Why do it?

I know some of you might be wondering why I'm pushing myself so hard when after all, I'm middle-aged and probably should have other priorities. But one of the things that bothers me is that I wonder if I'll live as long as my grandmother (she lived to be 93) and be healthier. Yeah sure, us tail-end Baby Boomers automatically assume better health and living through modern science and technology, but my own parents didn't live to see old age (my mom just shy of her 70th birthday and my dad at 73). And I know genetics plays a part in how healthy you are, and how old you'll live to be, but I've got a young child. I'd really like to see him grow up and perhaps have his own kids. How old will I be when he does that? And will I be able to take care of myself? I'm not talking about aging gracefully and quietly. Oh hell, Dylan Thomas comes to mind with the infamous:

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I'm 52 years old and I figure I got another 30-40 years if I'm lucky and I take good care of myself. My hair cutter told me that once she hit menopause, it was really hard for her to lose weight and keep herself the shape she wanted to be. (Men just don't have that issue, never mind all the infomercials for male menopause products.) I figure, let me do this now before my body starts making it really hard for me to accomplish what I want. We're all lead to believe that we can postpone our destiny so we have children later (I didn't even try to have my son until I was 44, figuring if it was meant to be, it'd happen, and it happened a lot quicker than I thought it would), marry later, do everything later, thinking we'll have time to get to it.

So I'm always surprised to read the obits of people my age or slightly older, or egads, younger. But I'm a firm believer that you have to make time to exercise, to do enough cardio to condition your body for a long life, to build muscles (and bone density) so that you have a body that is strong enough to support a life of independence. Nothing pains me more than to hear some of my guilt-laden friends worry about caring for their ancient ailing parents. I think I'm actually lucky that my parents died before they got too old or too infirmed. Old age is only a blessing if it's coupled with good health.