As an Aging Youthful Lifestyle blogger, I get asked all the time about the most important thing to growing older without being old. Here is a list I compiled of 7 Tips to Living the Aging Youthful Lifestyle.
Think Young – You Are What You Believe
Age is just a number! The only thing it measures is the time you have been on Earth. It has nothing to do with how many years you have left!
If you believe you are young, you are. If you believe you are old, you are! Your mind is more powerful than you can imagine. Harness the power of your mind, and the rest will take care of itself.
Feed Your Soul/Spirit
Praying and going to church can feed your soul and spirit. Or you could connect with your source in other ways. Whatever way you choose, just do it. By connecting with a higher power/self you keep your soul young!
Eat Right – Feed Your Body Right
The old saying “You are what you eat” isn’t totally true. It should be, “You are what you eat, and you are also what you WILL BE.”
What you put into your body fuels it and gives you energy. When you eat and drink highly processed foods and drinks such as fast food, boxed foods, etc. there is little to no nutrients for your body to use.
While the McMuffin at the drive through might stop your stomach from growling, it doesn’t give you much “fuel” to burn for energy. Many times, it actually leaves you more tired than if you hadn’t eaten anything.
Give your body whole foods such as lean protein (chicken, fish, beef, pork, eggs, etc.), lots of vegetables (the more colorful the better), fruits and whole grains. And don’t forget your healthy fats: olive and nut oils, nuts/nut butters, avocadoes, coconut oil, etc.
Another part of feeding your body right is proper supplementation. Our food supply is nutritionally bankrupt. Just about every person, even if they eat organic whole foods, is lacking in nutrients. The truth is, our top soil has been depleted of minerals due to all the spraying with “cides”: herbicides, fungicides, etc.
“Cides” means death in Latin, and most of the commercial food sold today is lacking nutrients. When searching for supplements be sure the ingredients are NON-synthetic, earth-based and water-soluble.
Drink Water
Just like Mother Earth, our body is made up of 60-70% water! Drinking water to keep your cells hydrated is important. With coffee, sodas and energy drinks as staples in most people’s diet, many of us are walking around dehydrated.
If I haven’t drunk at least a ½ gallon of water for the day, I find myself getting agitated and stressed and have a hard time concentrating. Many times, when you have the urge to eat without really being hungry, it is a signal from our brain that we need water.
In my Lifestyle Coaching Program, I teach my students to go drink 12 oz. of water when the urge to eat strikes. In most cases, it takes care of the urge. There are numerous reasons why you should keep your body hydrated. Mayo Clinic has a great article on the topic.
Move Your Body
Having a fit body helps keep you young! Fitness does not have to mean bench-pressing your body weight. Yet moving your body and doing some sort of weight-bearing exercise will keep your body agile! As you age, you lose muscle-mass, and you want to retain as much as possible to keep your body young and vibrant!
If you are looking for a great workout in just 12 minutes a week, check out the Aging Youthful article I wrote on Tabata workouts. If the exercise is too rigorous for you, modify it to fit your fitness level. Whatever you like to do to move your body is better than nothing.
If your gig is Yoga, do it. Like to bike? Hop on and go for a ride, or catch a spin class. Like to lift weights? Lift them. (Note: They don’t have to be the massive weights like Mark uses for Strongman!)
Our lives have become so sedentary, sitting is this generation’s smoking as a health hazard. Quick tip: If you work at a desk job, get up every hour and walk around, do a couple of standing stretches and/or squats to get the blood flowing.
Connect with Nature
Get outside, breathe in fresh air, let the sun soak into your skin and get your bare feet on the ground if you can. I currently live in Alaska, so going barefoot in the winter is not a good idea unless I want frostbite! What I can do is get out and breathe in some fresh air, even if it’s 50 below. (I bundle up and just don’t stay out for long!)
With so much darkness in the winter, some nights after work I get dressed in all my cold weather gear, grab a headlamp and take my dog for a short walk in the bitter cold. He gets geared up with a jacket and dog booties to keep his feet warm, too!
Create A “Quiet” Time/Hobby
Creating “quiet” in our life is more important than ever. We are constantly bombarded with information and our poor brains are on constant overload. When was the last time you sat in your house reading without a radio or TV in the background?
While technology is great, we need to unplug. You can do this by reading, prayer, meditation or finding a hobby that allows the creative side of our brain to flow. For some it’s painting, while grease monkeys may find tuning a car as quiet time.
One of my favorites, besides sitting in the hot tub, is working on a trash-to-treasure project. There is something special about transforming an object that someone thought was useless into a beautiful functional part of my home or yard.
What are your favorite tips to live an “Aging Youthful” lifestyle? Please share them in the comments below.
