Living Younger Longer By Roselyn Poon
TUR NING O N YOUR FOUN T A I N OF YOUT H
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were? ~Satchel Paige Aging is inevitable; however, old age is optional because it’s personal. You can decide if you are old or simply of an age. Aging and old age affects all of us sooner or later; the trick is deferring old age to as late as possible by introducing lifestyle changes now. The two most important things I learned from Tony Robbins are: • We will do more to escape PAIN than to receive PLEASURE. • We need a big enough WHY to change. Let’s start by taking a serious look at old age and see if we can crank up enough pain to get you to turn on your Fountain of Youth. The following is a brief look at some of the issues that will arise leading up to and during old age. Most can occur at any time; however, they are more prevalent and intense during classic “old age.”
MOTIVATING
Think about the last time you woke up feeling tired, with blurry vision and muscle soreness. Now, imagine waking up every day feeling that way, with the added knowledge that there is no quick fix. Remember how difficult simple things were when you had your arm, leg or some other body part in a plaster cast or heavily bandaged? I bet that was the longest six weeks of your life. Now, think about having this kind of challenge, thanks to arthritis, every day for the rest of your life. Most elderly people find even the simplest tasks, such as dressing, reading, getting to the doctor, answering the phone, showering and pushing a grocery cart challenging. Paying bills and keeping up with the ever-changing government and medical forms each year is hard enough for you now, so imagine what it will be like 10 years from now. Everyday tasks that you currently have no problem with, and in fact don’t even think about, represent challenges, barriers and limitations for our elderly and maybe even the future you.
Today, your cell phone is seen as an extension of your arm. You have adapted to the current technology, well maybe you understand 80%, but that’s OK because you know how to use the functions that are important to you. However, technology is zooming ahead at a ridiculous rate and if you don’t make a serious effort to stay up with it, one day you will find that you only understand 20% and you are out of the loop. Many elderly people are out of today’s communication loop and may not even speak to another person for days. Imagine yourself isolated and wondering if you would speak to anyone today. How would you feel? How do you maintain your independence when everything around you is constantly changing and becoming alien to you? In the not too distant future, our roads may well be packed with driverless vehicles, with new road rules to accommodate them, and unless your car is electric it may not even be allowed on the roads. Flying cars are set to arrive in
SPRING 2020: LVWOMANMAGAZINE.COM
