Are you aging well?
Last week I gave a talk on longevity. I was asked to speak on the areas of health and fitness that will allow you to age well and have a good quality of life as you do. I wanted to share my ideas from that talk with you, so below are four areas of focus that should help you age gracefully.
First up is movement. Most of us don’t dream of becoming a couch potato. We want to see the world, have adventures, and have a lot of fun doing it. Or maybe we want to just enjoy our favorite hobbies or even better, spend our time teaching and serving others. Most of that will likely require you to move your body. It can be rather hard to take on the world if you can’t lift yourself off the couch. Therefore a big goal of your fitness programs should be simply to move well. Your training should promote joint mobility and stability, balance and coordination, and strength. Don’t let your body become a prison because you can move well enough to perform basic tasks. Your body is a gift from God. Show him that you appreciate it.
Next on the list is cardiovascular/cardiorespiratory health. Let’s say that you have the first point down. You have balance, strength, and an ideal range of motion at all your joints. However, you can’t walk down the street very far or up a few flights of stairs without getting severely winded. If that’s the case, you haven’t been training your heart and lungs. That or you haven’t been doing it properly. Doing cardio regularly should build up the systems that give you endurance for your day. You should have a solid aerobic base that will allow you maintain activity for at least 30 minutes straight. Also, you should be able to occasionally tap into your anaerobic systems by doing higher intensity work, without causing damage to your body. This type of training will improve your stamina and help reduce your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease. However, we’ll need to pair that with healthy eating so we’ll talk about that next.
Most of us know that we’re supposed to eat healthy foods. Yet, some don’t do it, even though they know all of the benefits. They claim it’s too difficult, too time consuming, or too expensive. All of that is relative to your perspective, but at the end of that thought you should ask yourself one question. Am I worth it? I hope you answer yes. I know people that will feed their kids nutritious foods, but will eat foods off the banned list when the kids aren’t around. Why is that? Usually it’s enjoyment for them. The bad choice is tasty. You shouldn’t have to hide in a closet to eat your favorite foods, or have to wait for your spouse to take a work trip. Meals can be both tasty and nutritious. And if you don’t agree, I’d probably say that you haven’t tried hard enough. Pick foods that have value, then find tasty ways to prepare them that doesn’t strip away the value. This will likely require a lot of research and experimenting, but that’s only until you’ve gained the knowledge you need to make the meals. The more you do this, the larger your cookbook will become. Then you’ll only need to branch out when you’re bored or want something new. And remember … you’re worth it. And so are the friends and family members that may possibly follow your example.
Last on our list is stress management. We’ll all know that stress is a part of our lives. We have to deal with the situations that come our way. That being said, do you have a plan to deal with the mental and physical challenges in your life? Or do you let them build until you break or form bad coping habits? If stress can come in both mental and physical forms, then so should our reduction methods. Find things to calm your mind and relax your body. Reading can be a good method. I like to read scriptures to refocus my thoughts. Listening to soothing music and enjoying time with friends and family can be good options as well. And let’s not forget prayer. If you want to deal more with the physical side, try to do things that relax your body. Stretching can be one. Relaxing your muscles can help relax your mind, especially if the tightness is in your neck. If you have nervous energy, then you may want to move around a bit. Burn some of that energy by doing a workout, playing a sport, or simply going for a walk or bike ride. You should also make sure you’re getting enough sleep. Sometimes your body is just tired and needs to recover. Shoot for 7 to 8 hours a night as best as you can and don’t be afraid to take a nap. Whichever method you pick, make sure that it’s not something that will leave you more stressed than when you started. The goal is to manage and reduce the stress in your life, not add to it.
If you can manage your stress, pick the right foods, strengthen your heart and lungs, and develop and maintain a highly mobile and capable body, I believe you’ll be able to say that you’ve aged gracefully. I recognize that we can’t control everything, but having a goal keeps us focused and driven. And having good health sure seems useful at any age.
