Uncle Bob’s health changed for the worse at about 60. He had been on medication for a long time. It was the usual: blood pressure medication, cholesterol pills, diuretics, and others. As years went on, his list of medications grew.
When he finally died after a long, painful, and slow spiral down, everyone said, “Well, it’s too bad. He was a good old guy. But it was just his time.”
People still believe that. When we go, “it’s just our time.” But new research is showing that Bob did not have to go. In a real sense, he made a choice. In reality Bob died before his time—perhaps way before his time.
Bob liked to eat. He liked “good old American food” and no one was going to deprive him of that. He felt he and only he would decide his diet. “No scientist was going to tell me how to live,” he would say. Besides, he went on, “I want to enjoy my years, however many I am lucky enough to have.” For Bob, his favorite foods were a major part of that enjoyment.
Sure there were plenty of stories in the newspaper and on TV steering us away from foods filled with saturated fat, like steak, pizza, cheese, and hamburgers. “But who knows about those scientists?” Bob said. “Aren’t they always changing their minds on diet?”
Bob got quite overweight, too. Again, he just passed over newspaper articles about the effect of too much weight on health. His eyes glazed over when someone talked about this subject. Heck, scientists were probably wrong on this, too. Anyway, that’s what Bob told himself.
Once Uncle Bob’s doctor told him rather sternly to start exercising. Both the doctor and Bob looked at each other for a moment after that comment slipped out—then they both started laughing at the same time. The doc just kind of shrugged his shoulders and smiled and that was the end of that topic.
Did Bob enjoy his life? He seemed to. He loved his family and friends and always seemed happy in their company. But he certainly did not enjoy the last 10 to 15 years of his life. He got more and more miserable and began to avoid contact with those he loved. He enjoyed them less and less because he was not feeling up to it.
Would Bob have enjoyed looking and feeling in his later years as he did when he was 40 or 50? One can imagine he would.
Do you enjoy living?
This is something we all should think about. If there was a way, would you want to feel like you did when you were 40 or 50? Do we want to live a long time if we can maintain good health and energy? If yes, how badly do we want this? What would we do to achieve it?
New research is telling us it is possible to keep our health and energy into old age, perhaps very old age. So if we answer “yes” to the questions above, there is a way to get there.
Scientists are learning more about what happens at the cellular level in our bodies when we exercise. They are discovering exercise produces specific improvements deep within the cells of muscles, blood, and bones. These improvements come easily and almost automatically when we are young. But to get these benefits when we’re over 40 or 50, we have to work at it, namely certain levels of exercise and diet. But miraculously when we do, even at advanced ages, the body is built to respond, and respond it does.
When we get into vigorous exercise, more blood circulates to all parts of the body, carrying many vital healing and building agents manufactured inside us. Plaque can exist inside arteries, veins, and blood capillaries from fats we consume. (Actually scientists are not changing their minds about the basics of diet.) In addition, researchers like Dr. Dean Ornish have found that plaque, thought to be permanent once deposited, can be significantly reduced through diet and lifestyle improvements.
Man without a supermarket
Ancient man had to walk and run every day to eat. By running and climbing and hunting and foraging, he sent messages to his body about how much muscle, bone, blood quantity, and lung capacity he needed. The bodies of the most successful survivors were those with the superior ability to rebuild and repair themselves. Those were your relatives, and you have been fortunate to inherit a body designed and tested over the eons. Only the best design survived. That’s what you’ve got!
But now we drive to the supermarket to get food. No more running, jumping, climbing, throwing spears, and wrestling a big animal to the ground. So we have to fake it with our bodies. With some form of exercise, we send our bodies a false message that we need to hunt and forage. The body does not have the kind of intelligence to see we are faking it, so it sends up the needed materials in response to our walking, running, jumping, dancing, lifting—in a gym (or anywhere), not a forest!
Amazingly, this body we inherited does its repair and rebuilding job regardless of age. That is new information. It is very hopeful news for those who previously felt the downhill slide of health was inevitable. People like Uncle Bob. It wasn’t “just his time.” Bob participated in making it “his time.” He could have had it otherwise.
This is the choice we all face. The new research is offering us a solid and happy alternative. Too bad our parents and grandparents did not have the great new information we have. So sit down and think about it. Do you want the path Uncle Bob took, and perhaps your own parents and grandparents took? Or the path leading to a vigorous, healthy time of life in your 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and perhaps beyond?
Resources for living longer in good health
I like the book by Chris Crowley and Dr. Henry Lodge, Younger Next Year, published in 2004. Another good science-backed book is Dr. Dean Ornish’s The Spectrum. It includes information on diet, exercise, stress reduction, and other topics. Finally, Dr. Roy Walford’s book, Beyond the 120 Year Diet, is loaded with interesting guidance on diet, recipes, exercise, and loads of fascinating research findings, all written in an easy, readable fashion.
Read any one of these books, and you will be armed with good science on how to go bravely past 50 and confidently beyond—maybe way beyond—feeling great, being fit and in top health.
Then it’s up to you to put what you learn into practice—provided you enjoy life, of course.
We are forming a group of over-50 people interested in gearing up for being fit for years to come. Activities will include outside events for fitness, lectures, and social gatherings.
For information, please e-mail ynyinslo@yahoo.com.
William P. Gloege is an Orcutt resident reaching out to find fellow fitness advocates. Send comments to the executive editor rmiller@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 20-27, 2011.