It’s Healthy to Put a Good Spin on Your Life

Bill Baker spent a weekend last May running 22 miles and biking 52 while training for a triathlon—his 107th. Hours later he was in the hospital with a heart attack. Doctors told him not to drive for six months, much less do any endurance training.

His first reaction was despair and to tell his wife and friends that one of the most important aspects of his life had been ripped away.

Conversations with a relative and a...