“Growing Younger Part 2” by Bev Scott

How are you committed to creating a healthy inspiring life for yourself?

I mentioned in “Growing Younger, Part 1” that I am learning how to put my health and physical well-being as a top priority.  Many of our 3rd Act Workshop participants want to improve their health and well being too. I am not a poster child, but I do want to share my experience and why I think the experts are on to something.

My own parents died of heart disease in their early 60’s, when I was in my mid-20’s.  I understood that diet and nutrition had an  impact on heart disease.  For many years I focused on maintaining a pretty good diet.  But lately, I have learned more as the science research has become available, about what is required for a healthy heart and a healthy body.  My motivation is to live 25 years longer than my parents so I eat more vegetables, watch the fat and eat fewer carbohydrates.

I wasn’t much into exercise…the early messages which discouraged girls from sports left their mark.  In my late 40’s and early  50’s, my body began to complain with one ailment or another mostly structural.  I was also hearing about the benefits of exercise and reluctantly began to exercise, first to stretch and walk, then I added cycling and strength training.  For the last 12 years, I have tried to increase my exercise to 5- 6 days a week.  I finally feel that I have it figured out, the motivation and the goal, the required structure to fit it into my schedule regularly, and the needed rewards that work for me.  Between my exercise regime and my better diet, I feel younger and my health care practitioners offer the same observation when I have my exams and they review my blood pressure, my cholesterol or my blood test results.  Feeling strong, without aches and pains and free of worry is the motivation  and makes it all worth it!

Link to Part I: “Growing Younger Part 1” by Bev Scott