"The primary reason you want to age fit is so you can take the hit." That's a piece of wisdom that Dr. Karl Zarse likes to share with his patients. This is what he means.

As we age, the changes most people experience look like a set of stairs. Let's say you are doing fine on the 10th step, but then you start having problems with your knees, so you move down to the 7th step. You do physical therapy or get surgery, and you push yourself back up to the 8th step.

Then you're diagnosed with cancer, so you go down to the 4th step. You get treatment, slowly recover, and maybe you make it back to the 5th step.

You're diagnosed with COPD, but you come back. You break a hip, but you come back. All along the way, you keep taking hits.

It doesn't matter who you are. Rich or poor, man or woman, everybody takes hits. Two things are going to save you.

1. Preparing for the hit. If you've developed a consistent workout program and kept at it, the hit isn't likely to knock you down as far.

2. Recovering after the hit. Once you have a problem, the sooner you take action to deal with it, the further back up those stairs you'll go. That means physical therapy, weight training and cardio programs as soon as you're cleared.

I have a client that came to me about six years ago. He didn't come in very high on those stairs; he might have been on the 5th or 6th step. About four years into training, he had a severe health issue that put him in the hospital and then on bed rest for three months. His health was in a very precarious position.

Fortunately, he was a fighter. As soon as he was cleared, he started physical therapy. He rearranged things in his home, so even small tasks required he get up and move around. He constantly looked for ways to push himself.

Within six months, he resumed lifting weights and doing his cardio. He wasn't back to his full strength, but he also wasn't confined to a bed and forced to use a wheelchair. He got much of his life back.

He was able to do that because he did things to strengthen his heart and lungs.

Your heart and lungs are two essential things doctors consider when making a treatment plan: Are you strong enough to handle the stress of anesthesia, the shock of surgery and the effects of medication? If you've got a strong heart and lungs, you're a much more likely candidate for almost any procedure.

You don't want to be in your 50s, 60s or 70s and need medical help but not be able to get it because your body isn't strong enough to tolerate it.

Here are six key factors to prepare yourself.

1. The routine you choose should increase the depth and resilience of your physiology. Exercising to look good is fine, but that's the least important benefit of working out.
2. Make sure your routine targets your upper and lower body.
3. Consistency is key. Having four mediocre workouts in a week is better than 1 or 2 good ones.
4. Cut out the distractions. Put the cell phone away and focus on what your body is doing.
5. Write everything down.
6. Nourish and rebuild your body by eating healthy and nutritious foods.

Taking those steps will help prepare you for the inevitable battle. You might think you're invincible, but cancer happens. Falls happen. Disease happens. Most people have no idea how much pain and disability they're likely to face in the end years of their life.

Every time life strikes a blow, you've got to make sure you're strong enough to fight back. I can't tell you how many clients I have that wish they had started sooner. Not starting earlier may be one of the biggest regrets I hear.

Here's how Dr. Zarse sums it up. "Where your fitness level starts determines not only where you end, but your quality of life along the way."

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9/6/2023