{"id":20831,"date":"2017-08-15T13:57:33","date_gmt":"2017-08-15T20:57:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicalfitnessnetwork.org\/public\/?p=20831"},"modified":"2017-08-10T11:04:52","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T18:04:52","slug":"healthy-aging-decades-50s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/healthy-aging-decades-50s\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthy Aging by the Decades: Your 50s"},"content":{"rendered":"

The primary question being asked\u00a0in\u00a0the majority of sessions for\u00a0retirement planning is what you will need in terms of financial reserves to carry you\u00a0through your\u00a0later years. Unfortunately, this is the only model used\u00a0in America and worldwide today. However, the\u00a0question\u00a0that you should really ponder is: \u201cWhat\u00a0will you do if your\u00a0health\u00a0fails, and how\u00a0will your\u00a0retirement life really be\u00a0if you will\u00a0no longer be able take care of myself?\u201d An additional issue revolves around the date at which you\u00a0start taking your social security benefits, but age is just a number! In reality, what if things don\u2019t go according to plan and you\u00a0don\u2019t even make it to 70?<\/em><\/p>\n

What healthy aging should be\u00a0about\u00a0<\/strong>\"rsz_healthy\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

The concept of healthy aging\u00a0is something that has appealed to me since I realised that at any point in time I was indeed training for the decades to come. When\u00a0this dawned on me, I\u00a0had to re-evaluate my own position on what aging\u00a0healthfully encompasses. I am convinced that money is only part of the dilemma: if we reach our 50s and 60s with little of the health we desire, what are our realistic\u00a0prospects?\u00a0I have concluded that financial planning is not enough:\u00a0it\u2019s essential to be physically, emotionally, spiritually and professionally fit as well. Recently, I told a friend at the gym that I think that if people go by the common definition of retirement, namely \u201cremaining in a state of\u00a0leisure\u201d, this will\u00a0lead to\u00a0an early death because people literally\u00a0stop \u201cliving\u201d.<\/p>\n

The answer is to face the reality that we are all going to age and start preparing as carefully as we\u00a0can NOW. It is\u00a0much more appealing to get on with the business of training NOW rather than later when it may be too late. This thought reminds me of the oil filter ad that said: \u201cPay me now or pay me later\u201d \u2013 meaning that you can replace your engine later (at a much higher cost) \u2013 or the oil filter today. Which choice would you prefer for your body? Train\u00a0now or knee replacement later?<\/p>\n

What I learned from my 50s<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The decade of\u00a0our 50s is when we start to \u201cshow our age\u201d. This is the time when all our bad choices and lifestyle habits catch up with us. The truth is that playing catch up with our health is never a good option and if we prepare now rather than later we can be\u00a0way ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n

When I was in my early 50s, I realized my goal of running a combined 3000 plus miles (3675 to be exact in 1998 and 1999). That record stood until looking back on those two years I made the decision to break 4000 miles in a combined two year span so in 2011, at the age of almost 65, I started my \u201crun\u201d to a new two year record and finished 2011 with a total of 1955 miles. 2012 was in my sights now as a\u00a0potential record breaker, so as I worked hard toward my new goal, I remained positive that I could make it past 2000 miles.\u00a0I ended up with an all time record of 2145 miles and a grand total of 4150 miles. I was elated and found courage in setting a goal that had pushed me beyond previous boundaries and out of long held comfort zones.<\/p>\n

This was possible because of my record keeping discipline over the years\u00a0and the fact that I decided to break a record that had been set 12 years before. I share this example with you as a way\u00a0of demonstrating that we are never old until we decide we are \u2013 and to illustrate how the succeeding decade can be influenced by something we did in the preceding one.\u00a0I am planning for my 70s now based upon the foundation\u00a0I laid in the previous decades of my life. I am approaching this new decade with the same thought and care that went into my 50s and 60s. Now, I feel a strong desire to maintain what I have achieved in terms of fitness,\u00a0instead\u00a0of going backwards and lose what I have\u00a0gained.<\/p>\n

Being driven to accomplish something meaningful is important to living a healthy and fit life. I found my work with my clients rewarding in my 50s. I believe I shared with them the best that was truly me. My 50s were a decade of growth for me. Some of my clients encouraged me to write about my training philosophy. They supported\u00a0me\u00a0because they believed in me and what I had\u00a0been doing to serve and guide them to achieving their goals. They were responsive to my\u00a0coaching\u00a0and I in turn loved being with them and seeing them grow and evolve mentally and phsically. My view of life expanded greatly during my 50s. I found my stride \u2013 and witnessed becoming happier and more fulfilled than I had been in years.<\/p>\n

In my 50s, my world was far from being\u00a0perfect, but it was filled with love and support from those I cared about and served. My daughter and I grew\u00a0closer during this decade while\u00a0she was living a life of adventure and success. The foundation for who I wanted to be \u2013 and become \u2013 in my 50s had been laid in the previous two decades<\/a>. I am grateful for my 50s because I fulfilled part of the promise I had\u00a0shown as a child on Maui: I had become a good man with a kind heart and most importantly open minded. I loved learning and exploring again \u2013 just as I had done all those years before\u00a0in Hawaii. This sense of progression and continuation at the same time, gave me a feeling I was\u00a0being true to myself, which is the only key to happiness and wellbeing.<\/p>\n

Some suggestions for your 50s<\/strong>\"\"<\/h4>\n