News Taffy

I have a new hero - Dr. William Bell. If you haven’t read the article about “Grandpa” Bell in the latest addition of Jonesboro Occasions, you are missing an inspirational moment. Best of all, you can click on a digital copy of the magazine here on this website and flip right to the article.

Bell embodies many of the attributes I admire in a person: a positive attitude, a belief in the power of eating well and exercising, and the desire to keep on living the life you want. At 90, Bell works out several hours a week and still pole vaults! He gardens and enjoys life with his wife, children and grandchildren. Nowhere in the article does he mention his health problems, his aches and pains, or dwell on other negative aspects of aging.

His life is the obvious example of what I preach; eat well, take care of your body and exercise to make the most out of the life you are given. How many of us are headed to a life of health problems brought on by eating poorly and sitting on our butt all day? How many of us whine about the health problems we caused and expect a doctor to give us a magic pill to fix it all? And we expect that pill to be cheap too!

If you have ever spent time in a nursing home and I have, you know that is not where you want to end up. In my opinion, you are better off dead than spending your remaining time in the half life that exists in nursing homes. Forgotten, alone and often with a loss of control and dignity is how many elderly live out each day. Sometimes we can’t prevent the diseases we have but my philosophy is to do everything in my power to avoid that scenario.

It doesn’t matter how old you are, 18, 30 or 60. The time to worry about how you will live is now and the choice is largely yours to make. Quit making excuses about not having time or money to do better. You will have to make time for ill health whether you want to or not and you may end up in the poor house paying for it as well.

Find something you love like Dr. Bell did and let it guide your path. Get off the sofa and get involved in a real life, not a digital substitution for one. Spend time outside everyday getting fresh air and sunshine, it’s good for you. Set some goals to achieve fitness or eat better, just keep them small and doable. Take time to enjoy friends and family, they are your support system and you are theirs. Those who have a better social network have better health. Make a bucket list of things you’d like to do and get busy.

Most of all, don’t view old age and infirmities as inevitable! There are countless examples of people who defy our expectations of what is possible at any age; be one of them. If you’d like to read more about this topic, read my article from June 28, 2012 on my website, cardiologistswife.com under medical and health information. Let yourself be inspired!