The last couple of articles chronicled some thoughts on observing the eating habits in various places in the South and the resultant differences in body shape, all observed while on a Round Robin trip visiting family and friends throughout Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and back home tomorrow to the Washington,DC suburbs. I am writing this from Southport, North Carolina after spending yesterday morning and Sunday afternoon feeding on true Southern delicacies in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston’s Shrimp and Grits, and Fried Green Tomato Sandwiches were outstanding.
Southport, North Carolina is a small but fast growing community on the Atlantic Ocean which caters to a retirement crowd. We are visiting an old friend who came here to live twenty years ago with her husband in retirement. Sadly, she lost her husband a few years ago but hasn’t slowed down. Judy, our friend never met a stranger. New faces on the street become friends for life after one meeting. She has a group of friends who she is close to and that’s one of the major longevity indicators that has been demonstrated so often in scientific studies, casual observation, and written about in the book about longevity, Blue Zones, by National Geographic writer, Dan Buettner. She is out and about every day from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon, volunteering at various places in the community. Most in the community live active lives.
Judy walks several miles every day for exercise. When she volunteers, she says she is on her feet nearly the entire time. She says she can put on her socks and shoes standing on one leg at a time. Not bad for any Senior.
She is always smiling and full of energy — alive and vibrant. She looks fantastic and says she doesn’t get sick. She eats sensibly and has one glass of wine before dinner, occasionally two. She is uncomfortable with technology but learns it fast and uses it well.
At age eighty, our friend Judy is a shining example of what constitutes a Come Alive Attitude toward life. She doesn’t make a big deal of her exercise, eating or other healthy lifestyle habits. She has simply made them a part of everyday living.
I can’t think of a better way of wrapping up a two week Round Robin trip. Everyone we have been with on this trip has been active and full of life. No one made a big deal of the walking on the beach for an hour or so a day, or eating healthfully or simply being alive with energy and vitality. They have just done it. It’s a reminder that anyone who wants to, can incorporate healthy habits into their own lifestyle without making a big deal out of it, while staying vibrant, alert and energetic well into their seventies and eighties. Why isn’t everyone over 60 doing it?
Thank you for reading.