.jpg)
Aging is not an illness. Old Age is not a disease. But there are payments due on funds received, since growing older does increase your chances of developing certain health problems (depending on how well you prepared for the inevitable while you are younger). You also have an army of medications to treat the health problems associated with this sector of the population.
Since the best revenge is to live well, living to a happy, healthy, vibrant old age may be just the thing to drive your enemies bonkers - and you benefit too!
Even though it is never too late to start taking better care of yourself, check with your health provider to make sure you're well enough for certain activities or if there are certain foods you may have to avoid. If you are still relatively young, this is the best time to make a change for the better...and make it a lifetime habit.
There are some theories on the causes of aging such as: DNA/genetic, neuroendocrine, free radical/oxidation, cross-linking, immune, telomere, stem cell, and cell metabolic. Regardless which of these prove correct, your own positive attitude about the process of life is going to make all the difference. Rolling into your grave with quiet resignation at age 50 or gleefully jumping in at 90 is only a matter of perspective.
The following is from the book "Healthy Aging" by Dr. Andrew Weil (Pub. Alfred A Knopf, New York, 2005 pages 239-240).
I thought it might be useful to condense the prescriptive advice in this book to a bare-bones list of instructions. Here they are:
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet.
- Use dietary supplements wisely to support the body's defenses and natural healing power.
- Use preventive medicine intelligently: know your risks of age-related disease, get appropriate diagnostic and screening tests and immunizations, and treat problems (like elevated blood pressure and cholesterol) in their early stages.
- Get regular physical activity throughout life.
- Get adequate rest and sleep.
- Learn and practice methods of stress protection.
- Exercise your mind as well as your body.
- Maintain social and intellectual connections as you go through life.
- Be flexible in mind and body: learn to adapt to losses and let go of behaviors no longer appropriate for your age.
- Thank about and try to discover for yourself the benefits of aging.
- Do not deny the reality of aging or put energy into trying to stop it. Use the experience of aging as a stimulus for spiritual awakening and growth.
- Keep an ongoing record of the lessons you learn, the wisdom you gain, and the values you hold. At critical points in your life, read this over, add to it, revise it, and share it with people you care about.
Want more info about these suggestions by Dr. Weil? Make your request in the "comments" box and it could show up in a future article.
Comments