Knowing your body is a good first step. Everyone understands that the body begins an aging process from creation to dust. In the book, "You The Owner's Manual," Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz inform readers that the oxidation process contributes to the aging of your body. There are three main factors in age-related disease that you can control. They are:
- aging of your heart and blood vessels;
- aging of your immune system; and
- aging caused by environmental or social issues.
It is important … seriously … to know how your body works. How it reacts to what goes inside of it. When your body needs rest. Why exercise? … What exerise? … How much exercise? For the first half of my 52 years these questions never received any serious attention. Hey, I was still young … invincible … lived hard, played hard. This stuff only mattered for people much older than me.
Then one day in 1992 I woke up and realized, "My body doesn't move like it used to. What happened? Am I coming down with something?" Fortunately, my wife was quick to reassure me, “Dear, you are just fine. Today is your 35th birthday.”
I spent the next 7 years in a slump; convinced that it was just the way it was supposed to be. My body was going to be going downhill and it would be a very long and possibly unpleasant journey until I hit rock bottom (whenever that was). Didn't really see much hope, so I might as well get on with it, strap in, and enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, my ride did not include doing anything healthy. I focused on self-indulgence, rarely picked up a weight (except for those few extra ones around the waist) and justified the entire trip to old age with a mindset of "that's all folks."
Something changed. While attending a leadership event in 1999, the facilitator challenged participants to take a leadership position in all areas of their lives to include body, mind, and soul. Of course, it had been common place for me to apply leadership concepts to business, but now apply them to my very, real persona … me? Just hadn't thought of setting very specific goals for these three areas independent from my career and financial goals.
After mulling it over for several days, I proudly declared to my wife that I am going to live to be 120. It was stated in the present because the power of change occurs from declaring "I am" not "someday I am going to be." For me living to be 120 was based on three very personal reasons. (1) Once achieved, it would coincide with celebrating 100 years of being married to my beautiful bride. (2) No one has achieved this milestone in current history. (3) It has a biblical basis (Genesis 6:3).
For 10 years now I've taken my health seriously. Learned to have fun, swim, ski, eat well, exercise, and rest. I am very happy with my journey today and am seriously excited to say, "It's not even half over, yet!"
So, let me know: how do you take care of your health? Do you have a BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal)? If so, what is it? Tell me about your journey. Clock's ticking. It's Thursday and time for you to seriously talk back with Troy.
Personally, I don’t want to look like Yoda and scare my grandchildren just so that I can achieve the max years. I’m ok with 75. I plan to go out with a bang! rather than waste away in a nursing home.
That said, I do run, bike, swim, and ski, but only cause they’re fun. I do moderate strength maintenance to A) keep my wife interested, and B) be able to keep on skiing, pick up my 5-year old, and even carry my wife over the threshold on our anniversary. But pass the bacon! Pass the cake! I’m just a sojourner and this earth is not my destination, but I’ll enjoy it while I’m here.
I have to get on my soapbox for just a moment on this one. Everyone needs to use sunblock everyday, avoid sun exposure between 10-2:00, and watch your skin for any changes. Having had Melanoma at the age of 21, I can’t say it enough, use sunblock! We so often talk about eating the right foods, working out at the gym, etc. and tend to overlook the one thing that is by far the easiest on the list of things to do to stay healthy.
Bridget, you are right, sometimes we overlook certain health issues if they don’t fit in the exercise or healthy food category. I am a huge fan of sunscreen. Especially on my face. I always make sure my makeup has SPF 15 or more in it. I even use a tinted moisterizer with sunscreen in it when I make a quick trip to the grocery store on the weekends or go for a stroller walk around the neighborhood. I don’t want to get wrinkles or sun damage on my face. I am very cautious about my baby son’s sun exposure. I always put sunscreen on him and make sure he is around shade when possible. Speaking of sun damage, I think it is important to wear sun shades to protect our eyes from sun damage also. Another thing I think is important is dental health. Not having good dental habits can cause major health complications. I think (and hope) my mom will live to be 100 or more bc she is 62 and looks 52 (still can’t find a wrinkle on her face), works in her garden, eats lots of veggies and fruits, and drinks green tea
Ok, I will qit blabbing now. Good blog topic Troy!