Cradle Car

Male R&S members, ever been in the car with your dad when "Cat's in the Cradle" came on?

How awkward or touchy-feely did it get?

No, it never did. Dad was around, but just didn't know how to act with us I guess. Passive aggressive definitely didn't describe him.

I don't recall ever having any moments with dad in which positive emotions were shared. From what I've learned, I doubt he ever had any with his dad either. I think his siblings pretty much had to raise him. I make it a point to let my kids know at all times that I love them. Although they are well disciplined, they're used to getting lots of hugs and kisses. We play a lot together and spend loads of time together.

I don't know what your last question means.

Do you think of your body the way you think of your car? When a few lucky individuals acquire a sports car that boasts of the best automotive engineering available today, watch them read the maintenance manuals religiously. They take their car for inspection even if it purrs like a kitten and take it for repairs as soon as something does not feelright. And they're very concerned.

That car is their most prized possession, a symbol of all the long and hard hours they put on the job so they could finally acquire it. It cost an arm and a leg, so taking care of it is logically, their number 1 priority.

But how important is the person that drives that car? Shouldn't that person – shouldn't you – be the number 1 priority?

The average life span of men and women is 80 years, give or take a few years. The painful truth is, a significant number of men and women look and feel 80 before they even make it to the first half of their life! You spot the tell-tale signs from

their physical appearance:

sagging dry skin
unsightly posture
uneven and unsteady walk (they need to drag around those heavy pounds)
aching joints
sporting the "I'm not happy because I look terrible" look

Now, if their appearance is this bad, imagine what the inside machinery is like! Most likely, it's even worse:

clogged vessels
inefficient heart
mounds of sugar and fat parked in or around vital organs
Conditions such as diabetes, nervous tension, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease that are silently brewing.

If fitness authorities had it their way, they'd create legislation to make exercise mandatory as soon as a baby leaves the cradle, not during the teenage years when obesity is likely to strike.

But fitness shouldn't be associated with any age limit. You can start at 10 or at 30 – even at 50 and 60 – the idea being that fitness should not be seen as the cure for a condition that's already come about. As the saying goes, don't wait for illness to strike.

Brad King and Dr. Michael Schmidt in "Bio Age, Ten Steps to a Younger You" (Macmillan, Canada, 2001) have devised a questionnaire for assessing physical damage to a body as a result of no exercise. I will borrow some of their guidelines, which I will summarize here:

Start with the question, "How do I look?" Do any of these answers apply to you?

* Am I overweight, looking like an apple or pear?
* Do I have a spare tire around my waist?
* Has my skin become excessively dry, almost paper-thin?

Next, ask: "How do I feel?"

* Do my joints hurt before or after any physical exertion?
* Am I constantly worried and anxious?
* Do I feel tired and sluggish most of the time?
* Do I suffer from mood swings?

Last question, "How am I doing?"

Are simple walking and climbing stairs difficult?
* Do I have problems concentrating?
* Is running impossible for me now?
* Am I unable to sit straight, preferring to slouch or stoop my shoulders?

You've completed your basic assessment. Note, however, that other exercise or fitness gurus will have their own parameters or indices for assessing your body's overall state and one isn't better than the other.

As long as they include all dimensions of the self – physical, psychological and mental – they are as valid as the next person's assessment charts.

After going through the assessment phase, you're probably experiencing what some people fondly call a "rude awakening".

If you're not mentally prepared to accept exercise, please don't force yourself. Just be familiar with its benefits and when you're wholeheartedly disposed towards giving it a crack in the can, proceed slowly. "Slowly but surely" is the exercise cult's favorite slogan.

It's a quickie society we live in; we want everything quick – especially exercise! – and many converts would be willing to include it in their routine for the sake of health, if there were a quick way to get in, and certainly a quick to get out.

Sadly, to get lasting benefit from exercise we must expend time and energy. There is no way round this. But the benefits you will achieve in terms of improved health alone are well worth the effort!

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