Some Thoughts on Finding Balance in Your Life
Or
What Is Really Important to You Now
By Dot Daly
www.befitafter60.com
Being near or past retirement age brings still more changes in the way we use
our time. Seemingly, we slide into age brackets sometimes dubbed as "empty
nesters", "baby boomers", "seniors", or "elderly". We're not always comfortable
with changes, but we adapt and move on.
How many changes have there been in
your time structure? If they were significant, then you remember them. Some that
come to mind are: that first day of school and the last; the first hurt or
rejection; any move, especially to a new area; impulsive choices turned sour;
unwelcome weight gains (oops!); marriage; jobs, children; grandchildren; severe
disability; accidents; or losing a loved one. Some changes have been great
some not so great.
Any and all of these events create changes in the way we
use our time. Our life feels off-balance for a while. However, whatever has
happened cannot be changed, although our attitude can. An ancient poem from the
Sanskrit advises, "Look, therefore, to this day, for it is life." We must look
to the task ahead and establish priorities.
Life, as I reflect on the many
changes I've experienced, is not unlike a road map. There are detours.
Eventually, we get back on track to things that are familiar.
At age 60,
after experiencing a series of extreme traumas, I had an accident, resulting in
a compound fracture where the bones shattered in 16 places. My life took an
entirely different direction. This was not only a detour, but a whole new way of
life.
My priority was focused on recovery and improvement in this aging
body. How? By exercising, and studying the benefits of exercise.
Exercise is
vitally important as you get older. It's never too late to get moving. It is
also important to find the type of exercise that you can do and enjoy.
Otherwise, you will not continue. It is no secret that we lose muscle mass and
aerobic capacity as we age, so we do less. That diminishing capacity can be
increased.
Inactivity takes a huge toll and may shorten your life. There are
many documented studies proving the benefits of exercise. How do you feel about
the possibility of caring for your own needs and, to quote Dr. Andrew Weil,
"decrease the morbidity of life?" Regular exercise is the key to slowing down
the aging process, improving your immune system, decreasing pain and disease and
in general, feeling well.
There are, most likely, many places near you where
you can go to begin your new life style of fitting some movement into your time
structure. You could begin by calling senior services in your area.
If you
are online, e-mail me or check out my website and you'll see how my recovery
turned out after the sixteen-plus years. If I can adapt, so can
you!
 Dot Daly is the owner of Keep Movin, Inc., which offers an
exercise DVD for seniors titled, "Flex 'n Stretch" (for the not-so-flexible).
It's available for $14.95, incl.
tax (Mailing is free) by logging on to www.befitafter60.com.
You may call Dot Daly at 678-445-5630.
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