Aging

Have you watched the milestones of life come and go? Do you remember looking forward to being sweet sixteen, and now you have age spots on the back of your hands? That time may have been long ago, but somewhere inside remains that youthful anticipation and enthusiasm for life.

It is all about the incredible power of thought. If you think you are old, and should be feeling, acting, or behaving the way an older person does, you will. It does have something to do with an aging body, feeling more tired, aching in the cold weather and not sleeping as well as you used to. But what is suggested is that we can succumb to these feelings, accept them and passively mould ourselves into the aging definition we have in our mind. Or not. Surprisingly, that tired, achy aging body responds very differently when new thoughts of youthfulness are routinely introduced.

What is that awful thing called entropy?

Deepak Chopra wrote a whole book on this topic, called: ‘Ageless body, timeless mind’ which he describes as the most optimistic book he has ever written!
He describes the work that can be done very successfully against entropy: ‘ the universal tendency for order to break down into disorder.’
Unfortunately it applies to our bodies the moment we are born, increasing at an ever more obvious rate as we journey through the stages of life. It is meant to be. But! Optimism and action, positive thoughts and energy slow it right down allowing life to be lived more fully and with enjoyment. No wonder Deepak describes it as his most optimistic book.

It all starts with an outlook, and most people choose one that is very familiar to them. The ones their parents had, or the most influential people in their lives. It carries within it a strong belief, and sub-consciously the belief is acted out in the choices which are made in each small moment of life. It isn’t until you stop and question that belief that the opportunity becomes strongly available to change the initial outlook.

Deepak says: ‘ If we want to defeat aging, we must first learn how to defeat entropy.’

Quantum physics has changed everything!

‘According to the new paradigm, your entire body is one field of awareness, and the activity inside your cells is directly influenced by how you think and act…’

Along the same lines as research which has been done on Mindfulness Meditation, the obvious connection between thoughts and how your body behaves physically is behind the optimistic outlook for healthy aging.

A study was done by Albert Rosenfeld in his book ‘Prolongevity II’ where he studies 1200 centenarians, and the clearest evidence of commonality amongst them was about their thought processes.
Most were independent, non-worriers, busy, interested in life, involved in life, did not retire early, worked hard, got on with life after major knock-backs, had marked optimism and saw the funny side of life. They were not pre-occupied with thoughts of ill-health or death, they ate moderately and all were early risers.
They were all active but moderately so, they didn’t pursue a rigorous gym routine.

Further studies have shown that the equivalent of walking 30 minutes a day provides just as much protection against the effects of entropy, that running several kilometres a day does, once again showing that Marcus Cicero was a very clever Roman: ‘Never go to excess, but let moderation be your guide.’

What about that ever-present chestnut: Diet?

Maintaining a constant weight appears to be more helpful in the longevity stakes than any fancy way of eating. From reading about numerous studies into healthy eating and weight loss strategies, I have found that the overwhelming conclusion is that you are better off eating without stressful and strict parameters, and eating a wide variety of natural foods without excess. It is more important that eating is an enjoyable and psychologically satisfying experience, while still providing a nourishing and hydrating energy supply to your body.
Considering the major role that the liver plays in digestion, it seems to make sense that a healthy diet which prolongs life consists of not placing too great a burden on the liver. We eat too much in the modern world, because it is so easily available. It doesn’t mean we need that much to live. We just process more, and excrete more. If you want to wear your body down in a hurry and feel tired, give it more to process.

I think I’m old, there-fore I am old

Self-perception is the key. Truly if you think you are too old to walk around the block, you will stop yourself from even trying. You won’t even walk a few houses down to see if you can. Consider what you have stopped doing because you have adopted the thought pattern ‘no, I can’t do that anymore, I’m too old…’ And then question it. I’m not talking about going on a roller-coaster ride.

For every negative thought of what you are capable of, contradict it with an achievable positive one. Visualise yourself as ten years younger, meditate on your younger body and see if it feels even slightly different.

Behavioural research studies have been done along these lines where elderly nursing home residents were asked to focus on a time in their lives when they were 20 years younger. They listened to the music of that era, thought about what activities they did, what they enjoyed at that time. Without fail every participant had markedly improved in their current day capacity and psychological well-being by the end of the study.

This is the effect of our thoughts and perceptions on the physical body and how even at an age which some consider ‘old’, the life-force of the human body can be re-invigorated as if partaking of the fountain of youth.