Defying the Aging Process

I found a good article on staying young at heart. I thought you would enjoy it.

Defying the Aging Process
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michael_M_Walsh]Michael M Walsh

As the years pass and life's rich tapestry takes it toll does it have an effect on how we see ourselves and how we behave? Should our mental abilities lose their get-up-and-go as do our bodies? Do you 'think old' or do you 'think young?'

Try eavesdropping on seniors as they relax with friends. Does their dialogue include their future hopes; the things they have yet to achieve? Is their conversation sprinkled with enthusiasm for what they have planned for next year, or are they looking back with nostalgia?

Young people are naturally programmed to think ahead. They talk about what they will do when they leave college. Their heads are full of ideas; new experiences, travel plans, home-buying, relationships, career opportunities; new friends, interests, the achievements that beckon. On the other hand many elderly folk talk of the past and often of little else. It is as if they accept that for them there is no future and so it becomes a self-fulfilling wish.

The Key to Longevity

You notice those who qualify for the 'eternal youth' award. They are those of more mature years who have the gift of being able to separate their outlook from physical decline and adapt their lifestyle accordingly. For many their enthusiasm for life actually slows physical frailties. They know that age is merely a matter of attitude. Perhaps you can name a dozen or more famous people whose amazing zest and appearance belies the date on their birth certificates.

You often hear the expression: 'If I had her money I would look like that too.' Is physical appearance dependent upon wealth or privileged access to modern medical cosmetics? It can help but it has its limitations. We can all think of incredibly wealthy people for whom affluence has had an ageing effect; the consequence of too much good living. The elixir of youth really does cross wealth and social barriers.

A young outlook on life seems to cascade through some peoples physical forms; they appear to be eternally youthful. It glows from their faces and rarely do they look back except to laugh at themselves. They plan ahead; they get excited about holidays, family events, or new hobbies.

The young at heart see the past as a half-forgotten country but never to the exclusion of the dreams that lie ahead. The prematurely old are often focused on their past life; it would seem a mild form of death wish; everything that gives hope for the future is of little importance to them. We have all seen old young people and young old people.

Are You Forever Young?

The forever young have happy dispositions, and, if physical infirmity prevents one activity then they think of another less demanding one to take its place. Because the legs no longer work as well as they used to doesn't mean the mind has to age too.

Modification of lifestyle and interests occurs naturally throughout our lives: In fact it accelerates from birth. There is simply no reason at all to see lifestyle adjustment at 60-years of age to be any different to the change we experience as we go from infancy to childhood, then to teenage angst and on to the age of family responsibilities. To change is not to age.

No One Gets Out of Here Alive

A 65-year old friend tells me he is having a far better time now than at any other time of his life. No, he cannot physically match his teenage son but does he need to? The up-side is that most of his responsibilities, like generating an income and raising a family, have evaporated. He has happily evolved through the decades and is now acting his age in a positive not a negative way.

Age is an attitude. We all know what the march of time can do to us but as long as you have some health and are firing happily on all mental cylinders; accepting your lot and looking towards the future with eagerness, there is no reason to lie down and wait to die. If you do so it will happen before your time is up. Think young and you will live many years longer.

© Michael Walsh: Forty years experience writing media news and columns; copywriting, ghost-writing; fiction and non-fiction. He applies a professional finish to your story or feature; added marketing flair for product or service reviews. All genres considered, he welcomes your interest wherever in the world you may be. [http://www.michaelwalsh.es/]http://www.michaelwalsh.es and [http://wwwquitewrite.blogspot.com/]http://wwwquitewrite.blogspot.com.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Defying-the-Aging-Process&id=3511073] Defying the Aging Process