May you always stay forever young

~Bob Dylan

Have you ever wondered why some people age seemingly at a slower rate than others, and others seem to be on the express train to Old Age?

Sure, we can attribute it to genetics; however, other crucial factors to staying youthful are your daily habits, thinking, and mindset regarding aging.

1) Daily habits that we live by include our physical fitness, our eating and drinking habits
2) We use thoughts and words to describe ourselves and our lives. Our thoughts define us.
3) Our mindset on aging is critical. It dictates how we feel about aging and the aging process.

The mind is very suggestible; think something, and your mind will create it. Have you ever thought about the sour taste of a lemon or a pickle, and your salivary glands start to pucker?

That is because the body has created what the mind was thinking. Or do you tear up when retelling a story or remembering a poignant moment? Even though that is just a memory, your mind is recreating it for you.

It happens the same way with the words we choose to describe ourselves. Our thoughts directly relate to everything we manifest in our lives.

The thoughts that we think, become what we are thinking.
If you want to feel attractive, it will never happen if you are constantly telling yourself that you are ugly. Or fat, or, or, or, or….

 

To understand aging, it is helpful to understand age. We all have three types of age.

1) Chronological age is your birth year. It is just a number.

2) Biological age is affected by what you do. It is a combination of the things that you do and your chronological age. If you are, let’s say, an equestrian, you may have the stamina of a younger person but the knees or hips of an older one. If you are an athlete that spends an enormous amount of time outside, your skin may look ten years older, and yet your lungs and heart are of a person 10 or 20 years younger.

3) Psychological age is the age you feel. Have you ever met someone who was young in chronological age but seemed like an older adult? So mature and yet so young?
Or conversely, someone that looked so young ( for their age) and was chronologically not. It is most likely a combination of the person’s biological age (which is affected by what you do) and the psychological age ( or mindset, the period that you feel) that makes these appear older or younger.

We cannot alter our chronological age; we can perhaps alter somewhat our biological age by healthy choices. However, our psychological age is the one that we can change to affect a more youthful attitude.

The Let Go way is to
Change your thoughts and the way you see life, will change

Here are 11 stepping stones to a more youthful you.

1) Start with your attitude.
When you say: “I am too old” to do something, it is verifying to your mind that you are old. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are only as old as you feel you are. Replace that thought with, “I have always been youthful. I am young at heart.” then take action and do something fun.

2) Live your Psychological age, the age that you feel. Ignore those that tell you to act your age. If you still feel 40, 30, or 20. Rock it! Stop telling people your age and tell them, “I’m old enough,” or If you must, I am ( your age) young.

3) Wearing the weight of the world on your shoulders will age you before your time. Let go of the problems that you have no control over.

4) When you think you are not as sharp as you used to be and blame it on “it must be my age,” replace the thought and consider learning something new.

With aging, we lose muscle mass each year, and it is similar to the brain.
Brains games are fun and beneficial, as is learning new technology. Both are great ways to stimulate the brain. However, once something becomes repetitive and the brain becomes good at something, it is no longer challenged. Change it up and find something out of your comfort zone. A new language or musical instrument. Or simply going to a new venue. Anything that changes your routine forces the brain to remain active and alert. It could be as simple as taking a new route home.

Another great thing to stimulate the brain is engaging in ambidextrous activities. Use the opposite hand or foot than you usually would use in daily activities. Or start a blog!

5) When you have aches and pains, remark, “My back hurts; it must be my age.”
Replace those words with” I may have overdone my yoga class, my bike ride, my gardening, I’ll take a bath to soothe my muscles, or I’ll be easier on myself tomorrow and take it a bit easier. Remember that if you attribute aches and pains to age, your body will create what you are thinking.

6) Flirt. Flirt with a man. Flirt with life. Flirt with the idea of doing something daring and fun. Feeling passionate about something will take years off of your face. Being happy will make you feel alive.

7) When you see a reflection of yourself and think that “I look old.” First off, change the word “old” to tired or pale. Replace that thought with doing something for yourself that makes you feel beautiful.

The vanity in vitality is a good thing

Get your hair done. Make a reservation for high tea with your girlfriends and get dressed up. It will keep you vital!

8) When you say, “This stress is killing me,” you are correct. It significantly ages the body. However, replace the thoughts with actionable steps that will de-stress you. Take a walk, do some yoga, or try a meditation class. Try Ohming.  Remember, thoughts are powerful. Saying that it is “killing me” is a fast track to the psychosomatic influences of the mind.

9) Refrain from spending time with people who complain, particularly those who complain about their age and ailments. Seek out younger people to spend time with. Feeling young at heart is vital to staying young. Set an example and encourage your friends to do the same. Multi-generational gatherings are stimulating and uplifting. They expose us to cultural trends, music, food, new vocabulary, dance moves, and energy!

10)  You can not smile and frown at the same time. Do something that makes you smile. You will always feel more beautiful with your lips turning upwards. Smiling activates neural messaging that benefits your health and your happiness.

11)  Have Sex. Aside from it just being fun,  it stimulates your creativity… So get creative.

“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

—Thich Nhat Hanh