The secrets of staying young—Part II
by Mira and Charles on July 30th, 2010Fitness secrets for staying young
Last time we talked about how the mind can be a fountain of youth. Now it’s time to look at how physical fitness can contribute to this. And in fact there are secrets for staying fit. This is important, because it is amply, hugely, demonstrated in study after study that the more fit you are, the longer you will live and the better will be the quality of your life. A longer and better life: sounds like a good deal to me. But what are the secrets for achieving this?
A big shout out to my wonderful and brilliant daughters Rachel and Hannah for keeping this topic at the front of my mind but also for keeping me honest on this topic. So I need to point out: I know I am not a fitness expert, Hannah. I am a psychotherapist. And as a psychotherapist I’d have to say you’d be crazy if you took fitness tips from me, as in “How should I train to run a half marathon?”.
But this is not really me talking here. As a pretty smart person, I know when to consult the experts. And here’s what the best consensus is among the best experts:
1. The most important thing is, Just do it. Move. Move as much as you can as often as you can. Do NOT worry about the best exercise program. Not if it prevents you from just getting out there and exerting yourself. Make it a priority for every day.
2. Mix it up. Do different things. Do one thing for a while, then something else. Do something different today from what you did yesterday. Let next month be different from last month. If you keep surprising your body, it will really help you get more fit. (But don’t let trying to vary your routine get in the way of just doing SOMETHING!)
3. Challenge yourself. Fitness is, by definition, the body’s response to challenge. Fatigue and a sense of real exertion are signs that you’re moving into the fitness arena. BUT, and this is a HUGE but, do not challenge yourself to the point of doing damage. I had a visit with my most excellent orthopedist yesterday (Hi, Dr. Gomoll!) and he made it clear that there can be a fine line between too much and too little. One thing is for sure, particularly if the word aging has any meaning for you: pain, even little twinges of pain, are nature’s way of telling you to back off. You have to pay attention to that. My knee wishes I’d done that. Oh, and don’t forget: look for ways to challenge yourself, but no matter what…MOVE!
4. Have fun. The biggest reasons our resolutions to get more fit fail is that we do things that just aren’t fun. It’s a drag to do them, or to bring ourselves to the place where we have to do them. Fun is the thing that makes fitness happen. Now fun doesn’t have to mean you’re having a laugh riot. It just means: “I like this.” Fun for you might be a relaxing, meditative yoga class. Or a brisk walk with a friend, or a dog, or a friend and a dog. Or something a little competitive—tennis, maybe, or boxing for grandmas. Hey, fun for you might be reading magazines while you’re on the elliptical. The urban biathlon: roller blading and slingshots. Whatever. Just remember: the fun exercise will be the exercise you keep on doing.
That’s it. These are really psychological tips for making sure your body stays on the younger side of the curve.
Next blog: mental fitness. Oh, yeah. There are things you can do to keep your mind young forever.
In the meantime, do check out The Emotional Energy Factor. There’s enough stuff in there to keep you busy, and young, for a long time.
