So much of our behavior is dictated by our thoughts, and aging is no different. How you think influences how we feel, and this influences how we move physically and how we interact in this world.
We all know the 80 year old who is young at heart, and the 50 year old who is mentally ready for the retirement home.
My Dad was an active cyclist until leukemia took him at 83. Even right up until his diagnosis he pressed on doing his 50 km per day.
I used to laugh when he complained about some of the old riders, those in their 60’s who couldn’t keep up. When Dad was in hospital I asked him what had driven him to cycle for decades, and he simply said he loved it.
His passion for cycling kept him young physically and mentally, some of the women cyclists joked he had the best legs in the cycle group.
I’m now sixty and my passion is martial arts. I train daily and also with 2 groups. I train hard and it hurts later, but I love it, and when I train with a young 30 or 40 year old I feel just the same.
Aging is every bit a mental game as a physical game. If mentally you feel old then why would you exercise, why would you eat well, and why would you make the effort to go out and have fun or meet people.
Beware of labels, such as old, or decrepit, or aging, because words are very powerful, and they can help you or harm you.
A university study had two groups walk down a corridor and go into separate rooms. One group read a short story about youth and spring and happiness, the other group read a story about old age and winter and sadness.
The two groups left the building. The test was to measure how long each person took to walk into the building, and then how long to walk out.
The happy youthful story group walked out faster than the sad old story group who slowed down. This is a great example of the power of words to influence our physical actions. So I wonder what words do you use to describe your age, or your energy or your health? And perhaps you can delete some words from your mind and add in some others which will keep you young.
Wishing you Vibrant Health
Ian & Dr Susan Newton