Jim McDonald - Get Up and Go: Strategies for Active Living After 50

Get Up and Go

Strategies for Active Living After 50

JIM AND OLGA
MCDONALD

Copyright Jim and Olga McDonald, 2003

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency.

Copy-Editor: Jennifer Bergeron

Design: Jennifer Scott

Printer: University of Toronto Press

National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data

McDonald, Jim

Get up and go : strategies for active living after 50 / Jim and Olga McDonald.

ISBN 1-55002-450-7

1. Middle aged persons Health and hygiene. I. McDonald, Olga II. Title.

RA777.5 M32 2003 613.0434 C2003-900345-0

1 2 3 4 5 07 06 05 04 03

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and The Association for the Export of Canadian Books, and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book Publishers Tax Credit program, and the Ontario Media Development Corporations Ontario Book Initiative.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credit in subsequent editions.

J. Kirk Howard, President

Printed and bound in Canada.

Printed on recycled paper.

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This book is dedicated to the
Seniors For Nature Canoe Club of Toronto.

From its beginnings in 1984 the club has promoted a full outdoor and social experience that includes canoeing, hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, and camping. We feel privileged to be members of this vibrant organization. For more information about the club, visit its Web site at www.sfncc.org or send an e-mail to sfncc@rogers.com.

The material presented in this book is for general informational purposes only. The reader should not rely on the information in this book as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you need medical advice you should contact your doctor or another health care professional.

You are personally responsible for any actions you take as a result of using information in this book. If, as a result or reading this book, you participate in a sport or physical activity and sustain an injury or have any other problem, the authors and the publisher will not be held responsible.

Dreams do come true. I know this because the dream of making the years after 50 the best years of his life came true for my uncle, Jim McDonald. Fifteen years ago, Jim was a smoker with little time for exercise. He was also recovering from open-heart surgery. His doctor advised him to change his lifestyle or risk additional health problems. Jim knew that the advice was sound and he was determined to followed it, one step at a time. He quit smoking, improved his diet, joined a canoe club, and met Olga, his future wife. In the process he discovered that he had to be his own guide. For Jim, this turning point marked the start of the best part of his life.

Get Up and Go is written for older adults who want to change their lives. For some, the motivation may be to improve their health. Others may feel dissatisfied with their sedentary lifestyle. Most people know when they are unhappy with their lives but feel powerless to change the situation. Through honest, personal insights, Jim and Olga guide us through this change. This book encourages people with health problems to adopt a healthier lifestyle, challenges the bystanders of life to stop watching the world pass them by, and helps those planning for retirement to maximize their opportunities.

As a doctor, I found the books course of action to be inspiring. The book is designed to be interactive. You set your own goals, are praised for your effort, and are encouraged to continue. Heres the exciting news: when you feel better, you look better and become more interesting to be around. Before long you are hooked on life, fuelled by the internal and external rewards of a more active lifestyle. I found that I too was taking stock and thinking of what I could do to improve my lifestyle. While the book is geared for those over 50, the under-50 group can also benefit from this wisdom. Its the kind of guide that allows people of any age to empower themselves.

This book has an important message for those who are retiring: dont just view retirement as the time to put your feet up and relax. Given that retirement can last one-third of your life, making the most of this period is paramount. This book teaches you how to stay active and engaged in life. If you know a relative or friend who is about to retire, this book makes a wonderful retirement gift.

Paula A. Rochon, MD, MPH, FRCPC

Scientist, Kunin Lunenfeld Applied Research Unit,

Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care

and Associate Professor,

Department of Medicine and Public Health Sciences

University of Toronto

Since this is an extensive list, I am reassured that most people are kind-hearted and enjoy helping those in need.

First and foremost, a special thanks to Dr. Chris Feindel, whose surgical skills gave me a second chance at life, and a huge thank you to Dr. Paula A. Rochon for so graciously writing the Foreword.

A special thanks to the following:

Cora L. Craig, president of Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute, for reviewing selected parts of the book and providing valuable suggestions;

Diana Simpson and Rick Hadden, recreation analysts with the City of Mississauga, for reviewing Part One of the book for accuracy; and

My son, Peter McDonald, of Project Design & Development, Toronto, for his creativity and meticulous care in the development our Web site, www.after50.ca, a fitting promotional enhancement to this book.

Thanks to friends from the Seniors for Nature Canoe Club for their words of wisdom to readers who are searching for a more active lifestyle. I refer to: Cato Bayens, Ethel Corbyn, Ray Crites, Joan Duncan, John Galbraith, Margaret Ghattas, Ken Holden, Renate Juelich, Stewart McTavish, Bea Parkes, and Louise Tye.

The genealogy chapter would be less than complete without quotes taken from thank-you notes received from these family members across Canada and the U.S.: Bettie Alberts, Marjorie Alberts, Ted & Pat Alberts, Valerie Griffith, Bernadine Harper, Nick & Pat Hertz, Grace Jerome, Grace Kennedy, Heather & Louis Kolla, Mary Laski, Adeline Pekar, Rita Pruitt, Margaret & Doug Sleeth, and Pat & Bill Tonita.