Subtract anxiety, add exercise for a long and healthy life
Florida Times-UnionI am 93, in excellent health according to my doctor. I eat well, get a good night’s sleep and exercise daily. During a long life I have gone through any number of stressful moments. Anxiety is just a four-syllable word that means fear.
As a helpful start, write down your fears as best you can. Some fear is completely rational, but much is not. Is it something you can help through your own actions, or is it out of your control? Debt, weight, job and personal relationships are in the first category; nuclear war is not. Try to list the things you can do about what you can control, and at the end of the day, when that good sleep is called for, tell yourself that you have done all you can for the day, and will start again tomorrow. It takes some self-discipline, but you can do it.
Exercise is generally a bore, unless it involves some sport you enjoy, but as most people have to work when they are young, they have limited time to devote to it. Many years ago, I had a job where I drove over 60,000 miles a year and spent more time in motels than at home. I had exercised since my teens and needed a program that would keep me fit, did not take lots of time and did not require lugging around a lot of equipment.
I found the Royal Canadian Air Force fitness program. It was mandatory for all their personnel and took about 10 minutes a day. No equipment needed, just something reasonably soft underfoot. I believe it is still available for a small fee over the Internet. I won't go into great detail about it except to say it is set up for males and females, all ages and involves only a half-dozen basic exercises on a graduated number of repetitions. You start slowly and gradually increase the workout. Everybody can find 10 minutes a day!
Loren K. Seeley, Jacksonville
Royal Canadian Air Force Exercise Plans - Wikipedia
Helen Mirren uses this program--here she is at age 62
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