Tuesday, March 23, 2010

It Is Scary to Get Old

At risk of harshing everyone's buzz, I have seen the future and it is frightening.

Reason # 4,748 to stay active: it becomes SO much more important as you age.

My poor MIL can barely walk 100 feet without needing to sit down. She's not heavy, she doesn't have osteoporosis, she's physically fine. She's just weak.

She was never active in life. And she has a life of 100 percent inactivity now. She moves from her bed to her chair in the dining room.

My goal, in adopting my new habits, was to lose weight.

But along the way that desire morphed into a real yearning to be fit and active -- to feel free, the way you feel when your body can do things without pain and pressure. When your joints move smoothly and the muscles pump deeply. It is to feel eternally youthful, no matter your age.

My pledge to myself this morning, even if I never lose another pound -- and seriously the way the scale has been behaving recently I'm starting to think that's a very real possibility -- is to never stop walking, never stop stretching and to lift weights as far into my dotage as I possibly can.

Aside from my terrifying glimpse into the cruelties of old age, things went ok with MIL. Thank you all for your prayers. We got the necessary documents signed. We'll see where all this goes. Still don't have her money back, though.

5 comments:

  1. I want Anna and I to be one of those old couples in matching track suits!

    So glad you got the docs singed. That will sure help!!

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  2. Fitness can come in different sizes and ages. To age well, you have to take care of your body. Even if the scale doesn't cooperate, whatever you do fitness wise will pay dividends in 20+ years.

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  3. Glad you have your paperwork in order.

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  4. So true Ish. I saw my mom (who's only 55)and yet disabled and can't make her bed without getting out of breath and thought "that's going to be me if I don't make some changes"...It can be a real eye opener to get that kind of realization.

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