"When our family moved to Oregon from Southern California in 1974 for my husband's new job, I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. But there was one problem: There wasn't enough sunshine or swimming pools - both of which I had enjoyed in California. When the community college where I taught offered free memberships at a new gym, I quickly signed up. I expected exercise, but I got so much more."
"As a swimmer, I've met several people around my age, welcoming each other into the pool. With a somewhat older crowd, I am pleasantly surprised at how disabilities and imperfections are of no consequence in the pool. Surgery scars, including mastectomies and even amputations, are not worthy of the slightest stare or question. The miracle of being in the water is that handicaps and age disappear."
"The weight room is full of young people lifting weights, and they pound their feet on treadmills like the start of the Kentucky Derby. But the gym is also filled with older people. There's the 87-year-old woman who runs up and down the stairs "because it feels good," while her 91-year-old husband maintains a steady pace on the treadmill. As a swimmer, I've met several people around my age, welcoming each other into the pool."
When the family moved from Southern California to Oregon in 1974, limited sunshine and pools prompted joining a new gym through a community college membership. Regular attendance continued for over thirty years, with gym visits every other day at age 81. The gym's environment includes both young and older exercisers, including an 87-year-old woman who runs stairs and a 91-year-old man on a treadmill. The pool environment removes visible handicaps and age, as surgery scars and amputations draw no attention and lifts equalize access. Deep friendships developed at the gym, unexpectedly providing companionship and motivation.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]