[Djean1981]

Originally Posted by Happydaz

I had a slow start in the healthy living category. I smoked up until I was 31 and I stayed out too late on occasion. (Understatement) I did quit smoking among other bad habits in my early thirties and that did have an effect on my five sons. I didn’t preach but I told them the mistakes I had made and left it at that. I was always a very aggressive gardener and spent hours digging, cutting, etc.. all the time. That kept me in moderately good shape, but in my middle age I ballooned to 212 pounds and didn’t feel in any position to talk about good health habits. Finally in my 60’s I started to lose weight and tried to eat better.

The most dramatic change occurred nine years ago when I moved to The Villages. Right after moving here I bought a carbon fiber road bicycle and now bicycle well over 100 miles a week. My weight dropped to 160 pounds and I am in the best shape of my adult life. I still garden like crazy and lift hand weights. What have I seen? The neighbors who moved in at the same time used to chuckle when they saw me all dirty and sweaty from gardening and they would ask me why I do that to my self. So what has happened? They no longer laugh as now many of them are having health problems, etc and they no longer give me a hard time. This is the lesson I mention to my sons, I am shocked about the divergence I see among my friends and neighbors who are in their mid seventies. People who have drank too much, ate too much and didn’t exercise over these last years are really getting sick. Heart problems, circulation problems etc. One of my son’s father in law, the same age as me, drinks excessively and just quit smoking. At a graduation party for our granddaughter I noticed how sick he looked. His wife said he had COPD but looking at his swollen feet (he was wearing sandals) it appeared that he had other issues. He drank beer after beer. He mentioned to me that getting old was really bad. When I returned to The Villages I was so thankful that we have the opportunities here to have the best possible health. We can’t blame our problems on the weather or work pressures. That is what I try to instill in my sons that you can improve your health at any age.

Thanks for the inspiration!