For everything there is a season. If you are over forty years of age you know of which I speak. Growing older is all about letting go of one season and adjusting to a new one. There are things that you enjoyed doing in your 20’s and 30’s that are not as doable now, but that’s not a bad thing because there are things that you can really appreciate now that you just didn’t get when you were younger. It’s the adjusting that takes practice though.
When I was in my 40’s I realized I did not have the energy I had ten years ago. But then again, my lifestyle did not exactly promote a high energy life. I also took a better look around me and noticed how limited some of my older friends had become because of health issues brought on by poor lifestyle. I wanted something better and it wasn’t going to happen if I continued doing what I was doing.
I started developing an active lifestyle and changed my eating habits. I took time to understand how God had designed my body and what support it needed from me so it could support me. It didn’t take long for me to feel the difference and I haven’t looked back. But that was an adjustment I made in my 40’s which carried me into my 50’s. Now as I am approaching my 60’s I see further adjustments that need to be made.
I can’t afford to try to live off of five hours sleep any more. I need to adjust my idea of rest so that my body has the strength to fight off disease. No more late nights. My digestive system can’t handle me downing a bag of almonds in an hour so I need to adjust my balance. I need more protein and magnesium. I can’t get away with all my cardio activity any more, I need to add resistance training to maintain muscle. I can’t handle doing five things at a time any more, one or two is good. And it may take me a few days to do what I did in one, and that’s okay.
The biggest adjustment is to time and expectation. As I get older, supporting my body takes more time and greater intention. I try to build activity into everything I do; park five blocks away and walk, take the stairs, have walking meetings in the park, telephone calls are done while walking the neighbourhood. But on top of that is the 30 minutes of cardio workout five days a week, and 30 minutes of resistance training for those same five days. There is the 20 minutes of yoga style stretching every day and the 60 minutes of mindfulness to help my body shed the subconscious daily stress. There are also the two-3 km walks each day. And therein lies the problem.
If these are the things I need to do to support my body and mind in the aging process, I am going to have to make room for it. It’s great to talk about these things but something is going to have to shrink or go in order to fit it all in. That’s the kicker for most of us. We want to be healthy but we aren’t really prepared to lose anything to do it.
My time with God is a non-negotiable ; that’s number one priority. My time with my children and wife are also precious. My friends in my church are also important. My french studies are also a must. What does that leave me with? TV. Social media. Games. It’s amazing how much time we find when we shrink those down. But is it that important to you?
That’s the million dollar question. What you adjust to support your aging self is totally up to you but if you want to be healthy in your golden years something is going to have to change. You can’t and won’t stay the same, one way or another. Quick, take a look around. You don't have to be stuck with diabetes. You don’t have to become dependent on blood pressure medication. There are many things you can avoid if you just learn to listen to what your body needs, understand the season you are in, adjust, and make room for a healthy you.
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