Moving through Life

The joys of physical activity

Staying active has become even more important to me as I age. I see so many older people, especially in the US, who have lost ability because they no longer exercise. That frightens me because I have no desire to sit on a couch all day watching television while eating snacks. I’m not judging. Some people like to do that, but it’s not for me.

Physical activity has brought much joy into my life.

“Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” — Henry David Thoreau

I love to travel, and the way I want to see new places is by walking. Much of my travel throughout life has been solo, and I am grateful, because I knew that few of my friends could keep up my pace of literally walking six or seven hours in a day.

Living as I now do, half-time in Paris and half-time in Florida, I notice such a difference. Paris is a walker’s paradise, and even my friends here in their 80's still take walking tours, walk to the grocery store, walk to have a coffee and conversation.

Even using the Metro can involve walking over 100 stairs. I average three to five miles/day in Paris. It’s no chore, because there is so much to see! Even on routine walks to a bank or grocery store I will see a beautiful building or sculpture that I had not noticed before.

And there are so many people to notice as well! The funny young tourist couples posing for selfies on the bridges spanning the Seine, the boyfriend taking photos of his petite amie as she strikes various sultry positions, groups chatting over a bottle of wine at one of the endless brasseries lining the streets can all be spotted.

Sarasota, Florida is another story. If I walk out my front door in the typical gated community, I see empty streets lined by Stepford-like homes, all looking more or less the same. The occasional person on a sidewalk is purposefully out there to exercise, but it’s a chore, because it’s boring and there is no real destination. My cell phone sends me messages that I’m not moving enough.

“No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everybody on the couch” — Anonymous

Of course, my cell phone can’t swim with me, and I try to get in a mile swim at least four times a week in Florida. I love to swim, and I have my waterproof headset with my favorite music that motivates me. Unfortunately, the summer of 2023 was so hot in Florida that the pool, and even the Gulf, was too hot for laps.

Then I’m stuck motivating myself to do some light weight-lifting and basic calisthenics in the house. Oh, how that bores me! I remind myself that I don’t want to lose flexibility, don’t want to lose strength and don’t want to gain weight. But it’s not fun.

Activity Over the Decades: Childhood

As a kid, I loved to ride my bike several miles from my home to my favorite playground where I would hop on a swing and contemplate the grave concerns of my childhood life (I’m being sarcastic). We had some pretty steep hills in western New York, so that was a good workout. And it was in the wonderful era when children were not distracted by computers and social media — heavenly! I also loved to save my weekly 50 cent allowance so that I could take a trail ride at a nearby horse farm for the princely sum of $2.00 an hour every month.

By junior high, I got involved in gymnastics and practiced the sport several times every week at the local YMCA. That became my main exercise until college, when I chose my institution based on its excellent women’s gymnastics team. I had over-estimated my ability, sadly, and wasn’t good enough to compete with the team.

I never encouraged my kids to do gymnastics, as it’s not a sport that will take you through life. Simone Biles is the exception at age 26, Most gymnasts age out of the sport by their early 20s.

I also skied for years. When I had children, we switched from downhill to cross-country skiing, and my son competed in it successfully. As I write this I am wondering if I might find a winter weekend to get to Austria for some skiing before my return to the heat of Florida. It’s been too long.

“No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.” — Winston Churchill

I returned to equestrian sports in graduate school, and my first husband and I built a small horse farm in southern Maine where we raised our daughter and son. My son preferred Legos to horses, but my daughter thrived in Pony Club. We loved going on hunter paces, where we would canter our horses through beautiful countryside, jumping various obstacles set up for the pace. I miss that!

You can ride horses throughout a lifetime. I remember reading a few years back of a 99 year old woman who died after falling off her horse. That’s an ok way to go.

My remarkable horse Magic died in the summer of 2022, so I no longer have recourse to riding. That $2.00 an hour of trail riding has risen to about $100, something I’m not willing to spend.

The other activity I enjoyed with both of my kids when they got old enough was scuba diving. Surprising that it is strenuous, as when you’re in the depths of the ocean, it is so peaceful, and you feel like you’re barely moving.

It’s been at least four years, though, since I’ve taken a dive. Sounds like that may be a good Christmas adventure for my son and I in Florida (daughter is, sadly, on the other US coast).

Oh, yes, and I also enjoyed hiking! When the kids were young, we often took beautiful hikes in the mountains of New England. My daughter and her husband now take weekly hikes averaging 10–12 miles in the Pacific northwest.

My son and I once took a hike in New Zealand that had the rest of the family worried sick about us, as there were apparently storm warnings we didn’t know about. The hike was so steep that we literally had to crawl to reach the summit. It’s one of our cherished memories.

There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them. — Anonymous

Aside from strolling through Paris streets and museums, my main activity as a senior is ballroom dancing. I’ve been taking lessons now for about 14 years, and it brings me so much joy! When I received a sabbatical to work in Paris in 2021–22, one of my first questions was, “Where can I find a dance instructor?” That’s a story for another time, but I have a fabulous one in the Centre de Danse du Marais, just a 15-minute walk from my apartment.

The benefits are enormous. Not only is it great exercise; it also increases balance and works mental agility. I love it so much that I’ve tried to start a Medium publication on Dance — if you do any kind of dance, please contribute!

As I think about it, physical activity has contributed to some of the best memories and ongoing joy of my life. If you’ve given it up as you’ve aged, I challenge you to consider what kind of activity might do the same for you.