Olga (24 page)

Sleep is important. Get your 7-8 hours every night. Beauty sleep is for real. You will look better. Sleep can prevent dark circles, bloodshot eyes, and sallow complexion. When you are sleep deprived not only do you look fatigued but you look less attractive. I try to sleep as much as possible. I work all the time. I don’t go to bars or restaurants. I don’t party. I doze off while reading the morning newspaper while eating breakfast after aquafit. After my routine stretching exercises at night, I easily fall asleep again, no tossing or turning, and sleep for another 3-4 hours without interruptions. I am told that I snore, but luckily I don’t hear myself! I sleep
alone.

Staying active can help you keep your independence and manage symptoms of illness, prevent falling, and maintain good balance and strong health. The rewards of exercise and sports are immeasurable. Thus, I want to educate people to do regular physical exercises. Health is the most treasured possession we
have.

My adopting an athletic lifestyle as a senior suggests that it is possible to improve speed, strength, and power later in life. My life proves that it’s never too late to start, even if you didn’t acquire strong athletic skills as a youngster. Ironically, I may have benefitted from the fact that I didn’t take part in strenuous athletics as a young woman: I may have been a candidate for a hip or knee
replacement.

As a youngster, I worked hard on the farm in the early morning fresh air and sunshine before trekking off to school with my brothers and sisters. Now, I am not saying that you should move to the country and take up farming, unless you want to, but your new morning routine can mean waking up early to a light breakfast, taking a brisk walk for one hour in the fresh morning air, and combining your walk with deep-breathing
exercises.

If you have a garden, spend a few hours in moderate physical labour. There is something spiritual and invigorating about working in a garden—fresh air, birds, bees, bugs, flowers, vegetables. This past summer, after working in my garden, digging, raking, and planting for hours, my body was naturally tired. I listen to my body. Although I think I would like to work a little bit longer, my body says that’s enough. I go into the house for a cup of tea. While resting my legs against the wall for ½ hour or more, or watching TV, doing a Sudoku, reading the newspaper, my body enjoys the rest and relaxation. In another hour or so, I feel relaxed and ready to move again. My muscles are rested and repaired at that time; therefore, I believe regular massaging helps and enables my body to repair and to become energized
faster.

Here are my genuine suggestions for a healthy and happy
life:

Exercise daily.
A balance of hard/easy routines
works for me, alternating 3 days of strength training exercises with 3 days of aerobic
exercises.

Eat
only wholesome food and avoid junk
foods.

Drink
plenty of
water.

Enjoy
getting out in nature: garden and make things
grow.

Connect
with family, friends, and
community.

Discover
what you truly like to do and try to do it as often as possible. Do what makes you
happy.

Do
something nice for yourself.

Take
a nap without feeling
guilty.

Hard to get
started?

Start today. Exercise daily and moderately for two weeks and then gradually increase your activity level with conviction and perseverance. You will learn ways to feel energetic, vibrant, and alive while still feeling content, calm, and peaceful. When you use your body in different ways you become stronger and
fitter.

30-60 minutes of moderate physical
activity

20 - 30 minutes, rigorous activity like brisk walking, hiking, dancing, aerobics, jogging, swimming, aqua fit—relax, retreat,
rejuvenate

3 x week, muscle strengthening activities
Gym, weights, working in the
garden

Reflexology on feet and
hands

Yoga

Here is my personal recipe to keep you looking and feeling young from inside
out:

Daily diet should consist of plenty of fruits and vegetable for the vitamins, minerals, and fiber they
contain.

Maintain an alkaline high carbohydrate, low protein, low bad fat
diet.

Watch your salt and sugar intake.
Use honey and
herbs.

Protect your skin—drink lots of water, at least 3 litres
daily.

Keep your heart from aging; eat salmon and other
fish.

Protect your brain from dementia with fruits, vegetables, and mind
games.

Take vitamins C,D,E and
calcium.

Eat lean proteins, meat, beans, and whole
grains.

Take 1 baby aspirin a
day.

To repeat: The magic ingredients for maintaining weight—fiber, protein,
water.

Your muscles stretch more easily when your body is properly hydrated. Drink plenty of Water—8 glasses a day. Relaxed stretches help your body function more naturally and allow you to sleep more soundly. Take your time, stretch with control, and breathe deeply. For optimal performance, I drink water before, during, and after workouts. Water is the fountain of youth: it keeps our skin clear, hair shining, energy high, and weight within the healthy range. Forget about expensive anti-aging creams. Water keeps skin wrinkle-free longer. Go get a glass of water right now. It may be all you need to boost how you look and
perform.

Walking is the best exercise and does not require any special talent or apparatus except for a pair of good walking shoes. Keep your head over your shoulders, shoulders over hips, pushing forward. Look ahead not down. Let your feet do the walking. Swing your arms. When you are aware that your posture is bad, automatically adjust into a more upright, energetic position. Good posture is developed through the constant awareness of how you sit, stand, walk, and
sleep.

It’s been said that if you walk a mile a day every day without increasing your calorie intake you could lose 10 pounds of fat in one year. Smile and enjoy the fresh air, sunshine, and singing birds. Be happy. If you are active now, don’t stop even for one week. Remove any barriers. Getting older is no excuse to slow down! Develop self-esteem and confidence. Be proud of yourself. Life is too grand and too short to set up barriers. Just get out there and do it. There is so much energy, so much excitement, so many possibilities waiting for you. All you have to do is wake up and
look.

Late in life, I found I loved track and field, which allowed me to travel around the world meeting many new people. I found the
Fountain of Youth
in a swimming pool. As an athlete I try to escape the bounds of gravity by running, jumping, and throwing things. It may have something to do with that bump on the road on the way to my baptism. Who knows? Life is a funny blend of destiny, chance, and choice, and there will be some things we can’t change, so we have to accept them and move on. If we can determine the course of events, we must choose life. I choose to be healthy, happy, and alive to my very last
breath.

I also believe that we should stay happy, healthy and, yes, even sexy! We don’t lose interest in sex because we get old; we get old because we lose interest in being attractive, appealing, and approachable. Looking positive and attractive, and feeling healthy and strong will definitely help us achieve our goals in sports and athletics with much fun and
anticipation.

Have more fun. Why is having fun so important to us? Frequent bouts of fun have a host of proven mental and physical benefits. Having fun relieves stress and triggers the release of endorphins (the body’s feel-good chemicals). It helps boost the immune
system.

We need to engage our body in forms of play and games to get rid of stress that we encounter every day. Go for a walk on a bright sunny day, enjoy the scenery, smell the flowers, and return home newly energized. When people have fun they get inspired positively. The theory is that fun can change people’s behavior for the
better.

Learn to manage your energy. Master your will and honour the rhythm of life. Someone asked me how I manage to travel around the world to various sports’ competitions, sometimes alone, negotiating my way around enormous airports. I confess that sometimes I ask for a wheelchair when transferring from one terminal to another. So, the next time you see an elderly person sitting in an airport wheelchair, don’t pity them. They just may be conserving their vital energy to compete at a master’s athletics
championship.

The film industry is recognizing that the population is aging, and they have created some interesting films. I highly recommend the following
movies.

Quartet.
“You’re never too old for love.” This film follows four elderly 80-year-old musicians and singers who live and love in a senior’s
residence.

Autumn Gold.
“You’re never too old for athletics, sport and track & field.” This German documentary features five elderly athletes, 80 to 100 years old, doing track and field. The film crew follows them as they prepare for the 2009 WMA Championships in Lahti, Finland. I am featured in the film when I meet Gabre Gabrc, a Croatian-born Italian track and field athlete who was born in 1917 and competed in the 1936 summer
Olympics.

Ping Pong.
“You’re never too old for ping-pong.” This documentary from England features eight, elderly table-tennis players who prepare for and compete in a ping pong championship. The movie is humorous, entertaining, and
encouraging.

Every day, I am thankful to have my health and strength to be able to stay active, contribute to the world, to my community, to be with my family and friends, and to live life to the fullest. It is the health of our body, mind, and spirit that is the foundation of each and every community. It builds pride. I wholeheartedly support the promotion of sports by our energetic and spirited senior athletes, and I hope my book will be a catalyst to those who want to venture into this area of
activity.

Growing up with my ten brothers and sisters on the farm in Saskatchewan, I never imagined that almost 100 years later I would be doing what I am doing now. After retiring from a job I loved, I didn’t want to just sit around and not be challenged. On the contrary, at the age of 77 I became entranced by track and field. I chose to become a young-at-heart athlete rather than an old woman. I always wanted to feel young and capable, be healthy and vibrant and yes, even sexy! I have just turned 95 and I intend to keep smelling the roses for some time to come, God
willing.

As you come to the end of my book, I have a confession to make. I have come to realize that when you start reminiscing about the past, that’s when you start aging. I don’t do nostalgia. I don’t do guilt. I have a really stable life, and I am much more giving and less quick to
judge.

Despite my accomplishments, I feel my personal success in a vulnerable way. Why? Because I don’t feel I deserve it. I’ve never had such a feeling before in my life. Where is it coming from? So, who’s OK? I don’t know. I once was Frances, and then I became Olga. I’ve been a daughter, sister, aunt, teacher, wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and traveller. In my later years, I became Olga the athlete. We know that the body regenerates itself many times throughout a life of activity and rest. We know, as we age, the mind learns, forgets, and learns again. We also know that in our quiet moments we can sense our spirit mature. All these changes affect our identity as strongly as our cultural heritage, our genetics, and our personality. We are never a static being, locked into our circumstances; we can alter our existence and take on new challenges at any stage of life. In March of 2014, I will be 95. Maybe I haven’t quite caught up to myself as a 95-year-old athlete. Maybe I still see myself as a little girl happy to play baseball, or a young woman enthusiastic to teach. I don’t know. So, who’s OK? As a life-long learner, I hope I have a number of years ahead of me to answer that
question.

When I told a friend that I started to have serious doubts about the value of writing this book, she suggested I read an inspiring speech by a 94-year-old, South African President Nelson
Mandela:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t save the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all
meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we’re liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates
others.”

South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela, passed away in December 2013. If he had not been imprisoned for 27 years he may have lived to be well over 100. As it was, despite all of the pain and indignities that he endured, Mandela lived to the age of 95. Africans are proud to say that he was Africa’s greatest gift to the world. I believe that. He taught the world that we can only survive and thrive if we truly forgive those who have hurt us. When we forgive, we make a concerted effort to let go of a grudge. We recognize human frailty and fallibility and embrace our common
humanity.