OH, The Confusion Of It All

         It has recently been written (I am not sure I believe it or want to see it) that persons born today could live to be 115 or more!  THAT is a lot of birthdays.  Although I’m not yet fully vested in the possibility of people ‘running’ around (probably a poor use of the word ‘running’) at 100 + years old, I am totally in agreement that healthy living should be a family endeavor.  After all wouldn’t the best-case scenario be that grandparents, their children and their grandkids have a long and healthy existence.

      The shear enormity of a discussion surrounding the possibility of more great grandchildren interacting with their parents, grand-parents and healthy great-grandparents in the not so distance future is definitely a "pause for thought" moment…
      Why the obsession with youth and aging anyway? Obviously no one wants to feel old or look crinkly and wrinkled, but older does bring wiser, and sharing that with the young upstarts brings its own rewards.
So, what exactly would the achievement be if there was everlasting youth? See my point?  Let’s learn to like and accept what we have to work with, and in the scheme of healthy living, let’s work less hard at trying to stop the aging process (it’s never really going to stand still) and work harder at enjoying the people we care about; i.e., family and friends in the time afforded us!  The important thing is, no matter what your age, take action now.
       It’s my hope that through this column I can bring attention to that which encourages and advocates good health to all persons of all ages and that families create good living plans that promote health and wellness attitudes that prevail in each and every day.  It’s important to point out that there is no specific formula for "good living" and that each family can design their own unique plan.
       Seriously, exercise to one person could mean dragging a fully loaded diaper-baby bag around all day.  We’ve all seen these bags; they hold items for every emergency, most times larger than the mother carrying it. Someone else gets their daily calorie reduction by bench-pressing 500+ lbs; and yet another may opt for 5 minutes or less of "chair dancing".
      Eating well could mean Vegan food to one, someone else swears that pre-packaged, portioned controlled meals fit the bill and yet another would take eating well to mean a gourmet feast with all the fixins!

      Oh the confusion of it all!  In an effort to help you capture and design your own good living plan, we’ll visit much of the above at one time or another. Comments, opinions and suggestions are always welcome.

posted by Sara-Lynn Reynolds
Home Instead Senior Care