Aging gracefully (Part XXXII)

There are scientific studies, performed by real rsearchers in white lab coats, purporting to show that people over 50 do not actually suffer much memory loss, that our ability to store and retrieve information declines just ever so slightly over the years.

Bill Geist, The Big Five-Oh!

At 40 you know you’re not as young as you used to be. At 50, you realize it almost every day.

Brian King, 52,

Quoted in U.S. News & World Report, March 11

Forgetting that can be real painful. Recently while coaching a high school rugby team, King joined in the scrum. A young man tossed him to the ground, leaving him breathless and in need of emergency treatment at the hosptial. It took weeks to recover…I expected solace, but instead, my family said, “What, are you crazy?” King said.

From U.S. News, March 11.

Just when you think things are going your way — you eat a near-vegetarian diet, walk, keep mentally alert on the Internet, have stimulating conversations with co-workers, like your work, observe your 20th anniversary since quitting smoking, come out fine during a long-overdue physical (good cardiogram and stress test results, etc.), U.S. News magazine cheerfully informs its male readers that after 50 basically, “men’s health really tanks.” I was outraged. The gloomy articles goes on to observe, once again, that women live seven years on average logner than men, they see the doctor much more frequently, check for signs of disease, have less stress, heart disease, etc. etc. Okay, so? This longevity gap, for example, has been around for so long that men have become “fatalistic” about it,” the article goes on to say. I agree. It’s an awful statistic that I am sure the insurance people who work in actuarials, love.

Yes, it’s true that one year ago when I was given a big poobah of a birthday party at work for my own Big Five Oh, I was rather blase about it. It’s not like it was unexpected. So why the big deal?

At any age past 30, we have to uphold a myth that tells us to ignore the creeping signs of aging and pretend we are never really going to get old. Getting old is what happens to “other people.” My gosh, I have been watching Andy Rooney on and off for about 25 years on 60 Minutes, and he never looks a day older. Same with Mike Wallace, and he’s 80- something. There’s plenty of hope out there.

What’s sad is when people my age pretend not only that they are never going to get old, but also that they can do whatever it is they did 20, 30 years earlier or even do it better. If it means playing a vigorous game of frisbee or soccer, or football or rugby and ending up in the emergency room, well lessons will be learned. Most take to the golf course. (That’s why I have never been able to fathom teeage golfers. It seems like an oxymoron).

Me, I believe in taking it easy as far as physical activity and stress. What’s the need to prove anything? I will gladly run at a good clip in the rain to get to my car as quickly as possible. But that’s only a few yards. I continue to take one and a half or two steps at a time up the stairwell at work. Just to prove I can. But I’m not going to do that up six flights of stairs. That’s just plain foolish. It’s the little acts of strength and endurance that make me happy. Some younger co-workers and I were walking to a place where we like to eat lunch at downtown, and I was flying down those sidewalks like there was no stopping me. They were impressed. I walk up stairs and don’t get winded. I must be in good shape. But I don’t do foolish things like jog or work out or do sit-ups and push-ups. What does that prove? Ridiculous.

Aging gracefully means acknowledging that you are not a high school rugby player anymore, accepting the fact that you are going to weigh more, have more gray hair, less perfect teeth, a few wrinkles here and there, and less overall get up and go. That’s life. There’s no turning back the clock.

I can tell you there are centennarians out there who, looking back on their century of living, will tell you the secret to a long life is moderation. And, as soon as I find one who will say that, I’ll confirm it for you. Moderation is just plain common sense. And, it’s good for you.