How many cylinders are you running on?

My friend Kathy in Florida once said something to me that now makes perfect sense.

When you are young you are running on all your cylinders (cells, organs, body parts etc.)  But as you age, your cylinders either wear out or just because you are not as active as you were, your cylinders are not used as much.  Just like your metabolism which slows down every 5-7 years, your body parts don’t demand as much nourishment as they did years ago.  BUT, you continue to eat like a young person and every year you gain weight and don’t seem to know why.  You are exercising, eating good food, doing exactly what you used to do but the scale is no longer a friend.  Your body no longer demands the unlimited quantities of stuff you put in it and as your middle expands and your chest falls to become your waist, your mirror is now no longer your friend.  Holy Moly, your sofa hurts your back, you cannot hear the TV as well, bending over the washing machine isn’t easy and now your scale and mirror have joined the expanding list of home items causing you distress.  AND, you are gaining weight. So it’s time to regroup like Kathy said and cut your calories, quantity and superfluous food out of your diet.  You can only eat what you can hold in the palm of your hand (no not a container of Pringles).  You need to change your visual acuity to something small, change your taste buds to something plain and get this whole eating thing under control.  I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT!  Let me know how your experience with minimal eating is going.

I am having a real problem and there is no rule book to follow.  When I wake up I am 38 so I go out and work, run around, play on several tennis teams, practice Pickleball, try to have a social life, work on the computer etc. etc.  By evening I am 65 or older.  I go to bed too late, get up to early and do too much during the day.  I am pooped but continue like a hamster running in his cage until I drop.  I keep thinking I need to do all this stuff all the time but I can feel my body telling me differently.  I don’t seem to be paying attention.  I am working to understand just how to sit quietly and do nothing.  I am not doing well with this but it’s a work in progress just like this aging thing.  As I learn more about how to handle normal amounts of life, I will share the secrets with you…..B

I just upoaded 9 minutes of my American Bone Health osteoporosis  powerpoint presentation and lecture.  If you would like me to present at any function looking for a speaker, please contact me.

As a member of the BABY BOOMER GENERATION, Barbara is considered an “Active Aging Expert”. She is nationally ranked in Tennis and Pickleball. Barbara was one of the first 40 women to successfully complete a marathon on all seven continents, placing her in the 7 Continents Club. She has finished 60 marathons, two Ironman triathlons, two ultra marathons and hundreds of short course races.  Today her passion is playing and teaching Pickleball and Pilates.