SEPTEMBER 2021: Old Age Ain’t No Place for Sissies!

Bette Davis coined that a long while ago and my Mother often quoted her. I became a senior last month and this month is Healthy Aging Month. Can this be a coincidence? lol.

WHO (World Health Organization) defines healthy aging as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age.” Functional ability is about being able to do all that we want to do as we age.

My leg hurts. My arm aches. Two different injuries. I’ve come up against a few dead ends trying to solve the riddle of how to get back to moving freely. I’ve kept searching. I believe that problem-solving is the key to healthy aging. If one approach doesn’t work, I explore another one. Eventually, these smaller challenges can be resolved.

I’m on the right track with my leg and arm now and make steady improvements each day. Three approaches failed to produce results, and then I found the one that worked for these particular injuries.

I make it a priority to keep my body functioning well as I tend to sleep better when I can get enough exercise. When I sleep better, I’m mentally alert and have more energy to do the things that make me happy. Plus, I don’t feel that I need to eat unnecessary calories to give me energy. Those calories stay with me and weight gain slows me down. It’s harder for my body to function in many ways when I’m carrying those pesky pounds. There’s a chain reaction that starts a downward spiral. For me, it all begins with being able to move freely. Where do you feel it starts with you?

The good news is that I found out that I’m a sexagenarian! How cool is that? Seriously. A person between 50 and 59 is called a quinquagenarian. A person between 60 and 69 is called a sexagenarian. A person between 70 and 79 is called a septuagenarian. A person between 80 and 89 is called an octogenarian. These are labels to look forward to!

It’s such a gift to have another trip around the sun! I’m excited about what this next year offers. As we emerge from lockdown, Enoch Ramsay (Registered Social Worker) and I have developed a two hour workshop called ‘Life After Lockdown‘ to support people to re-enter society with real confidence. If you know of a group or agency that might find this useful, please have them contact us at 416 – 729 -1713. Thanks!