don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

Home is heaven and orgies are vile, But I like an orgy, once in a while. Ogden Nash

Among the most dreaded phrases in the English language is this one, "I told you so!" Even if you told someone exactly what came to pass, chances are you would hold your tongue and NOT say, "I told you so." I mention this because for many years I have been scoffing at Ken Cooper and others who recommend 20 minutes of exercise, three times a week. Well, the tide has turned. In a huge report (over 1000 pages), the Institute of Medicine, the medical division of the National Academies, a top government team of 21 experts has urged Americans to exercise a lot more -- at least an hour a day, twice as much as previously recommended -- to maintain their health and a normal body weight.

I told you so!

The previous recommendation was set in 1996 in a report from the United States surgeon general -- 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days, better than Cooper's wimpy suggestion but a far cry from my hour a day advice, first set out in 1977 in High Level Wellness: An Alternative To Doctors, Drugs, and Disease and reinforced daily in lectures, books or newsletters and the like.

The reasons for the change include new evidence, greater obesity levels and an aging population that needs more exercise. Aging is also a popular self-management issue these days, what with nearly 80 million baby boomers eligible for AARP. As with exercise, most people realize that an awareness of and an accommodation to the realities of one's personal evolution are sensible considerations. Just the same, many would rather not think about or deal with matters of diminished potency. Unfortunately, the aging process, if left untreated with the mighty potion of self-management in general and vigorous exercise in particular, will invariably prove impossible to ignore. Even WITH exercise, fatalities will prove high (100%, in other words) but with a vigorous lifestyle, the end will almost surely be put off to the maximum possible. More important, the time required to get there will be more enjoyably spent.

To some, growing older with panache and power seems impossible, but it really isn't so difficult -- with the proper plan. The key is a long period of middle age, say from 40 to 75 years. Of course, one way to avoid middle age is to prevent it by becoming prematurely old or dying young! Most people, predictably enough, don't want to exercise either of these options, yet still fail to sustain a regular and vigorous exercise pattern. This is such a pity, for the alternatives are not pretty. If they fail to exercise, they get older faster; if they can't deal with getting older, they deny reality and become Ironman distance triathletes, or join a religious cult, or do both. No, I'm just kidding. The sedentary just try not to think about it. Yet, getting older can't be helped, because even comedians are talking about it.

Take the show "Seinfeld." An episode near the end of the series dealt with aging. The leading characters all volunteered to spend a bit of time as companions for an older person. This provided the setting for Seinfeld to comment on the relativity of aging in the stand-up part of the show. I missed some of it, but I recall he discussed life as faster-paced in our era than a few thousand years ago. Today, Seinfeld noted, life expectancy is around 76; back then, it was about 25! Put this in perspective. Among other things, it means that certain events we take for granted must have occurred much sooner for cavepersons. For instance, in those days, you got your driver's license at five, you were married at eight, your career peaked at twelve and social security kicked in at seventeen. If you encountered a person in later life, say, 22, you'd try to be polite: "Hey, you're really 22? Wow, you'd never know it. You look great for your age."

A few days later, Garrison Keillor brought up aging in his monologue about "Lake Woebegon" on his popular show "A Prairie Home Companion." Keillor said time is like money. It doesn't matter what you have SPENT, what matters is how much you've got left.

"Think of it this way," he said. "A man of 40 destined to live to 60 is actually older than a man of 50 who will live to 90. The 40 year-old thinks he's 10 years younger but actually he's 20 years older. In a way, then, you are only as young as you feel because the way you feel is an indication of how long you have left."

Keillor concluded by reflecting that getting older is a great adventure. "In a way, we're moving into a New Frontier, those of us growing older. We're all together in this wagon train. Some of us are farther ahead in the column than others."

Keillor stopped there but I'll add that if you're not in a big hurry to get wherever you're going, slow down the journey by speeding up your metabolism -- with exercise done properly, every day. If you're only as old as you think, you will surely feel younger if you are fit and having fun and feeling good about how you look and what you are doing with the time that's left.

Be well. Look on the bright side and don't tell anyone I told you so.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the PHYSICAL DOMAIN under the skill area of exercise and fitness. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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