Young Body
The Pep Talk
We all tend to focus most on our faces and the development of wrinkles, sun spots, etc., when we are thinking about aging. It is also important to focus on our bodies too and slow their aging.
Keeping a young body will enable you to look better now, stay active and do want you want as you get older. Think of an elderly person. What do you see? Probably somebody who is restricted in what they can do, and has some health issues. A nice smooth face does not do you much good if you are restricted physically and your posture and way of moving makes you look old.
Though genetics, accidents and other things that we cannot control can affect how your body ages, for most of us there are many things that we an control that will keep us younger, more vibrant and more mobile in later life. Additionally, after a few weeks you will start to look and feel better.
I have used versions of this quote before, but it is certainly very relevant here. “We are kind to ourselves in the future, but not in the present.”
Most of us live in the future. I am going to do this. I am going to do that. There is always a “going to” in our aims. But, we have to take care of our bodies now. Get rid of the “going to” and just make it I am doing this now.
What can you do to look younger now and stay younger in the future?
Here are a few suggestions
- Improve Posture
- Keep or get a good sense of Balance
- Maintain Flexibility
- Exercise – aerobic and strength
- Healthy weight
- Good nutrition
- Reduce rate of bone loss
- Reduce stress
Improve Posture
Bad posture makes you look old. Those rounded shoulders, leaning forward and having your head forward make you look older. A straighter alignment makes you look younger.
Additionally, it takes much more effort to hold the bad posture. Parts of your body are fighting gravity, which leads to tired muscles and poorer balance.
For more information on posture and suggestions for books and DVDs to help retrain your body see the page Your posture can make you look old. In a just a few weeks you can start to look younger (and thinner and taller).
Keep or get a good sense of Balance
As we age, we slowly lose our sense of balance, if we do not work to maintain or improve it. Once we feel that your sense of balance has deteriorated, we start to lose confidence when going over very uneven ground. This trend continues until we can become quite hesitant off smooth paved areas.
Combined with a loss of muscle strength (see sarcopenia for more details) the loss of ability to balance leads to falls and becoming very restricted as to where we feel comfortable going.
To find out more about balance and how to easily improve your sense of balance see Balance and aging.
Continued
