“The Match Technology” is an award-winning documentary that explores the lives of energetic older Canadians, notably these of their 70s and 80s. Directed by Elton Huebner and produced by IZE Multimedia, the movie challenges standard eager about growing older and highlights the advantages of sustaining a wholesome, energetic life-style into older age.
Within the video above, you may hear inspiring tales of older adults who proceed to have interaction in bodily difficult actions and stay vibrant lives regardless of going through severe well being challenges akin to most cancers, arthritis and coronary heart illness.1
“The Match Technology” emphasizes that age just isn’t an impediment to health, however could also be a possibility to pursue an energetic life-style and discover pleasure in life. Moreover, the documentary exhibits that making daring selections that convey you pleasure can considerably enhance each your psychological and bodily well being.
Wholesome older individuals show age is only a quantity
Think about being a full-time ski teacher at age 82. Here is a day within the lifetime of George Chelios Nicholas, one of many movie’s extra energetic characters. Outdoors of winter, Chelios Nicholas may be discovered biking and paddle boarding round Whistler.2
“George Chelios-Nicholas is among the protagonists on this documentary and is actually a personality! He is a former smoker, has had a number of surgical procedures and nonetheless suffers from persistent again ache – all causes sufficient to remain house and bide his time,” studies Eyes Multimedia.3 However Tjelios-Nicholas does not see it that means.4
“Instructing snowboarding may be very rewarding! That is why I like ski faculty. I like individuals and my job is to make them snug. It is an important motivation to maintain going… Technically, my snowboarding remains to be bettering, consider it or not. I’ve had individuals say to me, ‘Oh, you are too outdated for that’. I am not loopy and I do not do large jumps, however I ski fairly quick.
I acquired stitches in my head after a ski hit me, I dislocated my shoulder, I had two tibial osteotomies as a result of my knees have been worn down from snowboarding, after which I had two knee replacements. I’ve had prostate most cancers, however I beat it. I’ve dangerous again ache, arthritis, however I am nonetheless useful, however I consider the extra energetic I’m, the much less it impacts me.”
Different characters featured within the movie embody Lawrence Hazard, a 79-year-old who performs hockey thrice every week and retains himself busy the remainder of the time constructing and fixing issues in his yard – the proper pastime for a retired mechanical engineer. “I’ve by no means been sick in my life. I haven’t got a physician,” he says.5 Though Huzar has been dwelling alone since his spouse handed away, he’s not lonely.
He says he is completely satisfied being on his personal and enjoys hanging out with different hockey gamers his age on the staff. Gwen McFarlan is one other inspiring athlete featured within the movie. At 81, McFarlan is a world file marathon runner, former instructor and most cancers survivor who continues to compete in races regardless of accidents.6
“There are such a lot of individuals on the market who may help you and so many working teams you may be a part of, so if you wish to get out and do one thing, you may. However it’s a must to need to do it – nobody can drive you to do something… Having breast most cancers has made me a lot extra optimistic.”
Now I am grateful day-after-day I get up as a result of when one thing like this occurs and you do not know if you are going to get out of it, you are simply so completely satisfied to be alive and no matter at present is, you may overlook about it and begin a brand new day tomorrow. I am aiming for 100, at the least 100. I need to run as a lot as I can earlier than then. I do know my tempo will decelerate, however I am not going to cease.
Optimism, pleasure and social connection are widespread threads
Though the individuals featured within the movie all have totally different pursuits and life tales, you’ll uncover all of them share some commonalities: optimism, pleasure and a real pleasure for all times. All of them have sturdy social connections of their communities, all of them stay every day with a way of function they usually all stay within the second to the fullest.
Regardless of going through well being challenges, the deaths of family members, and different hardships, the characters within the movie all lead vibrant lives full of pleasure and keenness — a pleasure that’s deeply linked to their bodily exercise and the sturdy sense of group that’s solid by way of their shared experiences and social interactions.
“For me, the best pleasure is to place myself in a spot the place I may give one thing to others,” says yoga teacher Ava Stone, who’s in her 70s. She makes use of class time to show respiration and stretching methods in addition to meditation, story-sharing, and jokes. Outdoors of sophistication, she likes to drive round city in her black sports activities automobile and encourages others to have enjoyable and create their very own pleasure.7
“Stress comes from not being grateful for the best way we’re, not appreciating life, the life we have created for ourselves. We attribute stress to causes outdoors of ourselves, as if it have been some mysterious different. In easy phrases, are you aware what stress is? Proper now, you hate it. You need to let go of one thing you don’t need, otherwise you need one thing you do not have.
And I’d say to my buddies, “Pay attention, I had a lot stress, I could not consider my eyes. Due to what my husband and children did. Oh, work… and but you proceed to create stress… your stress is your resistance to life placing itself in entrance of you. This realization has introduced me a lot pleasure. It comes from yoga. Should you’re any smarter, you understand that the thoughts helps preserve you wholesome. Open your eyes and pay attention to the world.”
The world right here is basically superb, is not it? One other pleasure is that individuals who have come to see me for years perceive me and need to come again and discuss to me and do enjoyable and loopy issues. In different phrases, they’re agile and revel in life and socializing.
… Solely those that have targets, who’ve plans, who’ve pleasure, need to preserve their physique wholesome and notice them. To maintain the physique shifting, to maneuver and strengthen, to train the muscle groups, to stimulate digestion, to sleep effectively, to remain wholesome and in communication with life. You’ve gotten peace, you’ve gotten pleasure.
From this pleasure and peace got here the pure information that if I’m sad, it’s fully of my very own making. The ego creates all of it from the start, as a result of it must be essential and proper. Should you let it go, it does not matter. And you’ll be at peace, however it’s a must to follow it, really feel it, talk it. And for those who do not take it so significantly, you may’t get pleasure from it. If individuals take the whole lot so significantly, the place is the enjoyment?
Optimizing mitochondrial perform makes it simpler to make life selections that convey you pleasure
Basically, pleasure comes from curiosity and the power to make selections in life. However with out sufficient mobile power, you may’t suppose correctly, a lot much less have sufficient power left to make optimistic life selections. That is why bettering mitochondrial power manufacturing may give you pleasure.
The mind is essentially the most energy-hungry organ, taking over solely about 2% of physique weight however consuming 20% of the power utilized by the complete physique.8 Due to this fact, the mind wants an overproduction of mobile power to perform optimally.
Keep away from dietary pitfalls akin to overeating Linoleic acidWhen consumed within the type of vegetable or seed oils, it could possibly assist optimize mitochondrial perform and maximize your skill to expertise pleasure. estrogen Endotoxins may deplete cells’ power reserves.
Nevertheless, common train can be a robust technique to increase mitochondrial well being and contribute to improved power metabolism: Train stimulates the manufacturing of recent mitochondria and improves the functioning of present mitochondria, serving to to supply extra power extra effectively.
Keep in mind, in your mid-40s and 50s, and into your 70s and 80s, train needs to be enjoyable and stress-relieving, not aggressive. In his evaluation, Dr. James O’Keefe, a heart specialist at MidAmerica Coronary heart Institute at St. Louis Hospital in Kansas Metropolis, emphasizes the significance of “social train,” like taking part in hockey with buddies, over solitary train.
In 2018, O’Keefe and her colleagues revealed a examine that checked out detailed, long-term information on bodily exercise and lifespan.9 The outcomes confirmed that taking part in tennis elevated life expectancy by 9.5 years, badminton by 6.2 years, soccer by 4.7 years, jogging by 3.2 years, and well being membership actions akin to weightlifting and treadmill working by 1.5 years.
At first, O’Keefe thought the evaluation was flawed, however then he realised that the social facet of sport supplied added advantages.
“Making social connections whereas exercising is a gold mine of longevity actions. So, strolling together with your canine or a good friend; [playing] Pickleball is tremendous common. It is all about having enjoyable, getting energetic and being social.”
Happiness and well being go hand in hand
This mixture of enjoyable and social bodily exercise is clear within the “health era.” Moreover, the idea of “pleasure” i.e. The joy of expectationTheir happiness and well-being additionally improves considerably as they’re able to stay up for issues to come back – an idea that the individuals within the movie additionally totally embrace as they have interaction in on a regular basis actions that they get pleasure from and stay up for every day.
Pleasure and wellness have a deep and complicated connection, and the characters on this movie get pleasure from each. They do not dwell on hardships and loss, selecting as an alternative to deal with the nice round them. The flexibility to acknowledge and alter this detrimental thought sample is one other key to cultivating a extra joyful mindset.
As a substitute of dwelling on the detrimental, shift your perspective and respect the small joys and social alternatives. Finally, as Stone stated, Build the life you wantit is by no means too late to begin afresh.Ten
“Even for those who’re outdated and lonely, there’s quite a bit you are able to do. Discuss to your folks and neighbors and ask them what they’re doing, the place they are going, the place the following group heart is, what packages they’ve. You need to make it a behavior, like brushing your enamel or a specific exercise, after which you can begin to get pleasure from it. There is not any pleasure on the planet; there’s solely pleasure in what you give to it.”
