Living in the Now…

One could say that I’m in the twilight years of my life, I suppose. But officially, how old do you have to be to fall into that category? I might refer to it as the saggy, dry skin, osteoporosis years. When you hear of (elderly) people falling and breaking their hip, I’m inclined to believe that, truth be known, their hip breaks because the bone has become porous and weak, and that is what causes the fall. But what do I know? I’m not a doctor. True there are things you can do that might help keep your old bones and really, the rest of your body healthy and strong. Regular, vigorous exercise, a sufficient amount of good sleep and sensible eating habits are all beneficial to overall health.

I give credit to my gym membership as one of the keys to becoming fit and staying healthy. I like to think of it as an investment in wellness. Things have changed since I first started working out back when I was serving in Uncle Sam’s Navy on the aircraft carrier. Late night workouts followed long hours on the flight deck. You get older and gradually you discover that you are not as strong as you used to be. So, you adjust and adapt your workout routine and stay within the boundaries of your current ability. Gone are the days when I would spend an hour or more at All American Fitness Center, pumping iron, testing the limits of my strength and trying to outdo my good friend and late workout buddy, Dale Berry. Gone are the days of competitive weightlifting and bodybuilding competitions. The trophies gather dust on the shelf, and in the gym, it’s not longer all about “more weights for more strength and size”. The gym is a minute or two from the house and every day visits are now every other day. Workouts are shorter, often thirty minutes and I’m out of there. I’ve adjusted my routine accordingly, as each year passes. Lighter weights, more reps and proper form seem to be the formula that works to keep me fit. My muscles ache to tell me they’ve been tested and pushed to the limit. But the pain goes away. Most of the time. I know I could be a little more disciplined with my eating habits and temptation lurks around every corner in the form of tasty, sweet delicacies that test my willpower and beckon to me. Such is life. Everything in moderation, right? I must keep reminding myself about that.