In 2008, Min Bahadur Sherchan, 74, of Nepal became the oldest person to summit Mount Everest. In 2005, Minuro Saito of Japan made his seventh solo voyage around the globe. He was 71. In 1998, former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn traveled further than any 77-year old had ever ventured. He orbited Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.
For these folks, age was not a limiting factor in their quest for adventure. On the contrary, each drew upon their adventurous spirit to keep themselves physically, mentally and emotionally young even if their chronological age said differently.
Of course, you don’t have to climb the world’s highest peak or travel into space to have an adventure. But your senior years do not necessarily condemn you to a life of bridge tournaments and early bird specials. No matter what your age, adventure holidays are not only doable, but advisable.
Numerous studies show that staying active, both physically and mentally, is one of the most vital factors in staving off the kind of illnesses that are particularly prevalent among people over 55. One Japanese study proved that rigorous physical activity can actually inhibit the growth of cancer cells. And most medical experts will tell you that staying physically and mentally active can greatly reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease.
Of course, any physical activity will do a body good. Daily exercises like calisthenics or walking promote heart health and keep your muscles limber. But routine is not necessarily the best thing for your overall health. It’s a fact that each time the brain is challenged, a new neuron pathway opens. This keeps the mind alert and brain cells healthy. Similarly, by presenting your body with new and different challenges, you are promoting muscle development, stamina and endurance. It’s easy to tend toward the path of least resistance, but it’s the path less traveled that keeps us young.
That’s all well and good, but you’re just not the adventurous sort and adventure holidays are not for you?! You’re afraid of heights. Spiders make your skin crawl. You’ve never even been on a canoe. Take the case of the 74-year old widow from Chicago. The closest she’d ever been to a forest was Lincoln Park. One day, a friend and neighbor invited her along on an Alaskan wilderness adventure. Hesitant at first, she made the decision to go. The trip changed her life. She saw things she never thought existed and accomplished physical feats she never thought she could achieve. It made her forget she was 74. Ten years later, she’s been on numerous adventure holidays around the world and feels as spry as she did when she was 30.
The point is that age should never stop you from being adventurous. In fact, there’s no better time than in your senior years to take on the challenges you might not have had time for when you were younger. After all, life is one of the biggest adventure holidays of them all!
