My New Life started in 2008 when I was 65 and was eligible for Medicare. After about 9 months of not being able to walk without being bent over and being in constant pain due to arthritis in my spine along with a bad case of sciatica, I had microsurgery on December 30th. In the recovery room I realized that all my pain was gone except for slight numbness in my big toe! I had gained quite a bit of weight due to not being able to move anything but hand to mouth. My hope and prayer prior to surgery was to be able to walk normally again.

After surgery I began walking a lot. That was the only exercise my surgeon allowed for the first year. I was living in Jamaica at the time and I got to know Kingston very well, walking as much as I could and totally enjoying the freedom. I felt I had been given a new chance at life and I wanted to do whatever I could to enjoy my life to the fullest.

After a couple decades away from martial arts, and after a lot of walking, I stopped in at the YMCA in Kingston and bumped into their Taekwondo class: Sidekicks (http://jamaicasidekicks.org/). That's when I restarted my involvement in the martial arts and I continued my yoga practices that began in 1971. With my "new back" I became more and more active when I found that I could not only walk but I could move in other ways. That is when I decided that I needed to share my experiences with other seniors, showing them that it is never too late. I am going strong and expect to be very active into the future.

This site is for anyone wanting to get up and get moving. It was originally planned for seniors but after studying the aging process, I find that the process starts at birth. So this site is for anyone wanting to live a fuller, more exciting life, and to those on the younger side, it is to avoid the pitfalls that lead to a debilitating old age. I want others to be able to tell their own stories about the Extreme activities that they engage in to make them younger. This site will attempt to provide a comprehensive guide for getting moving and for getting healthy(er).

We will cover topics on how you can get into better physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual* health. Click on the menu item for “The Plan” to help set up a road map to a happier and healthier life!

* not associated with any religion.