Summertime fun is coming again. It would be so much more fun, though, if you were just healthy like in all those years gone by. It’s over now, but the memories are so good!
In the summer of ’85, you ran in lots of 5K races. You were in high school and joined the cross-country team. As you and your teammates trained during that steamy summer, you ran twice a day and logged 50 miles each week. Plenty of hard work, but it was cool to be in such great shape.
Those Guess jeans with the size 29 waist fit you nicely.
The summer of ’92 you graduated from college. Before heading into the real world, you and your buddies decided to bike around Europe as a healthy challenge that would allow you to explore from Barcelona to Budapest to Brussels. You cycled through the Alps in Italy, Austria, and Switzerland and had some incredibly toned legs from the 45-day journey.
The summer of ’99 you bought your first house. You landscaped the entire yard on weekends throughout those dog days of yesterday. Carrying large bags of dirt over your shoulder and moving two tons of decorative rock by wheelbarrow, you created the perfect backyard sanctuary. You were light years ahead of the cross-fit challenges of today.
The summer of ’04 had you in the best shape of your life. For that triathlon that you finally decided to enter, you did three hours of training every day in June, July, and August. Biking, swimming and running were more of a priority than TV and that last season of Friends. You were amazing on race day. First place in your age group and 9th overall.
The summer of ’08 was when you played in softball and kickball leagues. Four nights every week, filled with competition and camaraderie. An all-star lineup of wellness activities kept you at the weight that is appropriate for your height. Throwing, hitting, running, kicking, jumping, and sliding were part of the rigorous repertoire.
The summer of ’13 was the last of the golden age of healthy living for you. But what a summer it was! You went hiking on so many trails. You rode your bike to work and back almost every day back then. Zumba was all the craze for you and your pals at the gym. And you worked out like an Olympic gymnast and gained so much muscle mass. You looked and felt like a million dollars!
The last several summers have been punctuated by apathy, laziness and procrastination. Now you’re 30 pounds overweight and have bad knees. Maybe your friends tell you not to worry and say it is part of getting older.
But I say find some new friends. We are all getting older, all the time. That doesn’t mean you have to give in to age.
Get up and get healthy again. It is never too late. Stop living on the memories of yesterday and create some moments for today. Dream of what you want tomorrow to be … and make it happen. The summer of ’17 is going to be epic healthy fun for you!
This wellness is brought to you by that guy with the Chicago accent, Ron Blake, and he’s always ready for some healthy summer fun. He can be reached at rblake5551@hotmail.com.
