4 the Better
Bite-sized motivation and inspiration in 4 minutes
Welcome to the inaugural edition of 4 the Better: 4 knowledge and motivational tidbits under 4 minutes that will—hopefully—make your life better or at least give you a boost.
Diana Nyad. I remember her name from the 1970s, but somehow her unimaginable accomplishment in 2013 totally escaped me. If you haven’t yet seen her eponymous Netflix movie, NYAD, do it now. I’ll wait. It is such an inspiring movie on so many different levels, I almost don’t know where to start.
I’ll assume you know that she is an accomplished long-distance ocean marathon swimmer turned sportscaster, author, motivational speaker, and all-around tour de force. What you may not know is that upon turning 60, Nyad decided to go after her failed dream of swimming from Cuba to Key West, Florida. She first attempted this swim—a distance of over 110 miles, which is the equivalent of five trips across the English Channel, and called by some “the Mount Everest of swims”—at age 28 to cap her unparalleled career, and was defeated. She hung up her goggles for 30 years. The film chronicles the resurrection of her swimming and training, as well as her five agonizing attempts to cross the treacherous ocean between Cuba and Florida.
Spoiler alert. At the age of 64 (let that sink in), 52 hours, 54 minutes after she launched herself into the waters off of Havana on her fifth attempt, she stumbled onto Smathers Beach in Key West. Her motto to “never, ever give up” and rallying cry “onward!” propelled her through the four failures that preceded her final, epic triumph and serves as an inspiration of what we are all capable of if we desire and persevere. No matter our age.
Clearly Nyad is a physiological anomaly that most of us mere mortals are not; but against all conventional wisdom she credits her unfathomable success to her age: the victory that evaded her at 28 was a result of her 64-year-old mind and cultivated determination. Neither physical or mental weakness is necessarily inevitable if we choose and endeavor otherwise.
Another massive dose of motivation comes from the movie itself, which is not only very well done, but also provides two compelling behind-the-scenes stories of the lead actors’ own physical transformations. Annette Bening serendipitously was the same age as Nyad, 64, when she assumed the nerve-wracking role. She trained for a year to develop an authentic swimmer’s physique and the capacity to be able to do the majority of water scenes herself, even in the ocean, sometimes swimming up to eight hours a day. Imagine, going from a non-athlete to world-class athlete shape in her mid-60s. (Let that sink in!)
Likewise, Jodie Foster was 60 years old when she undertook the role of Nyad’s coach and best friend, ex-professional racquetball player Bonnie Stoll. She, too, physically immersed herself in the preparation for her role, training, eating, and even taking the same kind of supplements as her onscreen persona.
Both my husband and I have now watched the movie three times, each time more inspired than the last. This story speaks our language: it is absolutely within our power to achieve excellence, strive for dreams, and fulfill our potential no matter our age or lot in life...as long as you never, ever give up.
The top three forms of exercise that have been proven to be associated with an increased lifespan are tennis, aerobics, and (you guessed it) swimming. In addition to being low impact and highly aerobic, swimming has a multitude of benefits including improving heart health, increasing overall strength, and aiding flexibility, while still remaining gentle enough for young and old alike.
Speaking of exercising, several accumulated “movement snacks” of 10 minutes a bite throughout the day are as beneficial as one long stretch and are critical to overall health and well-being. Time is simply not a reason—or an excuse—not to improve your cardiorespiratory and cardiometabolic health. Go for a walk, lift something heavy, take the stairs—pick your snack and move!
