 Like it or not, we are all getting older. Biologically, age affects us all and catches up to us eventually, whether we want it to or not. So where do we find the fountain of youth? Well, I’m not prepared to direct you much further than to that 3 or 4 inches between your ears, for within that space we can determine much about our aging and discover our inner “fountain of youth”.
Your attitude is a complex mental state involving beliefs, feelings, values and dispositions to act in certain ways. We all have the choice of our attitude. We can be angry because we don’t feel like we used to or don’t function like we used to. We can choose to be cheerful and thankful, or grouchy and cranky. It really is up to us to determine our attitude. And the beauty of choosing the cheerful and thankful attitude is in the returns.
It’s been said, “A happy heart makes a face cheerful” and “a cheerful look brings joy to the heart.” It’s hard to look at a smiling face and not smile yourself. It also is hard to be grumpy around a cheerful person. If we choose to be cheerful and choose to be happy, our body will respond in a positive manner. This is called good mental health. So, smiling can be a good stimulus to a cheerful attitude and it usually is infectious. When we are happy people, others will choose to be around us as well. When we are grumpy, who wants to be around us then?
It is obviously easier to be that happy and cheerful person when we feel good physically, so let’s look at some simple things we can do to make ourselves feel better. Obviously diet and exercise are two key components to physical well-being and worthy of mention here, but it would be a good idea to consider a third component to our plan for well-being. So, let’s start with a few brief comments on diet and exercise which can be discussed more in depth at a later time.
Diet is usually a matter of taste, but one of our biggest issues as we age is the amount of caloric intake we consume. When I rode 6,000 miles a summer on my bicycle, at age 30 or even age 45, I could eat anything I wanted and as much of it as I wanted. My body was a machine, back then and it craved fuel and good nutrition. As I’ve aged, it is my mind that craves and it remembers that I could eat lots of food and absorb it all. But people in the 60 to 75 age range need less caloric intake, on average. Men need about 2355 calories and women about 1900 calories per day. At age 75 that drops to 2100 for men and 1810 for women. Good quality of food choices will enhance your quality of life and impact your well-being, but that is a topic for another day.
Exercise is dirty word for some. We associate it with strenuous workouts at the gym, doing things only athletic types might do to look fit. But exercise need not be something to loathe and in fact should be something we look forward to doing on a regular basis. “It’s too hot!” “It’s too cold!” “It’s too much trouble.” It’s too much “excuse”, if you ask me. Exercise is the lubrication which makes the machine run smoothly. Exercise is the lotion that makes for better motion. Exercise is the regular, consistent application of activity to keep us healthy, fit, and young. The exercises that would be applicable here to discuss are also for another day. The key here, is starting to exercise (if we haven’t been doing any), gradually working our exercise up to an adequate level and consistently and regularly doing it.
And that brings me to the third component to our well being: attitude. How do we adjust our attitude? Well, the key to that answer is in the question. The word “we” is the all-important key. If we rely on others around us to determine our attitude, then we may well be miserable. Our attitude is self determined. We can choose a good one or we can choose a bad one.
Some will meditate, some will pray, some will read words of encouragement and then some will do all of these. We can train our minds to perform and act according to our will. It really is as simple as that. We can choose to think about good wholesome attitudinal attributes or we can choose to think about negative things. It’s been suggested, “Whatever is true, honest, lovely or pure – if there is anything praiseworthy or excellent, think on these things.” What we think about has a huge impact on how we feel, how we respond, how we react and also how we are reacted to. What we tend to dwell on in our minds affects us on the inside of our bodies.
So, try a little positive thinking and see if you don’t feel better. Try smiling a lot, too. It sure can’t hurt and it will make you feel better. Remember, smiling consumes calories, exercises your facial muscles and frees the mind to consider better things than not feeling good. And remember this as well; what is the alternative to getting older? Get it? Now go out there and be lively, be happy and live well!
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