There are many complex theories about aging—so many that thinking, reading and processing your beliefs can be overwhelming and, sometimes even demotivating. However, in my opinion, we can identify two principles that are essential for living the lifestyle of the chronologically gifted. They are: 1) get moving and 2) stay fueled.

That’s it. It’s pretty simple. People who want to live longer and better lives simply find ways to keep active and eat well. That’s not a surprise, and it’s not magic. People who are active are naturally healthier than those who are not. The truth is, we weren’t created to live sedentary lives. So what can you do to become more active? There are many opportunities, whether it’s walking more, going to the gym, dancing, shopping… anything that gets you up and around. To do this requires a shift in your daily routines and a mindset adjustment. Exercise and activity should not be considered drudgery. Think about it in terms of helping your body to get stronger, more fit and more flexible. Your workouts can be low intensity, but it’s important for them to be consistent and regular. There’s no need to train like a marathon runner. Instead, have fun. Set goals. Start with a pedometer and see how many steps you take in a day. Then make a commitment to increase your activity and the resulting steps daily. As you experience success, you will find that you are happier and that you look forward to the day’s activities knowing they will contribute to your progress toward a meaningful fitness goal and a longer life.

Once you get moving, staying fueled is the second principle involved in healthy aging. Notice the terminology. We didn’t say go on a diet. Diets are punitive and make people feel deprived. For the most part, they don’t work. A better approach is to use the information we have about food and nutrition to our advantage. Here are five simple ideas to implement so that your body experiences the maximum fuel it needs to keep you energized all day.

Eat small amounts frequently throughout the day. Don’t skip meals.
Enjoy lots of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and whole grains.
Include a lot of variety in your meal planning in terms of texture and color.
Stay hydrated throughout the day. Water is best but green tea and other liquids have value too.

Don’t deny yourself the “bad” foods you love. Just eat them in moderation. Eating should not involve guilt.

It’s time to challenge ourselves about what we think about getting older. In previous eras, people thought about the “sunset” years as a time of declining physical and mental health, a period where purpose and connection dwindle, and isolation and depression take over one’s existence. However, that needn’t be the case. Chronological age does not correlate with functional age. There can be a vast difference. Research indicates even late in life, the potential exists for physical, mental and social growth and development. Yesterday’s 65 is today’s 55.

Believe it or not, we are in control of our own aging process. Think about the people in your life. Do you know two 70 year olds whose chronological age is the same but whose outlook, energy and productivity are very different? There are some individuals who sink into depression and become victims to their own self-limiting beliefs. Yet many studies show seniors are among the happiest age group. It’s really a matter of attitude. Loneliness can be another problem for seniors but those who plan activities with family and friends, participate at a senior center, attend a place of worship, go to cultural and entertainment events and continue to learn and study overcome social isolation.

Some other myths about aging include fear of dementia, loss of creativity, the ability to contribute in a positive way and loss of libido. Yet all of these fears can be lessened through personal choice. It’s time to embrace aging by making the decision to live in the here and now, seize the moment, and engage in stretch activities. It’s this mindset that creates individuals who are more productive, who will live longer, and who enjoy more meaningful lives.

Ask a handful of people to describe what comes to mind when they hear the word “old.” You might be surprised at the variety of answers you would receive. That’s because “old” is a word that carries a surprising mixture of connotations, not all of which are negative. Sure, there are definitely those who would associate “old” with words like “obsolete” or “weak”. Or you might hear common phrases like “past her prime” and the always-popular “over the hill”. Such expressions indicate how readily our culture relegates the latter years of life to a period of steady decline—not only in physiological health but also in social prominence, personal originality and cultural relevance.

One of the most renown doctors in the field of natural health and wellness, Dr. Andrew Weil, asks the question, “Does the worth of human life diminish with age?”, and his response is that unfortunately in many circles, it does. With this kind of mindset, is it any wonder that many seniors react to the prospect of aging with dread and despair? In other words, instead of gearing up, they give up.

Fortunately, this is not the only perception of aging. In some circles, the message about aging is more positive. Elders are seen as wise, mature, seasoned and experience. They are respected and revered. Growing old does not mean you will become senile, nor does it mean that you will become unproductive, unengaged or inflexible. Just how you age is a personal decision. Be mindful of that and reap the rewards of a healthy mixture of acceptance and enthusiasm.

According to Wikipedia, Blue Zones represent “a concept used to identify a demographic and/or geographic area of the world where people live measurably longer lives. The concept grew out of demographic work done by Gianni Pes and Michel Poulain, who identified Sardinia’s Nuoro province as the region with the highest concentration of male centenarians.”

Dan Buettner, author of “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest”, identified five regions where this phenomenon is true. They are: Sadinia’s Nuoro province, the islands of Okinawa, Japan, Loma Linda, California, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica and Icaria in Greece.

The people who live in these Blue Zones share common lifestyle characteristics that seem to have a positive impact on longevity. Those characteristics include:

Making family a priority and putting family ahead of other life concerns
Not smoking as much as other populations
Eating a vegetarian (or semi-vegetarian) diet including a higher consumption of legumes.
Being more physically active (these folks are not couch potatoes).
Having a higher degree of social engagement. In these regions, people are not isolated and they are integrated into their communities.

In addition, people who live in Blue Zones seem to have a greater sense of purpose. They have a reason for getting up in the morning. In Okinawa, this concept is called “ikigai”, which has to do with knowing one’s self, including expectations and hopes. It’s the self-confidence that comes from doing what you love, knowing what your passions are, what your mission in life is, how you are going to make a contribution to the world. It has very little to do with one’s economic status in life but rather comes from a mental or spiritual place.

As a child during the Holocaust, staying alive against great odds was one of my greatest challenges. As a result, I learned to stare into the face of death with defiance. That approach led me to celebrate life with a passion and zest for knowledge. My quest introduced me to the Blue Zone principles, which I have been following for more than 40 years. I’ve made a conscious effort to take care of my mind through lifelong learning, honor my body through regular exercise and vegetarian diet and participate in Tikun Olam (repairing the world through inspirational speaking and community involvement). In this way, I have every intention of experiencing the longevity goals of Blue Zone individuals and achieving super-centennial status. AMEN.

I don’t know about reincarnation. I don’t try to explain the phenomenon if it exists. I know there is an energy that survives life. Nothing is lost in this universe. We come into this life; we go back into the earth. We become fertilizer for growth of other life forms. As far as the spirit is concerned, perhaps it is an electrical phenomenon. Perhaps it is a form of light which goes forth and does its thing. So be it.

I don’t know about an afterlife. Psychiatrist, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross wrote a lot about near-death, death and dying. During her life she worked with 20,000 people who had been declared clinically dead and who later returned to life. In part, these experiences are what led her to believe in the afterlife. While there are many skeptics in the medical and scientific community who believe her studies did not follow rigorous standards, there are some who support her scientific understandings.

I believe like a computer we shut down when we die. Some people who have “died” and “come back to life” report seeing lights, detachment from the body, feelings of levitation, serenity, security, peace, warmth, a tunnel and so forth. That’s not unusual. I recall hearing about a little boy in Israel. As the story goes, before he learned to read, he knew the Bible from cover to cover and could explain the Talmud. The question is: How in the world is that possible? Rather than believing he is a reincarnation of another person, perhaps DNA is passed down through generations and that boy had a memory of knowledge from his ancestors. We know traits are inherited. We are genetically programmed. Who knows? Such accounts definitely give one pause to think.

There are many beliefs about what happens after we die. Some people base their beliefs about the afterlife on what their religion says will happen, whether that be an ascension to heaven, time spent between heaven and hell, reincarnation, or any number of other theories. Others form their own theory based on what they believe about the world, science, nature, or the human body. Some believe that when we die the lights just go out and that is the end. There is nothing more. Like a computer, we just shut down.

I form my beliefs from what I know about nature and the world. I know that nothing is lost in this universe; there is an energy that survives. You can call that energy whatever you want.

When we die, I believe that energy goes on. We come to this life; we go back into the earth. We become fertilizer for growth of other life forms. As far as the spirit is concerned, perhaps it is an electrical phenomenon. Perhaps it is a form of light that goes forth and does its thing.

I don’t know about reincarnation. I don’t try to explain the phenomenon, if it exists. I also don’t know about an afterlife. Is there a place where we go and become reunited with others who have passed on? I’m not so sure about that. Does our energy, which leaves us upon death, work its way through this world and become parts of other life forms? Maybe. In that sense, then, we live on.

Rather than think about the afterlife in terms of a place we go or our spirits living on in other beings, we could look at what we pass on genetically and spiritually. When we have children, we pass along to them pieces of ourselves genetically; in raising them, we pass along to them pieces of our spiritual being. Once we are gone, those pieces live on through them and are passed on to their children and so on. In that sense, then, pieces of us continue well after we are gone.

Regardless of where you think you will go after you are gone, we can all agree that we need to live the best life we can while we are here. This life is the only one we can be absolutely certain of so let’s make sure we do everything we can in the here and now to have the best life possible.

Dr. Erica Miller

In my last post, I introduced the idea of aging actively, which basically means staying as physically and mentally active as you can while you age in an effort to live a longer, healthier, more fulfilled life. In that post, I provided a list of ideas for how to stay physically active. Today I want to offer a list of suggestions for staying mentally and emotionally active as you age.

Start or join a book club. Monthly get-togethers to discuss a book you have all read are a wonderful way to keep your mind and social calendar active.
Volunteer your time helping those in need based on your interests. Your local homeless shelter, library, animal rescue groups, and schools are always looking for help.
Take a class at your local community college. Many schools offer classes outside of the regular curriculum at night or on weekends in subjects such as creative writing, acting, foreign language, or arts and crafts.
Get involved in your neighborhood association. You can serve in a leadership role, such as in a Neighborhood Watch program.
Start a hobby group with friends, such as knitting, scrapbooking, or crafting. You can get together weekly or monthly and work on your craft as a group.
Get into crosswords, Sudoku, or other mind puzzles. These solitary activities are great to activate the mind and keep you alert.
Do that thing you always wanted to do but never had the time for due to family or work obligations, such as write that novel or travel to the national parks.
Keep a journal and write in it every day. Putting your daily thoughts in writing will help you work through emotional issues and focus your mind.
Start or join a purely social group. You can convene at the local coffee shop once a month to visit and share stories.Mentor a young person either in an academic or a professional pursuit. Share your knowledge and experience with the next generation for the benefit of yourself and your mentee.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to being active, regardless of your age and capabilities. Focus on learning something new, staying involved with others, and moving your body and you will do well over the long haul.

What are your ideas for keeping an active mind and body? Questions about how to get involved in any of the ideas listed?

-Dr. Erica Miller

I am proud to say that I often lecture to seniors on a matter close to my heart: the psychological aspects of aging. I inform, instruct, and inspire those in my audience to realize that genetics, although important, are but a portion to contend with. A healthy lifestyle, a strong support system, and positive attitudes are essential ingredients to personal wellness and long life.

We all know that we should eat right, exercise, and get plenty of rest in order to be physically healthy. What many don’t realize is that living a healthy lifestyle can also have very positive affects on your psyche. The better you feel physically, the better you feel emotionally as well.

I’ll be the first to say that I am independent and capable of taking care of myself. However, life is so much richer when I am surrounded by family and friends who bolster me up in hard times, ease my burdens when I need help, and just make the good times in life that much better. Having a support system around you allows you to live a happier, longer life.

I can’t speak enough about the impact our own attitudes can have on our overall well-being and longevity. If you constantly take the position that things are bad for you and that certain things are beyond your ability, then guess what? You are going to feel bad and be unable to do the things you want to do with your life. If, however, you make the decision to look at things in a positive light, you will be amazed how much better you will feel. You will be amazed at how much more you can do. It is a decision you can make each day when you get out of bed, and it can have lasting affects on your life.

Far too often we place limitations on ourselves as seniors. Many of us are living well into our nineties, so I ask, what are you going to do with the rest of your life? Are you going to throw in the towel and just wait around for this life to end or are you going to live your life to the fullest every day?

My daughter flatters me often by saying, “Mother, I can’t keep up with you! If we could bottle your energy, spirit, and optimism, we could make a fortune.” Wouldn’t you like to hear similar comments from your daughter? Go get them! Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life.

-Dr. Erica Miller