I turned fifty years old this year and suddenly I was put on AARP's mailing radar. They obviously have no idea of my political leanings, nor do they get my disdain for their organization or they may reconsider wasting money sending me literature. That notwithstanding, they see me as a future customer in the not-so-distant future and that is a little alarming.
Being on the backside of middle age also brings on certain ailments. All the damage I willingly imposed on my body in my youth has come back in crashing waves that promise to plague me for my remaining days on this earth. My knees (one operation), my shoulders (both operated on), my mid-back (beaten into submission years ago), my elbow (ruptured bursa), my fingers (all broken at some time in my life), each remind me of the damage inflicted upon them in a quest to sack a quarterback, squat or bench press a Volkswagon Beetle, or take throws while practicing judo.
The truth is, though, even with all the injuries sustained over the years--I got lazy, complacent, and soft. I stopped any meaningful exercise and used those injuries as an excuse. My waistline blossomed and the amount of material used to cover it expanded. I got sick of seeing pictures of myself; they were disgusting.
In December, Cathy and I decided it was time for each of us to embark on a lifestyle change. We now make healthy eating choices and I am back to exercising full force (that's the only way I know how to do things--do them yes, or do them no--no in between). Understand, I am no marathon runner. Even at my peak of physical fitness, running a couple miles was difficult for me, but I am now knocking out five miles and have lost almost thirty pounds. I have a long way to go to reach my final goal, but I'm doing something about it while I still can. Do my knees beg me to stop? Absolutely! Do my shoulders scream at me when I'm lifting weights? You better believe it. Do I sometimes think about stopping? No way. I'm not giving them the satisfaction of slowing me down.
Lastly, I am happy Cathy and I elected to make this change prior to January, as I despise New Year resolutions. We are both healthier, and I love working out again.
Fight on!
