Exercise in the Third Age

Once upon a time, I'd walk around 3 km to the nearest public transport to get to work and back (this doesn't include traipsing around during the day).

I took stairs rather than elevators and could bound up them two at a time.

Yoga workouts were more frequent and I followed my weekly exercise and meal plans my incredibly fit and active PT daughter designed for me.

Once my work contract expired I began the long road trip south crossing two State borders, and my fitness regime and level followed suit.

Four months later and back to where I started, the seams of my clothing are screaming, and I feel like a sloth. Remember Sid from the animation franchise Ice Age, or Flash from Zootopia?

Sloths keep movement to the absolute minimum, and so had I.


Now that I've temporarily relocated to the seaside, I've hit the foreshore several times and clocked up more than 5 km each time - go me. I've paddled in the ocean with my grandboys and managed 400 metre swims in a man-made pool while dodging other Third Agers.

Settler's Cove Redcliffe after a storm had passed through

The first morning I tried to gracefully breaststroke when my legs decided to go vertical out of the water in full view of the on-duty-lifeguard.

All those extra kilos from my inactive lifestyle had made me as buoyant as a balloon. Or is it an age thing? Funny things happen when one reaches the Third Age but that's for another post.

Walking backward in the pool was a breeze until I hit deep water. Thankfully my buoyancy helped me to float towards shallow waters.

Even my favourite sidestroke was awkward until I centred myself enough to complete the 400 metres, emerging from the pool feeling clear-headed, vibrant and ready for coffee with a cooked breakfast.

Last night I set the alarm for a 5.45am start this morning so I could indulge in a quiet swim without people witnessing my Esther Williams swim style of the previous day.

Arriving at the pool, the place was packed with a community of seniors swimming, walking, talking, laughing and bobbing around for no particular reason other than enjoying their morning catch up in the pool.

"So this is where seniors go", I thought, "how wonderful!"

It's fantastic to know exercise in the Third Age is alive and well, and here's a community to prove it, you just need to get up and turn up early.

Till next post, it's time for a flat white with soy xo