Do you remember as a child anticipating your upcoming birthday and being impatient for it to arrive? Do you feel the same way now that you are older?
As we age we become increasingly aware of our mortality, and with age we experience more apparent signs that we are aging, such as graying hair or lines around our eyes. We move toward degeneration rather than toward generative growth.
Fortunately, we live in a time when aging can remain an adventurous journey toward life quality and joy, since we can be healthy and productive well into our 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s.
When I was a child, I remember watching my 60-year-old grandmother, gray haired and a bit stooped over, looking like a very old shrunken woman. She was often grouchy which, I know, retrospectively, came from her frail state of health.
I watched my Mother age when she was in her late 60’s with various ailments like arthritis, loss of hearing, and then with progressive loss of memory when she turned 80.
When my husband turned 60, he began to think about retiring and talked as if we were getting old. I quickly stepped in and admonished him for his dismissing his dreams and aspirations stretching into the future. I told him that when I reflected on my own future, I could not imaging giving up the work I love, the activities I so enjoy, and the life we have. I realized that I continue to envision a future in many of the same ways I did when I was in college. I love learning and exploring; I always push my own goals and success points, and I hone t
hem until I feel that I have reached a high level of competence and have internalized the skill. I continue to look forward toward the future and continued health.
Why is 70 the new 50? It is because we now have health technology and procedures that facilitate healthy life styles well into the 80’s and 90’s. Procedures like knee and hip replacements, stem cell regeneration procedures, face lifts using minimally invasive techniques, hair dyes that are safe, and knowledge about eating, supplements, and exercise all go a long way to assuring that health is maintained and optimal for anyone who takes the time and energy to spend time in daily self-care.
One of the most beneficial anti-aging practices is meditation. In the early 1960’s Maharishi Mahesh Yogi brought Transcendental Meditation to the West and popularized it. The explosion of meditation and the spread and popularization of yoga and healthy diets initiated a new awareness of the mind/body interaction and this energy spread to become part of mainstream medical and psychological practices.
If you want to remain young in spirit, begin a program of daily self care today. Eat a healthy diet, maintain a low body weight (one of the major markers for longevity), meditate daily, exercise, and most importantly look toward a healthy future filled with new dreams and aspirations. You are able to live a healthy life happy life well into old age feeling internally youthful and resilient. If you need help achieving this goal, email or call me today. ([email protected] or (310) 403-4347).