BP71 - Aging

 

What is human aging?

The passing of time, during which a person gets chronologically older?  Sure.  But it’s much more than that.

Personally, I don't care that much about my chronological age.  What matters to me are...

1/My biological age.

2/My emotional age.

3/My cognitive age.

And..

4/My sagely age.

In my life, I want to be biologically vibrant.  Emotionally, I want to be both young and old (that is, I want to be A Childlike Old Soul).  Cognitively, I want to be vibrant, adaptable, malleable, and incredibly teachable.  In my sagely senses, I want, like in my emotional self, to be both young and old.

 

The factors that lead to the aging in the areas I care about most are many.  Here are the principal twelve factors I focus on daily.  I encourage you to focus on these things similarly... but in your own unique, awesome, and revellious way!

Here you go...

1/Loss of fluids.

2/Loss of muscle mass.

3/Loss of bone mass.

4/Loss of hormone production (testosterone, growth hormone, etc.).

5/Loss of nutrient ingestion and uptake.

6/Loss of restorative sleep.

7/Loss of mobility.

8/Loss of cognitive ability.

9/Loss of emotional, social, and physical connection with other humans and pets.

10/Loss of environmental connection.

11/Progressive deterioration caused by the carrying of guilt, distress, trauma, loss, and unforgiveness in one’s physical cells.

12/Progressive deterioration caused by my exposure to toxins, allergens, and EM radiation.

 

As I quickly approach 60 (chronologically), here are a few of he ways in which I approach and pursue the above twelve “factors.”

 

1/Loss of fluids.

 

To promote good hydration, I drink 10-12 glasses of spring water (infused with minerals [see Note below]) every day.  I also eat fruit and vegetables with high water content.

 

Note:  I’ve been using OmniBlue Ocean Minerals for the last six or seven years.  I have a subscription for it through Amazon.

 

2/Loss of muscle mass.

 

To promote the increase of muscle mass, I engage in strength training (with weights at a gym) three times a week.  I also eat considerable amounts of protein every day.

 

3/Loss of bone mass.

 

To promote bone mass, I engage in strength training (with weights at a gym) three times a week.  I also eat considerable amounts of protein every day.  I also walk and jog a lot and engage in a significant amounts of cardiovascular activity (walking/running steps, HIIT, martial arts training, working the heavy beg, etc.)

 

4/Loss of hormone production (testosterone, growth hormone, etc.).

 

To promote hormone production, I engage in strength training (with weights at a gym) three times a week.  I also eat considerable amounts of protein every day.

 

5/Loss of nutrient ingestion and uptake.

 

I eat a lot of whole foods—and ONLY whole foods.  I eat a lot of fruit, melons, veggies, legumes, seeds and nuts, fish, turkey, and chicken.  I also take supplements (like vit B12, vit C, vit D3, zinc, quercetin, cod liver oil, etc.).

 

6/Loss of restorative sleep.

 

To promote good sleep, I go to bed no later than 9p every night, and I get up at 4a every morning.  That gives me about seven hours of sleep a night.  I also, on most days, take a mid-afternoon nap, which usually lasts about 20 minutes.

 

7/Loss of mobility.

 

To promote good mobility, I engage in dynamic movement all day every day.  I just move like all the time.  The key is learning first to move healthily and then, once you learn to do that, to move in such ways all the time everywhere you can.  As examples, I "turtle run (that is, run slowly)" everywhere (even in the grocery store); I always take the steps; and, when I’m waiting in line, I do standing yoga poses (which promote flexibility and balance).  Those are just three things (among many) that I do every day all day.  I’ve been a “stretcher” my whole life.  I stretch every day many times each day.  I stretch both statically and dynamically—both are vital.  I also include strength training while I’m stretching.  I do this to promote strength throughout my ranges of motion.

 

8/Loss of cognitive ability.

 

To promote brain health and cognitive flexibility, I read and write all the time.  I write more than 1,000 pages a year, and I read upwards of 200 books a year.  I work on my memorization skills by memorizing prayer, Scripture verses, and other wise sayings.  I also work at my professional trade as a civil/environmental/ecological engineer.  I have no plans to retire.  I like to look for problems (often, for “what’s missing”), and then try to make-up for what’s missing.  I pursue invention, innovation, and scientific playfulness in many arenas of my life—through my engineering practice, through writing, through music, through martial arts practice, etc.  I also have many interests, and try to pursue those regularly (if not daily).

 

9/Loss of emotional, social, and physical connection with other humans and pets.

 

To engage my need to be with people, I spend a lot of time in prayer (with God) and a lot of time with family and friends.  Even though I’m an introvert, I love being around people and look for ways to connect with them through church, hobbies, and other arenas.  I also love animals and feel drawn especially to dogs and cats.  I just recently lost my cat of seventeen years (Baby Kitty) and am in the process of looking to adopt a kitten.

 

10/Loss of environmental connection.

 

To combat a lack of environmental connection, I spend a lot of time outside.  I love the cold, I love being in the sunlight, I love walking barefoot, and I love running trails and outdoor obstacle courses.  Quite fortunately, my work often gets me outside as well.

 

11/Progressive deterioration caused by the carrying of guilt, distress, trauma, loss, and unforgiveness in one’s physical cells.

 

To combat guilt, I try to keep short accounts with God, myself, and others.  Confession of wrongs and the receiving of forgiveness can be evolutionary.

To combat distress, I tell God how I'm feeling and ask Him to help me.  Often, He encourages me to do something I love, which helps considerably.  One lifestyle change I made many years ago was to become a minimalist-maximalist.  hat I mean by this is this:  I've minimized the stuff and activities in my life I don't care about so I can maximalize engaging in things that make me come alive as a person.  I have very small financial obligations, which allows me to work a lot less on money-generating things.  I still "work" a a lot, but most of he work I do is for sheer enjoyment and enrichment.

To combat the negative effects of trauma, I journal and spend a considerable amount of time in prayerful meditation.  I also talk to those I care about concerning my feelings and experiences.

To deal with loss, I let myself feel what I want to feel, think what I want to think, and do what I want to do.  I also allow myself to both cry and laugh uncontrollably.  In my losses, I ask God for His consolations, and I ask Him to fill me—either directly or indirectly.  It’s amazing, too, how soul-filling it can be to engage in a fun and enriching activity that makes you come alive as a person.

To deal with bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness, I do my best to stand up for myself, to be straight with people, to forgive quickly those who hurt, and *(just as quickly) to bless those very same people.  I also go out of my way to greet people around me properly, to surround myself with loving people, and… to tell those I love how much I love them and what they’ve meant to me in (and throughout) my life.     

 

12/Progressive deterioration caused by my exposure to toxins, allergens, and EM radiation.

 

To combat my exposure to toxins, allergens, and EM radiation, I eat organic whole foods, drink lots of water, steer clear of foods I'm allergic to (or have an intolerance for or a sensitivity to), use natural hygiene and cleaning products, don’t own a cell phone, spend a good deal of time outside in the sun, and try to limit my screen time.

 

So… there you go.  The above is what I do.

 

I have a vision for my future, which also has an effect on how I age in this life.  One way to carry that vision within me is to focus (by reciting and thinking upon) the following aspirational statement  (#34) from My Desiderata.

 

34/I’ll move healthfully and healthily, and I’ll do so often.  I’ll also play at life.  At a healthy and vibrant 104-years-old, I’ll be and become The Oldest 11-year-old Still Bounding the Face of this Beautiful Planet.  I’ll train to be and become, even when I’m in my nineties, The Most Pliable, Functionally Efficient, and Vibrantly Healthy Person I Know.  In fact, I’ll dream—continually and continuously, without end—of one day being and becoming The Oldest Human Being Still Living on Planet Earth [see Note below].

 

Note:  I’m taking a very long-view approach to my health and training.  Today (in 2002), I’m training to run a 5K in November 2081 (as a part of my 116^th birthday celebration).