I am 47 years old. My parents are 79. My youngest child is seven. I’m on the top of the roller coaster and about to go down the big hill. I have a choice: How will I live the rest of my life? If
I am blessed enough to make 79 like my folks, what kind of life do I envision myself living? Will I be active? Or will a series of chronic diseases keep me homebound — or worse? Will I just be alive? Or will I be truly living?
Let me throw this stunning statistic at you: Regular aerobic exercise reduces your risk of dementia by half. Half. And get this one — it reduces your risk of getting Alzheimer’s by 67%! (from the book Brain Rules by John Medina). If you’ve had a loved one with dementia, you know you don’t want that in your life. Dementia expert Teepa Snow (check her out on YouTube, she’s amazing) says dementia tears 4 out of 5 families apart.
Isn’t it worth getting off the couch to save your family?
I do a boot camp. Heck, I do things physically I couldn’t do when I was 25. But what’s awesome about the statistics above is that you don’t have to be a Navy SEAL to get those results. You just have to walk three times a week for 30 minutes. Walk. Move. Find a fun leisure activity that gets you moving. And I haven’t even mentioned all the other wonderful side effects exercise brings.
I’ve watched both my parents struggle with health problems. Those ailments have, frankly, robbed them of some wonderful moments in the past few years. As I felt my shoulders burn during Coach Clarks’ exercise this morning and watched sweat drip on the floor, I thought about them and my seven-year-old. I want to be an awesome grandfather for his kids. I want to love my wife and live my life to the fullest. It’s a physical and mental investment for my later years. I train hard today because tomorrow will be harder.