NEW: New research reveals surprising facts about our changing bodies.

Seniors: It’s Never Too Late

If you think these letters are BIG then you’re right. They are in large print so the readers of which the title represents can see them. You see, one day, if you are blessed to live long enough, you too will appreciate large print. I know I do, and I’m not considered a “senior” yet.

Although I’ve not lived long enough to be called a senior citizen, I am around them enough to know how they feel, what they go through and what they put up with. You would think that in this society, one would be respected after working more than half their lives, raising a host of children and now grandchildren, coping with the loss of loved ones and lifelong friends, sometimes losing the home they knew for so long and being told that they can no longer drive. But you see that’s not the half of it. The other part of getting older deals with the inability to walk like they used to, to lift their arms to reach into the cabinet, or to sit or stand without their knees giving out on them. The simple task of picking up their grandchildren isn’t the same as it was when they picked up their own children. Some senior citizens can’t even remember to take their much needed medication on a daily basis.

There are scientific explanations for all of these issues; most of which deals with the fact that as we age so does our bodies. As a matter of fact, our body is exactly what is aging. That’s what age is, growing older. So we can’t expect things to work like they used to; not the body or the mind. We become more forgetful, we don’t think on our feet like we used to, things don’t matter like they once did earlier in life. The truth of the matter is, yes, we are going to get older. But just because we do, it doesn’t mean that we can’t be healthy and alive and happy.

The host of seniors that I work with are now healthier than they have ever been. When I began working with them several years ago I was careful to see where their fitness level was at that time. As a fitness professional, it was my responsibility to pay close attention to their abilities and capabilities. Admittedly it was apparent that most of them had not worked out ever or not in a long time. Most even confessed that they were in the class because the doctor told them that either they lose weight by working out or prepare to die. They chose to work out. Even so, their hearts and minds weren’t truly in it. Then they began to understand that if they changed their minds and what they thought about becoming active then they would be able to tolerate it and perhaps even enjoy it.

Those same seniors today rarely miss a class and come in with smiles on their faces. If they’ve had a morning of aches and pains, they come anyway knowing that when they leave class, physically they will feel like a burden has been lifted off their shoulders and mentally they leave exhilarated. Some have had their hypertension, diabetes, arthritis and other medication completely released or significantly reduced by their doctor. They are able to walk better and some can even jump. And although they testify to the goodness of ongoing physical activity, one lady’s testimony stands out in my mind. She confessed, “I can see my toes now!” For me, that puts the whole thing in perspective.

Don’t take it from me. I’m just observing. But my day, hopefully, is coming. Take it from the seniors; take care of your body now by eating nutritiously and working out regularly. If you do chances are great that you will not only live a long life, but you will live it more abundantly.

Nettie Reeves