Healthy Living

US President John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)

Many problems once thought to be caused by age are really caused by poor health habits. A balanced diet and regular exercise can improve health at any age. One group of 70-year-old men who took part in an exercise program had the bodily reactions of men of 40 at the end of the year. At the age of 82, Eula Weaver suffered from angina, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, and arthritis. At 85, after 3 years of careful diet and exercise, she won two gold medals in the Senior Olympics. Even with serious health problems, life can be productive and happy. When French artist Auguste Renoir was 60, his fingers were too stiff to hold a brush and he was unable to walk. He worked with a brush strapped to his wrist and continued to work for 18 years. At age 100, Iva Blake had one of the most beautiful gardens in Albuquerque. She gardened from a wheelchair, using special tools. Faith in God and a sense of humor also helps. At the age of 80, US President John Quincey Adams, when asked how he was, replied: “Mr. Adams is quite right, all right, thank you. Of course, the house he lives in is a bit dilapidated; its walls are tottering on their foundation; its roof is greatly in need of repair. I think he is soon having to move out of his old house into a stronger one. However, Mr. Adams is quite all right, thank you.”