Aging Gracefully

Aging is something I have been thinking a lot lately.

Last week I went back home to my parent`s house for a week.

And it turns out my parents are not the parents I used to know.

I guess this hit me harder because I am living in another country now and there are miles between us.

My parents have been together for 50 years and while I was at home as a teenager, I remember them always holding hands, and truly holding on to each other in difficult times, and backing each other. I was lucky to experience a marriage that was conveyed how marriage should be, through thick and thin…

It was sad for me to see that they were not as happy & healthy as they used to be. I might have had on hold to my childhood version of how they were. They have not aged gracefully, and I don’t think they know how to. It`s not in their make-up or it`s not something their generation spend much time upon.

Old age affects you physiologically and psychologically. Which one takes its toll first, depends on your genetic makeup I suppose. And once you are in that space where you have deteriorated psychologically and physically, it’s hard to create a happy space with the person that has been always with you.

It`s strange how the society changes, for my parent`s generation to look after yourself diligently was considered something like a joke, but now how things are different……but how do you convey this to them.

Only if I can, still even at their age they can increase their quality of life, and overall happiness in themselves. So, I am still trying, I have not given up.

For me to learn that the brain can still develop in adulthood (adult neurogenesis) and the factors that increase this development was a big thing.

I do believe If you do things that increase adult neurogenesis then you can age gracefully.

What are those factors that increase adult neurogenesis;

• Exercise
• Enriched environment: Learning, reading, traveling
• Try and be as stress free as possible
• Social interaction, having a network of friends & family to support you
• Having your 8-hour sleep everyday
• Diet. Some interesting findings on how diet increases adult neurogenesis: limiting calorie intake 30%. doing intermittent fasting (so eating every other day), Eating not fatty food, eating fish & fruit with dark skins

The list is not a surprise I believe. It`s just that with aging we seem to do less and less of the things that are in the list, whereas if anything we should be doing these things more.  Or this might depend on which part of the world you are in. Especially in wealthy countries, there seems to be a frenzy for being ageless. In any way wherever you are in the world, a conscious decision to alter the effect of aging need to be given. In some societies, you will find you are supported on your mission to age gracefully, in others maybe they might still think you are weird when trying out new things and to be active as you can be.

I am not sure how many of us give a conscious decision on this or do we tumble into our old age without stopping to think and let the years pass by while we are obsessed with success, career, money etc.

For me, my visit to my parents made me think of how I want to be in my old age. I can easily see myself becoming a replica of them, and age before my time. But that will be a shame, to know and not apply…

I made a conscious decision to age gracefully and I am taking my husband with me on this journey. The first step, we are restarting on yoga 😊 and of course, my husband is coming too…

And you? What is your decision? What are you going to do to change your trajectory?