In thinking, keep to the simple.
In conflict, be fair and generous.
In governing, don’t try to control.
In work, do what you enjoy.
In family life, be completely present.”
Tao te Ching, Lao-tzu, translation by S. Mitchell.
HUMAN! When in doubt, chase squirrels.
FitOldDog is one lucky guy, who sure learned a lot about healthy aging in the last few years (with lots of help from lots of people).
It’s been five years since I had my Cook Zenith Stent Graft installed (click the link to see this magic process), and my Ironman training is going well.
Thanks a million to all of my encouraging supporters out there.
When you have a life-threatening health challenge, it changes you, and often for the better. In my case, an abdominal aortic aneurysm led to my leaving a career in science, and working to help people deal with similar situations, through my business, Old Dogs in Training, LLC. Since then, it has become increasingly evident that healthy aging is very dependent upon four (I mean five, No! I mean six) things:
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Two people who inspire FitOldDog: Kurt Kahl (left) and Bob Scott, both great athletes, even older than FitOldDog, providing him with much needed inspiration to keep going with this great sport, Ironman Triathlon.
Attitude to life, with a sense of adventure and excitement every day (well, no one can do that every day, we all have moods!), and an interest in spiritual growth, in whatever way works for you.
- Diet. My nutrition plan has evolved over the years, and now I’m exploring a plant-based, essentially vegan diet, and enjoying it more and more each day (you can follow my latest comestible adventure on InstaGram.
- Exercise. If you want to see why you should exercise, just visit the article by Victor Jimenez, of Bicycle Lab, on how Masters Athletes Keep Their Muscle With Age. Exercise can transform your old age, I’m sure of that.
- Education, and I don’t mean a college degree, I mean learning new things all the time. When has information been so readily available as it is today, so there is no excuse?
- Get a dog, you’ll always feel loved.
- Don’t break your stent graft! I did, at the World Half Ironman Championships in Las Vegas, in 2013, but Tara Mastracci, and her team at the Cleveland Clinic, fixed me right up.
As I said, I’m one lucky FitOldDog!
When in doubt about an issue, I usually consult the Tao te Ching, and it almost always helps me to chart the right course.
Wishing you happy trails and don’t give up (James didn’t), however dark things seem – it’s always darkest before the dawn.
Well, actually, it’s not darkest before the dawn, but you know what I mean!
It’s actually darkest at midnight, but where’s the romance in that?
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