Stayin’ Alive

It’s important to do yoga on a regular basis. There is nothing like it for flexibility and balance. I should do it first thing in the morning, every morning.

Maintaining strength is so crucial as we age that I must add weight training to the yoga routine. Just a few minutes with weights or bands should do it.

And walking! Walking is the emperor of exercise, good for body, mind, and spirit. It’s best to walk outside, to benefit from the fresh air and negative ions. Ten thousand steps a day is a reasonable goal.

But what are yoga, weights, and walking without proper nutrition? Worse than nothing! The best exercise regimen in the world is a waste of time unless it is coupled with the right eating habits, which means consuming mostly plants, grown organically, optimally by oneself. (Gardening has a zillion health benefits. There are bacteria put in the soil by the universe simply to improve our mood.) I definitely need to eat more veggies.

Still, no matter how physically fit I become, I will crumble to bits without sufficient social contact. So what if I’m an introvert? That’s no excuse. I should get out there and join a club, start a committee, make things happen. That’s what it takes to stay young.

Studies show that people who go to church live longer….

But life is meaningless in the absence of absorbing, flow-inducing work that makes us feel that we still matter as a person, even in retirement. A hobby, preferably one necessitating many trips to Michael’s for supplies, will do the job. I certainly could use more flow in my life.

Challenging mental tasks such as playing chess, memorizing speeches out of Shakespeare, and learning Sanskrit are great, and heaven knows I could use them all. But historically our culture has ignored, to its peril, the benefits of handiwork. My poor bored hands are dying to do something other than tapping on the keyboard. Taking up calligraphy or learning to knit would make them happy. But for the ultimate hand-and-brain workout, there is nothing like playing a musical instrument. I must get my recorder out of its case and start playing again. A mere hour a day should keep me in decent form.

But here is the most important thing: meditation! Without it, even if I do all of the above I will still be a ragged, stressed-out mess. Twenty minutes a.m. and p.m. are good for starters, but really, anything under an hour is hardly worth it. There is nothing to it: one sits down in a quiet place, closes one’s eyes, and breathes. But like everything else, it has to be done every day.

Exercise, proper nutrition, social engagement, hobbies, mindfulness….With these and regular medical check-ups, blood tests, joint replacements, cataract surgeries, audiologist visits, and punctilious dental hygiene I will probably live forever.

The question is, will it be fun?