Adapting Your LIfestyle To Your Aging Body

I'm 73 years old, and still feel I can keep up with most everyone.  However, over the past 8-10 years I have seen huge changes in what I can and cannot do.  I will tell you what I've noticed, and how I've adapted.

At age 65, my day went something like this:  Rise at 6:30, give Pepper a 20 minute walk and get him fed.  Leave for the Y at 7:30 for an hour of either spin, zumba, yoga, aerobics, or some other great activity.  Coffee with my Y friends, then home, shower and get ready for the day.  At 10:00-10:30 I'm ready for the rest of my day.  Maybe a bridge game at a duplicate club, a class at Brandeis and lunch with friends, a Newcomers event of some sort, or boogie boarding during good weather. In the late afternoon I would take my dog for a good 30 minute walk or go to the dog park, then read for an hour before dinner.  Evenings were usually spent at home catching up on paper work, watching TV, etc.  Yes, my days were busy.

Fast forward 8 years.  I have had a broken ankle, an injured shoulder, and a partial knee replacement.  I have dealt with Ron's ALS, cancer, and broken leg.  I have had to change my routine and my short and long term goals.  On a daily basis, my day now looks something like this:  7am, rise and shine, take Pepper for a 20-30 minute walk and feed him.  Come home, fix Ron's breakfast and mine, then assist him in getting ready for the day.  (With the broken leg it's hard to dress himself without help).  Get him his breakfast, and take him into his office, where he is comfortable and will spend the next few hours.  I will leave for Pickleball around 8:45, play until 10:15.  Home for a shower, fix lunch and get ready for the afternoon, which may consist of playing bridge, with or without Ron, taking a Brandeis class, going to an Ocean Hills event like Line Dancing or Friday Discussion, or playing the ukelele with a group.  I usually get home around 3pm, take a one hour rest (maybe read, but lately not so much), then go to the dog park from 4-5.  Home, fix dinner, and collapse.  If I have any energy left at night, I may read for a while before taking Pepper for his final short walk at 8pm.

What's changed?  Well, the gym is no longer in my repetoire of activities.  I get my exercise through golf, pickleball, boogie boarding, walking and pushing the wheelchair. I find I need more rests.  I never used to rest in the afternoon, but now it is mandatory.  I do most of the same activities, most with less intensity than before.  The walk that Fran and I take most Saturday mornings used to be 5 miles.  It's now more like 3.5 miles.  Little changes, that allow me to do the same things, but just a lower intensity level.

It's difficult to see yourself aging.  I have embraced it, know it is inevitable, and get my inspiration from people like Jane, age 91, who plays pickleball daily and is a damn good golfer, and Paul, age 98, who comes with his dog to the park everyday.  They do what they love, but have just toned it down.  You don't have to give up what you love, just do it with care and attention to the fact that you can't do what you could 10 years ago.  Keep going, nap when necessary, and enjoy every day.