Listen to Your Body

The ongoing heat wave has reminded me of the importance of listening to our bodies as we age so I resurrected this post from a few years ago. Add the signals your body gives you when out in extreme heat to the list of signs to pay attention too.

        I’ve learned – slowly – that as I age I need to pay more attention to what my body is telling me. And it speaks louder each year! This past week was a busy one for me as I was out doing something more active than usual every day. That’s a lot for a guy who retired just as Covid hit and is used to a slower pace, and it definitely made me listen to my body’s creaks and groans. It was calling for recovery time and I’ve reached the age where I heed that signal.

       After a round of disc golf with a friend on a long and fun course in Tinicum Park we sat in the shade and talked about how we used to take a long bike ride then go play a round of disc golf and not even think about it. Ah, the good old (young) days! Those were the days of being young enough to sometimes hear my body talking to me but also being young enough to not listen – and not need to for the most part. When we are young, we feel indestructible, and we frequently live our lives as if we actually are.

        As we age our sensitivity to our body’s signals gets stronger. Funny how that self- preservation mechanism works – provided we pay attention to it. For any young-uns reading this and chuckling, just wait, you’ll understand eventually (as some of my friends have come to). It seems like each decade that body language increases in volume and frequency no matter what we do to keep it at bay. A natural part of getting older as rest becomes as important as activity.

       Our overall health is based on a balance of activity and allowing our body to recover. That includes not just regular exercise and recovery periods, but also nutrition and our long-term eating habits. No lecture here, just connecting the dots to create the whole picture. As we age our nutritional requirements change as does our body’s requirement for more recovery time after strenuous activities. For me, after multiple bike rides, softball (we won playoff round 1), disc golf, and my weight workouts last week, that meant a lazy Sunday on the couch. The payoff was to be re-energized for the coming week’s activities.

      Sometime around 50 those everyday aches and pains, and sounds – snap, crackle, pop – become more a part of life. We notice that it takes some time for our muscles to stretch out after being stationary for extended periods. We’re a bit more sore the next morning after heavy physical activity. Knee and elbow braces become part of our sports attire. Certainly, a lot of new “sounds” to listen to. The key is to know them for what they are, do what we can to keep ourselves in good physical and mental shape, and make our ego accept it all. For many, that’s the toughest part. Getting older is not for the meek, but it beats the heck out of the alternative.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com  7-15-2024