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This statement is in my local YMCA about the hot tub. I just swapped "body" in there, but it's true about anything really.
Some of my family members haven't treated themselves well. From smoking to drug abuse, to morbid obesity, poor nutrition, and a very sedentary lifestyle, many of my family members have a multitude of health problems in their 50s/60s. At an age when most of this board's members are still healthy and vital, my family seems to be winding down!
Did you take care of your health during your younger years? How are you doing now? Smoke or drink a lot? Good nutrition or bad? Active or sedentary? What advice would you give to younger folks, and what regrets do you have about how you treated yourself?
Born in 1944, I grew up at a time when smoking was ubiquitous. However, neither of my parents smoked. I took it up at age 18 and quit at age 28, which was hopefully soon enough to avoid any ill effects. Of course it would have been far better never to have started.
Physical activity is so important. I think the biggest fallacy is the thought "Oh well, I'm 70 now (or fill in some other age), so it's no longer important to go to the gym/exercise." That's when it's MOST important to continue. We need aerobic exercise, weights, and balance practice, such as yoga. I was doing pretty damn well until about three years ago, when I let it slide out of laziness. Today (January 1) I tried jogging. Oh, boy! I didn't use it, so I lost it. I will jog every day for the pitifully small time that I can, and it will come back. At some point, if we are too far gone, it may not ever come back!
Born in 1944, I grew up at a time when smoking was ubiquitous. However, neither of my parents smoked. I took it up at age 18 and quit at age 28, which was hopefully soon enough to avoid any ill effects. Of course it would have been far better never to have started.
Physical activity is so important. I think the biggest fallacy is the thought "Oh well, I'm 70 now (or fill in some other age), so it's no longer important to go to the gym/exercise." That's when it's MOST important to continue. We need aerobic exercise, weights, and balance practice, such as yoga. I was doing pretty damn well until about three years ago, when I let it slide out of laziness. Today (January 1) I tried jogging. Oh, boy! I didn't use it, so I lost it. I will jog every day for the pitifully small time that I can, and it will come back. At some point, if we are too far gone, it may not ever come back!
I have never, ever been a runner. Even when I was 5'2 and 115 soaking wet starting high school, it hurt my knees. When I graduated, I was 5'5 185 with a 32" waist and a little roided up guy. I took the "too small to play football" personally and spent my high school years lifting with a little help.
I have smoked maybe one pack of cigarettes my whole life, but will smoke a cigar on the weekends now. Probably haven't smoked 20 cigars.
I do need to lose weight - I am 5'8 235 with a 40" waist. I'd like to get down to 34"-36" this year and under 200.
I never drank or smoked but gained a lot of weight with the effects of working third shift. I'm still working third shift but have lost much of the excess and have learned a lot about the physiology of staying up all night (all bad news). It's one reason I'm retiring about a year *from today* as opposed to a couple of years later, the latter making great financial sense but not health sense.
I do plan to become active. I used to swim, walk, ride a bike, when I lived in the city and as the time has gone on while I'm not living in the city (and after a major bike accident) I have gotten more and more tired from nights and aging. I plan to walk in the beautiful mountain area where I'm moving, swim in the hot springs or the rec center, and use the circuit weights in either place (all of which I used to do and liked, now it's all I can do to do errands and get to the job). I am just so tired from this job. And so the countdown is on- 363 total days!
Had dinner the other night with three co-workers. One is in her 40s and has permanent lung damage from working in a sick building (the only job in her area), one is falling asleep in his soup from working seven days a week for years now to support a disabled wife and less-abled daughter, and one is retired for three years now. Guess who was happy, relaxed, and looked like a million bucks?
It seems like the best thing to stay healthy is everything in moderation. From what I have read and observed, some people who take fitness to fanatical levels do not do their bodies any favors (knee, foot, back problems, etc.). Extreme exercise can take a toll on one's body.
Finding something that is both enjoyable and helpful for fitness works best for me. Kayaking is one of my favorite things to do. I never get tired of kayaking the same place or visiting a new one. Hiking and walking with our dogs are also relaxing activities (and a must, since the dogs need to get out). During the winter, we go hiking or snowshoeing in the woods. We enjoy cross-country skiing on trails or out on the frozen lakes. We also have a treadmill and a Total Gym, and there is always shoveling snow in the winter. But for me I don't want it to be an ordeal to exercise. My husband has a simple but effective exercise routine with weights and resistance bands, and I will do a little bit with him.
I have the opposite fear. I have always taken fairly good care of myself; always worked out, eat healthy, limit how much I drank. But in my family everybody is living too damn long! My dad is 92 and after having a stroke at 88 is literally waiting to die. He tells everybody that he's "ready to go" but keeps on living. My mother's siblings, who were all smokers and drinkers are ALL in their late 90s, some with emphysema or dementia, but keep right on ticking. This is my biggest fear!
Being in the military for over 20 years kept me fit. I'm really thankful for that.
I see too many people my age and younger suffering from diseases brought on by poor choices. A lot of it diet. Don't know too many smokers. People just eat to excess here. I have acid reflux so can't eat the chili powder laden food. Even makes me want to gag just looking a it.
Our exercise class starts up again next week. Can't wait. I should try running again.
I have two sisters, one three years older than I at 64 and one less than 2 years younger than I at 59. The older sister is morbidly obese, confined to a wheel chair by choice, and home bound. All conditions related to 45+ years of over eating and never exercising, or expending any physical activity unless absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, my younger sister runs marathons with a gimpy knee.
At 70 the best advice I can offer is to pick the right parents!
My father and brother died at age 59, Daddy of heart attack and my brother of cancer. Everybody in my mother's family, including her, died of Alzheimer's.
I smoked in my late teens and early 20s. I drank only moderately. DH does not drink so I haven't in 40 years either.
But nobody in my family was physically active. .I tried to break that by walking a lot and joining a gym. I was doing well until Premarin almost cost me my life and did take my pancreas at age 48. Diabetes after that has brought severe foot problems so activity has cut down quite a bit and now I'm overweight. I had a heart attack in March and got a stent. I live in fear the next one is right around the corner and if I dodge that bullet the Alzheimer's one will be right behind it.
Advice to youngers is to
start activity with something you like and not what you think you Should do
don't start smoking
don't drink. you can have an active social life without it
stay out of the sun
Get involved with a good hobby as that will keep your mind active
either do everything you can to avoid stress or find some way to deal with it. Cause there is always some stressor in most of our lives.
Obesity is something I just don't get. That is literally abusing your own body. I have friends who brag about the condition and health of their animals while they are 100# overweight. Can we not treat our own bodies with the same care that we treat animals?
One motivating factor is my desire to continue being ambulatory. I don't want to end up not being able to cart my fat arse around. That just seems like the beginning of the end.
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But for me I don't want it to be an ordeal to exercise. My husband has a simple but effective exercise routine with weights and resistance bands, and I will do a little bit with him.
