The Importance of Thinking (and Acting) Young
When you think about aging and wellness, what thoughts do you hold? Does it seem inevitable to you that your physical strength will diminish and your energy decline as you age? Do you expect to be ill more frequently and for longer periods of time? When you get injured, do you think that it will take longer to heal at your age? I hear these ideas expressed by people all the time. I’ve had them suggested to me we when I broke my toe recently or felt fatigued because I had cut my sleeping short for a couple of consecutive nights.
Studies show that these expectations do not have to hold true. Experts in body/mind healing such as Deepak Chopra confirm this.
So why do many people experience these outcomes? Often it’s a combination of lifestyle changes and thoughts. As we age, many of us are less active, and we lose muscle as a result of our more sedentary lifestyle. In turn, we gain weight because we don’t reduce our food portions although we’ve reduced our activity levels. Less muscle and increased weight drains our energy more quickly, so we feel tired more often. Our reflexes suffer and we can’t respond as quickly as we used to, so we may get hurt more easily. Yet rather than recognize our role in all of this, we chalk it up to aging, which only exacerbates the problem!
I urge you to deny any thought or suggestion that your health and abilities must decline in any way as you age. You CAN be well as you gain years and wisdom. Do your part to care for yourself. Look for opportunities to move, nourish yourself with a balanced diet of healthy foods in moderate portions, and listen to your body. Rest when you need to and follow your doctor’s advice. Finally, decide to expect the best, and you can achieve the best!
This post is written by Joanne Deck, CWC of Nurture You.
September 18 2008 04:08 pm | aging wellness and baby boomer diet and baby boomer fitness and baby boomer health and boomer diet and boomer fitness and boomer health and boomer wellness and elderly exercise and food wellness and senior diet and senior exercise and senior health