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Elegant Aging: Growing Deeper, Stronger And Wiser In Your Years
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Attitudes About Aging When we were young we wanted to be older, and when we get older we want to be young. What's wrong with that picture? Aging is inevitable, and as the saying goes, it’s much better than the alternative. Aging is living; it starts at birth and ends when we die. Anti-aging is actually anti-living. The word "age" comes from the Latin root "alo," which means "to nourish, to bring up." More generally, "alo" means to strengthen, increase and advance—to become taller and deeper. So why not age with elegance, grace and style? Why not make up your mind to strengthen, increase and advance—to become deeper and wiser with every new day, week, month and year? A Yale study in 2002 demonstrated that, "Thinking positively about getting older extends one's life by seven-and-one half years—which is more than the longevity gained from low blood pressure or low cholesterol or by maintaining a healthy weight, abstaining from smoking and exercising regularly." Researcher Becca Levy and associates found that lower body mass, not smoking and regular exercise extended life by one to three years. This validates what Dr. Paul Pearsall says in his book Superimmunity, "How you feel about your health is more important than what you do about it." Stay Connected Think of the people you know who are vibrant, energetic and productive well into their seventies, eighties and nineties. These are your role models, the elders and Unplugging from people and life processes accelerates the decline of health in aging. Stay connected and get involved, and you will find yourself feeling younger and more energetic as a result. This culture that worships youth and beauty will not necessarily welcome you with open arms. Do it anyway. There are more of us elegantly aging today than ever before in human history. We can make a huge positive difference in the world by refusing to buy the negative program about aging and staying fit, happy, productive and involved as long as we possibly can. One of the best things you can do is find someone to take care of. Perhaps an elderly person or a child in your community could use your help. This is one of the best ways to stay connected and involved. Volunteer your services. Become Magnificent As You Age Consider that the aging process is perfectly designed to make you magnificent. Feeling great and doing well when you're young is the proverbial "piece of cake" (you can eat as many as you like). The reality of the aging process requires that we either get smarter and stronger or we buckle under the weight of a negative aging process. You get to choose! Page 1 | Page 2
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: William G. DeFoore is a counselor, executive coach, speaker and president of the Institute for Personal and Professional Development . He has 34 years of experience in helping people achieve healthy, happy relationships. Get free information, watch videos and purchase books, CDs and downloads at www.defoore.com . Contact Dr. DeFoore at ippd4@aol.com.
This document last modified Monday, 16-Feb-2009 09:12:08 CST | ||
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Elegant Aging is truly a matter of body, mind, emotion and spirit. When we pay loving attention to those four aspects of our being, we age with elegance and grace. First, let's look at what we do with the idea of "aging" and "old" in our minds.
sages of your community. Hang around them, notice how they think, eat, act and exercise. Notice what they do in their relationships. You will see that they are not perfect by any means, but they are definitely involved in life.
