In Pursuit of a Different Path into “Old Age”

A couple days ago was the Spring Equinox. While there was a wee bit of snow on the ground and on the car, the light of day and the dark of night were equal. Today, we continue the increase of lightness and I am planning for one of the biggest challenges that I’ll have ever done. And perhaps one of the most important. It’s my quality of life in my "old age" that’s at stake after all!

I’m 57 but I don’t feel anything like what I used to think that number meant. I don’t feel any less “kid-like” than I did in my 20’s and 30’s, etc. In fact, I still joke that I take “Little Deanna” everywhere with me! (and I do!)

That number, 57, used to mean old to me. I think of my grandparents on my Mom’s side (I didn’t know my Dad’s parents). But the memory of them is from when I was in my teens and younger. Interestingly, the memory is a very much a visual, a picture of them in my mind. On the outside, they did look old to me. But how did they feel on the inside?

I didn’t know Gramma well so I'm not sure how she felt. But my Grampa, I know for sure, was a kid at heart even as he found himself in an aging body, when I knew him best in my mid to late teens. And Mom told me that when she was little, Grampa would go out and play ball with all the kids in the neighbourhood. He was fun!

Grampa was also a musician. He played piano, harmonica and I don’t know what else, and all by ear! Unfortunately, I never heard him play. Nor did I later as a musician myself, get to play with him, though, he could at least hear my trumpet even as his hearing diminished! You see, he had a massive stroke when I was 4. In one quiet, life-changing moment when he was 62 or 63, he lost most of the use of his right side and his speaking voice.

At least I didn’t lose my Grampa but the relationship we might have had in playful times and especially for me, playing music together, was lost.

The glorious thing about my Grampa, though, was that through all of it he kept his humour. Sure, he had his moments of anguish and anger for what he’d lost (including Gramma who left him!). But growing up with him living with my family for many years, I saw that he could always find it in himself to smile again or have a laugh. He remained playful and young at heart. That’s what I remember most.

This morning when I picked up my pen to start this first blog post I wasn’t sure what I’d write except to say I’m 57 and I want to live until I’m 115. This is something I’ve been saying this since I was a teenager. I always add that I still want to be playing my trumpet until I’m at least 113. And through it all I want to be healthy.

You see through my whole life I’ve observed people and seen how so many develop ailments of all kinds and severity. Some become stooped over and/or shuffle. Others complain of aches and pains. Many lose their mobility or worse. Or they develop what I’ve learned over the years, are preventable illnesses. One example is my Grampa. He didn’t necessarily have to have a stroke.

From a PBS interview, Walter Willett of Harvard School of Public Health:

“...our studies have shown that we could prevent about 82 percent of heart attacks, about 70 percent of strokes, over 90 percent of type 2 diabetes, and over 70 percent of colon cancer, with the right dietary choices as part of a healthy lifestyle.” 1

BUT what you hear more than anything is “that’s just a part of getting old.” 

I don’t want that for myself. And, maybe, just maybe, all I’ve listed above and more are preventable?

This I want to explore in my life and hopefully I can experience a healthy "old age".

I’ve seen examples of really healthy older adults - seniors by most people's accounts - doing amazing things like running marathons and ultra-marathons and doing many more amazing things. They could run circles around me AND they inspire me!

I think losing the relationship with my Grampa that I could have had to his stroke along with the resulting fear I’ve had ever since of either

having a stroke myself or someone who I love having one, is part of my motivation for a big change/challenge I’m planning for the very near future (6 weeks and counting). BUT the biggest driving factor is my desire to just finally be all that it means to be healthy and to age that way:

fit, strong, flexible, capable and full of physical endurance AND well inside (I’m not fully).

I have taken steps before to improve my health. I did the walk-run program in 2016, for example, and think it’s great though I only had partial success. I did weight training a couple years ago and again some success. But with each of those and other go’s at it, I have gotten (let myself be?) derailed. At least I did what I did or I figure I’d be worse off now. But I remain just this side of injured (and not always on this side) and have for years and years. And now I am also beginning to feel the slide into “old age” too. It’s hinting ever so slightly in what I am beginning to feel in my unhealthy body.

That this is happening is not acceptable to me. Not when the information is out there for healthy living from experts like Walter Willett above and many more I'll share in later posts. Sure, there’s a LOT of information out there and much of it conflicts, so that can be tricky. Oh well. At least it’s there.

Ultimately, for me and anyone, it comes down to the choices I will make going forward which I believe will determine for the most part, my trajectory going forward, in good health or in diminishing health. And, whether I will, in fact, live to 115. But you know! Even living until I’m 90, if I keep my health, will be 30 more years of living! And that I want! Woo-hoo!.....It’s like living the bulk of my adult life again and there are still so many things I want to do and experience! Wow!

What am I planning to do about not just stopping the decline into “old age” and the usual resulting diminished health but, instead, becoming healthier than I truly have ever been in my entire life? 

One part of the plan is a biggie and it’s coming up fast! I will be doing an “elimination diet” to correct the issues in my gut that are affecting my overall health (including 2 autoimmune diseases). I will begin this in early May. 

[Note: Ugh! One challenge I have to overcome with this is that I’d generally rather be anywhere than in the kitchen! ….sigh… that’s gotta change.....]

The other part of the plan is physical activity to get the level of fitness I so covet. I have started again but I just realized that the time I currently give to it is being squeezed into my schedule instead of being a higher priority. I’m motivated to be stronger and more able because it will help in so many ways, including with my

trumpet playing [and did someone say ultra-marathons? ....LOL…..I can’t even run around the block!] ....So I’m going to have to knuckle down and invest the necessary time to do the physical activities that will improve my fitness.

And while I never like negative predictions, I do suspect the road ahead will be a bumpy path of many challenges. But the payoff will be worth it!

This really got serious and it's true, I am serious about it!  BUT let’s bring in some levity because one of my highest values is fun! And, all of what I just wrote is so I can have fun living a fantastic life feeling capable, strong and happy! And, maybe help someone else do that, too, by sharing this!

“Let the games begin! ....and bring on the BEST quality of life possible!"

Please let me know in the comments below.

“The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart
- this you will build your life by, and this you will become.”
James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

1. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/diet/interviews/willett.html

Photo credits:

Daffodils by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Grampa by H. Ford
Deanna by D. Ford
Runners by Tong Su on Unsplash
Hourglass: AI creation by Deanna with Leonardo AI
Bumpy Path by Slawek K on Unsplash