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Slide 1: ==== ==== Get Your Free E-Book on Fitness (no strings Attached) www.reportunlimited.wordpress.com ==== ==== Vigorous daily exercise and the resulting state of fitness promote good health; sedentary living and the resulting state of unfitness are associated with poor health (including weight problems and poor muscle and organ functioning). It is desirable to exercise and be fit at all stages of life. But, what if one somehow had to choose: fit in youth and middle age, or fit in later life? What a terrible Sophie's Choice type of lose/lose dilemma that would be. It seems akin to a choice offered the condemned in some states: death by hanging or firing squad. Neither entails much hope or promise. The same would apply to any so-called choice of being fit early in life OR later in life. The idea is preposterous - if still young, get fit. Exercise as if the quality of your existence depends on it, for it does. If, however, you are old and unfit, there is a lesson here. The lesson segues to the point I have to offer, which I'm gussying up and calling a Positive Paradox. The older person who, for whatever reason, finds himself immersed in a sedentary lifestyle and saddled with a significant state of unfitness might derive comfort from my new theory. I could call it "Don's Positive Paradox of Getting Fit Late In Life." I could but I won't. The Positive Paradox theory is independent of any data, studies, empirical evidence, expert consensus or even revelation from a god. I just made it up. Maybe you'll think it odd, ridiculous, unlikely or maybe obviously true. The basic idea is that exercise and fitness pay off proportionally faster and more significantly later in life than earlier. I think my notion about the positive paradox of later life fitness is a sound idea. My own experience as a lifelong athlete who observes older athletes almost every day suggests that an increased devotion to fitness in later life is more important than ever, thanks to the effects of the passage of time. Of course being fit is always a good thing, as is a REAL wellness lifestyle (which includes fitness but encompasses a great deal more). However, the returns are greater after about fifty years of age. At this stage in life, the avoidance of losses and the realization of gains are quicker and more evident. This is due to the fact that by this stage in life, parts are wearing out at an alarming rate - and a human, like Alice in Wonderland, must go faster and faster to stay in the same place. Well, more accurately, go backwards at a slower pace. Thus, the middle and later years of life are a great time, as well as a last chance, to transition from sloth to fitness. The older adult may have survived a passive physical existence during his twenties, thirties or even forties - but from this point on, whether for a few more years or decades, the rewards of fitness and the perils of physical neglect are higher than ever. Our bodies are capable of more than most realize. Aging is not only chronological but also affected by choices. Lifestyle patterns matter - enormously. This deserves a catchy description, like the positive paradox of becoming fit later in life for those unfit early in life. Senior bodies neglected for decades are capable of dramatic transformations from exercise and fitness -
Slide 2: considerably more so than younger bodies or older bodies in top form. This situation is simply a matter of the unfit older person being farther down the fitness mountain. As a consequence, such a body can enjoy a greater ascent toward the peaks of positive conditioning and well-being. A life-long athlete can only struggle to hold position/stay the course/keep a grip on the mountainside - he's already at or near his own personal peak. He possesses a high level of fitness; he can struggle mightily but do no more than slow the irresistible descent of performance associated with age progression. On the other hand, the 40, 50 or 60 year-old, unfit for decades if not always, can make dramatic advances. He will - and this is the paradox, find himself fitter at fifty (or whatever) than he ever was at thirty, or whatever younger age, while still getting fitter, not sliding backwards. (At least for a while!) Of course, this is not a suggestion that the relatively young person should conclude that the sensible thing to do is little or nothing, exercise-wise. I can't imagine someone reading this and making such a choice as this: Well, good then. I'll sit on my butt and avoid exercise until I'm fifty, then take it up and experience the dramatic progress Don promised! Such a ludicrous scenario is unlikely. Instead of delaying fitness for later life in order to take advantage of the paradox, think of it as a consolation prize for the seniors who ARE unfit. The paradox ought to compel sedentary seniors to seize the moment, the occasion of a second chance at the brass ring of exercise and fitness. Reach out, as surely these youngsters did in 1957 at Coney Island, NY for the magical ring as life's merry-go-round circles the pavilion of existence. Know that every time around means fewer laps to go. You are on a precious ride of one lifetime. Make the most of it. In the spirit of REAL wellness, be reasonable, find exuberance, stay free and get fit - sooner if possible but later in any case. Publisher of the ARDELL WELLNESS REPORT - an electronic newsletter devoted to weekly commentaries on current issues that affect personal and social well being from a quality of life perspective. The emphasis is on REAL wellness. REAL stands for the key issues embraced and advanced in Don's philosophy, namely, Reason, Exuberance, Athleticism and Liberty. Sample copy of latest edition by request. If you like it, you can sign up - the price is right - free. awr.realwellness@gmail.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donald_Ardell
Slide 3: ==== ==== Get Your Free E-Book on Fitness (no strings Attached) www.reportunlimited.wordpress.com ==== ====