Old Age Doesn’t Mean Giving Up Function

An article on the Washington Post this week, We’re Lucky If We Get To Be Old, Physician And Professor Believes, is drawing more attention to the changing attitudes about health as we enter into old age. While many associate growing older with ‘slowing down’ we really should be thinking the opposite. The older you get, the more life you want to pump into your days!

Bill Thomas, the man who is touring the country hoping to spread this message far and wide, is featured in a chpater of Atul Gawande’s best selling book “Being Mortal”, which I had the pleasure of reading last summer. The chapter in the book talks about his ‘Eden Alternative’ in which he filled a nursing home with plants and animals in order to reinvigorate the tenants. The strategy worked, and many tenants found themselves with a new reason to make the most of their days, no matter what their age.

The basic fact is, we have a good deal of control over how we approach old age and what the last phase of our lives looks like. Up until now, the common wisdom has been that old age is a time to slow down, be careful, give up strenuous hobbies, and let others help you do things. That can be a self fulfilling prophecy. The sooner you give up doing something, the sooner you lose the ability to do it. Thus, the real approach should be to hang on to as much as possible.

This is where fitness comes in. Exercise can help anyone keep strength, agility, flexibility, and coordination and it is all of those things that keep us active and participating in life. This is one of the reasons that it is so important to have a well thought out program that focuses not just on asthetic goals, but also functional ones. If possible, let a really good professional help you understand how to do that. The sooner you start of course, the better you will be in the long run, but it is also never too late.

RELATED

The Aging Process – Aches and Pains?

Functional Aging Institute

https://www.functionalaginginstitute.com

PHOTO – Michael Cohen, Old Woman’s Walk, Plaza Corredera, Cordoba – LICENSE