The Come Alive Project

Tag: exercise

  • Energy Bite 366 – Dick Van Dyke, Age 95 and Still At It

    I just finished re-reading Dick Van Dyke’s second book Keep Moving: and Other Tips and Truths About Aging, published in 2015 when he turned 90.  Dick Van Dyke turned 95 this past December, and is still going strong, almost as active as ever.

    Van Dyke is a classic example of how one can age well and feel young and vital, even at age 95.  His positive and upbeat attitude about life is part of the reason he retains his youth, and he attributes a daily workout to be a major reason why he is able to Keep Moving,

    .His book is filled with one liners, aphorisms, stories and suggestions, all related to aging and living a life filled with youthful thinking and vitality. I’ve included enough so you get the gist of his message, but not enough to run afoul of the copyright laws. Consider this article a review and endorsement of the book (I don’t receive anything if you go and buy it). Here are some quotes and a couple of the truths and tips included in the book.

    Quote: “Good habits matter. Eating light and fresh. Staying away from fast and processed foods. Not smoking. Working out regularly. Even going for a walk every day is extremely beneficial for longevity.” p. 43

    Quote: “In the morning I work out at my local gym. I’ll be honest, every day it gets tougher to get out of bed, put on the sweats, and work out. But it’s important.”   p. 42.

    That was at age 90. At age 93, he said: “I’m always dancing. I work out every day, mostly in the pool. I go to the gym and do a little bit of weight lifting, but at my age, not a lot.”

    Tip: “If a doctor tells you he can make you look twenty years younger, don’t believe him. Everybody will notice. And nobody will think you look twenty years younger.”  p. 143

    Truth: “Yes, you wasted too much time worrying about things that didn’t matter.”  p. 144

    Tip: “New experiences are the only things you can collect in life that end up being worth it.”  p. 144

    By the way, the book is a great read, and I recommend it to anyone who can remember back to the old Dick Van Dyke Show with Mary Tyler Moore, Rose Marie and Morey Amsterdam.

    Dick Van Dyke is still singing and dancing at his current age of 95. In his book (age 90), he said that while he still dances, it hurts more and he takes Advil. I would guess that he’ll keep on dancing for another ten years, or even more. What a great lesson in longevity.

    Van Dyke recently played a part in the movie Mary Poppins Returns and he was a Kennedy Center honoree in 2020 at age 94.

    Thank you for reading and KEEP MOVING!

  • Energy Bite 319 – Why a Gym? Why Early Morning?

    I go to the gym most mornings. Why? Why don’t I just work out at home? After all, I have some dumb bells, some stretch bands and some other equipment that I can use right there. Why would I get up so early and go to the gym, just to exercise? That’s a good question that I’ll try to answer it here. You may want to give it a try.

    First, apparently a lot of other people seem to feel the same way, particularly seniors. While the gym is not completely full at 0530, it is better than half full. That means that the machines are in use and the floor areas are mostly full. There are even several early bird classes going on that early.

    While there is a seeming overabundance of equipment, I don’t use much of it. I do a series of what I call “floor and core” movements which are mostly done on the ground. I save the machines and weights for last and use devices like TRX suspension trainers (similar to gymnastic rings) and a “tire flipping” machine where truck tires are used to lift up and flip over.

    Going to the gym early puts me around “like minded people” with a lot of energy. Like me, they prefer the early morning and for the most part, find that it energizes their day right from the start. That’s not just the seniors, it also includes a lot of people who work in downtown Washington, D.C., or in the large suburban “mini-cities” that surround the Nation’s Capital. It’s energizing in it’s own right just being around other motivated people that early in the morning.

    My gym is simple. It has floor space, weights, machines and several large class rooms for group exercise classes. It doesn’t have running tracks, basketball courts, a swimming pool or luxury spa areas. It is a gym for people who want to exercise and move on with the day. There are several of the luxury gyms in the area but they are not at all what I am looking for. My gym has a Sauna which is a great pre-shower experience. The Sauna is the the full extent of the luxury.

    There are classes for those who want to do them. There are spinning classes (cycling), Zumba classes, Yoga, and plain exercises of varying intensity. My wife goes to a moderate intensity exercise class a couple of days a week and Yoga on occasion. She gets there early and uses some of the machines before class. It’s also a social period for her and she has made new friends there.

    For those who want individual attention, there are personal trainers available. They seem to be quite busy, even in the early morning.

    So, I have a place to go to get exercise and energy first thing in the morning. If I stayed at home to do the exercises, I might find ways to put it off. But once the garage door goes up in the morning, I am committed.

    While I don’t recommend the early morning exercise for everyone, I do recommend that you check out one of those gyms that will give you a free week membership and see how it works for you. And while the luxury spas can be quite expensive, a simple gym like mine can be quite affordable. Give it a try, you might like it.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 315 – How to Put a Spring in Your Step

    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.