Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Healthy Aging: As Old As We Feel

Today's post was contributed by Mary Albert, a blogger for happyhealth.net, which is an innovative senior lifestyle/health portal targeting baby boomers and their parents.  The site contains four pillars to lifestyle happiness as well as a section reviewing and rating medical alert systems.  But before reading Mary's post, here's a 1 min. 37 sec. video I shot in my office yesterday on the subject of healthy aging.  I'm in the process of learning how to use iMovie and, frankly, just wanted to practice. 


And now, here's Mary's post:
When it comes to retirement, there are a lot of ways that people choose to spend their time. Since I've been doing training and exercise my entire life, I naturally tend to focus more on the fun aspect of retirement: playing sports, getting involved in recreational events, and doing anything that involves being physically and socially active. After all, this is the encore to your working life. It is your time to get out there and have fun to make up for all the work that you've done. Why not have that fun by playing sports or joining a team or club in the community?

Golfing is a popular activity for adults over the age of 55. Of course, so are tennis, swimming, walking, fishing, and hiking. No matter what your fancy might be, there's something out there that you can enjoy. I'm living proof, as are the people that I play with, that you're only as old as you feel. Most days, I feel like I'm in my 30's, thanks to staying active and getting my game on. I prefer golf, hiking, or working out in the gym to other activities, but the truth is that it doesn't matter what you're doing so long as you're doing something.

I love to see people enjoying their lives in retirement. I'm never more pleased than when I walk into my local gym and spot others who have given up the working world for a life of leisure, whether they're walking on the treadmills or working out on one of the weight machines. So many people get caught up in the relaxation or they think that they're limited in the activities that they have to choose from because of their age, but the reality is that the limits are truly endless. I couldn't imagine a life without some type of sport or exercise, which is why I recommend it to everyone that I meet.

6 comments:

  1. Elita Clayman3:27 PM

    I exercise every day even when I do not feel great. I fell on 7-2-11 outside the hair salon as I was coming out trying to get beautiful. I slipped to the cement ground and really hurt all over and since it was a designated holiday weekend, that is not a good time to fall. I was able to see the physician assistant at the dear doctor office that was still open and he checked me over and said I would see bruises in the next few days and would send me for x-rays on Tuesday when the world began again after the long 4th of July weekend.

    X-rays showed a bit on the right knee injured and I have been paying for it since then as of today 3-17-11. I cannot dance because of the injured knee and have done physical therapy,Cortisone shots and the new once a month Synvisc which they say takes 6 weeks to take effect.So far, it is only 5 weeks, so here is to the one more week for a miracle.

    However, I continue to write my ballroom dance blogs and my Weight Watcher blogs ( lost lots of weight before the fall) and I try to encourage,
    inspire and instill to everyone to go out and ballroom dance regardless of their now age. I had a lady fan in California start to take dance lessons
    at age 79.5 because she read my articles and finally got the courage to try dancing.She did well with her lessons and even competed with her
    professional teacher and won some medals at the now age of 83. Wow, that is delightful to know and to know that she read my articles online
    and received the desire to try her long time goal and dance. Her husband was in a nursing home for 20 years and she was depressed and dancing
    changed her whole world and gave her a social life too.

    So I am I hope only incapacitated for a short time more and I hope that at age almost 77, I can go back to my beloved ballroom dancing in a few months. I earned over the years of 1978-2002- 58 trophies and medals for my competition work with my various pro teachers dancing in competitions in Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, Kansas and Florida. They reside on specially built trophy wooden shelves in my kitchen.To admire them and view them with my love for dancing keeps me going. Along side of my love for husband of 50.5 years, my son, daughter, daughter-in-law, son-in-law and 3 gorgeous grandsons ages of almost 19, 16, 6 and one granddaughter almost 4, dancing is next on my love list. It provided me with a social life, a good stimulant for the brain because in dancing you surely use your brain, feet, arms, body and soul to be able to perform.

    I urge anyone whoever had the thought to learn dancing and did not do it because they thought themselves too old now, forget that.Go out take some group lessons which are less expensive than private ones and see how well you fit in and do it. My professor back in 1968 when I went back to get a college education at the old lady age then of 33.5
    wrote in my first essay booklet “Mrs.Clayman, you can and will do better.” I could not have done better having him to encourage me to excel and then accomplishing in 5 years and graduated and felt wonderful because I had done ‘better.’

    So you go out and you excel, accomplish and feel good about yourself because you took up ballroom dancing which is not like you see on Dancing With The Stars. That is all nonsense because no normal person can take lessons for 7 days a week, 7 hours a day and be normal still.That is all television hype of the worse kind.Regular people take
    one lesson or two at the most per week for only one hour and go to a studio dance for 3 hours once or twice a week. That is it.

    So you accomplish that many splendored thing mentioned in the movie of that title and you will have done better than you had even perceived you would. You will now know that splendored moment and moments will be splendid dancing.

    Elita Sohmer Clayman Baltimore, Md. elitajerrydancing@verizon.net

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  2. Wow, Elita. Thank you for such a thoughtful response. You're wonderful!

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  3. You are wonderful yourself, Prill because you are kind and considerate of the ladies over 50 and you celebrate their new accomplishments.

    I award you the first "Elita" award similar to the Emmy and Oscar awards. Your is in the category of best writer excelling in celebrating older women.Bravo to you dear Prill.

    Elita Sohmer Clayman ( one of your celebrated older ladies)

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  4. Elita Clayman2:00 PM

    Dear Prill,

    I’ve known you now for a long long time
    So I thought I would sit down and write you a rhyme

    I thought you probably did not know it
    I dabble also in trying to be a poet

    Prill, how do I love thee, let me count the ways
    You have the manner to make me have more pleasant days

    You have knowledge on seniors and their desires and fears
    It almost brings me moments of happiness and tears

    I know you are actually a senior yourself according to AARP
    You designate things to us to know and how not to harp

    You always mention others who excel
    Gives us desire to do so and become swell

    You show us that age is only a small number
    We should not let it be an encumber

    We are taught by your mention of people who do important things now
    We read them and are encouraged and say “oh wow”

    We can be like them in anything we desire
    You light the candle of experiences with fire

    You are a lovely individual that is for sure
    You sparkle and shine and are certainly not a bore

    I found you via the internet one day when I was a bit yearning
    I was doing things on the computer and liking what I was learning

    I found all about you and your work and your new book
    So I wrote you about me and a chance I took

    You responded and even wrote me up on your site
    I was proud of that and my ego reached a new height

    So to you darling Prill, my friend on the computer email
    We shall be friends so often and not let this fail

    Thank you for your liking my accomplishments and writings so far
    Other day I felt sad because could not drive in the car

    The injured right knee has been getting me down
    I guess there was on my face a sad frown

    Then I wrote a comment on your web site
    You published it and I felt up to the sky in my height

    So to you wonderful Prill Boyle, my young sister and friend
    You are beautiful in face, spirit, mind and my love for you will transcend

    Written to you on Saturday March 19th 2011, two days before springtime
    A Poem for my Dear Prill who is as bright, pretty, smart and deserved this rhyme.

    By Elita Sohmer Clayman, Baltimore, Maryland

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  5. I'm speechless, Elita. I wish there was something more I could do than simply saying "thank you" to show how touched I am.

    ReplyDelete