Half is better than none

Maybe you’ve heard: 61-year-old Diana Nyad entered the water in Cuba Sunday intending to swim all the way to Florida — about 103 miles. But roughly halfway there, after 29 hours in the water, Nyad had to stop.

Her shoulder ached, her asthma had flared and wind and currents were pushing her off course, news reports and her website said. With about 50+ miles down and another 50 or so to go, her support team pulled her from the water.

What she accomplished (and tried) made me think about an approach to fitness that another 60+ woman told me about years ago. I was interviewing her for a story on exercising after 60, and she told me about a “boot camp” class  she’d started taking.

She said she couldn’t always keep up with the younger participants in the class, and when she first started, she thought she’d have a heart attack running laps. But instead of quitting, she slowed down, took breaks and exercised at a pace that worked for her.

She didn’t worry if she finished only half the exercises, at least not at first. Half is a lot better than none.

You can read more about Nyad on her website, diananyad.com.

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