May the Force be with You...

Plug in to Power up...

It’s a sunny Saturday in London, a week out from a historic coronation, and the place is buzzing. Mind you, a bank holiday weekend and some sunshine are enough to make Brits come out of the woodwork.

We start the day with brekkie at my daughter's club. Not a stuffy London men's club, Soho House is a high-vibe club for creative media types with 'houses' worldwide. We find a couch on the rooftop beside the pool covered with umbrellas and a view of Australia House behind us.

I am warming to the city vibe.

Don’t get too settled.

Time to move. Much to see.

Nothing like a tour guide daughter instead of having to reacquaint ourselves with narrow London streets.

To Claridge's for an art exhibition.

To Regent Street to capture the iconic red bus under coronation bunting in brilliant Spring sunshine.

To Covent Garden to admire the bunting in the market.

Around the corner to check out her workplace, the glitzy, glamorous Peloton Studios in Floral Street, Covent Garden. Apple Store for fitness geeks.

It doesn't disappoint. White marble reception, leather couches, a big screen broadcasting a class, and a Peloton store to the right.

Members come and go to live classes. It's very vibey, and I am excited to be here finally.

We go upstairs to see the member’s bar; the very bar that my daughter still jokes is called Maraka's Juice Bar in her honour. She's been at Peloton since day one in the UK and mightn't know everyone by name, but they certainly know her—my little girl from small-town Australia, a Senior Manager here in London.

I am invigorated by the sheer energy of the city.

The next day, we head to the countryside, my forever happy place, to hike.

I want to understand exactly why hiking makes me feel so good, so I pay close attention to my senses.

As we start today's hike, a burbling brook rushes towards a mill pond to sit still and calm itself, waiting its turn to head over the gate to power the water wheel. I pause to capture that distinctive tinkle of flowing water.

We move on and settle into a rhythmic pace to head up a long steady incline. The slow burn is rewarded by a spectacular panorama over the High Weald, undulating farmland carved up by hedging, to the hazy horizon. I stop, breathe, and soak it in.

Concert hall silence is interrupted by sweet-sounding birdsong - the silvery, crystal tune of the robin, a wren's loud burst of song with a tell-tale machine gun rattle towards the end or the melancholy vocals of a warbler. A small bird harmonious choir signalling Spring has arrived.

Straggly fleeced sheep move out of our way, one posing coyly for my camera, a ram interacting with hubby as if a pet and ewes bleating intensely, their way of communicating with and protecting their newborns.

Brilliant sunshine amplifies wildflowers, bluebells still taking centre stage, daisies or upside-down miniature suns soaking up what's left of the colour yellow after the rape seed fields have had their fill.

On the other hand, Dandelions have lost their yellow, turning to white globes of exposed seeds called "puffballs" ready to be blown in the wind. The meadows are alive with wildlife-attracting colour and cover.

The Spring sunshine bakes and drys the mushy mud leaving only minor stretches to test our boy scout problem-solving skills.

The end is in sight, and I check Hubby's navigation app. Different coloured tracks of completed hikes are overlaid with new tracks visit after visit. It's like new neurological pathways being built in our brains.

That familiar invigoration creeps up on me again. It's the sheer joy of hiking in nature, 'involuntary attention' being effortlessly delighted by glimpses of sunshine, whiffs of farm animals, breaths of wind or tinkles, tweets and tunes.

I love this feeling and want to explore it further.

Invigorate: to give vigour to; fill with life and energy; energise

How can I create more of it, and what has it got to do with aging?

One of the articles from today's Extraordinary Aging’s - Five things Friday titled Tiredness of Life stopped me in my tracks.

I can't imagine being tired of life, but I also am not willing to judge another without walking in their shoes.

COVID has knocked us, but we all have it in us to rejuvenate, re-energise, and live with Peak Life Energy.

Dr John Diamond, author of The Body Doesn't Lie and Life Energy, talks about helping his patients activate their Life Energy at any age. He calls it 'our will to be well'. According to Diamond, the misunderstood Thymus Gland is at the seat of this Life Force. To the Greeks, thymos meant Life Energy. It is our Life Force, Vital Force, Vital Energy. Medicine can keep people alive. They move, they breathe, but are they really alive?

The Thymus sits behind the sternum and plays a vital role in the immune system, making T-cells and B-cells. Science always considered the gland's role to be over in early adulthood.

In his seminal work, The Stress of Life, Hans Selye notes that the body's first response to stress is the shrinkage of the thymus gland.

Science now thinks that the drastic reduction in the thymic output of naïve T cells around the age of 65 may directly correlate with an exponential increase in mortality from age-related diseases and infectious diseases.

Recent research has focused on whether therapies can regenerate the thymus and reverse age-related decline.

However, Dr John Diamond has been telling us for many years that regenerating the thymus is within our control. We don't have to wait for therapies.

He describes in detail the energy systems of the body and how to tap into them to restore our 'will to be well'. Once the 'will to be well' is activated, we would no longer want to do the things that reduce that life energy.

Over the past week, I have tasted Peak Life Energy.

From mingling with London creatives to experiencing the hot, sweaty and exhilarating Peloton vibe to being nurtured by nature, I have found ways to plug into power sources to regenerate.

Diamond also says that we shouldn't focus on what to do but rather 'who we want to be' and then allow that state to guide our actions. Why would we choose anything but Peak Energy?

Life is a continuous process of selecting one line of action and rejecting another - H.S. Jennings

Well, I keep finding powerfully fit women kicking goals way into their 90s to inspire me to think, 'I'll have what they’re having'.

Lauren Bruzzone, the 75-year-old Cross Fit Champ (not 99 as has been reported) who only started in 2014, is still a star.

Mildred Wilson has just completed her 4th Tough Mudder at 84

Ruby Rose, at 92, recently travelled from her home in the USA to London Peloton Studios to do a live ride with her favourite instructor Sam Yo.

I intend to continue to seek out and plug into my power sources and encourage others to seek and plug into their power sources as we Age with Attitude!

This post is brought to you by my Dad, 91 today, and his power source, golf. He is my inspiration to Make Every Day Count.

My favourite Substacks of the week:

Our Attitude to middle age, learning and work sucks - Can we change it by Bec Wilson, Epic Retirement

It’s the End of Retirement as We Know it… by Brian Clark, Longevity Gains

Keys to Empowering Women in the Weight Room by Carla Digirolamo, Athletic Aging