We all know it. Compared to younger people, aging bodies don't bounce back quite as quickly. A small bone fracture in our twenties might have barely had an impact on our lives. Yet add forty or fifty years to our age, and it could leave us hobbling around on crutches for many weeks, or worse. While aging, it sometimes seems like it's just one health problem after another. This can [...]
According to Klaus Obermeyer, skiing is easier than walking. Not many people are in good enough physical shape to say that. Let alone Klaus, who has just reached the age of 100. After World War II, he moved to the United States to look for work as an aeronautical engineer. Unfortunately, he soon realized that industry was not thriving after the war. However, the newly found downhill skiing industry was. [...]
At the age of 65, Steve Swenson sat atop an icy peak in Pakistan enjoying the biggest meal he'd had in nine days. After spending days climbing the peak with limited food intake, this celebratory meal seemed appropriate. 23,100 foot tall Link Sar sits in a buffer zone between Pakistan and India. After previously failing to summit this same peak twice before, this was a huge accomplishment. Yet Steve explains [...]
Colorado resident John Jepkema became the oldest man to hike the Grand Canyon. At the age of 91, John performed this rim-to-rim trek alongside other senior friends. Spending five days backpacking through the trails with the group allowed for ample time to socialize and enjoy the process. John claims he's pretty competitive by nature. So when he saw the open record, he decided to just go for it. Beginning at [...]
There's no stopping 84 year old Hannah Alger. This Oakland, California senior community resident recently finished a 300 mile trek across the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Yet over the last six years, she has racked up thousands of miles on her hiking adventures. Beginning at the age of 78, Hannah caught the "hiking bug" and hasn't looked back since. "It's simple", she says. "There's nothing that I have to [...]
She started running regularly at the age of 100. And while 103 year old Julia Hawkins may not be as fast of a runner as she used to be, that doesn't stop her. She definitely still lived up to her nickname, "Hurricane", in the 2019 Senior Games. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, Julia won two gold medals for running the 50 and 100 meter dash during these games. She may be [...]
Many seniors are happy to just lead moderately active lives. But not 84 year old Dale Sanders. "Greybeard" (the trail name Sanders uses) successfully completed one of the world's most iconic hiking trails after a seven month long trek when he was 82. The Appalachian Trail is no picnic. With a distance of 2,190 miles of terrain, this would be an incredible feat for someone of any age. But at [...]
We've all seen it. An older adult who appears extremely fragile and walks slowly and hesitantly. They may also be exceptionally thin and their skin may even appear parchment-like. In other words, they are frail. We often associate frailty with old age. Yet the two are not synonymous. And becoming frail is not inevitable as we age. Frailty is a medical condition in itself, not a side effect of aging. [...]
When age forces you to stop your passions, a whole host of emotions and grief can set in. For example, Phyllis Austin was an avid hiker for many decades. Her mantra had always been "do it while you can". This occurred to her after a major skiing accident that severely and permanently injured her. She had concluded years prior that no matter how long she lived, she would never be [...]
Most of us know the basics of maintaining physical health. Keeping your weight, cholesterol, and BMI in check are just a few things that most can agree will improve your health. It's been drilled into our brains through advertising, self-help websites and books, and our healthcare providers. However, what about the brain itself? It is important to remember this vital organ is responsible for the majority of our functioning. Lifestyle [...]
