Gutsy Aging

How To Get Better With Age

Turn on the TV, flip through a magazine, open up your social media, and you’re sure to see celebrities touting the latest anti-aging cream or fountain of youth that just happens to come in a jar for four easy payments of $19.99. It seems like everywhere we look, someone wants us to look younger, more perfect … flawless.

And what about our own phones? There are apps that will slim our faces, enlarge our eyes, add pouty lips, straighten our noses and even smooth our skin for the perfect youthful glow.

And we’re not leaving anti-aging just to technology. In 2018, there were nearly 18 million minimally invasive cosmetic procedures done in the United States — an increase of almost a quarter-million procedures compared to 2017 — with Botox and fillers rounding out the top five ways to get back our youth.

While we may think of this as just a “sign of the times,” have we ever stopped to wonder what has made us so afraid of a wrinkle?

Where Have All the Role Models Gone?

Anti-aging cream and infomercials aside, media today also introduces us to a slew of stars we’re meant to “look up to.” They’re young, beautiful — and desperate to stay that way, electing to get procedures before they can legally have a glass of wine. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Botox procedures among 20-to 29-year-olds have increased 28 percent since 2010. With the rise of social media, it’s no surprise that this 24/7 access to perceived perfection may be taking a toll on our view of ourselves. But what if we could change that?

What if we could flip the script on our youth-obsessed culture and learn how to embrace our age with gusto? What if we decided to unfilter ourselves and become the new role models for a generation terrified of the signs of life showing on their skin?  

An Attitude Age-ustment

First we need to change the way we think about aging. Sure, we may not have the same spring in our step or bounce in our skin. We may lose friends, family members and even our health. But instead of focusing on what we may no longer have, why not focus on two very empowering ideas?

1. What we’ve already gained during our lives

2. What we can gain from this point forward

There’s a wisdom older people have that can’t be acquired at younger ages. It’s the wisdom that only living many days can bring. That wisdom might include knowing how to keep out of trouble, knowing when to speak and when not to, knowing how to manage our time, and knowing how to savor every moment life offers. 

In addition to wisdom, most 40-and 50-and-older-year-olds have earned quite a catalog of skills and abilities, many of them honed to near perfection across the decades. And don’t forget about knowledge. Whether we realize it or not, we’ve always been learning and retaining (for the most part), and now we have the opportunity to pass our wisdom along.

But it’s not only what we’ve already gained that should drive our later years. It’s also what we can still accomplish. For example:

• Begin an exercise routine to get our bodies into better shape — maybe the best shape of our lives.
• Revamp our diets to include more natural, life-giving nutrients.
• Embark on a new career.
• Start that business we’ve always been too busy for.
• Travel and see the world from a new perspective.
• Become a mentor to the next generation.
• Deepen relationships with our children and grandchildren, if we have them.
• Learn a new skill and become an expert in it.

The Most Important Thing

As we age, our goal shouldn’t be to not look a day over 25 but, rather, to feel as good physically, mentally and spiritually as possible. Feeling good starts with taking care of ourselves.

For you, that may mean moving, stretching and strengthening. It may mean loading up on good, healthy foods that keep us mentally and physically ready for action. It may mean enjoying the little things, like a surprise cup of a coffee from a complete stranger or a beautiful sunrise. It may also mean making the choice to be happy.

At the end of the day, it’s up to us to decide how we want to age. Do we want to run from another wrinkle or embrace the chance to put our best face forward? We say go for the gusto!