Physical fitness is,
allegedly, an important component for a productive life. Based on my own
experience, I think seniors should get daily life credit for physical fitness
simply because staying alive requires most of the activities described below on
a daily basis. Feel free to suggest others if I publish this prematurely out of
fear that I’ll forget it.
I’ve already noted that I
think the time it takes to put on my athletic shoes should count as part of my
workout regimen. I’m calling that activity the “Socks Over Feet, Shoes Over
Socks” Warm Up. It needs a name because otherwise I might forget the proper
order and have to add it to Exercise #3, which carries enough reps on its own.
Let’s see what else is
included in the Over 60 Workout. Large print format for obvious reasons.
The Over-60 Workout includes
the following, none of which need to be done each and every day, but all of
which you can count on repeating with regularity:*
1. Do Overs: 5-10 per day, the number of times you need
to start over on something, because you forgot what you were doing, where you
were doing it, what you came into the room for, or what you needed to do, wait,
what was I working on again?
2. Roll Overs: Usually 3-5 per night, adjusting to the
aches, pains, and other bodily functions associated with the Joys of Aging.
3. Start Overs: 1-2 per day, depending on your agenda:
You know you did it better before, or you forgot where you started out the
first time and now have the same project going simultaneously in more than one
location. I’ve come to terms with accepting accomplishing one task has made it
a good day.
4. Bend Overs: 5-6 per day, to pick up whatever
(frequently keys, in my case) you just dropped.... again. Also used in picking up the pieces of what broke because you dropped it one too many times.
5. Up & Down Overs (Stairs): 3-4 per day, depending
on how many things you forgot to get while you were up/down there, or what you
forgot to get because you were distracted by something else.
6. Move Overs: Every damn time you try to walk in a
straight line next to someone.
7. Trip Overs: Most days offer multiple opportunities to
get this one in, even on incredibly flat surfaces.
8. Zip Overs: A small muscle exercise, created by
forgetting, well, you know.
9. The ultimate, of course, is the “Keel Over,” but I’d
suggest avoiding that one for as long as possible.
* Fortunately, you don’t actually need to count or keep
track of exactly how many times you do any of these, which is just as well.
