Those senior moments

I've often thought about writing a book about this process we call aging. Or should I say I've thought about it off and on for the the last 15 years or so. seems like a long time to thing about something and not do anything about it. Then while walking today I had the epiphany that for me, that was one of those senior moments. I could call them aging moments, but somehow senior moments seems more attractive.

Now that my walk/run is done - I have to do that kind of exercise thing when I'm in the mood, usually mid-afternoon, and I'm usually in the mood anywhere from 3 to 7 times a week - there's another senior moment to confront. I have to get on my Teeter Hang Up and hang upside down for five minutes to stretch my back as it tightens up when I do my run walk, or any other kind of exercise for that matter. It didn't use to do that, you know. Back in my fifties when I ran everyday I could just go run and come back and take a shower without worrying about my back tightening up. Interesting stuff, isn't it?

Now some of you may be wondering why I need to exercise. I'm a fairly healthy 68 year old with one dead kidney (they tell me that happened when I was young but no one caught on). I'm probably 20 pounds over weight, well actually not probably, I just am. As a consequence I discovered last fall when I was going through this nightmare experience with the healthcare system, and trying to figure out what was going on with my kidney, that I had to exercise to be able to sleep at night. Ah the secrets of senior moments! You see it took the doctors I was working with about six months of testing, inspections in unmentionable places, procedures, examinations, and misdiagnoses, and for a bunch of that time, I couldn't eat or exercise or do much of anything, including of course, exercise.

Somewhere along the way I started having pains and cramps in my legs when I was sleeping. This is all probably not that interesting to most people, but it was dammed painful and annoying to me at the time. Then walla! One day I got disgusted and decided to take a hike in the woods. I was pretty weak from that long layoff but I managed to get an hour's hike in, and wouldn't you know it, my leg pains disappeared that very night! Now I'm not the smartest sheep in the flock, but even I could work that one out, and so I pushed myself to get in those regular walks, which have now have migrated to some walking and some running. I usualy go for about a half hour or sometimes when it's raining or snowing I detour into the local woods and make it a longer occasion.

Ok, enough senior giberish for today. I can't cover everything in one post.