Ken Lindsey: We need to socialize

Ken Lindsey, 82, is known to some as a proponent of Senior Olympics, a proponent of healthy living.

Lindsey is vice chairman of New Mexico Senior Olympics.

In addition to being physically active he continues in his career as a doctor of chiropractic, a career he plans on tending to until his retirement ... in 2041.

Lindsey is also a certified clinical hypnotherapist specializing in overactive bladder syndrome.

The News caught up with Lindsey via email and text as he was in an Amarillo medical facility undergoing treatment but recovering from stage four metastatic cancer.

Q: What is the importance of staying active as a senior?

A: The movement of all joints in the body equals helping the joint increase the availability of the body's form of "WD-40,"synovial fluid, which lubricates. The articulation, the movement, keeps the joints functioning with as little discomfort as possible.

If you stop moving your joints, you will be decreasing the range, the extent of movement and decrease the lubrication to keep on moving.

Q: What happens to the body if one chooses to not be active?

A: If you stop moving the joints, they become similar to mechanical joints as in your car, your lawn mower, and such.

It acts as if they are "rusty" not smooth, and they freeze up.

If you don't use it, you lose it.

Q: Social activity is just as important as physical activity to seniors?

A:  Back during the COVID days of 2020, when we were all "sentenced" to stay home, "hunker down," don't go to church, to school, to entertainment, to football, baseball, tennis games.

When we didn't go to social events, visit friends, family, or "play" in senior centers, libraries, school, or go to the Chamber of Commerce, city commission, County Commission meetings, we lost contact with who we are, what we love. The result was - we forgot what we are.

We are humans who have common goals and emotions.

We have a need for love for others, love for ourselves.

We have experienced a loss of love and respect for others.

We have been taught to fear contact and love of our peers.

We have been encouraged or forced to not go to our churches and continue our bond with our heavenly Father.

The result is our country experienced a dramatic increase in our suicide rates for senior population.  We also experienced a dramatic increase in suicide rates of our adolescent population secondary to loss of socialization with others.

We are "herd instinct" beings constantly needing communication with each other.

We need each other for activities.

We can do activities at home and alone.

But it is better that we do activities with other human beings to achieve our maximum potential.

We sometimes need to practice alone but we'll always be more healthy when we're sharing physical, verbal and emotional activities together.

Q: And you have more to add to this importance of socialization.

A: There is a term, "synergisticle action."  It means that thoughts/physical activity done by one will equal "one unit of success."

Some believe emotional activities by two or three or more will increase to a level of six to 10 success rates.

We require interaction of others to achieve health, happiness and emotional success.