Age Smart

Age Smart by Harriet Vines, Ph.D.

How do you cope with today’s extended life expectancy, age effectively and stay in control of your life? Back in 1711 Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, observed, “Every one desires to live long, but no one would be old.” Three hundred years later, that’s still true. But how is it possible? How do you live longer and not ‘grow old’? The answer is to age proactively: Age Smart.

How Do You Age Smart?

• You Age Smart when you use your brain to age well.
• You Age Smart when you take advantage of the latest research on aging.
• You Age Smart when you do the many things you have control over and the power to do to age successfully.
• You Age Smart when you practice positive psychology.
• You Age Smart when you become and remain physically and mentally fit, the sine qua non, the bottom line, of positive aging.

The MacArthur Foundation Study of Successful Aging, the respected in-depth investigation of the aging process, identifies three fundamental components of aging well: a low risk of debilitating disease, physical and mental fitness, and social interaction.

The results of the MacArthur study reveal that many of the complaints people attribute to “old age” actually result from the life style they’ve chosen, e.g., not enough exercise, poor nutrition, not much socializing. Evidence indicates the way people age depends primarily on personal decisions, choices and actions, all products of conscious, self-directed mental activity. If you choose to age well and be happy, put your mind to work at learning how to do it. You can guide the process.

The Game Plan

Like most people, you want to be able to understand and remember the things you do, places you go and people you meet. You want to be able to concentrate on the book you’re reading, the TV program you’re watching or the movie you’re seeing. You want to be able to talk to friends about them without forgetting names and blocking words.

Your brain can be trained, so train it. Increase your awareness of it, learn how to use your brain to manage the aging process and strengthen your ability to age well. Use your “master muscle” to make your life more satisfying, productive, meaningful, and enjoyable. No matter what anyone says or advertisements imply, you cannot stop aging, but it is within your power to shape the way you process it. You have the power to increase your mental fitness. The brain’s job is to mind the body; your job is to mind your brain.

Try this now. Look around. See if you can spot five blue objects small enough to fit into your pocket and five red ones that are too big. There! You just did an exercise that strengthened your powers of observation. Improving and maintaining your mental fitness can be as simple as that.

Here’s the Game Plan: Take care of your brain as well as you take care of your body. Just as you exercise to strengthen your body’s muscles to keep physically fit, you should exercise your brain’s muscles to stay mentally fit. You don’t’ even have to go to a health club. Do the Mental Fitness Workout (MFW) in each chapter in Age Smart - How to Age Well, Stay Fit and Be Happy. MFWs are winning plays that promote successful aging. Just as you maintain physical strength and fitness through proper diet and exercise, you also should maintain mental strength and fitness through proper diet and mental exercise.

Written by Harriet Vines, Ph.D, experienced author, lecturer, and retired college professor. For further information about Dr. Vines and her new book, Age Smart, visit: www.agesmart.us.