“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the heck she is.”
― Ellen DeGeneres
You have to give Ellen’s grandmother credit. She apparently realized later in life what a lot of us should know by now, that it’s never too late to start taking better care of our ourselves with exercise, better diet and renewed emphasis on overall wellness. Easy to say – not always so easy to do.
As countless studies have shown, exercise and staying physically active produce great benefits for people of all ages. In fact, The Centers for Disease Control has found that a person who is physically active for at least seven hours per week is 40 percent less likely to die early than is someone who’s active for less than 30 minutes per week.
Interestingly, the benefits of keeping fit as you age aren’t all about physical health. Among the 10 Reasons to Keep Fit As You Age, cited by the University of Rochester (NY) Medical Center, are such things as improving your mood, providing a reason to be sociable and helping us remain independent. For a look at the complete list, click here: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=2359
Of course there is more to staying healthy than just exercise. A comprehensive wellness program can be a tremendous help in guiding our behaviors and lifestyle choices in so many areas and in helping us live better and longer. There are many resources for wellness programs available online, or ask your doctor.
As for me, I’m working on eating better and recently started a walking program. I’m not setting any distance records yet but I can already tell how much it is helping, and how much better I feel. It’s early yet, but as they say “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Hey! Maybe that’s what Ellen’s grandmother thought?
