Growing Old Gracefully: 8 Ways to Embrace the Aging Process
March 14, 2014
From the minute we are born, we grow older. And yet, many people only think about aging on their birthdays, especially milestone birthdays. Somewhere around 30 or 35 many women really feel the clock ticking and start thinking about ways to fight aging. With the advances in medicine and technology, it’s easy to run for a little Botox here or a little laser zap there. But these are temporary and from what I hear, often don’t bring the results people want because the unhappiness with outer appearances stems from the inside. Changing your focus to being a happier person mentally, spiritually , emotionally and physically can help us actually embrace aging a little more and live a life without making the battle against aging such a stressful and negative focus.
So how can we grow older gracefully? Let’s start by remembering a few simple tips;
Stay Active
It’s easy to make excuses as to why we don’t have time for exercise. When kids get older and we aren’t chasing them around anymore, or when jobs mixed with mothering duties take up many of our hours, it can be challenging to schedule in that 30 minutes of exercise. But as we age, it is crucial to stay fit and active, so schedule it in we must. Take walks, take a class, take up yoga, whatever it takes to get your heart pumping, blood flowing and attitude improved (exercise is a great mental pick me up!)
Get Rest
Really, at ANY age, we need to sleep a minimum of 7 hours, and for some people 8, but that is not always easy in our over-jammed lives. Sleeping 7-8 hours a night is a must as we age for our bodies to regenerate, relax and heal.
Stimulate Your Mind
Often, as the kids get older and busier, moms aren’t sure what to do with the extra time they have on hand. Studies have shown that trying new activities keeps our brains young. Take up crafting, start a home business or take some online or local classes. Or going back to a passion we once had (painting, traveling, animals, crafts?) helps keep us emotionally fulfilled and physically busy. What moves you ? What do you think about often and dream about? Do that.
Change Your Skin Care Routine
What worked in your teens or 20’s probably won’t work as well in your 30’s or 40’s. As we age, skin loses collagen and elasticity and tends to get dry. Use products geared for your age group that include hyaluronic acid to plump, moisturize and plant stem cells to stimulate collagen production. Add a retinol cream to fight wrinkles if your skin is not too sensitive. Consider serums and oils if your skin gets very dry. Always pay attention to your décolletage area and your hands as well. And don’t forget sunscreen.
Embrace Change
No one wants to hear about “how it used to be.” We are in a fast-moving technological society that is constantly changing. Sure, it can be overwhelming. As we age we tend to stick with the tried and true, but keep your mind open to new ways of doing things and maintain that curiosity of youth to embrace changes. Go with the flow and keep up with advances.
Strike a Tree Pose
I have written about the benefits of yoga many times because it is so helpful to the mind and especially to the body. Staying limber and flexible helps maintain your range of motion, helps increase circulation and relaxes tense muscles (bye bye shoulder and back pain!) Yoga can also help balance which can help prevent age related falls. It also helps us deal with stress better by calming the mind.
Do Some Mental Spring Cleaning
As they get older, many women take time to reaccess their lives and ask: What’s working? What feels good? What needs to go? If you are surrounded by negativity, it’s hard to maintain a positive outlook. Surround yourself with people who only lift you up and make you feel great. Do work or volunteer work that is fulfilling to your soul. If you don’t have a pet, consider adding one or two to your household. Pets offer unconditional love and have proven mental physical and emotional benefits. Having a dog can also make you get out and exercise more.
Laugh
Take time each day to laugh. Rent comedies and surround yourself with people who make you smile and laugh. It sounds so simple but it truly is therapeutic in many ways, offers physical health benefits and of course, when we are happy, everything looks better and brighter doesn’t it?
Learning to live in such a way that you change the “aging” focus to embracing being wiser, stronger and better can not only improve your attitude but improve your looks. Beauty comes from being a radiant happy person on the inside.
