I am always on the hunt for lifestyle choices that can decelerate aging for me; or at least make me appear seemingly ageless. If Christie Brinkley –the American model, actress, and entrepreneur could pass for 49 at 69 then why couldn’t I? Brinkley born on 2nd Feb.1954 and mother of three had caught worldwide attention and fame when she appeared in ‘Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’ on an unprecedented three consecutive covers in 1979, 1980, and 1981.
Some of this awe is owed to genetics of course; you just don’t get to be a pin-up gal without being generously endowed in that area. But when I looked closer at her way of life, I’m like; “Ok, this might be for me.” I’m no Bruce Springsteen who stays cut at 70 but what the heck! What’s there to stop me to stay fit as a fiddle when over the hill?
At 64, I think I’ve learned this out the hard way.
For all of us, the clock ticks and with each tick comes the change. For few who manage to stay shy of major health problems, the change is slow and gradual but they do add up; that is at some stage in life you do give up and let Father Time take its toll.
Hard to swallow but the decline for each one of us sets in as early as in our 30s. The max attainable heart rate mellows by one beat per minute per year and heart’s peak capacity begins its downward slide by 5-10 percent per decade; that is if you have managed to stay unspoiled and undiminished of illnesses by now. Even so, a healthy heart that can pump 2.5 quarts a minute at 25 cannot get above 1.5 quarts as you reach 65 and drifts down further to only a quart if you could still kick-well at 80. In everyday life this means slow and imperceptible fatigue that drains you out even with modest activity. Not conspicuous or noticeable in early years but it endures and progresses as you age.
I’m on a bit of a low right now coming off some enormous obligations that have unwittingly compelled me to always keep my worries of nine-to-five slog over health. Endless travels, wing meals and little time for everything else has taken its toll and has left me feeling and looking as crappy as I have since before I let myself be harried by that insane Office rush.
To this day I think I’ve had enough of my busy repetitive life. It feels bizarre nowadays and it has left an indelible telling effect on how things would work out for me henceforth. It’s not so much that I care how it makes me look. Skinny guy genetics have somewhat kept things under control. It’s what outer slump was signaling about what was going inside that made me pitch for a way to turn around. It made me worry about what would eventually happen were I to look around and say “Ah screw it, I’m too busy to eat right and work out.”
So, I borrowed burrowed and browsed neck deep to get a little artsy and to think more clearly how to have a better quality of life. I hitched my pants up to brush, floss and rinse and outsmart Father Time. I didn’t chose to do less for I knew “resting meant rusting”.
Consequently I went about removing the rust of aging. And in the process I think I have taken back some of my time!
The Brinkley way is fascinating!
It’s easy to blame low mood or fatigue on aging, but sometimes aging is not that woeful. Feeling constantly exhausted or depressed is not normal at any age in any case.
And it’s not just diet as well.
In reality living a meaningful life is not as hard as it sounds; you just need to practice few of the health choices that kept Brinkley fit and allowed her to live a very active outdoorsy life. Of course, as with Springsteen you need to adjust your activity to compensate for your age. If Brinkley’s boss had to quit running for the stress was tearing him apart, so should you, if it hurts! That sounds somewhat limiting but it would not stop you from staying outside and be active. See…Brinkley spends a lot of time on her bike tooling around the island where she lives per se!
Pushing yourself a bit when you feel the need to get more done, walking daily, gardening more often, taking your pet dog out for a quick stroll regularly and keep yourself moving through the day; just about everything bodes well to help you stay focused, appreciate small things, and connect with yourself and others.
I sometimes allow myself to cheat a wee bit when my body tries to tell to be otherwise but I never forget, “There is something to this for sure!”; and that only I can make my life more sprightly and meaningful.
Today, I live it out by myself and witness how life has changed for better.
Getting older is “the next normal”
No one really tells you the hardest part of getting older; that growing old is inevitable and that it bears a fearsome reputation. Plainly, nobody can stop the clock. Most you can do is to slow its tick and endure life with grace and vigor. Like I said, everybody desires to live long but no one wants to be old.
Does any of this makes you curious about what sets older people apart from the rest when it comes to them living a happy purposeful life? What is there in it for you other than an upbeat outlook about getting older?
Aging involves changes in every element of life- from physical and social to mental and emotional and sometimes more. For boon or bane it’s your choice if you would maximize the good parts of you getting older without betraying health and happiness and help reverse the age related physical loss.
So, don’t snooze your life away.
Knowing what changes with age is probably our first step towards finding ways to stay active and help us take consistent control of our choices rather than be at the mercy of what is simply convenient.
Right from waking up, freshening up, shaping up, eating and studying up; just about everything you do, decides for you how you’ve chosen to power your day. Even somewhat inconsequential everyday actions like changing clothes, brushing teeth, reviewing to-do-list, writing a few notes in diary, reading or meditating or going to sleep, fates how you’ve picked-up things to shape your life, you’re yet to live.
It didn’t go exactly as planned every day for me sometimes. But when unexpected interrupted, I chose what portion to cut that day. It worked as kinda default plan for me to endeavor and surprisingly, it endured. It helped me move quicker each morning than I otherwise would have. I would no longer simply wake up befuddled and struggle trying to think of what to do next to be ready.
Assay, and try setting a few personal routines to filter out your options. In time, you’ll be able to unscramble insights to uphold you and turn time your servant from a stingy demanding taskmaster. If you’re to sincerely believe that power lies in each of us to make good things happen-if we choose to do so, then it’s not long before you’ll get to take a slice of your time back.
True, time is plentiful that vanishes in the end. But it’s certainly not happening today or tomorrow or day after, once you’ve decided to get busy gathering yourself. For all I know, only you’re the best steward of your time and choices.
Jedi or not, trust me you can walk away from Father Time if you settle down not to squander your hours doing nothing to change it.
Persevere and you know well- Time will tell!
The Maverick#59: Inspiring and empowering, for the best is possible. 