Ian's Story

I read in this newspaper that said a lot of old people deteriorate because they give up they say ‘Ohh I’m too old to that now,’ you know. You gotta be positive. You gotta get out and do it. Everybody used to smoke when I was younger, it was normal, it was unusual if you didn’t smoke, you know and um I was a taxi driver for 25-30 years, you’re breathing in diesel fumes. I have COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). My lungs are at 45% of full capacity and so I get a bit short of breath. When I was young they used to say you’ll live until 70 well I’m just about 68 now. I’d like to think that I have got more than 2 years left you know and I’d like most of those years to be active. I don’t want to be sat in this chair where I cannot do anything you know and um watching rubbish on the television all day. I try to do exercise to keep myself physically healthy and strong. I suppose I’ve never really been a morning person, I did a lot of working nights, and I just don’t feel like chucking all my clothes on, getting home and going to the gym. So, I do a lot of short exercises, a minute or two. Sit ups, press ups, all the basic things. I give a bit of a rest in between, maybe a cup of tea. Probably drink too many cups of tea in the morning but I think that’s a minor vice compared to some other things you know. This flat always looks a tip in the morning you know, so you do a minute or two of exercise then you go hand the coat up or I left my swing gear on the floor I’ll go hang it on the line outside. I have weights that I do stretches with, and the weight just makes it a bit more than a stretch, makes it a bit of an exercise. It’s almost like you’ve oiled all of the joints and you stretch things out, then you can do things in the day. I got a bike now, but I have to have an electric one because the old one when it came to the hills it was a bit too much. I like to go to Asia now, they’re very interesting cultures. People tend to exercise early in the morning before it gets too hot. You go to the park and see the people doing all these movements and you just join in. I like to do Tai Chi, this nice gentle exercise. When you do that you switch off to everything around about you. Go out and face the day. Do a bit in the afternoon, hopefully get to the pool and a sauna around about tea time. That’s it, that’s my day.