Regular readers know that I have a bit of a pet peeve about the word invest. It drives me nuts when a salesman says “wouldn’t you like to protect your investment?” And then comes the hard sell for an extended warranty.
I have nothing against extended warranties on something we could not afford to repair or replace. Read here and here, but I hate when they try and sell us one on something that cost 5 bucks.
But the real peeve is the word investment. Unless we’re buying a classic car, the typical vehicle loses a good chunk of value when we sign the contract. We don’t even have to take it off the lot to lose money. Try having a change of heart after signing. It will cost you.
So, I don’t take it lightly when I say invest in your health. This is important. We will see a return.
Ageing
I’ll let someone else tell you about it. Click here to watch Nate Bargatze. Click, it’s quick, funny and well worth the 2 minutes of your life.
But we all know that as we age, we have more aches and pains. These seem to dominate our discussion after every round of golf.
For me, it’s my neck and my back. Overall, I feel pretty good at 62, but my neck is tight. My wife has been watching YouTube workout videos and I watched one with her that focused on the neck. It helped.
My back got really bad when my wife and I slept 4 nights in a bad bed in a B&B in Nantucket. Both of us were sore for days afterwards. I started stretching a couple times a week, but if I miss a few days, the back pain returns.
I Exercise
Siri tells me that I’ve walked an average of 2.5 miles per day for the last 10 years. That’s not bad.
My weight has been the same as long as I can remember.
And on the golf course last week, I was told I hit the ball pretty far for an old dude.
I’m staying fit, but it seems the aches and pains are just something to expect as we age.
Maybe Not
I’ve been going to the gym somewhat regularly since I graduated from college. Though I stopped when COVID hit and haven’t gone back.
I don’t need to. I’m in good shape and I do some pushups and a few other exercises at home from time to time.
My wife has been on a work-out kick lately so we joined a local gym. I’m happy to say that after 3 trips, I feel noticeably better.
Noticeably Better?
Back pain and neck pain have always been lurking. My neck is always tight and I feel it when I turn sharply. My back is painful after golf, working in the yard, or sometimes even after a bad night’s sleep.
Since joining the gym (not just joining, but actually going and doing stuff is important) I’ve seen amazing improvement. My neck is not tight at all.
I changed the oil in 2 cars yesterday and no back pain. This one is usually a killer because of leaning over the engine compartment with a heavy jug of oil, among other awkward tasks. I’ve played golf a couple of times and stained a deck or 2 on my hands and knees. No pain or stiffness.
Gym
Prior to joining, I would tell friends I work out. Those infrequent sessions where I do a couple of pushups and some stretches while watching Seinfeld re-runs.
And all that walking, right?
But for me, getting in the car and going to the gym, where there is nothing to do but exercise, and there is peer pressure to push yourself, makes all the difference.
I’m sure there are people who can work out effectively at home. I’ve never met one, but I’ve seen people using home gyms on TV. They’re in great shape, so it must work right?
I have friends who own ab-loungers, exercise bikes and bowflex machines that they’ve never used. I believe my wife and I have some exercise equipment that is still boxed and sitting in the basement waiting for us to finish the construction of our home gym.
Just as a lot of work from home people are doing laundry or catching up on some vacuuming, it is hard to focus on work when we’re home. And exercise is work.
Mell
Kudos to my buddy Mell. I was having some trouble with dizziness a few years back and I told Mell about my exercise and he said “Oh Brian, You need to do some vigorous exercise.”
This was several years ago, and I carefully ignored his advice and kept doing what I was doing. I hate to admit he was right.
Wrap Up
Maintaining our health is important. When I’m in my 80s, I want to be traveling and playing golf not sitting in front of the TV playing solitaire and watching Jeopardy.
To do this, I need to keep the aches and pains at bay by making sure that I’m pushing myself. And for me, I just don’t do this at home.
With the gym, I’ve paid money so I better use it. I make myself go, and then I push myself while I’m there because others are watching. And while many of them are just relaxing on the equipment and looking at their iPhones, I don’t want to be one of them so I work even harder.
A month ago, I would have said that I have no need for a gym membership.
I’ve changed my mind.
And Another Thing…
Look for discounts.
I retired 5 years ago, but after leaving, I was invited to join my company’s retiree perks at work program. Through their website, I got the gym initiation fee waved and I save $10 per month on both mine and my wife’s membership.
I’ve also seen similar promotions at AARP and AAA.
While investing in our health is worth it, even a full price, it’s always nice to save a few bucks.