Healthy Aging

With improved health care system and modern medicines people are living long.  People are working and learning new skills in later part of their lives.  Previously most lived a sedentary life after retirement from employment.  Of course, there are a lot more who have to work without retirement for ends to meet.  Here I am talking about those lucky ones who are employed by state or in reputed private sectors and have retirement with certain benefits and can lead a leisure life.

Yes.  After working tirelessly for long years to spend leisurely life is worth it.  But is sedentary life a happy life?  Retirement and sedentary life makes one feel the impact of biological age and boredom of inactivity leads to impassive life.  To have a happy and healthy post retirement life it is good to learn some new skill or start doing the activities one always felt like doing in younger days and could not due to pressures of family and its progress. 

Recently I had gone on a photo tour and met Ms. Aruna Berry.  She retired from state academic services few years ago.  On retirement her daughter presented her a DSLR camera and took her out for photo tours.  And now she is a passionate photographer and takes wonderful pictures.  She is also got trained for marathon races and often participates and wins.  I was very much impressed with her attitude towards life and being always bubbling with enthusiasm to learn new skills.  We had gone for Tiger’s nest monastery in Paro.  This is located at mountain cliff at 3,120M above Paro valley.  Most said that it will take at least 2-4hrs trekking up and coming down.  Aruna Berry along with her daughter and others took about 3hrs to reach and another two hours to come down.  I along with my husband took five hours to reach monastery and four hours to come down.  I understood her training for marathon races made her compete with youngsters. 

I have seen another woman who could easily be a septuagenarian at Arnold Arboretum in Boston.  She is working as tour guide here.  As she was guiding us through the important areas in the arboretum, she was moving so fast that it was difficult for me to keep pace with her.  Regular physical exercise makes one fit and healthy whatever is the age.

PC - Abhishek Singh, Professsioonal Photographer, Artist, Teacher

So whatever is the age one should strive to maintain physical fitness with good diet, physical exercise and healthy lifestyle to live happy and peaceful life till last breath.