Three Steps to “Aging Well”

The first question I ask potential clients is, “What do you want to be able to do in the next 5, 10, 20 years?” I’ve heard a variety of answers…

Be able to have fun at family gatherings, rather than sitting on the sidelines watching everyone else have fun.
Learn to take amazing pictures and travel through Europe on a photo shoot.
Have fantastic sex with my husband.
Feel good enough to travel and enjoy walking and hiking.
Write a book.
Be able to take care of myself in my elder years.
I want to live a pain free, active, healthy lifestyle

The list goes on….

My next question is…”What needs to happen in order for you to do this?”

Invariably the answers fall into three categories:

I need to be physically stronger.
I need to have more energy.
I need to feel confident in my abilities and decisions.

Indeed these are the main requirements of a long healthy life. So how do you accomplish these?

Whatever you want to be able to do in the next 5, 10 or 20 years you must start doing now.

The ongoing MAP – Memory and Aging Project – at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center conducted an aging study of over 900 participants, following them for 2-10 years. They discovered several things that were paramount for seniors to “Age Well”, especially with regard to good mental cognition and avoiding age related dementia and Alzheimer’s disease:

The Baby Boomers Secret Health Weapon

1. Proper nutrition. Those who had a minimum of 1-2 servings of leafy greens and other antioxidant vegetables on a daily basis showed cognitive abilities 11 years younger than those who did not eat leafy greens and antioxidant vegetables. Other studies have shown that Omega 3 oils such as coconut oil and , flaxseed oil and high quality fish oils also help with cognition as well as heart and joint health.

Our clients are mostly in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. They see great improvement (from 50 to 100% in just a matter of weeks) in strength, stamina, confidence and mental clarity. They find these great improvements when they eat an alkaline diet consisting of brightly colored veggies and fruits, berries, nuts and seeds and several of the AIM products; The Garden Trio, AimMega Omega 3 Oil and Herbal Fiber Blend.

The AIM Garden Trio provides about 5 pounds of vegetable nutrition and takes less than 30 seconds to prepare, drink and clean up. That fits the senior lifestyle like no other! Other benefits of the Garden Trio: BarleyLife to improve cognition and overall health, Just Carrots for improved eyesight and a clean liver, RediBeet to normalize your blood pressure and improve the quality of your blood. These three plus an alkaline diet are the Baby Boomer’s Secret Weapon!
AimMega is a perfect blend of the three vital Omega Oils, 3-6-9 helping with joint, brain and cardiovascular health.
Herbal Fiber Blend cleanses your blood, liver and bowels and kills parasites.

Our program, My Busy Healthy Life teaches you how to eat an alkaline diet and enjoy it long term.

One more word about nutrition…please, please, please don’t use Boost or Ensure! They are just pure sugar. Sugar feeds cancer. Sugar causes inflammation which causes pain. Sugar decreases mental cognition. AIM has a wonderful tasty protein powder, ProPeas, you can quickly mix up with your favorite milk and fruit to make a delicious smoothy. Try ProPeas, especially if you have some kind of chronic or degenerative disease. ProPeas is a powerful plant based protein with no junk…only real, whole food.

Here are some yummy smoothie recipes using ProPeas.

2. Purpose in life. When a spouse dies, a career comes to a close, children move away, friends pass on, we often lose our sense of direction and purpose. It is very important for you to keep using your talents and gifts to help others. God still has a purpose for you in your senior years…an important mission!

How to find your new purpose and mission: Volunteer at your church, a school or non-profit organization. Reach out to shut ins, help an overworked mother or rescue endangered animals or people. You are here for a reason…and it’s more than to Watch jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. If you don’t know what to do with yourself, your local senior center will have people to help you find your new purpose in life. Reach out.

Sunday at church a gentleman shared his retirement journey. After he retired he realized he couldn’t just sit in a chair and watch TV for the next 20 years. He took his planning skills to the local high school and mentored 42 high school students in mapping out their future. His direction helped them to stay focused on their grades, he helped them apply for scholarships and awards and saw many receive extra help towards their future. He even had 4 students receive full ride scholarships! It was thrilling to him and those who listened to his story.

A note to pastors and others: My grandmother came to visit me in her 80s. When we were at work she ironed, washed windows, did deep cleaning. I told her “Grandma you don’t need to do all this”…her answer, “yes I do! I need a reason to get up in the morning!” She went on to tell me that she had gone to her church and asked for something to do to help people. She wanted to work but also needed community. She longed for relationships, people to do life with. “My pastor stuck me alone in the church library…that is NOT what I needed!” So she began to look for young families she could serve by cleaning and ironing. She needed purpose and she needed community.

3. Community. The Rush study also found those who were living alone, had little to no outside community and did not venture out of their “home space” were far more likely to experience dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Get out in the community. Join a senior exercise class, a card club, a book club, a Bible study. Visit your family, visit friends…don’t just sit at home. This research shows you aren’t such good company for yourself!

If you are shut away because of bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, to yourself or towards others…you must address this. It won’t go away; it will only affect your health and life in a negative way. Check out the book The Peacemaker by Ken Sande. Better yet, see if there is a Bible study group or community group to help you resolve these past issues. Your future depends on it.

So remember…

Nourish your body with real food!
Nourish your spirit with purpose and
Nourish your soul with loving rich community…

These are the 3 Steps to “Aging Well”

Choose the step you feel is the simplest one to start on, once you get that down, move to the next step. If you need help, we have 10 years experience helping people restore energy, reverse aging and chronic disease and rest well. Send me an email at: thewellnessworkshop@msn.com.