Monday, September 12, 2011

How Well Are You Getting Older?

I turned fifty recently. Even when you plan on living to a hundred and five this is middle age. I have been pondering what fifty means to me and here are a few of the thoughts.

Fifty is a critical age where fashion or hairstyles more suited to twenty-somethings look completely ridiculous. I’ve said goodbye to short shorts, speedos and magazine hair forever.

On a more serious note, it has occurred to me over the last several years that my body now demands a gentler and more consistent approach to exercise. I love to run and have had to really pull back on both my speed and time in order to prevent injuries. It is a matter of wanting to run for the rest of my life. Pushing hard now will severely limit the likelihood of that. I have also opted to replace my gym workouts with daily yoga. My body is feeling better than it has in a very long time and I’ve noticed that it seems to be staying relatively tight and fit looking without pushing weights around. I have enough lean muscle mass so building muscle is not a priority, but, flexibility and a healthy spine are.

The last thing I’ve been thinking about is attitude. I’m not upset by birthdays. Even this milestone is just fine. I think it’s important to be realistic about what we can and can’t accomplish given our age, experience, fitness level etc. The real key to staying healthy and happy is to keep growing and moving at whatever age. Beware getting stuck in a rut or wanting things to stay exactly as they are. I will continue to explore my world, myself and all of the wonderful things that they both have to offer until my journey here is done. How can anyone do anything else?

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