Humans are magnificent creatures.
Our great advantage is our cognitive ability that enables us to think, read, learn, reason and remember.
All of this, folks, sets the stage for a bit of self-analysis, though I realize that is a dangerous trail to negotiate. An old saw: A person who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. The same may be said for a person who self-diagnoses. However, there are some aspects of healthy living — exercise and keeping weight under control — that are givens.
Take a sip of coffee and hear me out.
I will be 77 in July and by all accounts I’m fairly healthy; no serious health problems, no recurrence of the prostate cancer of 19 years ago. And I sleep soundly — a full eight or nine hours a night. I was told by friends when I cut back on work time I’d continue to get up at 5 or so each morning. “You’ll never break that 50-year habit,” they said. Within a week or two I could sleep in with no problem.
My only concerns are a bout with spinal stenosis and arthritic shoulders that’ve plagued me well onto 25 years. I’ve had both hips replaced; otherwise I might not be able to walk. The orthopedist, Dr. Brad Meister of Parsons, encouraged me to move on next to the shoulders.
When I no longer can control the pain, I’ll give it greater thought.
As for the spinal stenosis, until recently I had kept its pain at bay by getting regular injections in my lower back.
Stenosis causes a swelling that puts pressure on the nerves in the back and radiates down into the legs.
A specialist at a spine hospital in Wichita recommended surgery if the injections didn’t suffice.
I knew that my weight wasn’t helping the situation.
So last year, I decided to get off my duff and move more than just dash to the refrigerator during TV commercials.
A large part of that decision may have come from fear. I knew that my lifestyle of the time was not forward-thinking. If I wanted to keep on exploring the great outdoors, I’d need to change.
I also recalled Russ Runnels, a good Humboldt friend of years ago, telling me: “There comes a time when you realize you’ll never be able to do all you wanted to.”
So I cut back on meals, pretty much excluded snacks and concentrated on protein-rich foods. Over the course of the year I lost 50 pounds and made a point to spend as much time as I could pursuing outdoor hobbies. I’m often out and about much of each day.
