Exercise or Die


Are you a couch potato?

 Okay, so you won’t literally die if you don’t exercise, but you’ll die trying to deal with aches and pains as your body ages. Trust me; your beautiful young body gets a little older every day. 

While walking through the hospital recently, I found myself walking behind an older couple. The woman appeared much younger than the man and he could barely walk even though he had his companion's help and the help of his cane. I walked around them and a couple minutes later, they walked into the same waiting room I was in. 

Out of all the seats in the waiting room area, the woman chose to sit right next to me. I chuckled and decided to find out what I was wondering while I was walking behind them earlier. We spoke and smiled, so that was my cue to ask, "Is that your husband?"  She said he was and told me he was 88 years old, she was five years younger, and they’ve been married for 66 years. I stared at her in disbelief because there seemed to be a huge age gap between them. I wanted to boldly ask her why she looked so much younger than her husband, but I didn’t have to. She continued talking. Are you ready? She said she always believed in exercise and taking care of her body, but her husband – not so. Wow. She also mentioned she’s been exercising for over 50 years. I wish you could have seen this 83 year old woman. She looked all of 60 – maybe 65 years old. She really blew me away when she told me she still teaches aerobics a few days a week! Get outta here! Really? I felt an electrifying urge to start jogging through the hospital halls and do a few jumping jacks, but decided to maintain my composure and sit still. I was so grateful this woman sat next to me and shared her pearls of wisdom. I caught each pearl she tossed me.  “Stay active. Don’t stop moving! Exercise makes a big difference as you see for yourself.” She was referring to the difference in her health and her husband’s health. By looking at them...HUGE difference.  

It’s never too late to begin exercising, but why wait? How you treat your body now is exactly how it will treat you 10 – 20 – 30 years from now. Just because we age, doesn't mean we have to become immobile, slow, or have stiff joints. I saw it for myself!