"Facts are the air of scientists. Without them you can never fly." - Linus Pauling Benefits of Movement and Exercise Healthy Aging and Healthy Living Blog | About Us | Articles | Glossary | Resources Healthy Living & Wellness & Women's Issues Educational Training DVDs | Translate/Traducir Moving, Rowing, and Dancing Don and Peggy Doman In our article "Twelve Exercises Anyone Can Do, Anywhere" we talked about incorporating simple exercises into daily routines. Some people enjoy the effort and the strain of pushing their bodies, but in reality, many other people find exercise boring and so it doesn't get done. Your body doesn't care if you do exercises or not, however your body was made for movement and if you don't move your body, you'll find that your body will cease to move freely, and, like an unused and un-oiled machine it will soon refuse to operate. If you mostly sit around and do nothing, you might consider some fun activities that get you moving, walking, rowing, and having a good time. Your entire body will appreciate your efforts . . . especially your heart and brain. Golf Golf is a fun activity you can do by yourself, but if you can find someone to golf with you it'll make an even better experience. I always look at golf as a chance to share opinions or jokes and suggestions on how to save the world. You don't have to be good golfer to have fun, but it helps to have a sense of humor. Where else can you make mistakes that have no serious consequences, and laugh at yourself as well as your friends? To warm up you should take a club and swing it around or pretend it's a barbell and lift it above your head and bend with it. This is something you can do with a cane, a broom, or even a stretchy exercise band or a rope for that matter. Once you've loosened up your body you're ready to play. If you're not ready for a full eighteen holes, you can generally find nine-hole courses. You can choose to walk from hole to hole, or use a golf cart. Your choice; pick whatever helps you enjoy the game more. Photography Have you ever looked at photographs and thought, "I wish I could take photographs like that?" Photography isn't complicated and in today's world you don't need to spend a fortune for equipment. With the proliferation of Smartphones, you might already have a good camera in your purse or pocket. My only suggestion is to shoot your photos with a horizontal aspect as opposed to vertical, which most Smartphone users seem to fall into. As you start to look for subjects to photograph, you'll find yourself looking, moving, walking and searching for new horizons. Try local gardens, parks, lakes, or the seashore or mountains for unlimited potential photographs. Be sure to include your friends in the photos, too. When you share, people always are interested in seeing how they look . . . oops, make that sometimes interested. Art and Music If you live in a good-size city, you might be able to enjoy art and music. This doesn't just mean concert halls and galleries, although there is nothing wrong with those venues. However, in the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington State, I always enjoy hearing melodic phrases echo through the canyons of streets and buildings. I love buskers (people entertaining for money) with saxophones, clarinets, and guitars. I always throw some change into their instrument cases to show my appreciation. Many cities also have art walks, where you can enjoy paintings and other pieces of art displayed along the street and city parks, as well as in museums and local galleries. Art and music are where you find them. Boating Sometimes shorelines and lakes have boats, canoes, and kayaks for rent. If you?re a swimmer you might want to gather some friends for a little boat outing. When I was a teenager my dad bought a well-used rowboat, which I painted up and we took to our summer place on a local lagoon. It was easy to row around looking at the shoreline and wildlife. If you get tired you can take turns rowing or just not row for a while and admire the scenery, but then I think that's called fishing. Be sure to have life-preservers for every person aboard, especially non-swimmers, young children and anyone with an infirmity . . . and be sure to stay close to shore and out of danger. If you are considering the canoe or kayak, consider taking some lessons and get wet learning how to right yourself and row away. Dancing Dancing is always fun. In the fourth grade I learned to square dance and later in college I took folk dancing. Both of these styles of dance are great fun. Later, when Peg and I used to throw big parties in our video studio, we usually hired a band to come into play. One year, in addition to the band we had ballroom dance instructors from a local dance studio. Everyone had a ball, so to speak. Well, actually, Peg was irritated. A friend, whose husband didn't want to dance and had maybe even three left feet, kept latching on to me for dance after dance. Peg still brings this up . . . but only once in awhile. Not everyone can do the tango, but everyone can learn a simple box step. Dancing is relaxing, fun, and gives your body a chance to move and glide and feel the joy of sharing. Exercise shouldn't seem like a chore . . . something you have to do. Your body does need it, but with a wide variety of fun activities your body can receive the exercise it needs, while you're having a good time. Visit the library, join a book discussion group, become a member of an active community group like Exchange Club, volunteer to mentor young entrepreneurs in Junior Achievement, help the food banks and food kitchens by making a ton of peanut butter or tuna salad sandwiches. Use your heart and your brain and the rest of your body will follow. You'll feel better for your efforts. c. 2013 - Live2AgeWell.com Live2agewell.com is supported by the makers of Roman Meal bread. Roman Meal Company sponsors cutting-edge research at the Healthy Aging Program of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. You may use this article in your newsletters or on your websites as long as you give proper credit AND link to www.live2agewell.com Healthful Aging Questions and Comments Do you have any questions about this article, comments about our content, or suggestions for what subjects you would like addressed in the future? Please, ask away. 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