You can always remain young.

This morning, I work up early to smile at myself in the mirror as usual. I liked what I saw. It is the look of a guy who must be doing the right things to have a perfectly healthy body, still flexible enough to leap and jump over stones and rocks, still strong enough to lift anything a normal guy can, still fast enough on my feet to run like a teenager.

And that was what I did on the hill this morning, after doing my first good deed of the day by taking a friend to the bus-station at six fifteen. I exercised my feet by twisting and turning as I made my way up the hill. I moved up side-ways to the left and to the right as well as backwards and forwards.

Then I came across the first person on his way up and received a greeting and a smile. Then another person and another smile and an exchange of greetings. Upon reaching the top, I stopped to do twenty-five press-ups. After that, I ran until I pant before I stop just long enough to recover before another run. After going around that hill, it was downhill most of the time. It is at such times that I meet other friends coming up the hill with smiles and laughter part of the way down.

Almost every morning, that hill in Taman Semarak is my exercise and rejuvenation spot, one of the places where I ensure my body and self remain young always.

You know, when I was forty years of age and jogging around my housing estate, I was told to walk as I was no long young. I told those well-intentioned but wrongly informed people that I would walk the day I cannot run, not till then. Well, to this day, as you can see I still am able to run. That is because our body is as young as we want it to be.

During my earlier years, I looked at some old guys who walked so slowly, with shortened steps and wondered if that was to be my fate. I gathered knowledge and realised that our muscles and tendons shorten without use. However, should we move with long quick strides, the muscles and tendons remain long and flexible. So, I determine never to allow my muscles and tendons in almost every part of my body shorten and weaken by moving and strengthening them consistently.

Even strength can gradually fade away if we do not use our muscles for lifting or carrying heavy things. That is my experience. There was I time when I was too busy pursuing other things and neglected this part of my programme. My muscles became flabby and smaller as strength became lesser and lesser. My alarm bells rang after a sudden game of badminton with some friends and I realised that I had lost much of my stamina and strength. Not only that! The next morning found my legs too painful and stiff, unable to get up like normal after squating down in the toilet, more like some sickly old man. Well, when it comes to muscles and tendons, it is truly use them or lose them.

I learned that lesson well and since that day I regularly use my dumbbells and power twister to maintain the strength of the upper parts of my body. This world just isn't the place to stagnate too long.

Furthermore, with strength, stamina and a healthy body in tip-top condition, you will find that you can take part in any activity anywhere with just anybody, anytime. Isn't that what all of us want? Certainly, because with such involvement comes joy and happiness unlimited, the one great eventual goal in life.

I believe all of you agree. However, if you don't, just drop me an email and I will tell you more about that.