Contributed by Daniel Eschbach, DC
Striking a balance between healthy aspirations and common sense just makes sense. We all have an interest in health to some degree or another. I have been a Chiropractor for over 25 years. With this I enjoy the opportunity and blessing of getting to learn different views and approaches to longevity with vitality.
Healthy Aspirations: Unrealistic Expectations
Some people I’ve met have unrealistic expectations for what they anticipate in their golden years, saying that they would like to keep water skiing into their eighties. Don’t get me wrong, great aspirations inspire us. There are a rare few who do keep their adrenaline needs met into their eighties and nineties. Didn’t George Bush Sr. just jump out of an airplane pushing ninety years old? There are others who don’t set their activity goals high enough. These individuals become sedentary early and then wonder why they can’t get the mail without having to catch their breath.
Natural Consequences
It is worth pondering the natural consequences of our activity selection. A friend of mine once accurately described himself, be it in a somewhat intellectual way, that he with regards to activities has “risk aversion”. Financially, I am probably wired a little that way. However, activity-wise there are thrills I still enjoy. My friend questioned any person’s reason to go white water rafting. I wasn’t sure how to answer other than that it’s fun. His view: it is just an unnecessary risk. Which of us has the most healthy aspirations?
Common Sense Approaches
Back to making my point about health and different approaches to acquiring and/or maintaining it. I have, as a chiropractor, a bent toward natural and common sense approaches. Be it exercise, diet, sleep, or stress, these are things that we have some control over. Therefore, we must pursue these as a discipline and more or less address on a consistent basis. I am not very disciplined and take advantage of the fact that our body is pretty tolerant toward some degree of abuse. For example, I can eat a hot dog, coke, and curly fries at the fair and not be sick too bad from it. But, if I think I have nourished myself with that tasty indiscretion and do it on a regular basis, I will eventually have some health issues down the years.
Ultimately, don’t worry, but be sensible in activity selection. I don’t heal from an injury now at 57 as well as I did at 47. Furthermore, I am healing now better than I will at 67. Enjoy life, remain active, but recognize your limits and be mindful of natural consequences from riskier activities.
This article was first published in the Fall/Winter, 2014/15 edition of Vibrant Senior Options Resource Guide
