Michaelangelo once said, "The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."
On Saturday I had lunch with friends and they broke out the old family albums. We were laughing over Farrah hairstyles and that Jeff, a police officer, looked like CHiPS back then (Ponch). Tawnya's dad, John, is absolutely one of the most awesome people I have ever met in my entire life - and it was so fun seeing him back in the day with porkchop side burns and HAIR. The conversation turned to aging with the majority feeling that "It's better to meet your Maker than be rotting in a nursing home." The feeling being that this was some sort of inevitability. I reminded them of mutual friends and acquaintances we share... Mrs. Enlow, who at 90+ still does step aerobics and has a *great* body, no mobility challenges. The Kleinhems, who in their 80s don't look a day over 60 and get around great -- Mrs. Kleinhem's mother is still kicking it at 100+. Turns out we know many more people that look great, feel great and are enjoying life well past their 80s. Why is it then, it's so easy to cop out and assume you're going to be rotting in a wheelchair? We have the power, as much as it is up to us, to maintain fabulous health, flexibility and mobility and totally kick butt at the Senior Olympics one day!
I stumbled across this website Ageless Training and was floored by this amazing woman, Kelly Nelson. She is 77 now and a champion bodybuilder. This picture is her at 76 years old and she is doing yoga...
This one is 2 years old and she's at a body building contest, that's her in the left in the lighter colored bikini. Sure doesn't look 75 in that photo, does she? She didn't even start lifting until she was 52.
Before I continue to ramble more about this, check out the absolutely amazing 84 yo Bob DelMonteque :
(I'm impressed by everything but the tans. I hope they're bottled tans because if you've read my stuff before, you know I can get on quite a soap box about skin damage).
I think sometimes people have a romantic notion about not wanting to live past 60 or 70. I know my oldest sister always says this ... but just so you know, when you die at that age it is usually *not* of natural causes in your sleep. It's usually from some sort of prolonged painful illness, a debilitating stroke or a heart attack. Doesn't sound like such a pleasant transition anymore!
I get a kick out of children being told the Biblical account of Abraham and Sarah, with them depicted as an old frail couple. If you go by the longevity factor attributed to that time period, Sarah probably looked like a 40 year old woman today - she was still so beautiful the Pharoah of Egypt thought she was hot and wanted to keep her. :-)
"The strangest secret in the world is that you become what you think about." Earl Nightingale
"As a man thinks in his heart, so he is." Proverbs 23: 7a
I want to be the grandma that is running in 5Ks and 10ks with my grandchildren - and great grandchildren. If it is at all up to me, I want to be climbing mountains, canoeing and contributing to life - not slowly rotting. The Kelly Nelsons, Bob DelMonteques and the ever amazing Jack LaLanne's of this world are so inspiring to me.
A good thing to know (and the reason for the song choice today): Regular sex increases longevity. Couples that have fun 2 - 3 times a week outlive their less passionate counterparts by at least50%. Dr. James Mercola says there is "no possibility of overdosing." ROFL. According to Fitday, "vigorous effort" burns 1.38 calories per minute, just kissing burns up 0.92 calories per minute. I think those could be tweaked a bit. :) Anyhow, it's not just the calorie burn - it's the hormones that are released that are conducive toward good health, aiding against depression, reducing the risk of heart disease, and helping with pain relief.
My workout today: 65 minutes cardio crosstraining - elliptical, stationary bike sprints, hills on the treadmill. 15 minutes of core work. 10 minutes of stretching.
One of my heroes - 104 yo runner, Waldo McBurney, talking about the secrets to a long life. Watch him drop things and pick them up, no problem at all:
