MIND & BODY
Prompt - Mind & Body : Write something that would motivate others to workout and exercise
I am much nearer the end of my life than the beginning. An easy statement to make as the chances of me living beyond a hundred and twenty are pretty remote, and even making the century is still, for my generation, something most of us won't manage. Having always had a fairly wimpish immune system I can see there will come a time when it's hard to fight off something or other. That's if I haven't fallen under a bus beforehand.
None of which talk seems morbid to me. I'm not overly bothered about death itself (although no doubt my preprogrammed genetic instincts will do all they can to resist that final moment), since that' s just oblivion, effectively the same state I was in before I was expelled from my mother's interior. It's the dying bit that's worrying, since that can sometimes involve a lot of discomfort, pain, humiliation and other things I am not at all keen on. There is nothing much I can do about sudden unexpected events, like global pandemics, but I can try to keep myself in the best condition to try and ensure that if I do have another decade or tow in me that I can have a good chance of remaining mobile and able to do the things I enjoy doing.
Genetics will play their part in that of course. And diet. I'm extremely fortunate in the former meaning I don't have to worry overmuch about the latter, in terms of weight gain. My weight has remained pretty stable for the past fifteen years and more, and it probably helps that six years ago I near enough gave up alcohol following a diagnosis of gout. The other big factor is exercise, and that's often the hardest to keep going with, but may have the greatest benefits of all.
The word conjures up sweaty breathlessness, doing sports that get the lungs and heart pumping hard. But that level of exercise isn't necessary. Indeed the number of professional sports people who late suffer from arthritis or other ailments linked to their chosen profession suggests it's often best not to try TOO hard. What matters most is consistency, and a degree of moderation. Whatever activity, or activities, work for you it's important to keep them up for as long as possible in life, and to get back (gently) into it following illness or injury. While recognising that those that are more likely to lead to injuries might be the first to have to go...
The aim here isn't longevity itself, but ensuring quality of life for however long you've got. It used to be thought that aerobic exercise was the key, and it is still important to get out of breath at least once a day if possible, even if it's only from climbing a flight of stairs as quick as you can. But recent research suggests that maintaining muscle tone is a bigger factor in keeping your body functioning well into your later years.
To that end I try to do some kind of exercise every day if I feel up to it. It's rarely too strenuous, I'm not aiming to win medals, just keep all my important bits moving and as flexible as possible. For me that means stretching every day. Trying to do at least a few mild strength exercises, like press ups and stomach crunches, walking and getting fresh air - I do most of the food shopping on foot, to give some point to my walks. Some days I'll do a longer walk, at least five miles and more. I will be getting a bike (ebike - I'm not daft and this is a city of wind and hills). And I amy getting myself back to regular gym visits now they are open again. Those visits are short, no more than half an hour, and mostly focus on doing a few weights. Not particularly heavy weights, and if I don't 'improve' it's not going to bother me, but enough to make me ache a bit the next morning. I'd much rather have those 'good' aches that the ones that come from the body reducing in it's ability to move as effectively as it used to.
There's no right way to exercise, it's just what works best for you. The motivation isn't in achieving goals, but in giving yourself a better chance of enjoying retirement, of 'ageing well'. And that doesn't mean taking up these activities once you are in your sixties. The more years of your life you include exercise as part of your routine the easier it will be to keep it going later, and the greater the long term benefits.
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