Are you referring to your knees as the “good and bad ones” instead of “left or right”? Or, maybe you had a party over the weekend and your neighbours didn’t even realise it!
Yep, you’re getting older, but it’s certainly not all doom and gloom. Sure, growing older is akin to entering unchartered territory; the landscape of your body begins to feel foreign complete with physical changes and challenges, but there are far too many myths about getting older.
Scientists used to think that we lose a significant amount of our brain cells as we age, but more sophisticated scans have debunked that theory. We now know that we hit our cognitive peak between the ages of 40 and 68.
Our ideas about ageing and what it means to be over 50- or 60, or 80 – seem to be stuck somewhere in the middle of the 20th century. We still consider 65 as standard retirement age, and we expect everyone to start slowing down and moving aside for the next generation. However, society has to catch up, 50 is the new 30 and 70 is the new 50.
Heck, Donald Trump became the 45th president of the United States of America at the age of 70! Whether you like him or not, it’s pretty impressive, right?
Although you can’t stop the clock, you can fight the ageing process with a few smart moves. First of all, go down the “find-your-passion” route. Be curious, positive and adventurous. Jean Woods, age 75, became Gap’s oldest employee. She works in their boutique in Bath and loves every minute of it!
Make sure to eat healthy, get enough sleep, and exercise. Also, remember to “use it or lose it” – Whether it’s Sudoku or a crossword puzzle; challenge your brain every day. Develop a sense of meaning in your life; be an inspiration to others by volunteering your strengths. Be sociable and stay connected to family and friends. Research shows that people who are part of a social group are healthier with less cognitive decline when ageing.
And, what about sex? You bet! A University of Chicago study found that 40% of men aged 75-85 are still sexually active. A recent poll shows that 44% of women between the ages of 68 to 80 years of age are very satisfied with their sex life compared with just 30% of women between 55 and 68!
In fact, getting older brings sweet advantages. Studies show that older people freed from the stresses of raising families and pursuing stressful careers are happier and more content than younger people; you’ve seen it all, lived it all and felt it all. You know your own voice and have the confidence to use it.
The thing about getting older is that the inside never matches the outside. You’ll still love the same music and experiences. Still catch someone’s eye and have an ever-so-fleeting, heart-fluttering moment …
So, embrace your age and create change in closed minds. After all, getting older is not about adding years to your life, it’s about adding life to your years.
Source: sixtyandme.com, www.dailymail.co.uk, www.huffingtonpost.com, www.telegraph.co.uk, blog-thunderbirdsenior.com, www.aarp.org, 70candles.com, blog.ioaging.org, www.quora.com, www.today.com, books.google.co.za, www.brainyquote.com, well.blogs.nytimes.com, edition.cnn.com, www.realbuzz.com, www.health.harvard.edu, etcanada.com, positvepsychologyprogram.com, www.guideposts.org, www.realsimple.com, www.aath.org, www.independent.co.uk, www.boredpanda.com, www.self.com, www.forbes.com
