What the Queen Mam said

Since England's last and greatest Queen Mother*  lived to the age of 101, we might listen carefully to anything she said. Amongst her pearls (verbal ones, that is) was the suggestion to dance. In one of those many interviews when reporters asked her how she had stayed so spry, she answered that you have to take exercising a little at a time and do what you think is fun.

An English campaign that may have taken off from these comments is trying to persuade over-50s to spend half an hour a day exercising. While earlier admonitions had told people to exercise vigorously three times a week, current "experts" believe that a gentler regime will be better. It certainly might have more appeal and be more lasting.

A vigorous exercise program should be approved by your doctor, but gentle stretches can be done by almost everyone. Combatting stiffness applies to people of all ages and walks of life.

Small stretching at home or the office can be quite practical. If you make yourself get into a routine of frequent stretching, you will really feel a difference in your mobility.

Try keeping a tennis ball close to your telephone and/or the TV. While you're talking or watching, squeeze the tennis ball as hard as you can three times; then put it down. Keep repeating. This is good for the wrists, the most common point of fracture in older people. 

While you're sitting at the computer or almost anywhere, you can take little breaks to stretch your neck, gently turning from side to side alternately with looking down. 

Tightening the stomach muscles is something you can do, and no one else will even notice.

If you don't have a palace or a dance floor handy, you can check out a dance video from the library and swing along anytime you like. Dedicate a few of your moves to the Queen Mam.

Use your wisdom

It's often overlooked in contemporary society that older people have a lot to offer. We olders may fall prey to the same hazard. How about spending some time identifying your wisdom? And then you might find a particular way to use it.

I was in a gardening store today--the month of March does that to you. There, in one cozy corner, was a booth type space with a large high label--PLANT ADVICE. And there was a man, definitely past 70, giving out answers to plant and planting questions. (By the way, it didn't even cost 5 cents.) When I asked my question, I found his answer gentle, thorough, and very helpful. To the store's advantage, it even led me to purchase the plant that I had been hesitant about. To his advantage, he may have been getting to use the wisdom he had acquired over many years of gardening. To my advantage, I may have some dill for cooking this year, and I definitely felt a renewed optimism about humankind.

What is your wisdom, and what could you do with it?

Roaring

Every morning seems to bring a new wrinkle. And often a new ache. We could list them -- and maybe should. It makes you wonder how best to wake up in the morning. With fear? with gratitude? with foreboding? with purpose? with stretching?

I was thinking about this recently and remembered one of the exercises my stretch teacher has us do. She calls it the "lion's roar," and it is an adaptation of a yoga breathing pose. Basically, you inhale and then let the breath out with as much noise as possible. You virtually roar, like a ...you know what. Try it.

This lion's roar lets you exhale concern, worry, tiredness. Sometimes it helps you feel like a lion, waking yourself up and releasing the old so as to be ready and open for the new.

There are some videos on the web that show you how to roar, in case you're not actually conversant with roaring. They also mention that the roar of the lion in nature wakes up the other smaller animals. That might be a plus for you too. They mention too that the yoga pose of the lion gives the muscles of the jaw, throat, eyes, and face a stretch that can ease problems such as teeth grinding and clenched jaws (things we often experience unknowingly through the night).

Roaring and stretching that part of the body might prevent a little wrinkle or two. No claims, but who knows? It couldn't hurt.

Coping with Confusion

I started talking with my father about aging when he was in his '80s. I'm glad I wrote things down and not only for the memories. Since he was a very practical person, his advice is concrete and useful. He said the following when he was in his '90s, but it seems to apply even though I am decades from that. 

I had asked him what he does to cope with confusion. (How old do you think you have to be to feel confused at times? It seems to me it starts when you are two!)

Max's answer:

I avoid change. I don't put things in new places but instead everything has to go back in the same place as always.

I repeat things out loud or in my head -- like 'next, turn off the stove.'

I make a lot of lists.

I write everything down -- what I need for food, when to be someplace, who to call.

I make word associations in my mind. For example: To remember someone who is named Leo, I say 'Leo the Lion' to myself ten times in my head. Somehow it sticks better that way.

I should have learned how to use a calculator. That way when your math declines, it's ok. But I didn't.

Expansiveness

It's only natural to note -and even lament- the things we have more trouble doing as we age, but focusing too much on scarcity often just reinforces it. 

What are the avenues we could expand (I'm not talking waistlines or paunches here) to balance the inevitable contractions?

Peter Abbott writes about being blind and developing his sense of smell. In his book,  A Guide to Scented Geraniaceae, Abbott writes that despite his blindness, by the age of seven he had learned to identify 100 different scented pelargoniums (geraniums are pelargoniums) just by their smell and texture. 

I am going to resolve right now to try to expand my abilities, a la Abbott's role model. I should be ready for spring.

Humour

Getting older is no laughing matter. But sometimes that's the best we can do. 

Max, who lived to be 94, made a joke out of most everything, including himself. 

Thomas Sydenham, the 17th century physician who has been called the father of English medicine, made this claim:  "The arrival of a good clown into a village does more for its health than 20 asses laden with drugs." 

Now what do you think of that?

Comforts

February can be a hard month. There's nothing on the trees, no flowers to look at, and the sky is often overcast. The dryness of the cold air outside and the heated air indoors seem to make our wrinkles blossom. The weather makes it difficult, and sometimes dangerous, to go for a walk or even be outdoors. We definitely need some comfort. 

Think about what gives you comfort, and make sure to put those things on your schedule. In the olde days, women used to buy themselves a new hat, men might smoke a cigar. But neither of those seems so appealing any longer. How about sherry?

If you haven't explored the world of sherries, think about it. A small glass of sherry is nice before dinner, during dinner, after dinner, or even at 3:00 am when you can't sleep. There are sweet sherries and dry sherries and some in-between. My current favorite is manzanilla

Sherry is aged in a consistent way (nice analogy, eh?) so you don't have to look for any particular vintage year (nice analogy, eh?). Find your own favorite glass --or perhaps go on an excursion to buy just the right one - and sip. Not too much, but a small dose--what a comfort.