{"id":20834,"date":"2017-09-05T14:04:10","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T21:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicalfitnessnetwork.org\/public\/?p=20834"},"modified":"2017-08-10T11:10:32","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T18:10:32","slug":"healthy-aging-decades-60s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/healthy-aging-decades-60s\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthy Aging by the Decades: Your 60s"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this last part of the series I will share with you what it has meant to me to train for my 70s \u2013 and look forward to training for my 80s. The notion of living well today \u2013 and\u00a0creating a healthy and happy tomorrow \u2013 is one I am living\u00a0by\u00a0everyday in the present.\u00a0\u00a0We\u00a0ARE powerful \u2013 if we are conscious of\u00a0our potential in the present moment. In fact,\u00a0I have saved the best for last: the issue isn\u2019t getting older \u2013 it is getting old.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The state of the medical arts<\/strong><\/h4>\n

My daily observations confirm that people are indeed \u201caging badly\u201d and it is only getting worse with the rise\u00a0of sedentary lifestyles, the ever increasing obesity epidemic, and the growing attachment to our \u201cdevices\u201d \u2013 those things that\u00a0continue to rob us of precious time in the present.\u00a0Medication and drugs now play a crucial role in the world of healthcare. Joint replacement surgeries are on the rise and only increasing in number with each passing day.\u00a0Our reliance and dependence upon technology to solve our health issues and challenges\u00a0is a key ingredient in how we are treating \u201cwhat ails us\u201d today. Specialization has increased throughout the medical profession to the point that we no longer see \u201cour doctor\u201d \u2013 we see many doctors. This is the reality of the 21st century and these trends are creating a world that I hardly recognize. I am convinced that the individual is slowly being removed from the process of truly being a partner in his\u00a0own health decisions and the \u201csystem\u201d is becoming overwhelming for all of us.<\/p>\n

So what are we to do about this problem of aging healthfully in a world that doesn\u2019t yet recognize the concept of personal wellness while promising \u201ccures\u201d and \u201cquick fixes\u201d through drugs, surgeries, and diets?\u00a0The\u00a0internet is full of answers that can now come to us in \u201cthe blink of an eye\u201d. Is\u00a0this the\u00a0right path to health?<\/p>\n

The answer in my mind is \u2018NO\u2019<\/em>, but the truth\u00a0DOES rest in becoming personally\u00a0responsible \u2013 and accountable \u2013 for our own health and lifestyle choices.\u00a0This power\u00a0I recognize comes from\u00a0within not from without, from relying on our \u2018self\u2019 instead of others. By taking responsibility and remaining present TODAY, we are giving ourselves the\u00a0opportunity\u00a0to determine our own health and fitness futures.\u00a0This is\u00a0becoming increasingly difficult in the\u00a0world of the 21st century and is creating\u00a0a significant roadblock to progress. Training mentally, physically and spiritually represents our best hope for a healthy future.<\/p>\n

Back in 1988, when I \u201cbet on myself\u201d after losing my health insurance and chose the path of the fitness professional, I was not sure what was going to happen to me in the years ahead. I only knew that since\u00a0I could not afford health insurance on my own, I was going to have to be responsible enough, smart enough, and finally lucky enough to do \u201cit alone\u201d and \u201ctake care of myself\u201d. My continuing education in the fitness\u00a0profession \u2013 and commitment to my own health and fitness needs \u2013 gave me strength and confidence.<\/p>\n

Obviously it worked out for me and the idea that \u201cwe are all more powerful than we realize\u201d is one I am willing to \u201cbet on\u201d as well. The notion that we don\u2019t control our health outcomes is false. We are \u2013 through our choices \u2013 powerful beings, but if we don\u2019t believe it for ourselves then we ARE powerless to change. Changing our minds \u2013 and attitudes about our potential \u2013 is critical to any positive outcome.<\/p>\n

What I learned from my 60s<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Healthy<\/a>The decade of my 60s\u00a0started\u00a0evolving from the moment I finished writing my book Healthy Aging and You<\/em>\u00a0in 2006. Everything I have done, learned, and applied in my life since that special\u00a0moment has gone toward becoming the \u201cexample of the change I wish to see in the world\u201d. My example is similar to the one Jack Lalanne spent his entire life perfecting and sharing with the world over the course of his 96 years on earth. I see the benefits of healthy aging in my own experience now because I cared to look at the possibilities of my own \u201cinner\u201d power, and at the same time, I acted upon the principles of healthy aging\u00a0as I understood them in my own life.<\/p>\n

My running program, my spiritual practices, and my weight training programs were designed for me to find the message in my own life and be able to crystallize it in my consciousness so that I could share it with the world. I have been training my mind, body, and spirit every day with the\u00a0hope of making a\u00a0difference in the world \u2013 and bring meaning into my own\u00a0life.\u00a0I have been attempting to recognize the potential that resides within me \u2013 and embrace the belief that we are indeed the \u201ccaptains of our own ships\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0It is up to each of us to decide the direction our lives will take \u2013 and it all begins with choice.<\/p>\n

The decade of my 60s has shown me that I am capable of far more than I ever dreamed possible. This message was driven home to me through my running program.\u00a0By taking a \u201cleap of faith\u201d\u00a0one day in the fall of 2015 I found out that I am fully capable of running at a 5 minute per mile pace on the treadmill and\u00a0am able to sustain that pace over time. The goal of running a 6 minute mile on my 80th birthday is now REAL in my consciousness because I learned I CAN run faster than that as demonstrated in my training runs in my 60s.<\/p>\n

I could never have\u00a0learned this important lesson about myself had I continued to run outside on the roads \u2013 it would not have been possible for me to achieve. BELIEF in oneself is CRUCIAL to any positive growth in life and this is true regardless of the form it takes. I now believe in my potential for great things because I finally believe I am not only capable of great things \u2013 but I deserve them as well. I get to live\u00a0the best life has to offer now as I approach my 70s \u2013 and beyond \u2013 because I wanted\u00a0to be an example of what is\u00a0possible so badly. I\u00a0never gave up on my vision. You too can have this \u2013 but you have to first believe \u2013 and then\u00a0ACT upon your belief.<\/p>\n

Some suggestions for your 60s<\/strong><\/h4>\n