HEALTH & WELLNESS

David Wright joined his father Jim Wright for part of his cross country bicyle ride.

SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Jim Wright

Melbourne cyclist home after 47-day ride — 3,800 miles

BY MARIA SONNENBERG

When most people travel from one coast of the United States to another, they usually do so via plane, or perhaps by car or train. Jim Wright, on the other hand, travels by bicycle.

The 73-year-old Melbourne resident wound his way from Portland, as in Oregon, to Portland, as in Maine, during a 47-day bike ride that began June 1 and ended July 16.

That is a lot of pedaling, as Wright will acknowledge when he discussed the daily grind of the trip.

“I started each day at 5:30 a.m. to prepare for the day’s ride,” he said.

Every morning, he had to pack bags, pump up tires, mount bike lights, set up the route computer and go through the day’s briefing with the Trek Travel guides that arranged the trip for the group of 22 riders. The first stop took place after 20 miles of cycling.

“There, I top off water in my water bottle and consume a few snacks; and repeat this trek about two more times until lunch,” he said.

After lunch, Wright had two or three more 15- to 20-mile rides before arriving at lodgings for the night. Here, Wright would eat, relax, update the running blog he kept of the journey and then get ready to start all over again.

Senior Life SUDOKU

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SENIOR LIFE Courtesy of Jim Wright

Jim Wright and his son David pause for a break during a cross county bike ride.

“This scenario was the same nearly every day, except for the four rest days,” he added.

The retired engineer, who averaged 100 miles per day for the trip, took up the challenge at an age when many of his contemporaries prefer to exercise aboard a golf cart.

Cycling such long distances requires training, stamina and experience, all of which Wright has in abundance. He has been pedaling for 35 years, cycling an average of 150 miles per week locally on trips that may take him from Titusville to as far as Sanford.

Working with a personal trainer at Club Performax also helped him hone his cycling — and endurance — skills. Despite all the preparations, Wright found some of America a hard road to ride.

“The climbs through the mountains were much tougher than I expected,” he said.

When Wright’s son, David, was 12 years old, the two joined a group of 2,000 people who pedaled 2,000 miles in the year 2000. The adult David rode with his father for the last leg of the Portland-to-Portland ride.

“I was excited to join my dad for part of his adventure and get a flavor of what he’s been doing for the last six weeks,” David Wright said.

When asked if he plans a repeat performance, Wright is quick to answer.

“I am very pleased to have done this, but I see little reason to repeat this,” he said. SL

A steady flow of exercise should be part of any daily routine for young and old. In conjunction with a good nutritional program, physical activity is fundamental for well-being and should be carried well into the senior years.

In seniors, it promotes a high healthrelated quality of life that in older age is vital and a key for cognitive functions.

There are many reasons why maintaining an active lifestyle during the senior years is essential. Physical activity is the number one contributor to longevity, so it’s essential to stay dynamic and exercise.

“We have many physical activities for our residents,” said Destiny Badrak, the lifestyle director at Sonata Senior Living in Viera. “When I started here, I was surprised that most of the recreational programs revolved around exercising.”

Overall well-being is significantly higher when seniors include exercise as part of their daily routine. Staying active reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, helps with maintaining body weight, increases strength and bone health, as it retains muscle tone and makes them stronger.

There are many programs offered for seniors at Sonata — from a Walking Club, where residents walk a mile and gather in groups several times a day, to daily 10 a.m. Sit-and-Fit.

“We even have a Drummersize, with yoga balls and drumsticks to strengthen muscles and flexibility,” said Badrak who is also a trainer. “It’s so enjoyable seeing our seniors have great fun, as classes have become an everyday social gathering, where everyone looks forward to getting together and exercising with upbeat music, and our residents love it.”

Exercise doesn’t just enhance mobility, flexibility and balance to prevent falls, it creates for a better mind, mood and mental health, as it helps fight depression due to the endorphins exercise releases. It also reinforces social bonds and participating in workout programs makes for great recreational enjoyment and creating new friends.

Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits and to add increased quality of life.

A good idea is to seek the approval of a primary care physician before starting an exercise program. Organized exercise programs such as Aging Matters’ Bone Builders require a physician’s approval before starting.

“Our Bone Builders application is five pages long,” said Terry Stone, the program director for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program. “There is a page where your physician must sign off. We get references from a lot of physicians.”

Bone Builders operates in several locations in Brevard County. Its program includes balance, light hand weights and very low impact exercises. It has more than 300 boomer and senior participants in the free program. SL

SENIOR LIFE Klinton Landress

Daily exercise is the key to good health for seniors. Bone Builders operates in several locations in Brevard County.

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Aging Matters in Brevard is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit orginization recognized by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Area community caregiver center group dining at neighborhood sites Agency on Aging as the Lead Agency for senior services in Brevard County.Aging Matters in Brevard is a 501 ( c) (3) nonprofu organimtion recognized by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Area Agency on Aging as the LRad Agency for senior servues in Brevard County. www.AgingMattersBrevard.org Serving the Matters of Aging Since 1965 •