By Jaime Joshi Elder
Indiana Jones and 87-year-old Kenneth Borow might be miles apart from one each other in terms of what they did for a living, the places they’ve been and the fact that Indiana Jones is a fictional character and Kenneth is a very real resident of luxury senior community Wellington Bay but they have one thing in common (besides rugged good looks) – a belief that in life, it’s not the years that matter but rather, the mileage.
For his birthday, Kenneth celebrates the occasion by riding his bicycle the number of miles he’s turning and this year, Kenneth rode for 87 miles throughout Palm Beach County. That’s the equivalent of cycling to Port St. Lucie and back.
Kenneth’s journey inspired Wellington Bay’s Director of Business Development Dana Ray and for her 54th birthday, Dana will be riding 54 miles.
“When Kenneth told me about his most recent birthday ride, it inspired me to set a personal goal: riding 54 miles for my own birthday. I plan on riding on Sunday, October 26,” she said. “We have such a vibrant, active lifestyle at Wellington Bay and I hope Kenneth’s story will inspire others who may not think they can accomplish such goals.”
Dana rode through the Village of Wellington.
“The highlights were riding through the Wellington Preserve Park and riding through the Aero Club. I finished off through Wellington Bay to get a picture with Ken and then, the ride to my house put me at 54.78 miles. The ride took a total of 4 hours & 55 minutes,” Dana said. “I hope between Ken and me, we can inspire everyone to do a bike your age on your birthday! It’s definitely going to be a new tradition for me and I know I will be doing this till I can’t anymore.”
Setting goals paired with physical activity is an important part of staying mentally and physically fit.
As we age, our bodies naturally slow down and our joints start to wear with osteoarthritis affecting over half of Americans over the age of 80 but activities like cycling can help.
“Staying active will help keep the knee joint moving, improve strength and reduce pain, allowing you to ease some of the side effects of arthritis,” said Dr. Jonathan Shaw, a local hip and knee orthopedic surgeon at the Palm Beach Orthopaedic Institute. “Living with knee arthritis can be challenging, but staying active is key to managing the condition. Movement like bicycle riding helps maintain joint flexibility, reduces stiffness and alleviates pain, which will ultimately improve your quality of life.”
