Personal Maintenance
... and I said to my body softly
"I want to be your friend.".
It took a long breath and replied
" I have been waiting my whole life for this.".
It astounds me how responsive my sense of well-being is to changes in diet, exercise, sleep, the friends I keep, and the books I read.
Several years ago, pre-COVID, my wife and I were taking regular Aquarobics classes. The instructor said something to the class one day (we were all seniors in attendance) that rocked my world. She said "There is no scientific reason why you cannot build and maintain muscle mass as you get older." I was both shocked and encouraged. I was about 65 yrs old at the time and I had felt that I was getting weaker with less stability. That was a big reason why we were in the class.
Since that time, my wife and I have mounted a campaign to actively engage in activities which encourage our physical strength and general physical and mental health.
With respect to our diet, we actively try to minimize eating:
- refined sugars
- processed meats
- simple carbohydrates
- farmed fish
- meats CAFO (Commercial Automated Farming Operations) raised
- soda pop (diet soda is even worse)
Currently, we are exercising 6 days each week using a 20 minute routine that includes Yoga, stretching, gravity exercises, and band exercises. Pre-COVID, we were travelling quite a bit and it was important to us that: the routine could be done most anywhere at any time; requires no special equipment (except a cheap exercise band) which is easy to pack; and, was pleasant enough that we would do it consistently.
In addition, we also play Pickleball 2 or 3 times each week, COVID permitting, and we play Ping Pong 3 to 4 times every 2 weeks.
These simple activities are not only fun but they have made a wonderful difference to how we think; how we feel; and how we walk. I consider myself so very blessed.
This section would be lacking if I did not mention Meditation. I have a page dedicated to Meditation but let me say here that I consider my personal meditations ... morning and evening, 20 minutes each ... to be an invaluable asset to my personal well-being. People have said to me that they are too busy to meditate, to which I say that if you are too busy to meditate you are just too busy. The clarity and intuitive right action that comes from meditation has been indescribably wonderful for me.
Another mention I would make in this section is about High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Simplistically put, it involves bursts of intense physical activity mixed with periods of rest and tranquility. One of the reasons I like pickleball so much is that we typically play 2 games and then rest 1 game then another 2 games and then rest 1 game etc.. This schedule approximates an HIIT schedule. HIIT is currently touted as the ideal form of exercise to give you the greatest physical benefit for the effort invested. I urge you to check it out.
One more heads-up here ... It is more beneficial to do a little exercise frequently than it is to do a lot of exercise once in a while. Science is indicating that people who typically sit at a desk benefit significantly from getting up and just taking a walk around your desk every hour or so ... even if you have a standing desk.
It is also critical that you get proper sleep. Science is currently saying that you cannot pay back sleep debt. Sleep lost is sleep lost ... apparently forever. Younger people need more sleep. Older people need at least 7-8 hrs each night. Things critical to your health happen to you mentally and physically that cannot happen any other time. Love yourself enough to get proper sleep. I have also found power naps to be useful.
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