long way down to those two big feet. Even with the light on I can hardly determine their location! Not only does the back protest but the legs as well! Such is the life of an aging octogenarian first thing in the morning.
On the other hand, once I get all of the bending done and the body in motion, things improve most days. I have discovered that getting plenty of exercise helps with the everyday tasks. I read about how important exercise is, even for the elderly. However, most of the articles I have seen seem to define elderly as sixty-five plus - plus how much older I don't know. But the plus must also stretch to include we doting dinosaurs. Yet we can still succeed as Christopher Plummer proved when he recently won an Oscar for best supporting actor in BEGINNERS.
Exercise is no magic bullet and sticking to it is a constant challenge. I have learned that exercise is no longer an option for me if I want to carry on. I had a discussion with a physical trainer the other day and I pointed out that the most difficult "muscle" to exercise is the brain itself, that is getting it to ignore all the hints to forget exercising 'just this once'. It has to become a habit, but a good habit that you don't want to break. After a few years if you miss an exercise you actually feel guilty! And that's a good thing.
The famous 'they' say that the more you age the more you should exercise. That in itself is a huge change. However, the brain says it's too late now, or I am too old, or it hurts too much. The brain is right, all those excuses are true, but in fact we now know that if you don't "use it you lose it". The typical loss of muscle, according to an article in the Globe and Mail (February 20, 2012) begins in adults around the age of 40. But this seems only to be true if the individual does not exercise properly. Regular training seems to ward off the muscle-wasting effects of aging. Indeed, that same article goes on to say, "We control 70% of how we age. The other 30% is genetic, and we can thank our mothers for that."
Having been engaged in sports or making regular visits to the gym most of my life, I can attest to this new truth. I tell people if I did not exercise regularly I would be riding around in a wheel chair - if I was riding around at all!
Regular exercise improves the quality of life (QuL), improves breathing, keeps weight down, improves flexibility, helps avoid depression and even restores balance, to name a few advantages. Sounds like a great investment to me. Without naysaying the use of modern medicines it is well to keep in mind that physical exercise is one of the most effective ways of positively influencing our health.
So take it from this octogenarian - don't short change your regular exercise. Join me as I look forward to the 90's - did I say that!
And that's Dick's View of the World this Week.
hear hear!...... or is that here here!
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