changes start from the moment you are born. Take the skin, for example. A baby’s skin is soft and flexible. The skin cells slough off as growth occurs until, in old age, the skin loses some of its elasticity and ability to be soft and flexible, which results in wrinkles and lines. The skin changes at different rates. Some 80-year-olds look no older than 60, and some 60-year-olds look older because of their wrinkled skin.
Your muscles also change as you develop from babyhood. However, if you continue to use your muscles, you will find that your physical capacity can be amazing. You may not have to change the way you live your life, as your body changes gradually and enables you to accommodate. So when you see elders doing physical activities such as hiking and skiing, you’ll notice that they have more efficiency of movement and don’t “hot rod” it up or down the hill as they did in their youth.
Physical well-being is a major part of happiness and life satisfaction. It provides you with the means to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, and it helps you achieve purpose in your life.
How to enhance your physical well-being
You may choose to enhance your physical body development through exercise. Consider some of the following tips for further taking care of your body:
• Be aware of and strive for balance in your life between exercise, nutrition, and rest and relaxation. Be cautious of the drugs you take, including nonprescription over-the-counter drugs, such as vitamins, allergy pills, herbal medicines, or laxatives. Know what medications you are taking and why. Medication can save your life, but too many drugs may react adversely and make you sick. Ask your physician or pharmacist about your medication.
• Be energetic. Don’t slow down. Universal law dictates that natural order is ordained by only one mechanism: a well-directed, positive flow of energy. Endeavor to maintain your energy flow. You do not need to be slower as you get older.
• Be in the habit of eating what nature first laid on your table. Eat a generous portion of fruits, vegetables, and lean meat. Your meals may be smaller and more often than in previous decades, but you still need good food to retain your energy. Indulge yourself by eating and drinking sensibly. Make the effort and take the time to prepare nourishing meals.
• Be open to new learning. Achieving a healthy body requires development and application of skills in such areas as self-awareness and lifestyle management.
• Be persistent. If the physician you consult dismisses your symptoms as a consequence of your age, seek a second opinion.
• Be physically active. Do at least 30 minutes of sustained rhythmic vigorous exercises four times a week. Seek out patterns, times, places, and contacts that make exercise as much a part of your life as eating and sleeping are. This may mean walking to a shopping area or joining the walking group in the mall.
• Be rested. Get as much sleep and rest as you need. Make quiet times a priority. Your sleep pattern may change as you age. If you nap during the day, you may not sleep as long at night. But you need the overall hours of accumulated sleep.
• Be sensitive to changes in your body and abrupt changes in your ability to function. For example, if you notice changes such as difficulty in dressing or a loss of appetite, you should see a physician and get a thorough diagnostic exam.
Dealing with the Mental Effects of Aging
Although society is preoccupied with the effects of aging on bodies, gerontologists are discovering that a healthy mind and spirit are most important to successful aging. According to us statistics, 80 percent of elders in nursing homes have a significant mental health problem, with depression as the most common condition.
Your mind is your intellect and gives you the ability to learn, grow, and handle challenges. It provides you with the means to develop a purpose in life and to be happy. Having a healthy mind means you have the ability to establish and maintain intimacy with others and to tolerate and appreciate differences.
How to enhance your mental well-being
• Be a risk-taker. Life does not get better until you are willing to challenge yourself and do things that may be difficult. Accept the challenge. Take a trip.
• Be a student. Learn something new, such as computer skills. Your brain is as good as it ever was. Use it and rejoice in the knowledge that the ability to learn never dies. You live in an information age where there is ready access to infinitely new subjects.
• Be an opportunist. See difficulties as challenges that give you the opportunity to overcome them and experience success. Attend a lecture at the wellness center.
• Be aware of the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• Be confrontational. Be willing to confront people with issues that are important to you. Take responsibility for your part in the issue. Stand up for what you believe, and have your questions answered so you understand. Find a mutually satisfying solution.
• Be open in your communication with others. Tell people how you feel, and own your own feelings without blaming those feelings for your reactions. Listen to your grandchildren; within youth are many truths.
• Be open-minded. Be willing to hear another person’s point of view without judgment. It doesn’t have to agree with your own. Be willing to consider other possible facts, solutions to problems, and explanations.
• Expand the perimeters of your awareness. Accept that your children lead their own lives, and take an interest in what they are thinking. It’s a fast-changing world.
• Be positive about yourself. Surround yourself with family and friends who validate you. You need encouragement and positive feedback as well as honest concern.
• Be responsible for your life. Your actions create consequences. Find solutions without blaming others. Maybe you are lonely. Have a conversation with the person who delivers your mail. See people every day and talk to them. Join a temple or a church.
Dealing with the Spiritual Effects of Aging
The basic concepts of spiritual health emphasize love, joy, peace, sense of purpose, and achieving your full potential. Having spiritual health does not necessarily mean you are religious. You may be spiritual but not identify with any religious group. Religion is a support resource for many elders because it provides hope and meaning to many.
Values formed over time are an extension of your attitude to life. Spiritual health is a process that reflects the intangible aspects of your quality of life. It involves taking a personal inner journey that is different for every person. Discovering or creating life meaning can raise you above pain and loss. In the pursuit of successful aging, spirituality is relevant and compelling.
How to enhance your spiritual well-being
• Be a finisher. Nature operates in such a way that growing and living are nearly synonymous. When one stops, so does the other. Complete that book or tapestry you have been working on for so long.
• Be a goal-setter. Set goals and accept challenges that force you to be active.
• Be creative. Creativity
