I got an email the other day from a friend who recently moved to Italy. He said that he was healthy and fit, but at age 78, he wanted to put the “spring back in his step”. I told him March was just around the corner and that was the beginning of Spring — that didn’t seem to work for him.
I know that my friend is a swimmer but since he is already in shape from swimming, perhaps he should spend some time walking on land. Twenty minutes to forty minutes of good walking a day should quickly put a spring back in his step. The Italian countryside is great for walking, so go use your legs for a while.
The other alternative is to supercharge his attitude toward life. He is a published author and writer. Of course, authors can be a glum lot, so perhaps a change in his overall attitude toward life might be the answer. A positive attitude toward the experience of living life, can truly be the major factor to putting the spring back into your step.
Here’s another thought. Remember “skipping”? That’s where you hop on alternate feet while moving forward. That’s a great way to get a “spring in your step”. I have a friend who is a skier. He “skips” for a while every day as part of his gym routine. Skipping is also big in athletic circles today. And skipping is part of the movement routine of one of the major “Boot Camp” style fitness programs where one would think “skipping” would be totally “off limits”. Get up early to go skipping so your neighbors won’t see you.
Here are two great examples of people who fit the solution of using their legs and who have a great attitude toward life:
The best example that I can think of as a person who is both in shape and has a “real” spring in his step is Dick Van Dyke. Van Dyke, who turned age 94 in December 2019, did a cameo role in a sequel to “Mary Poppins” in 2018.
Lin Manuel Miranda, one of the co-stars in the “Mary Poppins” sequel said in an interview that “You spend five minutes with Dick Van Dyke and you feel more alive than before.” Miranda added, “He has more energy at age 91 than I ever have(sic) in my life, and I’m not an unenergetic person.”
In his autobiography, written while in his late 80s, Van Dyke wrote about how he found his 40 minutes in the gym to be one of his favorite times of day.
My second example is the late [Dame] Gillian Lynne, dance choreographer for the musicals CATS and Phantom of the Opera. She passed away in 2018 at age 92. She was a dynamic choreographer who also extolled the benefits of her daily 40 minutes at the gym. She also produced an exercise video (DVD) at age 88.
Gillian Lynne was actively choreographing musicals until she passed away. She was an energetic dancer, an engaged choreographer, and enthusiastic public speaker who had an enthusiastic and somewhat irreverent outlook and attitude toward life.
So, to get that spring in your step and to build and maintain a high energy lifestyle, get to the gym, take a walk, use your legs, and look at life as a blessing, with enthusiasm and positivity. Oh, and put your phone away while you walk and keep your head up. It’s hard to have a positive outlook and attitude with your head down.
I hope that helps both my friend in Italy, as well as you.
Thank you for reading.