The secret to staying healthy may be something you do every day | Mark Ryan

Pick an activity, any activity.

Researchers tell us the secret to staying healthy and living longer is keeping active. They say the activity doesn’t need to be strenuous exercise, but there should be some consistency to it. Walking, jogging, golfing, bicycling, shooting baskets, swimming, fishing, water skiing, tennis, or pickleball, they’re all good options.

Playing fetch-the-frisbee with the family dog on a regular basis would work.

So would brisk gardening in the backyard.

So would brisk dancing at the club – or in the backyard.

The following is an excerpt from a post on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website:

“Adults who sit less and do any amount of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity gain some health benefits. Only a few lifestyle choices have as large an impact on your health as physical activity.”

According to the CDC, physical activity can improve brain health, help manage weight, strengthen bones and muscles, reduce the risk of disease, and improve one’s ability to do everyday activities.

The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. And mixing up the weekly routine might be a good idea. For instance, one could schedule fetch-the-frisbee for three days, then pickleball the next three days, then plan a day of rest.

Those buying in to the activity-for-health concept tend to be conservative in their activity selections, but there are always a few willing to venture outside mainstream trends. These are the thrill-seekers – the skydivers, hang gliders, rock climbers, mountain hikers.

Age is not always a factor in their decision making, either.

Fred Astaire was a risk taker and thrill seeker. Astaire, who took up skateboarding in his 70s, once said the following: “The man who isn’t brave enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”

But even Fred Astaire – as ridiculously coordinated as he was – paid the price when he pushed the limits. He spent six weeks in a cast after breaking his wrist while skateboarding at age 78.

Reportedly, he had been attempting to do a handstand on the skateboard.

He explained the accident to a writer as follows:

“Gene Kelly warned me not to be a damned fool, but I’d seen the things those kids got up to on television doing all sorts of tricks. What a routine I could have worked up for a film sequence if they had existed a few years ago. Anyway, I was practicing in my driveway.”

He set a great example for all of us. He lived to be 88 – but it seems like he got a bad deal.

Anyone even willing to attempt a handstand on a skateboard at 78 years old should be allowed to live forever.

Mark Ryan is a Tallahassee RN.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Secret to longer health may be consistent physical activity