WHY IT IS COOL TO THINK ABOUT YOUR OLD SELF NOW BEFORE YOU GET THERE!
When you think about degenerative brain conditions/diseases you tend to think that you just get these things at the old age stage - at least, you think, you will get one thing or another because we are told that is just what happens. We then take this in as an expectation or prophecy. But what are you doing now that may be creating the building blocks for your older self that may be adversely affecting your outcomes? Are you planning ahead before you get to the inevitable destination?
Whilst we are young and without a worry in the world, most of us are thinking that we will face that old age bridge when we come to it. Or if we are really up for denial, we think 'old age problems won't happen to me' while you are secretly thinking, I would hate to get old and senile. You worry about all of the old people you see falling apart around you - and it's a bummer if they are related to you, leaving you with more fear of the DNA they may have gifted on to you. Instead of worrying, perhaps whilst we are still young-îsh, why don't we think about what it is that we are doing in the first place that may have us on a trajectory for losing our marbles as we age. Maybe we can catch ourselves and think differently before it's possible that we lose our thinking ability altogether.
THE SCARY OLD PERSON'S TRAP IS SET BY THE YOUNGER YOU
There is a lot that thinking can do for you. Most importantly it can help you look after yourself now, at whatever age you are. You can love the body and mind that you have today, as it will be informing the one you have tomorrow. Your cells are listening to you right now! What are you telling them?
LET'S LOOK AT WHAT YOU EAT
We all know what you eat today is what you are tomorrow, but if we think broader than this, you are placing deposits in the 'good looking, good brain' deposit box of distant tomorrows, every day of your life! Does that scare you enough to think about everything you do? The best part is that most of the good deposits that we prefer don't cost a thing! Contrary to popular belief there are lots of natural ways to age beautifully, inside and out - of course, what you do on the inside you see on the outside - they are totally connected.
LOOKING AT MY GRANDMOTHERS
I had two grandmothers who aged differently. The one I admired the most, aged with youthful energy and a fantastic attitude. She aged gracefully, wrinkles and all, mostly carved happily from years of smiling. But she never aged in the brain, as she kept herself busy with eating well and thinking of what was important, never dwelling on what was a distraction or nonsense. She loved people and loved making them happy - she loved to share whatever she could make for them. She played the piano almost every day, (at the end she played only from memory). My inspirational Nana thought carefully about eating home-made food, but she never worried overly about every mouthful, she just enjoyed herself. In fact, she never worried, but just got on with things. She passed just before 90 and was youthfully clear in her brain until the end.
I THINK THE SECRET IS TWO-FOLD
ONE What you eat and; TWO what you think about when you are doing the eating and all the other doing we do in life - that is, what your state of being is. Your state of being and love for life take you a long way to feed you with the vital energy you need to stay young in body mind and spirit. A good state of being will feed your body everything it needs to function well, at any age.
BUT YOU WILL NEVER GET OLD, YOU THINK
We do love some of our old folk - we just want their loveliness to ooze our way. Some folk you just want to hug all day, but some, it has to be said, you don't want to be near. It is a feeling that you cannot put in words; but for me, with my spring-in-the-step nana, it was a feeling of love and belonging. We do forget that these lovely old people were young once and they must have set out with a particular plan that has them deserving of their 'lovely old person' status.
if you look at old people and compare the ones that you know, you will notice that some make it running all the way to the finishing line, (and they look for things to run for), and then others make it but without any quality of life at all. One of the fears we have of getting older is the wrinkles because society tells us that we only look good without them - we all know how well that fear sells stuff. Then there is the fear of not being able to control our minds. There is no filler injection for erasing ageing of the brain, just yet anyway.
We fear the process of ageing as a lack of control and yet we don't have to. We all know the body will show signs of ageing, we all vary with this, but the brain doesn't have to. If what we want is a good quality of life and a long life while we are at it, we are best to look after the young bodies we get and give them a good spit and polish every step of the way.
SO WHAT WOULD MY NANA'S YOUNGER SELF HAVE TOLD HER? WHAT DID SHE DO TO AGE SO WELL?
It would have included a good balance of nutrition that comes from within and without, going a little like this:
- Love without boundaries: see love in everything.
- Get involved with healthy people interactions.
- Don't worry: period.
- Don't try to please everyone; start with yourself and inspire the others.
- Don't make assumptions: you will make a mistake and cause dramas.
- See life as an opportunity to do good for others: this feels good too.
- See life as a way of finding out new things: sharing with others what you found is good because they might think its cool too.
- Get up and move: give your body a good flushing out with a little bit of sweating from some action and momentum. You never know where it will take you.
- Think about things that matter: it is all in what you focus on, not how much you do.
- Let go of the past crap: so you leave room for a great future, starting with today.
- Eat well to look after the body you are doing all these things in: treat yourself well because you will grow old and thank yourself for it later.
WHAT YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT IS ALSO AGEING YOU
If you are thinking like my nana, then ageing will be a great stage to bounce through, not one to slide hopelessly into. If you intend not to lose your mind, then you will do things for yourself now as a daily practice that will detox your body, and increase nutrients--feeding your whole body now and building new healthy cells for tomorrow. Both good food and a good life feed you. If you are not aware of what your state of being is, it may be time to think about what you have been doing that has you living with habitual stress, anxiety, disappointment and negative feelings that your brain may take on and eventually give into, saying, "oh enough! Let's just blank it all out because it is so painful and overwhelming that I'd rather not remember any of it', giving yourself permission to switch off the brain altogether. It is worth seeing the negative attitude links in your life and see what changes you can make.
LET GO OF YOUR TROUBLESOME PAST BAGGAGE
What if we got rid of past stuff as we went along? What if we thought about each new day as being magnificent all over again? What if we could take the good memories of the past with us, and repackage the bad ones as the gems of wisdom that they really are so we drop the baggage and emotions they hold? What if we take our past as character building - we may let ourselves go into any age with more ease, more wonderment for what we don't already know, taking the excitement of the child for the ride all the way. Even if you have been around the block many times there will always be something new to see, do and think about!
With the right attitude, regardless of your age, you will be taking in the right nutrition from life, your food, your friends and family and age gracefully--maybe live to remember it all. You will be simply be digesting all the good stuff that life has to offer, without fear blocking the best that it has for you.
NUTRITION AND OLD AGE
Good eating and nutritional supplementation go a long way to get you to age well. Good nutrition is important for you whether you are young or old, but your body will need even better nutrition the older you get. So often older people simply forget to eat well right when you need it the most as you work towards optimising your heart, your cardiovascular system, all of your organs, and, of course, your brain; not to mention your skin, hair and nails too. That is why we go to the trouble to make the quality of superfood, protein and calcium that we do--making sure that you have your whole body nutritional needs covered.
OUR ATTITUDE IS AGELESS
I'm not saying that if you do end up suffering from a degenerative condition, like Alzheimer's or dementia, that you had the wrong attitude to life, but what I am saying is that your attitude to life can enhance the quality of your life giving you a fantastic ride all the way to a long wonderful end. All you have to do is put in a conscious effort to do your best.
Imagine you were your older self now giving your young self some advice. What would you tell yourself, and what would you do differently now?