I received a health newsletter from a local hospital about to celebrate its 40th year of service. With a cartoon of a fortune teller looking into a crystal ball, they wrote: “Looking Ahead: What Will It Be Like Getting Older?” Here are some of the forecasted changes they say we can expect…
- Bones shrink in size and density, making them easier to break.
- The heart muscle becomes less efficient, making it work harder, and blood vessels become less elastic, making arteries stiffer, making the heart work harder, a vicious cycle that can lead to hypertension.
- The entire digestive system works more slowly than when you were younger.
- Kidneys slow down and aren’t as efficient in removing waste from the bloodstream.
- The number of brain cells decrease, making the memory less efficient.
- Reflexes are slower, increasing lack of coordination.
- Hearing loss is frequent.
- Vision change is common. You may need bifocals; cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration may occur.
- Teeth may darken, gums may recede, and the mouth becomes drier.
- Skin may be thin and become more delicate.
- Sleep patterns change as you wake up more often at night.
- Metabolism slows down and fewer calories are burned, making it easier to gain weight.
Wow! That makes you look forward to your next birthday, doesn’t it? I aged ten years just by reading it! This newsletter is one in hundreds of bits and bytes of information that most of us are exposed to every day through television, radio, printed material, the Internet, and in typical conversation.
Now, think for a moment about how susceptible human beings are to suggestion, and consider the possibility that we are being programmed—yes, brainwashed—to age, on a daily basis. No one can argue that “we’re not getting any younger.” Of course, we’re not, everyone ages a little bit each day; it’s just part of life. But think about the power of the mind over the body, coupled with the barrage of information we are exposed to daily about how we are declining, degenerating and deteriorating. Doesn’t it make you wonder about the profound impact this negativity has upon the length of your life and the quality of your health?
We hear the phrase “mind-body connection,” a concept based upon the idea that we are in many ways a product of our thoughts, and in order to make change in our lives, we have to change the way we think. Could it be that the old cliché “it’s all in your head” is true after all?
The mind-body connection is called psychoneuroimmunology, or PNI for short. It means what we think and feel (our minds) affects our immune system (our bodies). Thoughts affect stress levels and stress levels affect the aging process—our thoughts can add to or subtract from the quality and length of our lives. Amazing research in the mind-body connection has surfaced in the recent past, and it all boils down to this: we can re-write our future by changing today’s script.
But what if today’s script is centered on projections about what to expect as we age? And what if these projections are filled with negative ideas about the aging process? How often do you hear about the positive aspects of aging? Not very often. Think of how fast the percentage of people in the upper aging group is growing. There are over 56 million in the U.S. today who are in the 65-plus age group. The fastest growing age group is the 85-plus age group. By 2030, when the baby boomers reach age 65, the elderly population group will swell markedly.
But due to all the advances in medical technology we are living longer, but are we living better?
Could it be that we may not be living any better because we’re taught not to expect any better? Even a quote from Buddha tells us, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought.”
Leroy “Satchel” Paige was one of the most entertaining pitchers in baseball history. A tall, lanky fireballer, he was one of the hardest throwing baseball players of all time and known for playing ball longer than people expected a man to play. In 1948, Paige pitched the Cleveland Indians (as of 2021 called the Cleveland Guardians) to a 1-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox, in front of a record attendance of 78,382 fans—at the age of 42 years. In 1952, Paige won the All-Star award at age 46, and went on to become the oldest player to make his major league debut, and helped Cleveland win the pennant.
Somebody once asked him, “Satchel Paige, how old are you?” Satchel responded, “How old would I be if you didn’t know how old I was?” I guess you could say that in the game of life, Satchel Paige played hardball.
So, I ask you, how old would you be, if you didn’t know how old you were?
When asked that question, most of us answer chronologically—an answer based on calendar time, the amount of time since your birth. But there are three other measures of aging: biological age, psychological age, and social age.
Biological age represents how your body performs, and how your organs and tissues have aged over time. Someone who is healthy and active may function physically ten years younger than expected at that age, while another person may actually appear biologically older than expected at that same age.
Psychological age is more personal, and refers to cognitive functioning (thinking), behavior-coping skills, and adaptation skills; it tells you how old you feel. Social age is what society deems as appropriate behavior at any given age. Gerontology research indicates that aging is one-third genetics and two-thirds lifestyle. Most studies suggest that on the average, people who exercise regularly have a biological age younger than their chronological age.
Humans are the only creatures with the ability to change their bodies through how they think.
The human body is constantly changing and within a year it sheds 98% of its atoms by replacing old ones with new ones. By the end of a month, the skin is replaced. The liver gets replaced every six weeks and the skeleton every three months. According to Dr. Deepak Chopra, author of Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, “You are only as old as the information that swirls through you, and this is very fortunate. Because humans are intelligent beings, we can tap into the unseen levels of the body’s intelligence to bring about renewal and reverse the aging process.”
If it’s true that you are only “As old as the information that swirls through you,” perhaps it’s time to be more selective about the information you let swirl in! I once read that “The mind is the space between the cells.” Again, I suggest, if the mind is bombarded by the negatives of the “symptoms of aging,” perhaps the cells are becoming programmed to age prematurely, or at least more unhealthily.
Did you know that in the English language there is no such word as “youthing?” But the word “aging” sure gets plenty of use. Instead of the aging process, why not think about the youthing process. Perhaps if we weren’t taught to expect negativity, we might be more apt to experience positivity—another word that while technically in the dictionary, it’s just more recently begun to experience more common usage.
So, what are some of the positives of growing older that we could learn to expect? What if you received a hospital newsletter that said, “Looking Ahead: What Will It Be Like Getting Older?” and the newsletter told you:
- You will be wiser, mellower, and more tolerant of life’s little aggravations, less impulsive, more introspective, and more mature.
- You will be less ego-driven, with less of a need to feel right all the time.
- With years of experience, you will feel more confident.
- You will be more insightful, more intuitive; you will read people more accurately.
- You will nourish your inner child (and possibly become a grandparent).
- Your world will broaden; you will pursue multiple interests, and use your time more wisely.
- You will have a deeper sense of gratitude for the good things in life, and you’ll love your loved ones with greater intensity.
- You will become more comfortable with yourself and will have no more identity crises.
- You can sleep in if you choose and stay up late if you want and say whatever you darned well please—if you choose, of course.
So, I ask you: How old would you be right now, if you didn’t really know how old you were?
Think about it. Step up to the plate. Stay in the game. Take really good care of yourself and quit worrying about aging! Enjoy life to the very fullest! Batter up!!
