Aging Gracefully

The Fountain Of Youth – A Life’s Journey…

I admit there are many things in life we just cannot change and aging is one of them.

Although we cannot change the fact that we age, we can change how we age. The mere nature of our existence gives us options for aging healthfully. I am sure we all know of at least one person who seems to defy aging. Someone active and bright that keeps going, going and going. It’s a fact that we get older everyday. Starting today, regardless of our current age, we can live our lives to the fullest and begin healthful aging.

There are natural strategies that can slow the aging process and enable us to live our lives to the fullest. Research shows that natural strategies reduce the negative effects of aging both mentally and physically. Natural strategies are simple and relatively inexpensive if not totally free. The inclusion of natural strategies into our lives will reduce the negative effects of aging and enable us to live our lives to the fullest. Several of these strategies are listed below.

Stress Management…Unmanaged stress is linked to many physical and mental disorders including hypertension, cardiovascular, anxiety, insomnia, depression, and obesity. As we age, we take longer to recover from stressful events. This makes stress management techniques so beneficial. Stress management techniques are not complicated and include getting adequate amounts of sleep, using relaxation techniques, learning to slow down and setting priorities.

Physical Exercise…Research shows that regular daily physical activity provides awesome benefits for both the mind and the body. The beneficial results of daily exercise include improved strength, flexibility, reaction times, range of motion and balance. The less we exercise the less active we become and the more dependent we become on others. This results in less independence and reduced quality of life.

Mental Exercise… Mental Fitness will reduce if not prevent cognitive weakening. Where physical exercise strengthens your muscles, mental exercise strengthens your neurons. Mental exercise is simple using activities such as taking a class, learning something new, doing puzzles, a hobby, discussing world events, or even as simple as keeping a journal.

“Reach Out And Touch Someone”…Keeping in touch with loved ones, friends and neighbors is important for your psychological and emotional health. Cultivating friendships at any age will help maintain strong psychological health, self-worth and prevent depression. Just as important as staying in touch is the influence of touch, which has awe-inspiring healing abilities. Research shows that intimacy improves the quality of life. Acts of intimacy build connection and are both sexual as well as non-sexual such as hugging your spouse everyday, hugging your children everyday and just shaking hands with someone you greet.

Eat to live rather than live to eat...What we eat or what we don’t eat has a remarkable effect on our health and how we age. Simply include more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fiber, water and healthy fats while reducing red meats, simple sugars and unhealthy fats.

Supplement our health…Research shows that nutritional supplementation supports our mind, our bodies and slows down our aging process. Since we are unable to eat enough food to obtain the nutrients that our bodies require, nutritional supplementation will provide the needed support to our minds and bodies. Nutritional supplementation includes essential vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.

Live for today…Discover contentment and enjoy life. Simply accepting the fact that we are getting older and that we cannot stop the clock will reduce the negative effects of aging and enable us to find contentment in all that we do. Play with your pets, friends and loved ones. Live for the present and find comfort in friends, family, laughter, the outdoors and connecting with nature.

Our abilities will change as we age. Yet we can age gracefully, healthfully and live our lives to the fullest by making adjustments along the way. n