“You know it’s alright, it’s okay
I’ll live to see another day…” Bee Gees
When you get to retirement age, like I am, it’s fun when you’re healthy, and you want to stretch that time of life out as far as you can, but it takes work… as you get older, there is less margin for error… it’s bad form to let yourself go as it’s much harder to claw your way back to a healthy level of fitness… On the other hand, moderation is important too… don’t want to injure joints or give yourself a myocardial infarction…
Stayin’ Alive takes time to maintain fitness, and luck to keep away the “undertoad” that can drag you away into a riptide of no return. So you do what you can… try to eat healthy and control your body weight, especially if you have a history of diabetes in your family… ugh… In the end, Stayin’ Alive means staying active… i.e. exercising…
During the non-ice/snow season in Iowa, cycling and long evening dog walks are helpful. Year round, going to the gym three days a week, I think, is essential. Most larger towns have gyms available for membership, and one of the great deals is Planet Fitness, or as I call it The Planet… It’s hard to beat… I think entry membership is around $10 and then there’s the Blackcard membership that I have which is an agreeable $20 per month. The Blackcard allows me to bring a guest like my wife or son, let’s me use Planets in other cities, which I’ve done, and gives me access to tanning booths, which are dangerous and stupid to use, but also gives me access to the hydro-massage beds which are awesome and a great way to end a workout!
Another really nice thing about The Planet is that it actively seeks members from all walks of life… It is definitely not a rhoided-up, muscle head joint, with grunting and weight slamming… there are other places in town for that… The Planet frowns upon such unruly muscle head behavior… it’s really quite civilized…
So, if you’re like me and want to stay one step ahead of the grim reaper, meet me at The Planet! There’s treadmills, cycles and ellipticals for cardio stuff… free weights and all sorts of machines for muscle and bone health… Lots of helpful people too… See you there…
