With all the constant bombardment of urgent commentaries and loud talking heads, it is easy to almost drown in verbiage, noise and exhaustion. It will only increase as we move into the chaos of the domestic changing of the guard, too many opinions and anything else that can capture your attention. It is seductive as it sucks you into the latest and sensational sound bite. The whole thing borders on lunacy. People really take the fake and farcical as reality.
We are now in the eye of the storm. Things seem almost normal in their distractions. We may not realize how much energy we have given to the bombardment. We tune in to escape and to self-medicate ourselves. We might focus on more work or other activities that bring us routine. This is well and good but we don’t really focus on the slipping away of the health of our bodies. We have taken them for granted from day one of landing here and we continue to treat them as almost a byproduct of our lives.
Here’s the essential you may have forgotten, if you don’t care well for it as it ages, it will get rid of you. This doesn’t mean you run marathons, do just weights, climb mountains, go to the gym and pound out on the ellipticals or other illusions of wellness. Most of us don’t realize that we are losing big chunks of muscle mass every 10 year so that by the time we are in our 70’s and 80’s we are pretty much cooked. How many 90 year old’s do you see getting themselves to the airport, boarding their flight and lifting their carry-on into the overhead bin? As I said, by the time we are 90, we have a fraction of our muscle mass we had when we were 50. Riding your bike is not going to do it. Nor is the Pilates class, yoga class, or a game of golf.
Most of us haven’t a clue of our muscle strength. We may have muscle bulk but no strength. How about your breathing? Can you run uphill? How about picking yourself up off the floor without help. That’s a good one. How about getting out of the chair without using your hands/arms to get you out? Can you walk up a few flights of stairs carrying 15 pounds in each arm? How about that walk for one minute carrying 30 pound dumbbells in each hand. In short, we think we are in shape because we go to the gym, take dance classes, go on walks etc. when what we really need to do is develop better breathing and strong muscles (including core and stomach). Without our strong bones, muscles and breathing, we are just going to check out prematurely or worse fading out in frail bodies that prevent us from enjoying our lives. Walking is just the start.
Just this week, I had two more friends fall. One was in July and she is still trying to recover, the other is back in physical therapy trying to get some semblance of her life back. Falls are the leading cause of accidental deaths for those ages sixty five and older. By the time a person is 80 years old, he/she has lost an average of 18 pounds of muscle from their peak. As people become less active they become weaker. As they become weaker, they become less active. Yes, nutrition is important but if you don’t have the breathing ability or the muscle strength, does it really matter?
By keeping your eye on the ball, you focus on what you have avoided. Weight training, breath work tryouts, good nutrition all go together. With so much aging of our population, it is obvious we have been fooling ourselves telling everyone we went for a walk, we ate well (much more protein is needed to build those muscles) and we kept our mind going. Good going BUT it is not going to get you to board that flight by yourself when you are 90 and lifting that carryon over your head. We need to start now doing the hard work. Strengthen those bones, muscles and lungs. If we do, we’ll lower our blood pressure, help the COPD crowd, balance better when we move around and lower our fall rates. Remember Jack LaLanne? He was still doing pushups in his 90’s in his tights and on TV. This is a quality-of-life issue–serious, hard and rewarding. Remember to practice standing on one foot for one minute without hanging on to anything. That’s a start. Invest in a trainer or group weight training. A breath improvement group and march up those hills. You may live longer due to medicine but do you really want a life where you become more shut down due to your frailty. Start slowly, build strength and keep your eyes on the ball–not on the screens.
I’ve been jumping on my trampoline for over a year now. I read an article about how NASA was researching how to keep astronauts healthy. They discovered jumping on a trampoline was more effective than waking for building muscle strength, lowering blood pressure, better balance and many other health benefits. I feel great. Have lots of energy and am still working. I’m 84.
This is great advice for the younger crowd. Ever since I watched the documentary on Ruth Bader G. I saw how she was strength training in her 80’s. That made me realize that I need to exercise not to look good, but to feel good and maintain quality of life. I’m 47 and actually gained weight because of muscle mass. I stopped looking at the scale and focus more on being strong, not thin.
Thank you for putting out such an important message. I have been coming to similar conclusions for my life which started declining when a 7 became the first of the two numbers of my ages in the last few years and then the “Covid” years of not going out also took over. Now body parts not working as well make it much more difficult to do exercising, walking; and less income makes getting help to change harder. Dealing with disappointments in current events and chaotic energies has led to less energy to do all that is needed. I also think I need to create more joy, love, and fun in my life that used to be easier to find. THANK YOU for the hope that we can address all this in a way that can work for positive improvements.
Very good advice, Gail. I had a trainer a while back who said if a person loses their quad muscles (upper thighs), for example, they can’t get up from a chair or toilet…they become disabled. Use it or lose it. Also, if you stay fit, then if you have a fall or accident, you will recover more quickly because you’re in shape. I have a friend in her early 60s who had fallen forward (no injury) and couldn’t get off the floor herself, and no family was around. She was able to reach her cell and call 911 to help her get up. That’s scary.
I suggest starting with a treadmill or bouncer in front of the TV — watch your shows while you work out your body and make it fun. It works for me, passing the time quickly. Then add in other exercises, weights, etc. Good reminder for all of us, Gail!
I love to hear this from you Gail. I am one who is doing this and have done since my 40s. Now 70 very strong and vital. With muscle. But few others want to make the effort.
You are right on target. My problem is that I say I’m going to do it but don’t. I used to be very active all my life but as I’ve gotten older and retired I don’t want to do anything. I lost my dog so rarely walk any more. I like to walk but getting going is the curser.
All excellant reminders to get off the couch or turn off the TV and keep moving to push ourselves further. Having survived SIX falls, including two down some stairs in the last 7 years, staying physically active pays off serious benefits when you least expect!