In my 61st year my body had started aching on some mornings when I awoke and stepped out of bed. Not every morning, but almost always after doing any kind of activity out of the normal routine. I started reading about what our bodies need as we age. I changed my vitamin and supplement routine and am noticing that the aches have gone away. I think about aging gracefully and what that means to me.
In my mind I need to be more active rather than less active. I should be exercising more so that I am stronger and better able to handle those abnormal activities (like moving furniture around). I go back and forth in my thoughts about whether I should age gracefully or fight to keep a more youthful body. But what does aging gracefully really mean?
I look at my parents, both in their 80’s and they seem to have given up any hope that their multiple illnesses and ailments will ever get any better. And yet I know that things I once took for granted as part of aging process disappeared once I started taking better care of myself. So does aging gracefully mean becoming a part of the norm? If that’s so, then no. I don’t want to age gracefully.
I want to take advantage of new information that helps me live both longer and healthier. It seems to me that aging gracefully encompasses some form of not giving up on life but doing everything I can to enjoy life for as long as possible. Some may not agree with that. But I think your outlook on life is what helps you to age gracefully rather than aging normally.
