There's an old English proverb which goes; 'a man is not old until his dreams become his regrets'. Oh how true is that statement. In fact when I was trekking in the Nepalese Himalayas some years ago, I had to admit defeat at one peak as I just didn't have the strength to go on. I was just 37 years old at the time and reasonably good shape, but the altitude, the thin air, and the extreme cold temperatures had gotten the better of me.

That was until a young trekker on his way back down told me I had to continue as there were 2 ladies at the summit in their 70's celebrating their achievement with a communal picnic for all who cared to join them.

There was no way on this earth that I was going to be beaten by a couple of old gals and I suddenly found myself with this new vigor which got me back on my feet and pushed me to the limits until I finally collapsed exhausted at the top.

Alas, the 2 pensioners had since moved on and were descending down the North side on the peak, but this incident showed me that we have more get-up-and-go in us than we realise, if only we push ourselves that extra mile. I also came to the conclusion that a lot of fitness and wellness is to do with the state of mind. Sure, it's important to know your limits, but there's so much hype around these days telling us that this is dangerous and too much of that can lead to complications etc. It's little wonder sometimes that we’re developing into a planet of weaklings.

This thing with the old ladies also pushed aside that old excuse that many of us use from forty upwards which is regretting never having done something and using age as an excurse to make that regret but a lost opportunity. Fitness and wellness in human beings does not cease to be just because we get older. Now I'm not suggesting that a 101 year old great grandmother of 16 should start bunji jumping every weekend, but I am talking about perspective here.

The time has come folks to reintroduce drive and vitality back into their lives. It's time to kick procrastination out of bed and replace it with zest, gusto, a new lease on life, and a refusal to grow old and frail just because the media tells to take it easy while the young take over. Obviously, if you are going to start 'moving' again after years of inaction, it's imperative that you inform your physician prior to pursuing any major changes to life style, but if you care anything about your fitness and wellbeing, you will go to any lengths to re-kick start your life back into meaning, no matter what.

Forget the zillions of armchair diets, as it is not they that will get your fitness and wellness back on track, it's activity. Refuse to kick back and give up on life. Get out of God's waiting room and back into the playground of life. With a little change in attitude and guidance from those in the know, a whole new you can be reborn if you want it badly enough. The next chapter doesn't have to be grim and great things will truly materialize if your work for them.

Just before closing, I want to make reference back to my opening paragraphs. I was on a backpacking tour of the West Asia at that time and I literally lost count on how many retired couples I came across that had sold their family homes, reinvested in smaller more suitable dwellings and were using the money they made from the downgrade to globe trot around the world. All these older folks had one thing in common. There were doing something they had always dreamt about and refusing to accept that their dreams as youngsters were to remains as dreams just because they were much older.

Fitness and wellness is quite often centered in the mind. Healthy mind, healthy body. It’s a fact that folks who are active and have a real appetite for living get a lot less physical and mental health issues than those that don't. What about you? Are you ready to open the next chapter in your life's journey?

Hidie Snookes is a proficient author for the website HealthGusto.com where she writes on such health issues as Modern Health Spas and Health Questions . She also has many other 'health' related pieces on the site.