Nod Over Coffee

...just sometimes trapped in aging bodies. Why is it then that some (or maybe even most) of us just let their bodies go to pot and make themselves feel as old as or older than they are? Why is it that so many people think that laziness and inactivity are somehow a reward for old age, especially when those things rob you of your chance to enjoy life and open the door to disease?

Two Saturdays ago my friend, Beth, and I had the privilege of sharing a table with some girls from church who were a bit older than use. Quite a bit older. Louis and Peggy were in their late 70s and Tami was 82. Definitely an example of “girls” trapped in old women’s bodies. These ladies were a blast and I had so much fun. None of these ladies was ready to just sit back and knit either. Every one of them was involved in some area of service at the church, as well as maintaining their own homes, taking care of aging husbands and interacting with children and grandchildren. Tami was going swimming for exercise regularly – her shoulder problems contraindicated other exercises but she was not willing to just vegetate. I love that the stereotypes we have of “what old age is” are getting shattered!

Today at the gym one of the older women who always chats with me when I show up late (Star Trek time, lol) had a friend with her. The friend was using the chest machine wrong - it hurt - and they were asking me for tips. Thinking that I had to be discreet in my speech around older ladies, I tried finding a polite way to say that the arm grips needed to be in direct line with the nipples. I needn’t have bothered trying to find some couth in my speech. What ensued next was a lively conversation about keeping “the girls” perky!

We’ve all heard that our metabolism slows with aging – and basically, that happens because of the loss of muscle tissue. Did you know that this *does not* have to be the case? Pump some iron! If you lift weights and maintain muscle, you can keep your metabolism at youthful levels and still enjoy that favored activity…eating! Besides keeping up your metabolism, you will enjoy strength and endurance, making your later years richer and more enjoyable. Some one told me a few months ago that he didn’t want to live past 65 because he didn’t want to be old and decrepit. Well, why let that happen?

A study reported by the New England Journal of Medicine last month showed that active sex lives are still valued by the senior population. Why not keep your body in shape and healthy so you that you can enjoy that sort of fun for decades to come? High blood pressure often gets in the way of sexual activity for men over the age of 70; illnesses such as congestive heart failure and heart disease can put a damper on keeping that part of life vibrant. With women, I wouldn't doubt if self-esteem issues are what put the freeze in frigid. The younger that you are when you wake up and realize that fitness and nutrition matter, the better your chances of good health and happy sex in those twilight years.

I enjoy the fact that I can open the trunk, lift a 20 lb bag of cat litter in one hand and a 20 lb bag of dog food in the other – and not groan, flinch or break even a tiny sweat. I want to keep that ease and power with me.

**Just a thought I had - a bit disconnected, but it just popped into my head and had to be let out: Maybe if women would stop thinking of exercise and nutrition as ways to lose weight, as if that is the "be all, end all" of life. Perhaps if they tried to look at it as what it really is -- the proper care and maintenance of the most valuable piece of equipment anyone will ever have in this lifetime, the human body.

For inspiration, all I need to do is think of those ladies at church that are still just girls inside – or my heroes Jack LaLanne and Waldo McBurney… And there’s always Lenore Schaeffer who was dancing away at 104 years old...or 90 yo Rosario Igelesias who holds several women’s masters running record.

The Palm Springs Follies are full of inspiration....as is the World MasterS Athletics .

~o~
Today’s workout: 10 minutes on the treadmill, 8.2% incline, 4.2 mph. 45 minutes of circuit training, PULL focus. 30 minutes progressive HIIT on the Octane. 5 minutes on the treadmill, 4.0 mph, 8.2% incline.

The Circuit
wide stance dead lift 12/80
1 pt dumbbell row 16/40
Bulgarian split squats 16/40
Bicep curl 16/35
Repeat for a total of 3 sets
--1:30 sprint on Sci-Fit
Hamstring curl 10/125, 12/120, 15/115
pec fly mach 8/100, 10/95, 12/90
Adduction 10/150, 12/145, 15/140
--1:30 sprint on treadmill
seated cable row 12/160
cable woodchopper 16/100
mountain climbers 10
burpies 5
Dumbbell fly crunch 12/30
Repeat for total of 3 sets
--1:00 sprint on Sci-fit
Toe touch crunch 25
SHELC 15
plank up 10
side bridge lift 10
Repeat for total of 3 sets