Healthy and vibrant aging
Thank you for devoting your entire Monday Health section to aging well [“Special Issue: Aging Well,” Oct. 15]. As a male who is about to turn 50, the thoughts of getting older are somewhat frightening, to say the least. Your articles have helped changed my outlook with regards to mental well-being as well as what I can expect physically. The people you profiled give the reader insight into what can be some remarkable chapters ahead.
Richard “Ricky” Waxman
Palm Desert
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I am 64 and single. I grew up in an era and a family where athletic competition was reserved for men. You can imagine, therefore, how empowered I felt (and how surprised my family and longtime friends were) when, after years of recreational swimming (an acceptable activity for women of my generation), I joined a Master’s team and discovered how much I enjoyed the camaraderie and the competition.
At the meets, I was never the oldest or the slowest. As your section points out, “seniors” are redefining what constitutes “old.” If you ask me, 60 is the new 40, and aging well is indeed the best revenge!
Ruth Kramer Ziony
Los Feliz
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At 57, I’m in pretty decent shape. I’ve ridden road bikes for years. A friend dragged me to a state park 15 years ago to try mountain biking. I need to leave him a little something in my will.
Ron is 63. He goes uphill about as well as anyone. He gets off and walks the stuff downhill that is too hairy. Mark is 54 or 55; not too many people can keep up with him skyward. Mary is 49 and rides a single-speed -- ‘nough said. We ride with people from 32 to 67. It is the best exercise around.
It isn’t often you get a bunch of old clowns hooting and woo-hooing after beating themselves into submission, but it happens.
Frank Daugherty Huntington Beach
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With your wonderful section on healthy and vibrant aging today, it seems a shame that your book recommendations were mostly about books trying to get over aging [“These Books Say Heaven Can Wait”].
As a 75-year-old woman, I can say that I don’t want or need anything remotely referencing “anti-aging” or similar ideas. Aging isn’t to be gotten over -- it is to be embraced and rejoiced in.
Carol Marshall
Anaheim