As the Earth circles the sun, it adds another year to its portfolio of time in its resume of existing in the universe. Humans on Earth enjoy the ride, experiencing everyday interactions with friends, family, and co-workers. Every year, we observe the weather becoming cooler or warmer, the sun rising earlier or setting later, and we learn new things about our relationships, careers, and our bodies. Our journey through life can offer us challenges, some of the happiest moments, and lessons that change our direction and what we find important.
Age affects the functions of our bodies, which might influence our ability to choose which activities we engage in. The advancement of age can affect our emotional, physical, and psychological well-being. If our health and well-being are neglected, our journey through life can be significantly impacted, hindering us from achieving our goals and aspirations. While we can’t negotiate with Father Time to go back in time, maintaining a consistent practice toward lifetime fitness can significantly enhance our life experience as we ride on the wings of time, using our bodies as a vehicle to take it all in.
Every few years, wrinkles on the cheeks, crows’ feet around the eyes, and maybe a few unexpected moles and freckles appear on the skin from time to time. Some would say they add character to our appearance. An important factor deserving just as much attention as the age-related changes on our skin are the cells residing under our skin. Maintaining the integrity of our muscles, bones, and internal organs can’t be overstated.
After a significant amount of years spent enduring the physical, emotional, and psychological stress of living over multiple decades, the connective tissue under our skin endures similar repercussions from the laborious activities our bodies undergo during physical activity or recovery from injuries and illnesses. In other words, wrinkles aren’t just present on our skin due to the effects of age. Changes in the body due to the advancement of age appear in the form of muscles becoming tighter, tendons and ligaments losing some of their elasticity and strength, reductions in bone mineral density, or cartilage degradation at the ends of joints.
After retirement from a successful career, people can be presented with invaluable gifts at that time in their life, as they enter their fifties, sixties, or seventies. Monumental vacations that people look forward to for decades might appear. Maybe a few grandkids have been brought into this world to spend time with. The opportunity to engage in recreational physical activity, such as spending twenty or more hours per week playing tennis, golf, running, or pickleball, is more prevalent. While these opportunities bring happiness, joy, and pleasure that can rarely be replaced, they require a body that has sufficient energy, can move in various planes of motion, and can get up and down from the floor with minimal issues. It should come as no surprise that if one’s physical strength, mobility, coordination, and energy aren’t at sufficient levels, these post-retirement activities that occur later in life are challenging to obtain. Therefore, the need to adhere to a consistent practice of exercise, stretching, eating the right foods, and limiting undesirable stress levels can’t be overstated.
The advancement of age doesn’t need to be an experience that appears suboptimal. The human body is a vehicle for the person it belongs to, enabling them to enjoy the splendors and beauties our world offers, and granting us the privilege of enjoying the people around us. Maintaining the body’s condition by exercising regularly, providing it with healthy fuel, and surrounding ourselves with positive people can deliver us to those invaluable moments in life. Perhaps we can aim to ensure the next year of our life is the best we can be physically, mentally, and emotionally for years to come by focusing on our lifetime fitness efforts.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.