Sassy and savvy @ sixty

What do these four women – Jan, Joan, June and Olivia have in common?  Apart from the Christmas hats, of course! These women are all in their early sixties.  How come they don’t look a day over 50, or even younger?  Their combined secrets are yoga, running, hiking and line-dancing.

These women all demonstrate that a woman in her sixties can be a power-house!   They have bodies that  look great.  They feel great.  They have the energy, the vigour and the vibrancy that most of us just dream about.   Most mere mortals who have celebrated this milestone realise that the years have passed, stuff has happened, and gravity, lack of attention and just plain laziness have dulled their edges, broadened their waistlines and taken the spring out of their step.

Being out of shape and overweight brings decreased flexibility and stretchability, health issues and the cumulative effect of old injuries.   But we can change this.   “Getting into shape” should become our new mantra.   Don’t wait for the New Year and that tired resolution.   Start today.  We can become fit, healthy and well.  We can start today to do the things that will get us to the desirous level of fitness and wellness.

Here’s what these inspirational sassy and savvy sixty-something women have to say:

June:

• Being 60+ is just an extension of the fabulous 50’s.  Having reached the 60+ age group, I have discovered that I don’t feel like a senior citizen  – as I thought I would.
• Look after your health – good health enables us to lead active lives as we move into our “less younger” years.
• As a semi-retiree, working from home, I recently started Line Dancing again, after a break of about 12 years.  It’s a great way to spend an hour enjoying good music and a fair amount of physical exercise.  We continually learn new dances, and although it may take slightly longer now to learn all of the steps, it’s a great way to stimulate one’s brain.
• My message to you, as we go into the New Year, is to feel comfortable about what you choose to do.  Group activities are very motivating.  Choose an activity that you enjoy doing, choose a group where the average age is close to yours, and you will probably wonder why you didn’t take the plunge years ago!

Joan:

• I have realized that time waits for no man, and we should follow our dreams to the best of our abilities.
• In order to handle stress, one needs to exercise, eat properly and maintain a healthy lifestyle.  As we grow older, our health is most important, material things are not.
• I love nature and creation, and while trail running, I get to exercise and appreciate the things I love.  I’ve been running for about 7 years now, though more seriously in the last 2 years.  I joined the Jog Squad – we started out by mostly walking, and within 3 months, I could run 5 kms.   It has really benefitted my health and keeps my body weight constant.
• My mindset enables me to run comfortably within my limitations, and I can still finish within a reasonable time, without stressing my body.
• My message to others is to start slowly – enjoy what you are you are doing.  And for those with financial constraints – there are many inexpensive methods of keeping fit.

Jan:

• Old age scares me.  I realise the importance of keeping my brain active and so I read a lot, play bridge, do puzzles and crosswords, and keep up with technology.
• When I was in my early 20’s, my boyfriend’s mother was my inspiration – she looked wonderful and told me that she kept in shape with yoga.  I started going to yoga classes and was immediately hooked.  I’m not a team player and yoga is not competitive – you do what you can do.  I now go to classes four times a week and work on my own at home almost every day.  If you start early enough, you don’t get middle-age spread!  You feel great, and look good.  Yoga, for me, is a life-long commitment.
• Keeping fit has nothing to do with age.  Find the activity you enjoy.

Olivia:

• Be open to ideas and suggestions.  Think before you say “No”.  Try for moderation in your eating habits and drinking!!
• Accept that your energy levels are not the same.  Accept your middle-age spread!  Try to remember where you put your reading glasses!
• Walking for me is about relaxation and meditation.  I can do it any time, for 20 minutes to 2 hours, with or without buddies.  The most important word is … discipline!
  I look for holidays which include walking.  There is so much on offer in this country.
• I  also do Callanetics and started about 19 years ago.  To this day, I keep it up – twice a week – non-negotiable.  It’s a great stress reliever and one can go at one’s own pace.

Let’s turn ageing into a fun and wonderful time.  Most of the sixty year olds I know are pretty cool.  Most are computer literate, email on a regular basis, have i-pods and kindles, have a vocabulary that would rival a graduate student, have common sense that brings sanity to confusion, have a living knowledge of history that needs to be told and are ready to live life to the full.  Add all of this to a wealth of experience and knowledge, couple this with a healthy  and active lifestyle, and in no time, we could all become power-houses like these four sassy and savvy sixty-somethings.