fitover50

The Quaker Oats Company likes to advertise that by eating their oatmeal for 30 days, you can reduce your cholesterol level by some amount. I may very well be the poster child they are looking for. I have been eating Quaker Oatmeal almost every day for breakfast for the last 23 years. My cholesterol reading is always somewhere between 145 and 180. And that is a natural reading. There is not now, nor has there ever been, any cholesterol lowering medication in my life.

Coincidence? I don’t know. I try to eat a healthful diet on all levels, not just my breakfast cereal. Maybe it’s the big picture at work here. But, for each of us, making one small change in what we do or how we do it can be the beginning of a radical improvement in our lives. That first step can lead to many more.

It’s easy enough. Breakfast is an important part of the day. For me, I don’t have enough imagination first thing in the morning to get creative. That’s why I like the oatmeal, whole grain toast and yogurt routine that I’ve established for myself. There is no effort involved. I don’t question what to do each day, I just do the same thing I did yesterday.

Boring? If it is, I don’t notice it. It seems to work.

Do you have any simple tips or routines in your life that might be the beginning of a simple change for someone? If so, drop an e-mail. Let’s start a list of simple changes.

Age is just a number. You’ve heard that expression many times before. All of us fall somewhere along the continuum, most likely somewhere between 1 and 100. Unfortunately, we tend to pass judgement on people based on their age. A lot of that judgement is inaccurate. It’s not fair to determine that a person is immature because they are “only” 18. Likewise, it’s unfair to write off people in the later decades of life as being out of touch, senile, behind the times, or whatever.

Most of us, whether we actually practice this or not, understand that age, in and of itself, is not the thing that makes us “young” or “old”. We have all encountered teenagers wise beyond their years and 85 year olds who are as young at heart as any sixteen year old in love.

So, if we get past the numbers, what is it that makes people “old?” I’ll tell you what I think it is. The number one barometer for measuring non-chronological age is the complaint factor. Constant, chronic complaining can occur in the very young, the not so young and to definitely not at all young. And nothing, and I do mean nothing, screams out “I am a crabby old geezer” with more vim and vigor than a person who can find no joy in life and means to make sure everyone within audio range knows about it.

I guarantee you, there is plenty wrong with the world today. Just read the newspaper or watch the television. But, don’t ask me. I don’t want to be the town crier. And if you want to be the town crier, I don’t want to hear about it.

If you have a joy to share, drop an e-mail. We’d love to share it with you. In fact, maybe I’ll start a running list of joyful announcements. (If you need to air your gripes and dirty laundry, keep looking. Someone out there wants to hear it, I’m sure).

How old are you?

Today is my birthday. I say that, not to encourage a group of well-wishers to chant greetings at me but rather, so that I can make this one important statement. I’m proud of my age!

I was born into a family that boasts a number of nonagenerians (people between the age of 90 and 99). I have good genetics. So far, my health has been outstanding. The only medication I take is a multi-vitamin and an added calcium supplement. My doctor says I have the blood work of a teenager. I think my odds of seeing 90+ are above average.

So, how then can I expect to boast about reaching 90, 95, or even 100 years of age if I spend forty or fifty years lying, denying or falsifying my true age?

There have been several women in my family who, over the years, have lied about their true age because they were older than their husbands - something that was not looked upon very highly in my parents generation. One, in fact, actually took the lie to her grave when her family had the wrong year carved on her gravestone. The only people who actually knew the truth were her siblings. Apparently her husband had even been successfully duped.

I don’t want that to happen to me. I’m happy to be alive. Every year I live is one more year of memories and experiences. Not everyone gets to live a long and eventful life. Whenever I die, whatever age that may be, I want the world to know that I got to flip the page on the calendar to a new year 80, 90 or 100 times. I don’t want to be short-changed by one minute.

Age, in and of itself, is not a curse. A certain age does not necessarily bring with it weakness, disability, mental confusion or uselessness. Every day that we live fills the vast coffers of our lives with more experience, memories (yes, some of them will be bad), dramas and events of day to day living. This is what life is! Not a holding pattern at some magical age of 18, 21, 39 or whatever place you want to imagine was the best time of your life.

This is the best time of your life! The here and now is the only time of your life! If 18, 21, or 39 was as good as it was going to get - guess what! I’m either dead or I should be. I’m not dead and I’m darned proud of that fact! I like being alive in a world and at a time when the future of the United States will be going down a path it has never taken before. I like being alive at a time where a tool like the Internet gives me access to information and people and places that I could not gain access to before. I like knowing that, even as much change as I have seen in my lifetime, there is unbelievable change coming down the road.

I want to be around to see that. And I don’t need to pretend I’m a few years younger than I really am to do that. Trust me, no one would believe me if I said I was 18, 21 or 39, so a couple of years is about all I could get away with.

Oh, and by the way, I’m 52 today.

Like most of you, I lead a busy life. I have a husband, a full time job, a home to manage, writing interests and I’m usually enrolled in one or more classes at a time in one of my various interests. I have to manage all of this in the same 24 hours per day that everyone has with which to work.

I can’t do it all!

I can’t. I never could. It used to bother me. It doesn’t any more. The reason being, I have developed a relatively new philosophy of life over the last few years. I like to call this philosophy “Evidence of Effort.” What I mean by this is that, while it is usually clear to myself and everyone around me that I have left many tasks unfinished, there is always plenty of evidence that “I’m working on it.” I prefer not to think of this as spreading myself too thin but, rather, that I put a percentage of my energies into everything that requires my attention. Eventually the percentages will add up to 100% and a task will be complete. In the meantime, for anyone who cares to look, there is evidence that I have paid attention and put some effort into accomplishing my goals.

If I ignore something that requires my attention, I obviously don’t think it’s important. If I can provide “evidence of effort” it shows that I do care enough to want to devote some time and energy to the task at hand.

Being Fit Over 50 isn’t just a physical state of being. Mental well-being must be cultivated as well. It’s important to have a few really good relationships in life. In the world as we know it today, those relationships may not always be the traditional husband/wife, parent/child, girlfriends or boyfriends of past generations. Today there is lot of variety in how people choose to live their lives and the relationships that can result from those varying lifestyles. And, that’s a good thing.

I find, at this stage of life, that I am very picky about who I call “friend.” It is definitely a short list. Those people share my ideas about looking at life in broad terms, being generally accepting of people and situations around me. I’m done with narrow-minded bigotry that labels as “outsiders” anyone who doesn’t think, act, vote or dress the way I do.

That’s just one more good thing about being over 50, I guess. I know my own mind better than ever before and I am secure enough in my beliefs to let others have their own beliefs.

This open mindedness is a primary quality I look for in the people that make up my circle of friends. Some days, a good friend is all I have or all I need.

As I promised, I am making every effort to “walk the walk” as I talk about tips and ideas for coping with the life and the body that comes with being 50. Today I offer an update on my progress with my exercise routine. Twenty-four days into the month of September and I am proud to report that I have fulfilled my pledge to exercise on fifteen of those days. I have built up my time and a little more stamina on the elliptical machine. I have increased my time on the treadmill by a few minutes and increased my speed by a whopping 1/10 of a mile (Rome wasn’t built in a day!) I took a few outdoor walks in the late summer sun and took some time to clear the cobwebs from my brain.

All in all, I am not ashamed to stand on this record. I haven’t looked at the scale yet. I don’t really have a good feeling in that area. I still need to grapple with some of dietary choices (chocoholics can be incorrigible). I know all the right things to do, I just find myself turning the other cheek on occasion (too many occasions) when I really should know better.

Where do you stand when it comes to eating or exercising for your own well-being? I’d like to hear from someone who really has it together, as well as from those of us with good intentions and less than stellar performances. Not so much because “misery loves company,” but more along the lines of “united we stand strong.”

We’re all in this together. How are you managing to cope?

I understand the importance of good nutrition. In fact, one of my favorite pastimes is studying the nutrition labels on food packages. I try to eat enough fiber. I count my fruit and vegetable servings. I pay attention to my calcium and other mineral needs.

I also have a sweet tooth. I am a chocoholic, no doubt about it. But my number one weakness, when it comes to desserts, is the cookie tray. You know what I mean. Weddings, baby showers, graduations, celebrations of every kind, are practically a guaranteed source of many and varied bite sized desserts. What could be better than lining your dessert plate with a wide array of shortbread, peanut butter blossoms, lady fingers, chocolate chip cookies, and mini cheesecake bars?

The fat grams and calorie count of such a splurge is almost incalculable. It’s easy to enjoy a small slice of birthday cake and call it quits. But, a cookie tray! First there’s two, then two more and, oh, one more can’t hurt. They’re small! If you pop it in your mouth when no one is looking, who will be the wiser?

Yeah, we’ve all been there.

I’m pretty sure my love of the cookie tray stems from the Christmas celebrations of my childhood, when cookies were plentiful. They were my first true experience with comfort foods. Even today, a plate of cookies and a cup of tea will bring a feeling of calm to my frazzled nerves.

Am I weak? Sure. Is this a basic flaw in my otherwise solid character? You bet.

Would I change my evil ways when it comes to my love of cookie trays if I could. Not on your life! I’m not without flaws and, at Fit Over 50, I don’t have to be. And neither do you.

Fifty is a great age for looking back and evaluating where we have been and where we feel we should be going in the future. It is common for people of this age group to say, “If I knew then what I know now . . .” or “If I had it to do all over again. . .” or “If only I was (fill in the age of your choice) years old again, I would do things differently. . . “

All of this is a waste of breath and brain cells. We aren’t twenty-one, we didn’t know then what we know now and we can’t go back in time. Even if we could, we would likely make the same mistakes or even a few that would have turned out worse.

For each of us, our past is a sealed vault. You can view it with the 20/20 vision of memory, but that’s where it stops. You can’t touch it. You can’t change it. Stop wasting time trying.

So, armed with the knowledge that you can’t do anything about the past, you might as well stop thinking about it with regret or remorse. You can’t rework the past but you can, and definitely should, do something with the present. It may not be too late to make the changes or improvements that you value.

Do you wish you had put more effort into your education when you were younger? Enroll in a class, a course of study or even a degree program to start you on a new career.

Do you regret the effort or lack of effort you put into relationships with significant others, parents, children, friends, co-workers, strangers in the street? Look to the people you interact with today and decide where to put your efforts.

It is too late for the past (it always was!). It is not too late for the present. Regret is a waste of time. If you have it, use it to make yourself a better person in the here and now. Beyond that just dismiss it for what it is - useless energy and emotion that does nothing buy weigh you down.

It’s not too late, but it’s later than you think. Considering the truth of those two opposing, yet absolutely true statements, it’s time to put one foot in front of the other and get on with it.

I would consider myself to be a hypocrite if I wrote a blog like Fit Over 50 while continuing my previous miserable habits without making any attempt to change.

I figure, if I’m going to Talk the Talk, I better Walk the Walk.

To that end I have been driving myself into an almost daily exercise program that will help my cardio-vascular system, improve my energy level and, hopefully, help me lose 6 or 8 pounds eventually.

I’m looking for variety to keep my interest from waning. The treadmill, elliptical machine and outdoor walking currently make up my repertoire. I would like to add some yoga or weight training to round out my workout.

I’m looking for suggestions. What tips do you have for adding interest and variety to your work-out routine? Do you follow the same routine every time you work out? Do you alternate days? Do you exercise alone? With a friend? At the gym or other exercise facility? How do your exercise needs and efforts differ now from what they were 10, 15, 20 or more years ago?

What about exercise videos? Are they of any real value? Does having an “expert” show you what to do inspire or discourage you?

Drop an e-mail and share your ideas and look for your ideas to be highlighted in future posts.

Being Fit Over 50 isn’t just about controlling the number on the scale or being able to do 100 push-ups (yeah, right!). Being Fit Over 50 has a lot to do with our mental state of being as well. Actually, mental well being may be the most important aspect of the whole thing - without the right outlook everything else pretty much falls apart.

Fifty is an age of change on every level. We already know what 50 is doing to our bodies. But what about the fact that our family life may be changing - children are grown and have left home or are about to do so. For many, marriages that have been the primary relationship of adulthood have ended or been altered drastically. Our career path has a different feel to it as well. If we have never given the concept of retirement a thought in our lives, we may be looking at it, wondering how it will happen for us or even if it will ever happen at all.

These thoughts can be overwhelming. But, 50 has a lot going for it as well. Really, I mean it. Fifty is the opportunity to begin the next phase of life. Fifty is the perfect time to learn a new skill, develop a new relationship with your spouse or significant other, consider career changes, or pack up your life as you currently know it and move across the country and start fresh (okay, that’s probably a little wild for most of us).

Fit Over 50 isn’t just a place to complain and look for answers to our problems. Fit Over 50 is also a place to say, “Hey, World, Look at Me.” If you would like to brag about the latest adventure in your life, send an e-mail. Future posting will showcase some of the positive aspects that have come into our lives.