Use It!
Paula, Riley, and I were in South Carolina for the past week visiting our son and his wife; the picture shows some of us collecting shells at Edisto Beach. After getting in and out of a boat, I came face to face with an issue that’s been bothering me for a while: balance. I don’t mean I’ve been falling down a lot; I mean getting the sensation that I’m not as stable as I used to be.
I decided that I was going to hit the road again—walking. I’ve been using the recumbent bike almost exclusively to maintain my fitness. But the lack of movement over uneven surfaces as you’re moving forward (or backward or sideways) causes stabilizer muscles to atrophy quicker than when you were younger.
We also helped cut down a couple of small white oak trees and stacked what will be firewood. Freshly cut wood is heavier than you might expect, and that brought to light the muscle I’ve lost.
Let me summarize it this way. Your body is going to change, without question. The more physical tasks you give up, whether it’s shopping for and carrying groceries, working in the garden, even taking out the garbage, the more physical decline you’ll have. Exercise is important for many reasons, but functional fitness helps you live your life. Use your body, or your world will start to shrink.
If losing muscle is worrying you, download Taking Back Your Muscle and Reclaiming Your Power, the first two parts of the Aging with a Vengeance series; they’re on sale for only $9.95 each. Meanwhile I’m working on the next Aging with a Vengeance presentation; the topic will be memory and learning. If you have any questions about diet, supplements, or products you’ve heard about, let me know and I’ll weave them into the presentation. It doesn’t matter how old you are now—this is about the number one fear that comes with aging: losing what we know. We’re going to attack it with a vengeance!
What are you prepared to do today?
