Brent Eastwood 'Sport Thought': Age is but a number for Northland's exercisers

Brent Eastwood believes that one thing about being middle-aged that we should keep in mind is our health

Let's get it right out there – I turn 56 next week.

But rather than lament that fact, I like to think I have embraced the supposed "downhill slide", as some people call it.

Because I reckon being middle-aged is probably the best time in your life. Rumour has it you are wiser than in your impetuous youthful years, your kids are (in my case anyway) grown up and have left home giving you more "spare" time, and you should be, at least a little, "more comfortable" in terms of your lifestyle and your wealth.

There is, however, one aspect of being middle-aged that can be a con to the above pros if you don't work on it.

That is your health.

Being "more comfortable" in your middle years can sometimes lead to becoming "lazy" with your lifestyle. Being conscious of a good work/life balance, getting regular medical check-ups, not smoking, eating well, drinking in moderation and keeping active will ensure you are giving yourself every chance of living to a ripe old age.

Sure we don't all get there, as diseases like cancer and heart disease can easily see to that. But certainly doing the things mentioned above can significantly improve your chances.

Being active in advancing years is critical. We lose more and more strength and flexibility in our muscles the older we get, so working on these two things alone can be advantageous in your middle years.

So is working on your cardiovascular fitness. Getting your heart rate up and keeping it that way for at least 30-45 minutes on most days of the week should be the minimum you do. This will ensure you're doing everything you can to keep your heart healthy and, as long as you are eating well, it should also keep your weight under control, something that seems to get harder to do the older we get!

A sensible way of achieving and maintaining good cardiovascular fitness, strength and flexibility is to combine them in a gym workout - something it seems an ever-increasing amount of middle-to-old-aged people in Whangārei seem to be doing if the mornings up at Kensington Fitness are anything to go by.

I believe the message is getting through to people that one of the keys to growing old gracefully is through doing all things in moderation – work, passive recreation, active recreation or sport, healthy eating, drinking, sleeping, helping out in the community, spending time with whānau and having fun through socialising with friends.

One can never reverse the aging process, but keeping the above things in balance can certainly slow it down and help you enjoy the best years of your life.

I'll be trying hard!