Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Where I stand

I may die when I'm in my eighties and nineties like my great grandparents. I may keel over in my sixties. It may be Alzheimer's or breast cancer or a brain tumor or a bus. I may slip when I step out of the shower tomorrow, or I may have a disease right now and not even know it. I may have a random accident involving a yoga brick and a treadmill or a stiletto shoe and a steaming city grate.

I may not make it to 30. Hell, I may not make it to 26.

What I eat and how I exercise may or may not affect my mortality much in the long run. Booksellers and nutritionists like to make us think that eating almonds will add three years to our lives or that lifting weights will add two.

I know I'm not guaranteed those days or years.

I also know that eating well (and that can include a dark chocolate chunk cookie here and there) and exercising consistently can and will improve the quality of my life. Exercise makes me feel good--endorphins and sweat and kicking ass and setting PRs and meeting goals--all that. Eating well gives me energy and clarity and pleasure.

I want to still be able to take walks when I'm 75. I'd love to be running still, but I'll take what I can get. I want to do aqua aerobics when I'm 85. I want to be clear and remember my children and grandchildren. I want to eat strawberries and watermelon and have the juice run down my face and have everyone smile because I don't have to worry about being dainty or graceful anymore. No one will think, "But you were never a size 2." They will say, "She taught me how to make strawberry shortcake," and "I loved bicycling with my mom," and "She was always kind and loving and full of life--and she still is now."

But in case I don't make it that far, I want the here and now to be just as good. For me, that means running and lifting for pleasure. That means yoga for relaxation. It means eggs and fruit for breakfast with tortellini and veggies for lunch. With some kind of chocolate nearly every day.

That's where I stand.

4 comments:

aola said...

This is a great post Kristen.

And, I believe you will be one of those that are still running at 70+.
My oldest son's Grandpa is 89 and still runs (not very fast these days) but was still running marathons at 80!!

Sandra said...

Thanks for the reminder to live in the moment and that living in the moment doesn't mean letting everything swirl out of control. We spend so many days waiting for the days ahead that we forget that right now is good too.
This is an excellent post.

Grace said...

Great post and I can completely relate to it. If I die tomorrow I don't want my last words to be "damn, I wish I ate that ice cream" (possible lactose intorlance aside). Having said that, I am not willing to gamble on my genes. Perhaps I am one of those people who can break all the health rules and live to 90, but given that I already have a digestive diease, i highly doubt that is the case. So I will continue to live healthy and learn about living healthy, while not depriving myself of good chocolate (or equivalent)"in moderation." Besides, I want to live to 120, not 90!

R said...

love this post