In a matter
of few years I am turning 30 (its actually months but on the calendar
its like literally the next year :D) . Although age is just a number
(and I hear that almost everyday from my husband ), lets admit that
our bodies in the 30s would not be same as it was in our 20s or
further in 40s would not be same as in our 30s. It might sound
little threatening thinking about adding more candles to the cake ,
but then a lot of people do not get to their 30s , 40s , 50s or even
further. So celebrating your 30th
, 40th....or
80th
birthday is more of an opportunity to celebrate being alive rather
than being worried about getting old.
Well , all
this enlightenment didn't dawn upon me by itself or not even after
some cognition.
This wisdom
came to me after I read this book titled “ The
Longevity Book “ by an
author who I famously remember and adore as Natalie Cook in Charlies
Angels, Cameron Diaz.
Looking at the cover itself made me feel younger by few years :D .
Let me now
share what I learnt from the book. I would be quoting the book or
pouring my excerpts with my expert opinions of course at places.
The
best way to age well isn't to worry about aging. It is to live well
We
all are aging by each passing day ; even by each passing second as I
talk so. It is an inevitable and non-reversible activity. The sooner
we come to terms with this fact , the more opportunities we can give
ourselves to age with health and joy. This is a journey so lets make
it an enjoyable one . Lets make it strong , lets make it possible ,
lets make it right.
As
soon as you are born you start to die
The older you grow , the more difficult
it becomes to keep things together with your body. Your skin isn't as
illuminating and bright as it was when you were a toddler , your hair
isn't as luscious , black or healthier like you had when you were 16
, your ability to sleep less or drink through the night isn't the
same as it was in your early 20s.The junk food you had in your
growing up years starts showing up on your waistline by the time you
cross 25. Well this happens to everyone and there are factors apart
from your lifestyle which contribute in this like your genetic makeup
, your legacy of health and aging etc . These factors however are
beyond our control but the factors which are in our control for
improving our own health and passing the same to our consequent
generations are very much under our control.
There is no rocket science when it comes
to this. Eat right and exercise . There is no alternative and
addition to these. Start small but do make healthy changes in your
daily habits . It is not that you would wake up one day , decide to
be healthy and be healthy by the next day. It is something which
needs to be inculcated in your life on a daily basis. Make it a habit
, keep reminding yourself , make it a ritual for yourself and the
whole family.
The
world begins with you and ends on you.
Stay healthy not for anyone else but your
own self. By doing this , happiness , energy and longevity would be
an effortless addition to your life.
With each passing day imperceptible
changes are taking place within our cells and as decades pass , they
begin to show up as wrinkles , gray streaks and in a lot of other
superficial ways. Accept this fact and focus on growing and not just
ways of looking younger.
Looking
younger is not the same thing as anti-aging
The ability to color your hair , smooth
your skin , take botox shots doesn't change the fact that each part
of the body is getting older every day. The only way to actually feel
younger is to embrace the reality that you are getting older in fact
and dealing with it with a positive bent of mind. Think of it as
adding experience to your life rather than years. Every age we pass
through has its own standards of beauty.
Lets
raise our standards of beauty and remember that learning , growth and
kindness are what are valued and truly appreciated.
Lets treat the grays as streaks of wisdom
, wrinkles as signs of maturity and the diminishing glow as the
effort and love put to make the lives of people around ourselves
better.
Lets put value on being a better person ,
parent ,sibling , son/ daughter , friend, colleague and life
partner. Lets make this accomplishment more important than having a
smooth skin or a perky figure. Lets grow wiser and not just older by
each passing day.
