What’s wrong with growing old? (Part 2)
Growing up
I dreaded getting old!
It all stemmed from the idea that getting old meant I would
become demented and frail.
At a young age, my grandma told me over and over again
that she was old – she was only 50 years old.
Please know, my loving grandma appeared healthy and
fit at that time, however, as time progressed she stopped taking proper care of
herself. She stopped eating properly and dropped her exercise routine at the
local JCC.
Soon after, she unfortunately developed dementia and
became very weak. It was difficult for me to witness, as I noticed she began to
give up more and more in the following weeks after her diagnosis. It seemed as
if she was spending more of her time and energy visiting different doctors and
taking a plethora of different medications.
Looking back, I wish she took better care of herself
in the process of her medical treatment. As I currently approach that age, I
realize that does not have to be my fate. I have made the concrete decision to
dedicate myself to self-care and longevity, by taking care of my body no matter
the cost.
Healthy Seniors
Fortunately, during my
practice I have met a multitude of seniors who are living beyond well. They
travel, drive, live independently, and can walk without assistance. One has
even hiked the entire Appalachian trail (approximately 2200 miles from Georgia
to Maine) and Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341 feet elevation). Others power lift (heavier than what you would possibly expect – look out
Dwayne Johnson).
Most importantly they have energy and feel good. That’s my new definition of
getting older – energized and fabulous.
I see many folks who will
do anything NOT to look old. I realize that’s their choice and I respect it.
I also realize it’s just
that…(drum roll please) YOU have the power to choose. The power of choice you
have can include: dying your hair, getting Botox or fillers (stay tuned, we
will chat about that next week!) or you can select having special elective
surgeries (chin, tummy tuck, etc).
On the other hand, you
can appreciate that your body is aging and take a common-sense approach to keeping
your body healthy and strong naturally.
Not that one way is
correct vs. the other. Regardless of what you choose, never underestimate the
power of taking care of yourself.
After all, have you ever
taken notice of a young person, who lives with stress, smokes and eats bad and they
look 20 years older than they actually are?
Contrast that with 50-year-old men
and women who look like they haven’t aged a day past 28 because of their
healthy lifestyles. Never underestimate the power of eating healthy, getting proper sleep
and exercising – it goes a long way.
My Health
Personally, I love that I
can exercise, sleep well and eat scrumptious healthy foods – resulting in my aging
more gracefully all together. Of course, there are times that my body doesn’t
always cooperate, and I don’t always sleep as soundly as I did as a teenager,
but I am more in tuned with my needs and am happy to move to the beat of my own
drum regardless if they are standard for my age or not.
Play time
When I am at
synagogue I like to run around and play with the kids. I love doing cartwheels
and hula hooping (of course not during services). I also love to dance
(macarena -bring it on). So, while many of the adults are sitting around
schmoozing, I’m NOT. Some people have made favorable comments, but either way I
am just happy I can still do these things and want to keeping doing them,
because they’re fun and make me feel great.
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