It's Not All Just About Physical Fitness

Chutema
May 31
3 min read

Learning new skills and forcing your brain to think more is very important as you get older. If you're like me and don't have time or like to sit still for hours reading, then finding new ways to learn something or trying out a new exercise program is a must. Your brain controls everything in your body, so why not pay more attention to it and feed it as much information as you can? It won't hurt it. The more you learn and experience new things, especially exercising regularly, will help keep your brain sharp, and it could improve the way you feel and look.

I like getting that rush feeling after a good run or workout. That rush feeling is what your body and brain needs on a regular basis. If you can avoid all the bad temporary rushes from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, you will definitely feel much better, and your body will reward you later on in life. I know it's a touchy subject when it comes to drugs and alcohol, and I can't deny all the bad evidence in front of my eyes and also having to deal with the food industry that's destroying our society and youths.

The key to overcoming this monumental epidemic is knowledge and fighting to stand up against all the wrong guidelines set forth by the food industry dating back to the mid-70s. Those wrong guidelines included all the terrible sugary and processed foods people are still consuming, causing most of the current health issues we have today. I can remember coming to America in 1976; almost all my school friends were healthy, and we ate mostly cooked meals. We all played outside and rarely came home until it was dark outside. We learned a lot about each other because we were forced to physically interact with one another through playing sports and other social activities. Unlike today, kids have cell phones, text each other, use social media, and play online video games.

As an empty nester today, having raised three grown children and having two grandsons, I know firsthand how important it is to be knowledgeable about health, fitness, and trying to instill in them how to conquer their timelines. A task easier said than done, I won't even go there because you can't say or speak your mind anymore without offending someone. Thank God I'm no longer parenting. It's definitely a different era, but I have hope and faith that things will get better.

Practicing, "you are the master of your own universe," I have laid the foundation for my fitness and health transformation at 57 years old and beyond. Every day is a blessing for me, and I take nothing for granted. The realization of how insignificant my timeline is compared to everything else has made me value what I have. I go through life no longer thinking about what I should have done or not have done; now I'm just enjoying the moment and trying to make the right decisions daily. We don't live in the past or future, but making the right daily choices can affect our future.

If you make any choices today, start or learn something new, you will not regret it. It can be as simple as parking your car farther away from the entrance of the grocery store, place of work, or any appointments you may have. The key to life is movement, more movement, and never stop learning. As I got older and started to see why my breathing was heavy while doing a basic task like walking up some stairs, it forced me to get fit and healthy. A simple solution was losing some excess body weight, and now walking up the stairs is no longer an issue.

To continue my fitness and health journey, I decided to push my body more physically by learning how to box and participate in a weekly martial arts discipline called Wing Chun, which forces my brain to think more while practicing self-defense and forcing me to think about the next moves. Don't be afraid to learn new things every day; your body and brain can and will be able to handle all of it. If I can do it at 57 years old, why can't you? Let's get it!