Whatever Happened to "We Will Never Get Old"?
by Barbara Morris, R. Ph.
I am seeing more and more reports that boomers are not aging well. (Read “People Entering Their 60s May Have More Disabilities Today Than in Prior Generations”). Stories about obesity, physical and mental decline among those between 60 and 69 are alarming. What happened to the youthful boomer declaration “We will never get old”?
What has happened is that many boomers have not accepted the reality that you can’t beat up on your body with neglect and abuse on a more or less continuous basis since youth and expect youthful qualities to hang around forever. Not that anyone can stay young forever, chronologically speaking. But it is possible to maintain youthful characteristics and abilities for a very long time – if you work at it. I know the phrase “work at it” is a turn off, but you don’t have a choice if you want to “stay young forever.”
If you are willing to live – dare I say it – a sacrificial lifestyle, starting at least in your forties you can beat the pants off Mother Time in more ways than you can imagine.
Did I use a dirty word? Did I say “sacrifice”? Yes indeed I did.
What do I mean by “sacrifice”?
- You eat what’s good for your body instead of junk.
- You engage in a consistent exercise regimen even though you don’t feel like doing it. You will, however, feel good about the results.
- You take control of what goes on in your head. You can’t hire someone to do it for you. It’s tough to take control, but you can do it.
- You live a lifestyle that reflects your belief that you have value and you appreciate your gift of life and are willing to do what it takes to stay in prime condition.
That’s not so difficult, is it? Aren’t you worth it?
Look girlfriends and boyfriends, you will undoubtedly be living a lot longer than you anticipate. The lifespan has increased by 30 years in the past century. Get your head in gear. Get over the notion that just because something feels good you can do it. That may have worked when you were a teenager but you aren’t a teenager anymore.
If you are overweight or obese, change your lifestyle. A naturopath or doctor trained in alternative medicine can help you avoid a lot of grief as you continue to mature. You have to think twice about what you put into your mouth if you want to be smokin’ hot in your mature years. (You will notice I did not say “senior” years. That word needs to be burned at the stake!) You have to eat less; you have to eat quality. Sorry to tell you that as you continue to mature you can’t eat what you feel like eating and expect to stay in shape unless you exercise regularly. And even with regular exercise a nasty diet can sabotage your efforts and you wind up with flab that won’t go away.
Exercise can be as simple as walking regularly on a treadmill parked in front of your TV. If you don’t want to go to a gym because you feel intimidated by young kids who don’t have an inch of fat on their skinny behinds, toughen up. You are not there to compete. You are there in response to a commitment you make to yourself. Don’t wait for your best friend to drag you to a gym and don’t look for a support group to help you. If you can find a buddy to work with you that’s fine but YOU have to be in control of YOU. Taking control of your health is a do-it-yourself-project. It’s nice to have encouragement but the bottom line is it’s your life and YOUR responsibility so take care of it.
Last month I encouraged you to take a full body photo of yourself before you start a self-improvement program, and that you take another photo at the end of the year. A year goes by very quickly. You can see enormous improvement if you do what you know you should and must do to stay healthy and smokin’ hot while your friends are incarcerated in a nursing home and hobbling around with walkers. Have you taken that photo yet? If not, why not?
Life can and does throw curve balls. Do what you can avoid to them. If one does come your way and hits you, the healthier, stronger, and more determined you are, the easier it will be to deal with it. When knocked down by the unexpected do what winners do – pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. Don’t ever allow frustration to hold you back. You can succeed if you think you are worth it. I don’t know you but I do know this: You are worth it!
Source: January, 2010 Put Old on Hold NewsletterBarbara Morris — Image F/X Publications
Barbara@PutOldOnHold.com
© 2010 – Image F/X Publications, All rights reserved. If you "borrow" my articles, please give proper attribution. Thanks!
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