Since I started making reasons for working out and stopped making excuses on why I should not be active, I have been able to make fitness a part of my lifestyle habit. I must have had this fitness bug in my genes because even my 86-year-old grandmother has been fit all her life. She walks at least two kilometers a day for as long as I can remember. She joined the MommyMilkshake Marathon and the Enervon Memorace at the Fort and won as the oldest finisher. How’s that for a woman who’s in her late 80s? And mind you, she’s just getting started!
She is looking forward to joining more fun runs especially if it’s for a good cause because she finds the races a great way to get together with people and get her grandchildren to walk/jog with her to the finish line. We take turns accompanying her while she talks to us. It’s a great way to get her mind working and her body functioning, which allows her not to mind the distance she’s walking. My Mamang also enjoys bringing home the goody bags and sharing them with her family.
She’s had a different glow lately and has also become more concerned with her comfort while doing her exercise. Good thing she won a nice pair of New Balance running shoes because she had asked for one before the Enervon Memorace. She’s since gone shopping for running outfits as well. Wow, I just can’t get over the fact that my Mamang is living life to the fullest at this time. People say that the second half of their lives is the best half of their lives. In this case, my grandmother is already in the third half of her life and still having a blast.
After posting my grandmother’s photos on Facebook, so many people were inspired by her finishing three-kilometer races. So many people I know have made a choice to get started with their exercise regimen upon realizing that it’s never too late to take that first step to fitness. If my lola can do it, so can they!
So, if you are reading this and you haven’t yet fulfilled your New Year’s resolution to diet and exercise, I urge you to do it now. Just do it! I promise you’ll see life in a brighter perspective just like my grandmother.
* * *
E-mail author at mommymaricel@gmail.com.