"OLDER" PEOPLE,HOWEVER DEFINED, ARE NOT "LUMPABLE!

I hate it when people make assumptions that everyone around them is just like them, or worse, thinks just like them. I'm not talking about politics, gay rights or healthcare issues. I'm talking about aging! Recently I eavesdropped on a group of late 50 year old guys where two of them were going on and on about their aches and pains. One went so far as to say..."We're all in the same boat, getting old and gray by the day!"

I couldn't believe that none of the other guys took him on and said, Hey! I'm not hurtin! In fact I'm feeling pretty good. A little earlier one of the guys had told me he was looking into doing the Iron Man. When I asked him later, why didn't you say something about it, he shrugged it off, but I couldn't.

The truth is I get really ticked when I hear an "older" person (and how we define that today is another great challenge!)making an assumption about a peer, regardless of what the subject. People have a tendency to lump people together especially as they age. They shouldn't. PEOPLE ARE NOT LUMPABLE! It bothers me when I hear people say they have an ache or pain and assume you do also, when not only do you not, but in reality you have just completed a mini marathon in record time! Why do people do that? To make themselves feel better---or do they want everyone in the same boat? Theirs!

When I hear friends or strangers say, older people are all alike, I want to slap them on the side of the head and say, no they aren't, and to continue by asking, why would you assume everyone else your age is like you? And I want to go further and ask, actually how old are these old people you refer to? As a simple test, ask yourself right now---how do you define older people? And even more importantly, how do you see yourself?

In my work I help people of all ages rewire, and I am always struck when an older individual, and older in this instance is referring to anyone over 50, as defined by AARP (not me),tells me they feel old. My natural response to them is keep it to yourself.If you see yourself as old, so will others, I guarantee it. And then you doom all of us Boomers,so don't do it! There are many people, 50,60, 70, even 80 year olds who are doing just fine and feeling great! In fact the man in the picture is Buster Martin who ran marathons until he was 102 years old. Is Buster unique? Yes and no. One thing for sure is that he isn't LUMPABLE!

Open your eyes and see how many people around you are rewiring into next great acts! They're excited about life and its possibilities; they are focusing on their functional age, not their chronological age! Make sure you are also.

EXERCISE AND ADD MORE LIFE TO YOUR LIFE!

There are only 24 hours in the day and it's up to each of us to decide how and where our time is used. Work, plus family and daily responsibilities take up a large portion of that time, and of course we know that eight hours of sleep is the ideal. I may be nervey to say this, but today I am putting in a big plug for finding "some" time, even a little time, to exercise. I know some of you are groaning already; others are smiling because you have made time for fitness and are feeling smug, and still others are sheepishly admitting that exercise has been on their to do list for too long to remember, which is a good seque to why I hope you will make some time for exercise.

Over the past several weeks there have been many articles in both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on exercise. Take a look at these headlines (in fact two are VERY similar!) and take a look at the benefits.

On March 2 Jane Brody wrote her Personal Health column: "Even More Reasons to Get A Move On" and in the March 9 Wall Street Journal Health & Wellness section journalist, Ron Winslow wrote: "To Double the Odds of Seeing 85: Get A Move On." They are great articles, covering different angles, but work together to deliver a one two punch message that it's not just about good abs or a tight butt but rather about the long term health benefits for the body and the brain!

Then on March 9 Jane Brody wrote: "To Keep Moving, Look Beyond the Physical" where she indicated that she had heard from many readers who said it's easy to get started exercising but hard to stay motivated. So Jane's March 9 article talks about how exercise improves life, includes a list of motivators and concludes with a quote from Dr.Michelle Segar, a motivational psychologist at the University of Michigan that " we need to rebrand exercise as something we can enjoy, something that really feels good to do."

My sentiments exactly-- now that I have finally rewired my time and added exercise to my life!

So are you ready to rewire your thinking about exercise and fitness and wellness? Maybe it's time to turn exercise on its head! If you hate running, try biking, if not biking, then swimming...the point is there are choices all around us...pick one and try it. If it isn't the "right one" for you, DISCARD IT and CHOOSE ANOTHER! Do it for your good health! It is a patriotic act these days.