My parents are now getting pretty elderly–Dad is 88 and Mom is 83.
They are both very health conscious but recently ran into some issues with health deterioration.
Last year Mom had serious arthritis and quit many physical activities. She had started to lose weight and generally deteriorate. However, she got some arthritis medicine and started a daily exercise program. Now she is in better shape than she has been for years.
My Dad has a similar story. He had quit playing golf because of some other physical issues and was starting to fall apart. I told him about stories of super centenarians who exercise everyday and that this is one of the primary reasons they keep going. I encouraged him to go back to golf-which he loves. He is back playing 2-3 times per week and doing great–his health is very stable for an 88 year old too!
So the lesson is that keeping up simple exercise as you get older makes a big difference in the quality of your life and keeps you alive too!
-Marty Ettington
