How To Live The (Aging) Vida Loca

Growing older without getting old

What’s the most important thing to getting older without getting old? Here are some tips to living the (aging) vida loca.

Age is just a number right? As far as I know it only measures the time you’ve been on earth. In fact, it has little to do with how many years you have left.

The thing is that if you believe you are young, you are. By the same token, if you believe you are old, you are! Your mind is much more powerful than you can imagine and, if you harness the power of your mind, the rest will take care of itself.

Praying and going to church can feed your soul and spirit. Or you can connect with your source in other ways. The point is to just do it in whatever way you choose. By connecting with a higher power, you keep your soul young.

It’s true that you are what you eat but you are also what you WILL BE. What you put into your body fuels it and gives you energy. Highly processed foods and drinks such as fast foods and boxed foods have little to no nutrients for your body to use. Fast foods don’t give you enough “fuel” to burn for energy. Often times it leaves you even more tired than if you hadn’t eaten.

Give your body whole foods like lean proteins such as chicken, fish, beef, pork and eggs and lots of colorful vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Also include healthy fats such as olive and nut oils, nuts/nut butters, avocados and coconut oil.

Proper supplementation is another important part of feeding your body right. Keep in mind that just about every person, even if they eat organic whole foods, is still lacking in nutrients. Our top soil has been depleted of minerals due to all the spraying with herbicides and fungicides.

Most of the commercial food sold today is lacking in nutrients so, when searching for supplements, make sure the ingredients are NON-synthetic, earth based and water soluble.

Drink water to keep your cells hydrated. Just like Mother Earth, our bodies are made up of 60–70% water so drinking water is important. With coffee, sodas and energy drinks as the staples in our diet, many of us are walking around dehydrated. When we have the urge to eat without really being hungry, it is a signal from our brain that we need water.

Having a fit body helps keep you young. You don’t have to bench-press your body weight but moving your body and doing some sort of weight-bearing exercise will keep your body agile. You want to retain as much muscle mass as possible to keep your body young and vibrant. Whatever way you like to move your body is better than not moving at all.

Sitting is this generation’s smoking as a health hazard. If you work at a desk job, get up every hour and walk around and do a couple of stretches or squats to get the blood flowing. For many years now, I’ve turned to walking as a form of exercise and meditation. It increases the heart rate and builds strength. While walking, I can solve a problem or finish an argument with myself or someone else.

Connect with nature as much as possible. Let the sun soak into your skin and get your bare feet on the ground if you can.

Creating quiet in your life is more important than ever. Our poor brains are on constant overload with information. We need to unplug from technology. You can do this by reading, prayer, meditation, or finding a hobby that allows the creative side of your brain to flow.

I have found writing and photography to have an immense impact on my mental well being. Both hobbies have forced me to stop and enjoy the present moment. There are many online courses nowadays (many of them free) that allow you to learn a skill or hobby and use your creativity.

Most of us grow up fearing our 50s and 60s birthdays when, in reality, getting older can be a blessing. The older you get, the better you know yourself and you’ll finally have the time to explore your passions.