Turning 20

By Antonio C. Abaya
Standard Today,
February 17, 2009

This was intended to be written and published as my first article for 2009, but it was continuously pushed back by more pressing concerns.
 
Now that there seems to be a lull on all fronts, domestic and foreign, I will sneak it in and hope that nothing earth-shaking happens between now and tomorrow that is not in my radar screen.
 
This has to do with everyone’s efforts – in particular, my own efforts – to stay alive and healthy in our stressful and polluted  environment.
 
For the past 35 years or so, I have been following a daily regimen of morning calisthenics which I formulated myself and which has undergone many changes since. In its present format, my regimen is made up of 13 routines that exercise all - I think - joints and muscle groups, from the shoulders to the ankles.
 
So what turned 20? Well, I used to go through each routine up to the count of 12. But starting in 2002, realizing that I was not getting any younger, I increased the count for each routine by one every year.
 
This means that starting on January 1, 2002, I was doing each routine up to the count of 13; on January 1, 2003 up to the count of 14; on January 1, 2004 up to the count of 15, etc. So starting on January 1, 2009, I have been doing each routine up to the count of 20, and it takes me about 20 to 25 minutes to go through the entire regimen.
 
I figure that by the time I reach 100, which will be 27 years from now, I will be doing each routine up to the count of 47, and it will take me the whole morning to go through the entire regimen, probably with help of a nurse.
 
But, of course, that is the optimistic point of view. I took a test on the Internet that purported to predict how long one can expect to live, . The test asks how old your parents are, or, if one or both has/have died, at what age he or she died. (83 for my father, and 90 for my mother.)
 
Then the test asks about your personal habits, medical history and lifestyle  Do you smoke? (Not since age 13.) Your height and weight, which would indicate if you are overweight. (I am not, the test says.) Do you exercise regularly? (Yes.) Do you drink alcoholic beverages? (Yes, beer and wine, but never to the point of stupor or drunkenness.) Is your daily diet mostly pork, beef, chicken or fish? (Mostly fish and chicken.) Do you eat fresh fruits and/or vegetables? (Lots of both.) How do you relax? (45-minute siesta after every lunch. Classical music whenever I can.) How much coffee do you drink every day? (None. I have been a tea-drinker for decades.) Have you ever been diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, kidney, liver, prostate, heart or lung problems? (No, on most counts.)
 
I did have hepatitis sometime in the early 1970s. I had a heart attack in 1999 and underwent an angioplasty that inserted a stent into one of my arteries.
 
After going through these numbers and data, the Internet test gave its prediction that – barring accident, murder or dread disease – I will likely live up to the age of 92.
 
By that time, I will be doing my daily exercise up to the count of 39 per routine.
 
But don’t ask me for the URL of this Internet test, as I did not note it down. I am sure one can google it or something like it.
 
A word about my heart attack in 1999, as it can be a cautionary tale for everyone. Especially after my daughter Carla told me yesterday about two of her acquaintances who had suddenly died only last week as a result of a stroke or a heart attack, one in his/her 30s, the other in his/her 40s.
 
When my late mother was confined in St. Luke’s Hospital in 1999, her cardiologist suggested that I undergo a battery of tests to determine the state of my health. Which suggestion I readily acquiesced to..
 
I went through these tests from 9 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon.. I had a complete blood chemistry test and blood count, which showed that my cholesterol, triglyceride, sugar, good cholesterol, BUN, creatinine, SGOT, SGPT, PSA counts were all within normal range, but with a slightly high uric acid count.(I have been having blood chemistry tests and blood counts every six months since then.)
 
I went through all kinds of stress tests, including on treadmills that had increasing angles of incline. I passed every single one of those tests, and the cardiologist gave me a clean bill of health.
 
Thirty five days later, I had my heart attack.
 
What happened? 
 
Stress was the culprit. I had my heart attack at the Manila Memorial Park, while we were burying our mother. Previous to the funeral, I had gone without sleep for 48 hours. The combination of emotional stress and physical exhaustion triggered the attack and almost did me in. I was rushed to St. Luke’s where the angioplasty was performed.
 
Right after recovering from the attack, I bought a treadmill which I have been using every MWF since 1999, at 6:00 pm, which gives me the chance to watch the evening news on ABS-CBN and see what information the masa are getting from their TV sets.(Appalling, but that’s for another article.)
 
In my first try on the treadmill, I tried to do 400 meters. But midway through, I felt dizzy and had to stop. The next day, I set it back for 200 meters. I have been increasing the distance almost every other month ever since. This month, I am up to 2.6 kilometers, which I walk in about 32 minutes. Next month, I will increase my distance to 2.7 kilometers, and so on..
 
By the time I am 92, I will probably be doing 10 kilometers and will be taking the whole afternoon to finish it. Between calisthenics in the morning and the treadmill in the afternoon, I will most likely have no more time for anything else, except lunch and siesta, as I huff and puff into the Great Beyond. *****
 
Reactions to tonyabaya@gmail.com.  Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com.