Staying Active

I am a bit worried about my mom. After a successful workout at the other rehab, I walked into her place, she got up and came over to me. I noticed that after we hugged, she didn't say anything. I looked up and her eyes were blank. I grabbed her and lowered her into a chair. She came around quickly but she said she has been very short of breath and almost called 911 on the weekend. I think it because of the recent pneumonia and lack of food. She is tiny anyway but she has not been eating. We went to Applebee's for lunch then to her annual dermatologist appointment. She was able to eat almost a whole bowl of soup and a roll. I worry that she will pass out and fall when she is alone.

When we ran into friends at the mall last week, we talked about a book about retirement. The point of it was that we all worked hard to provide for the family and we worked really hard for a lot of years. Suddenly, it stops. All that pressure. All that time at work during the day. Gone. What this book's point was that we all need to spend as much time and energy in our retirement on our health. If we want to live a long, active older life, it is imperative to work out everyday, reduce the amount of food we eat, watch what goes into our mouths and stay active in the world.

At the dermatologist yesterday, they were amazed how my mom looks 20-years younger than her 85-years. I was thinking back to how active she has always been. When I was young, we lived on two acres in the country north of Chicago. Most people allowed their land to go wild expect maybe a patch around the house. Not my parents. Every inch of land was cut, flowers were planted, the side property was lined with a hundred lilacs, there were always flowers in the garden and she did it all. She did a lot of really hard physical activity all of her life. She had muscles to show off. She was so limber, could put her foot behind her head. She and dad played golf almost everyday throughout their retirement and never, ever used a golf cart.

When I talk with couples who use the other rehab as a community gym, they are all fit and mentally present. Most are in their 70s and 80s. There is a connection here: Get up, get moving, do daily consistent exercise to be active and not housebound during the aging process.

For those of use who are struggling with a disability, it is even more important to stay active in the world. Fight for our independence everyday. Work our muscle and eat the best food possible. It pays off in the end. We can have a better quality of life for a longer period of time. Life. Live it.