Write for God

I spend most of my week at work doing communications for a not-for-profit foundation that researches osteoarthritis, the form of arthritis which is sometimes called the “wear and tear” type that affects us as we age. It’s been eye-opening to meet some of the study subjects who stop by our office for their periodic X rays and lifestyle questionnaires.

I met some septugenarians who are so spry they put much younger people to shame. One active retiree told me how he still paints houses now and then and how he and his wife begin their day with a walk outdoors or a session on the treadmill in their garage. Another told me how she got into square dancing some years ago and how it’s helping her stay fit. I also met some older folks who can barely move and who take a “handful of pills” a couple of times a day, as one of them explained. Aging wasn’t fun for them.

It’s easy to say that it’s only attitude that separates the seniors enjoying every minute of their retirement from those that are not, but there’s more to it than that. Many of the folks who were still active said they’d been active when they were younger, too. Activity–getting out on the roads, hitting the gym, doing manual work–seemed to be the magic pill among the research group participants I met this week.

Another patient told me she played tennis and taught water aerobics and she was in her 80s. A gentleman who had great posture even in his 70s spends a lot of time outdoors keeping fit. Most of the delightful folks I met were taking a very active role in maintaining their good health. During my gym workout this afternoon, there were younger people and many retirees using weights and aerobic machines to take care of their fitness. A lot of them seemed to be having fun doing it.

The lesson for me was that, yes, mental attitude plays a huge role in health, but movement does, too. I have been unfit and fit at different times in my life–from being a couch potato as a kid with asthma to running a marathon in my mid-30s. Through my change of life and attitude since late last year, worry and stress put exercise on the back burner, but I’m itching to get back to the gym this week. I love a hard, sweaty workout that leaves everything on the road or in the fitness room so that the rest of the day is worry-free and energized.

Meeting a very special group of retirees this week reminded me how precious good health and the ability to determine your activity level are. I’m not going to wait until it’s too late to decide that exercise is one of the keys to feeling great.