We talked to Chuck Bent, age 69, about how he got started on his fitness journey in his 50s — and we all can learn from his approach and attitude.
If you find yourself in a life or job that is just too stressful, then it’s time for a change. Stress causes your body to be in an acidic state, and that causes all kinds of harm to your body. The bottom line is that if you want to be healthy, and live longer, you need to eliminate anything that might be causing high stress. If your car’s engine light is on, you get it fixed. Similarly, if your personal “engine light” is on, please do whatever it takes to fix it. Maybe you are doing too many things. You are over committed. You are caring for too many people. Or you are in the wrong job. Whatever the source of the stress, you need to talk to your family and let them know and come up with a plan together. You can’t be present or of value to others if you are too stressed.
Do you plan rest?
Absolutely. Sleep was something I never used to plan until just a few years ago. But in 2016 I was diagnosed with Lymphoma, went through 6 months of chemo, and that changed my life. I lost all my muscle mass and had to start over again. But, I also found that I now need 8 hours or more of sleep, whereas before my cancer, 5.5 hours was my norm or average.
So now, we just go to bed early. Lights out at 10pm. We watch less TV, and we actually use a sleep tracker that works off of our watches and we compare notes each morning. My wife, Cyndi, is jealous as I usually win in the deep sleep category. It took a while, but I had to really work hard and focus on “learning to sleep”. It took a couple years but I finally got it.
Sleep helps with stress, and it helps with rebuilding muscles. It just helps in every category. Oh, and I have learned that sleep and alcohol do not go together well. Every time I would take a shot of bourbon at night to help me to fall asleep, my sleep app gave a true report of how I did and it was not good. It might help you “fall” asleep, but you end up with a restless night. Also, I used to think that I could drink coffee all day long and still sleep well. That was a myth. Now I am primarily a decaf person. But even too much decaf can disrupt your sleep as it is not entirely caffeine free.
What do you do to help your mind/spirit/emotional health?
My wife and I are still madly in love with each other and that helps. Our next wedding anniversary will be our 50th. We are still on our honeymoon and have an active love life. We both sleep well. I set aside some quiet time with the wife and dog each day. We are both very active at church. We stick to our health routine which includes sleep, diet, and exercise – wherever we are. And I like to take a Saturday here and there to just “journal” and reflect on where I have been and where I am going. I also meet with a friend almost every Thursday evening and we just have coffee and share what is going on in our life, good or bad. Nothing is off the table.
By Chuck Bent | Photo by Melissa Donald
P.S. Check out Part 2 of Chuck’s journey – the details on getting fit.
Leave a Reply