I will turn 65 in September, and I can’t believe that I still love living my life to its fullest through both my academic position and my volunteer service as your AOTA President. However, between the two hats I wear, life can become hectic. For example, three weeks ago I left on a Thursday, traveled cross country to Washington, DC, to serve on an NIH Study Section, returned to Los Angeles on Friday evening (very late!), and by Saturday was off to the Gold Coast of Australia to attend the Annual AOT Conference. Four days later, I was on a plane again going from the East to the West coast of Australia (Perth) to give presentations on my research at the University of Western Australia. On Wednesday morning, I began my journey home—twenty-four hours in transit. How does one stay healthy with this schedule?
Well, I discovered a wonderful resource to help me stay fit and safely perform exercises. It is the Go4Life™ Exercise and Physical Activity Guide from the National Institute on Aging. Yesterday afternoon I put myself through the complete exercise program—strengthening, endurance, and balance exercises, as well as stretches—and this morning I have the wonderful feeling of having exerted myself with the perfect set of just right challenges. In fact, the pain I feel in my calves today is a constant reminder to me that the red muscle fiber in my legs has been effectively stimulated. I think one of the neatest aspects of this Guide is the way in which the exercise program is linked to maintaining the ability to do everyday activities. In the Guide, it is stated that “Goals are most useful when they are specific, realistic, and important to you…. Your success depends on setting goals that really matter to you” (p. 18). The exercises described are linked to abilities such as making it easier for you to vacuum, rake leaves, and make the bed, to see what’s behind you when backing the car out of the driveway, to lift bags into the overhead compartment during travel, and so on. And what is great is that you don’t need a gym in which to do them—they can be done anywhere.
Now I know a lot of you who read my blog are not even close to the age of an older person—like me! But I think the Go4Life™ Exercise and Physical Activity Guide, which is available for free, can be a wonderful resource for all of us. By the way, dance is a recommended activity for endurance and, as you know, my husband John keeps urging me to attend the dance lessons he takes (he now participates in eight or more per week). Reading the manual has convinced me to go for it and take more dance lessons, as well as make these exercises part of my customized plan for healthy living. In doing so, I will be going not only for a happier and healthier life, but also more time to be of service to our profession. Let me know what you think of the manual.
Go4Life™ is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.