Staying Strong in Old Age, both physically and mentally

I think part of being old, and getting older every minute, is taking care of myself.  When we're younger, we don't necessarily think about it -- it's something we'll think about later.  I will admit, though, that since I was a young teenager, I've been a bit obsessed about staying physically fit, and it hasn't changed into my old age.  I don't think there are any secrets to maintaining our bodies as we age.  I think if we exercise, with and without weights, walk/run, and maintain flexibility, keep our minds and bodies active and challenged, we're very likely to have a better life than if we don't.  Whether we live longer, I have no idea.  But I certainly want to enjoy the time I have left, and I think the best way for me to do that is to keep physically fit, stay interested in, well, everything, visit with our family and/or friends, etc., etc.  

I do everything I can think of to do just that.  For one example, every afternoon my 16-year-old granddaughter comes to my house, and we do exercises together for between 15 and 30 minutes.  It's one of the ways I take care of myself physically and socially at the same time.  And amazingly, my granddaughter enjoys it, too!

Every morning, I take a quite brisk, around 3.5-4.5 mph, 1.5 mile walk with my sweet dog Ruby.  Every early evening, I do some additional strength exercises to hit as many muscle groups as I can.  I do it all because I know from what most all scientific research says, that it is going to help me live better, and possibly longer -- and even possibly reduce my chances of dementia as I age.  As we all know, each year increases our likelihood of getting dementia, or having some kind of cognitive decline; so it's something I want to avoid as much as I possibly can.

Again, I do all of these things not in an attempt to be or appear younger but to be the fittest mentally and physically that I can for my age.

In fact, just a few days ago, I went with my family (daughter, son-in-law, and 16 year old grandchild) for our mostly-annual kayaking adventure in north-central Washington State.  It's still as fun now as it was nearly 10 years ago when we started.  The only problem I have is dragging my kayak up a muddy steep slope at the end of the day.  The river, I must admit, most of the time is rather slow and easy, with a rare bit of rapids here and there -- but it is a lot of work all the same.  I have to brag and say that I was the only one of us who had no upper-body pain the next day, and we all worked equally hard the entire 3-plus hours we spent on the water.  Maybe it's the clay work, but I also like to think it's the workouts I do daily to keep myself strong.  (I must admit I did have some "motion sickness" that night, though, which I attribute to having been on the water for a rather lengthy period of time.)

Another thing I do is try to keep my weight at a reasonable level.  For me, that's a bit of a problem because I've always been underweight, and it tends to get more and more difficult with age to keep pounds on.  Also, unfortunately, being naturally thin, there's one thing I can't control without extreme measures which I'm unwilling even to consider, I tend to have more facial wrinkles!!  Oh, well, I can't have it all!

Vegetarian Diet Stuff Again:

Getting enough calories, and protein for a vegetarian, which I am, tends to be a bit more difficult, so I have to work at it deliberately every day.  I eat a lot of nuts of every kind every day, including peanut butter that I get from a grinder at the grocery, so it's pure peanut butter.  I love tofu and tempeh, and I use them in a lot of different ways, including in olive and/or sesame oil, with some sesame seeds thrown in, too, and I put them into as many dishes as I can -- and often just eat tofu well-cooked and crispy as a snack -- or even raw as a quick snack.  I eat a lot of rice because it's calorie-dense.  I think I've mentioned a lot of this already.  Sorry if I have.  

Of course, as is recommended, I do as much as possible every day to exercise my brain as well -- not in a weird way but just by staying very engaged in running my business, trying not hard enough to keep my house clean, playing games such as Wordle and FreeCell (yes, I like it still, and I have never lost a single game).  As I've mentioned many times, I read, read, read, and I keep my French language knowledge intact and even growing by listening to French radio as I work, watching French movies (there are sooooo many great choices these days!), talking to my dog and cat in French, etc.  And working in my gardens is a challenge in every way, and I enjoy it immensely, too.

One thing I don't do, and I'm okay with it is socialize with other than family members.  The closest I come to socialization is going through the grocery checkout where there's a clerk.  Most of them seem to want to chat, it seems.  I just don't know anyone except family members that interest me enough to spend time with them.  I never, ever get bored, though.  I enjoy my work and family time, and I think that can replace outside socializing.  And, again, my family live just next door to me, and we are back and forth all day, every day.