Food for Thought Friday: Rickety, or Robust?





I bring bad news, everyone: we’re going to acquire old.

All of us. Every unmarried 1 of us.

If we’re lucky, that is.

If God, or nature, or the universe, or whatever, sees stand upward for to let us ripen to an old, former age, it volition no dubiety go a bumpy ride. Predictable together with unpredictable ups & downs together with trials & tribulations await us. As a beloved friend’s grandmother used to say, “It’s hell to acquire old, but the choice isn’t whatsoever better.” (Getting former actually is a privilege. Not everyone is hence fortunate.) (Aside, to MW: I don’t know if y'all silent read my weblog or not, but if y'all do, it was your grandmother, HC, who said that.)

If we’re also lucky, nosotros volition retain most of our physical together with mental/cognitive capacities good into former age. Some of these volition inevitably decline—the physical to a greater extent than hence than the mental/cognitive. And if nosotros do start to sense cognitive decline, gauge what? Alzheimer’s is the outcome of "REVERSIBLE metabolic syndromes." And for once, that’s non me maxim so, but rather, the MD who knows it’s reversible, because he’s done it. But I digress…

It’s precisely non reasonable that an eighty-year-old volition bring the same forcefulness together with speed they had inward their younger years, fifty-fifty for individuals who devote a pregnant amount of fourth dimension together with attempt toward preserving forcefulness together with mobility equally they age. We tin slow the loss of musculus volume together with musculus strength, but nosotros cannot halt them completely.


That existence said—that we cannot only halt physical deterioration together with decline—there is most definitely a purpose for remaining active together with belongings onto equally much physical capacity equally nosotros can, for equally long equally nosotros can. This doesn’t bring to hateful getting into a gym several times a calendar week together with doing a prescribed program. Maybe it way walking or jogging regularly, or biking or swimming, or merely staying engaged inward a hobby or avocation that requires physicality together with agility: woodworking/carpentry, hiking, tennis, gardening. (If y'all recall gardening isn’t a workout, y'all in all probability haven’t done much of it.)

My signal is, nosotros do ourselves a disservice past times downplaying the importance of forcefulness together with mobilityparticularly equally nosotros age. Someday, later I’ve worked my way through the bazillion weblog posts I already bring waiting on the backburner, I’ll do 1 virtually the critical importance of musculus tissue. One that volition go suitable for my various audience, together with won’t cater solely to the CrossFit, holier-than-thou, “Do y'all fifty-fifty lift?” crowds, who somehow recall that if y'all don’t regularly selection upward heavy materials together with pose it dorsum downwardly again, y'all are unworthy of taking upward infinite on the same planet equally them.

But, until I acquire around to that post, for now, I do desire to touching on the importance of physical robustness. I lately wrote a serial virtually stubborn fatty loss, together with went into item on a few things that mightiness go getting inward the way of fatty loss, fifty-fifty when someone is sticking to a proficient low-carb, high-fat or Paleo-style diet. And fatty loss is important, especially if your size impedes your character of life together with prohibits y'all from enjoying activities that y'all would otherwise participate inward regularly, such equally plumbing equipment comfortably into a booth at a restaurant, a spot at a moving painting theater, or an bird seat. I bring written over together with over over again that being of large size is non usually, past times itself, the cause of wellness complications, together with that we tin not brand guesses virtually someone’s wellness together with well-being based solely on their size. That existence said, equally I precisely mentioned, existence of extra, extra-large size can interfere amongst character of life, together with for that argue alone, it’s non a bad thought to bring a weight loss goal. BUT: for someone carrying around an extra 5 or x pounds? Maybe fifty-fifty fifteen? Meh. Meh at 25 years old, together with a far to a greater extent than emphatic MEH at 75 years old.

Let me tell y'all virtually someone I know.

I know a adult woman who is 70 years young. She runs a publishing company, is the founder together with president of a prominent non-profit organization, together with she owns her ain farm, where she is equally hands-on equally it gets. She has a hectic schedule, non precisely because of her usual go obligations together with commitments, but because she is also inward high need equally a invitee speaker, together with her go schedule is packed amongst these events. This adult woman is no slouch. Intellectually, she’s sudden equally a tack. Physically, she’s got forcefulness together with stamina many people one-half her historic menstruum would envy.

Here’s the thing, though: she’s non what anyone would telephone squall upward slim. Certainly, no 1 would bill her of existence skinny. But she’s non obese, either. Not fifty-fifty overweight—at least, non past times my ain opinion. (Screw whatever the life insurance charts would say.) If y'all enquire me, she looks healthy. Strong. Capable. Robust.

This adult woman is real well-known inward the existent nutrient world, together with she’s made many friends, but also many enemies along the way. As such, at that spot are some unflattering photos of her online from a few years ago, but I assure you, she looks cracking now. Hey, we’ve all had our moments of looking less than our best. The divergence for most of us, however, is that we’re non inward earth eye, and, barring pictures our friends pick out to ship service online together with “tag” us in, nosotros tin selection together with pick out the photos nosotros allow the ease of the footing come across together with nosotros tin destroy the bear witness that we’ve e'er looked anything less than glamorous. (Just brand certain no 1 e'er gets agree of our pump schoolhouse yearbooks!)

Through the years, this adult woman has been bigger together with she’s been smaller. Who hasn’t? The signal is, correct now, she looks great, together with I know what she eats. I spent 2 weeks living inward her describe of piece of occupation solid together with working on her farm, together with I occasionally silent bring dinner at that spot 1 time inward a while, if I involve to pass the nighttime at the farm inward monastic tell to go at that spot early on the adjacent morning. (If whatsoever of y'all are inward the DC/MD/VA area, come upward on out to P.A. Bowen Farmstead. I go inward the store every Friday! In add-on to award-winning raw milk for pets! [Plus all the goodies you’d aspect from such a farm: beef, pork, chickens, organ meats, lard, fermented vegetables, locally-produced jams/jellies, raw honey, together with more!])

I tin tell y'all for certain that this adult woman loves to ready together with is true to her principles when doing so. (Like me, she is someone who escapes to the kitchen [whereas many other people desire to escape from the kitchen.]) Our meals were loaded amongst homemade broth, enzyme-rich salad dressings, soaked/sprouted nuts & seeds, lots of well-cooked vegetables, and, of course, the best character beast proteins, cooked on the bone, served amongst gravies together with pan-sauces made from the drippings. I dined similar royalty during that time. (You would non believe the amount of butter, bacon, together with kombucha that household goes through! Well, if you’re reading my blog, are a LCHFer, together with know virtually her organization, mayhap y'all would, teehee.)

Okay. I’m getting off message here. My signal is, this adult woman mightiness non go the size she was equally a teenager or twenty-something, but why should she be? She’s seventy years old. She’s had 3 children, together with had many, many other pursuits inward her life such that her primary activities did non involve weighing together with mensuration her food; tracking every concluding morsel inward a spreadsheet; fasting; recording her daily breath, urine, and blood ketones; together with getting upward at 5am to attend a spin course of instruction or “WOD” beatdown.

And fifty-fifty inward the absence of these things—which some people out at that spot mightiness fifty-fifty recall are required to go the slightest chip stand upward for together with healthy—she is achieving goals, solving problems, together with mostly accomplishing things at a charge per unit of measurement that would pose many young’uns to shame.

Her farm produces raw milk cheese, together with she is the primary cheesemaker. If y'all bring never made cheese on a large-ish scale before, allow me assure you, it is non for the weak. It is backbreaking work. There’s a lot of bending, heavy lifting, dorsum & shoulder movement, together with fourth dimension on your feet. (This is peculiarly truthful of making cheddar cheese, when it is done via the traditional, super-old-school cheddaring method, and is done only by hand.) I know, I know. Cheesemaking? That’s difficult work? Yes, yep it is. (I’ve done it. It’s non an ultra-endurance race, sure, but it’s no stroll inward the park, either.)

It was during my 2 weeks living together with working at this farm that I recorded if it starts ruling your life, together with it is using you equally a tool, rather than the other way around [like the scale oftentimes does], it’s fourth dimension to pose downwardly the pencil or unopen the app.)

If y'all are a “seasoned” citizen, or fifty-fifty a not-so-seasoned one, please, don’t worry hence much virtually the scale. Yes, I realize this in all probability sounds disingenuous coming from someone who wrote a serial on stubborn fatty loss, but again, I’m non talking virtually losing an amount of weight that is interfering amongst your life. I’m talking virtually fighting molar together with boom together with potentially causing interference amongst your life inward monastic tell to acquire dorsum to a weight that y'all were twoscore or l years ago, or mayhap y'all never were, together with mightiness fifty-fifty go completely unnatural for y'all to go inward the outset place, together with that’s why it’s hence damn difficult to acquire there. If y'all tin do all the things y'all desire to do (barring physical disability or incapacitation, of course), then mayhap you’re already just the correct size. And if y'all can’t do some of the things you’d like, together with y'all suspect (or know for sure) that what’s belongings y'all dorsum is a lack of forcefulness or stamina, hence for goodness’ sake, halt wasting fourth dimension on the scale together with start doing things to build your forcefulness together with stamina.


  

P.S. I know other folks at 70+ years of historic menstruum who are to a greater extent than intellectually “with it” together with far to a greater extent than physically capable than people one-half their age. And they bring some things inward common. First, they’re all physically active. None of them regularly do what nosotros would depict equally “working out,” but they all do a lot of walking together with are also engaged inward physical hobbies, such equally farming & cheesemaking, together with boating/sailing. Second, they all remain engaged inward intellectually stimulating activities, together with issues they are passionate about, either through professions they haven’t retired from (although they may bring cutting dorsum a bit), or past times taking adult teaching courses or “lifelong learning” classes at a local community college.  Third, these people regularly engage amongst other people. They become out to dinner amongst friends, they’re active inward religious and/or social organizations: churches, temples, or other houses of worship; veterans’ groups; Rotary, Kiwanis, or Lion’s clubs; etc. It’s interesting…maybe socialization together with intellectual appointment are skills that atrophy if y'all don’t utilization them enough. (Here’s a proficient podcast to heed to if you’re interested inward the wellness effects of loneliness together with social isolation. You can if Robb Wolf vouches for me, that’s gotta count for something, no?) 

P.P.S. I haven’t mentioned the 70-year-old farm possessor past times name. Some of y'all in all probability knew correct away who I was talking about, together with for those of y'all who silent don’t know who she is, y'all tin notice out past times clicking on whatsoever of the related links. Just to allow y'all know, I’ve poked around inward her kitchen, together with I’ve seen the contents of her fridge together with pantry. Yes, indeed, I bring seen the inner sanctum.  ;-) It was something to behold. (In a proficient way, of course.) Some people aspire to fancy cars or opor-garai homes. Most of my aspirations are kitchen & culinary inward nature, together with boy, was it a care for to come across what I saw!









Remember: Amy Berger, M.S., NTP, is non a doc together with , LLC, is non a medical practice. The data contained on this site is non intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or preclude whatsoever medical condition. Links inward this ship service together with all others may straight y'all to amazon.com, where I volition have a minor amount of the purchase cost of whatsoever items y'all purchase through my affiliate links.

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