Better Quality

 

We are now very tired but rather pleased with ourselves for having ascended Roy's Peak today and, even more importantly, having got back down again. It was, as old chum Tony would have said when he was alive, a bit of a pull. Fortunately we had enough basic fitness to achieve the pull, despite a few moments of uncertainty.

It was wonderful, by the way, to take note of the large numbers of obviously very fit people accompanying us (mainly in the way of over-taking.) It was especially edifying to see a significant number of young ladies out on the hills, possibly out-numbering the men. I was struck by the contrast between the sorts of values that seemed to be manifested through the various walkers and recent things I'd been reading about various health crises in places like the UK and USA. Eventually I found myself pontificating to Fifi regarding the varieties of unhealthy lifestyles I'd been reading about and how wise it was to develop the kinds of habits that might well lead to an excellent quality of life for those in their 60s, 70s and 80s (assuming one were lucky enough to avoid the various random ways in which it's possible to die in one's early or middle years.)

I reckon it would be useful to focus rather more on issues of the quality of life likely to be enjoyed by those in their 50s if they avoid smoking, excessive drinking, poor diet rather than linking everything to life expectancy. And promote the idea of exercising as a way to secure a better future - not just for its immediate benefits, real as these are. I suppose the difficulty lies in the fact that no one really thinks they're going to get old until they do.