Over the past several years, the longevity field has exploded in popularity as many people have become interested in staying as healthy and fit as possible into their golden years. My dad, who turned 87 this month, has been talking about the importance of fitness and health for as long as I can remember. Over the holidays this year, dad and I talked about the health-promoting habits that have made a difference in his life. Here are 5 things that he mentioned:
1. The importance of moving one’s body - When I was a child, dad started practicing yoga just about every morning upon rising at 5 AM – this was before many people had even heard of the practice. In addition this, my dad has been walking almost daily for the past 30+ years. His walking routine varies depending on the weather and ranges from 2 – 4 miles, with hills included. Dad walks within his body’s ability and he always says that it is important to not “overdo it”. He is happy to have maintained this level of fitness for so many years and does not experience any joint pain or lack of range of motion anywhere in is body. His friends often tell him that he is lucky to be able to move as well as he does, and his response to them is that he is able to do so because he started his exercise routine many years ago and has maintained it since then.
2. The importance of moving one’s mind – My dad is and has always been an avid reader. He loves learning and has numerous interests that keep his mind engaged constantly. Whenever I talk to him, he wants to talk about some new subject or idea he has recently learned. He thinks that this lifetime love of learning has helped him maintain his mental fitness over the years. He has volunteered at a local library for many years, and one of the benefits of this is exposure to lots of books within his areas of interest.
3. Relaxation is important – I work a lot, given the nature of my career. This work ethic extends to just about everything else I do, so when I am spending time working on projects with dad, I work on them until completion, even if it takes quite a bit of time and focus. When dad sees me working like this he commends me for my dedication and reminds me to take rest breaks, since he feels that rest is just as important as work. He also has told me on many occasions that excessive stress is “not worth it”. He thinks that a little stress can be a good motivator, but that constant stress can be harmful. He has always encouraged me to transform stress into action and not to worry about the things I can’t control. As much as that sounds like common sense, it’s always a good reminder.
4. A sense of humor is invaluable – Need I say more?
5. You are never too old to change – AKA flexibility of thinking. My dad has always said that “what you learn is important and how you apply what you have learned is equally important”. Dad thinks of himself as being selectively open minded, similar to me. He likes to educate himself well about subjects so that he can make a decision based on a substantial amount of information – sounds like critical thinking, which I talk about in our Science of Raw Food Nutrition classes.
When I first started becoming interested in health back in the late 1980s, dad was curious about the information I was learning and he was impressed with my health improvements. He made some changes to his diet here and there over the years, but did not really maintain the changes. About a year and a half ago, dad decided that he was ready to make some dietary changes and to move toward a plant-based diet. Over the past year and a half, he has noted that the more whole natural plant foods he consumes, the better he feels. He says he has more energy, thinks more clearly, has experienced improvements in his short and long term memory, can climb hills more easily while on his walks without having to rest at the top of the hill, etc. Myself and other family members have noticed these differences, too.
Dad attributes his improvements to both diet and exercise, but feels that diet especially has played a role, given that he has already been exercising for many years. He emphatically says that his changes have improved his life dramatically, and he thinks that at 87 years old, this has made all the difference in the world for him. He always says that age need not be a factor in one’s decision to make health promoting changes in one’s life and he is happy that he had the open mindedness to do so.
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