Training
I lift weights in my living room a few times a week. People often refer to this sort of thing as weight training, and I sometimes think of this exercise as such. But calling it weight training also feels a bit presumptuous. I am, after all, not training for some other athletic activity--an event or a competition. I am building bone and muscle to stay strong and healthy as I age. I am training for late life. So, yes, I suppose I can call this training.
I didn't start exercising with weights at age 70. I started when I was 50. I also do an hour of yoga three or four times a week. And I do Pilates exercises. I am doing all of this to maintain a strong core, flexibility, and balance.
I mostly eat a Mediterranean diet. I don't smoke (never have). I get about 90 minutes of aerobic exercise about five days a week. I maintain good connections with friends. I volunteer in my community. Most days, I limit myself to one cup of coffee and one piece of chocolate. And I have just one alcoholic drink a day...except for the days when I have two. That's the hardest one for me. How unfair that the medical profession says men can have two drinks but women only get one! I understand this rule; research continues to show higher cancer risks with drinking more than these recommended amounts of alcohol. But I don't like this rule. Nonetheless, I strive to adhere to it and I feel proud on the days I have just one drink, which is at least half the time.
The women in my family live long lives. My mother died young, at 92. Her mother and sister lived until 101 and 100, respectively. If I am to live an exceptionally long life, I want to enjoy it in good health. So, I am training for such—a long healthy life. So far, so good. At my annual physical exam several days ago, the only concern was my bone density. I have no other age-related illnesses. Lucky me. I have good genes. And I am doing all the things I am supposed to do to promote bone health (and good health in general). As I've said, I’m training to remain healthy as I age. Are you? What are you doing to maintain strength, flexibility, agility, and balance? Are you in training to live a long, healthy life? Or at least a healthy life as long as you live?
I started weight training almost six years ago, at age 29, after developing chronic back pain from sitting all day at my office job. I continue because I feel the positive effect it has every day, in the form of less pain and greater ease of mobility. And even when I’m not feeling motivated, one of the things that incentivizes me to pick up the weights is the hope that I can continue to feel these benefits many years down the road. I recommend weight training in some form to basically everyone. It’s not only physically beneficial but mentally too. I feel better about myself when I feel strong, and that positively impacts everything else in my life.
Go Ann! I have paid attention to the elders in my family. The ones who lived long lives, especially. The ones I called the flaming extroverts (which I am not) lived the longest, were the funniest and the most fun to be around. Often they drank the most alcohol! The most important characteristic I saw was that they maintained friendships throughout their long lives. As they slowed down, they just used the phone, but they stayed connected. So it wasn't just the healthiness in body, though they all saw their doctors regularly and were active, at least by walking or swimming, but their emotional well being that I think kept them alive a long time. They also read voraciously--the news, novels, nonfiction. And then of course they talked about it. Lots of good role models.