Take Control Of Your Life

Part two and take control of your life.

We may have greater control over our lives if we think differently about the aging process and increase our physical activity. Mind and body are both important and have to be exercised. We have to find the right balance of both in order to benefit and get greater fulfillment in our lives. This book portrays real people, everyday people, both men and women who have things in common such as exercise and physical activity. This book is about their passions, how they view life, and what they are all about. This book provides useful information, to you the reader that can help you plot your own road map to healthy aging. It does not guarantee that you're going to reverse your biological age, or even increase your life expectancy. However, it will give you insight, inspiration, and ideas on how to make your life more rewarding, satisfying, and fulfilling as you age.

We know that our society and culture values youthfulness, fun, watching sports on TV, playing computer games, making a buck, and going on exotic vacations. Don't forget the dream house. You can also, if necessary, find your partner on some matchmaking Internet website. If you want to look better then all you have to do is find that cosmetic surgeon to help you create a different face, attractive eyes, remove wrinkles and change those awful looking body parts. Finally, make sure you have the right clothes, with matching accessories, to make the perfect outfit for that special occasion.
Our Protestant ethic influences our way of thinking. Hard work, taking responsibility, getting good grades, going to college, being productive, and having a career is highly valued. Laziness, not moving up the corporate ladder, not improving oneself is viewed unfavorably. This is the script to follow while growing up. We were not born with the hard work gene but we certainly acquired the belief that hard work is good. Being industrious is good for us, and it is certainly good for our economy.
We were not born with the DNA that programs us to become feeble, decrepit, and nonproductive, non-useful and a burden when we become old. Remember, some of the lyrics to the Beatles song:” Will you still feed me. Will you still need me when I'm 64”? Our culture, our society and the workforce, convey to us that aging is not highly valued.

In other societies in other cultures, like in Okinawa, to age is to be highly valued. Let's think a moment about some positives and benefits of aging. I'll start with a quote from the world’s oldest Nobel laureates, Rita Levi- Montalcini who turned 100. You may not remember that she shared the 1986 prize in medicine for her work on the mechanisms that regulate cell and organ growth. To this day, she continues to work daily at the European Brain Research Institute in Rome. She recently said: I have a mind that is superior, thanks to experience, than when I was 20. Who's going to argue with her? To be continued tomorrow.
Secretariat was tired so he remained in second place on our 10 mile trail run. Being first was fine with me.