Feature Image PhotoPhoto credit: Ken Whytock on Best Running
Its Time to Get Off the Couch
I am sure you remember the saying “Youth is wasted on the young” I heard that when I was young and at the time it had no meaning. As a senior I fully understand the meaning and all its consequences. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard someone say I would like to go back to when I was 20 or 30, except I would do things a lot different. The problem is you can’t go back. So as an alternative go ahead with your best foot forward.
Life doesn’t end after you reach 60 or 65 or whatever age. Life is something that is truly a gift and should be lived to its fullest every day. That is until you take your last breath. It is very easy to give up and say you are too old. You are never too old unless you want to be too old. In my opinion one of the most important things that you need to do is to maintain a regular exercise regimen. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do. Just do something.
If walking is your thing, then walk, but make sure it is on a regular schedule. If you are a swimmer then swim. You can always find an excuse not to take that walk, or swim or go to the gym. As you get older it requires more discipline to continue to do the things that were once routine. Don’t let father time take control of you, you seize the moment and tell father time that you are going to go for that walk! Now obviously you can’t talk to father time, but you know what I mean.
Don’t Get Lazy!
It is very easy to get lazy in many ways as you get older and give in to temptations. One of the things I find very difficult to control is my craving for junk food. That is my biggest weakness. I have resigned myself to the fact that if I continue to eat junk food to my heart’s content, my heart will stop working. Not a good thing! So once again the discipline thing comes in. You have to be determined to not want to eat the junk food. I know it is hard, believe me I know. But it is one of the things you need to do to maintain a good quality of life as you grow older.
Your energy level changes as you grow older. You have to be conscious of this and work harder at whatever you do. What you did ever so easily when you were young becomes a chore. Find things that you like to do and you will have more energy doing them. Coronel Sanders was 65 when he started Kentucky Fried Chicken. There are many stories of people that achieve success in their later years. Even if you are not looking to achieve any type of success or achieve any great accomplishments just look to live your life to its fullest.
I think what motivates me the most are people who are born with handicaps, or incur a handicap during the course of their lifetime and yet still achieve greatness. Look at Stevie Wonder, blind from birth and yet has achieved greatness beyond what most non handicapped people achieve.
So the long and short of it is don’t give up when you retire. Get going on new adventures and enjoy them!