Ten Important Mantras for Aging Gracefully – opinion
Many people feel unhappy, health-wise and security-wise, after 60 or 70 or 80 years of age, believing a diminishing importance is given to them and their opinions. But, it need not be so, if only we understand the basic principles of life and follow them.
Here are ten mantras to help you age gracefully, to make life after retirement more pleasant, to enjoy and treasure the elder years of wisdom and intelligence.
1. Never say ‘I am too old’
There are three ages, chronological, biological, and psychological. The first is calculated based on our date of birth; the second is determined by health conditions, and the third is how old you feel you are. While we don’t have control over the first, we can take care of our health with good diet, exercise and a cheerful attitude. A positive attitude and optimistic way of thinking can reverse the third age.
2. Health is wealth
If you really love your kids and kin, taking care of yourself and your health should be your priority. Thus, you will not be a burden to them. Have an annual health check-up and take the prescribed medicines regularly. Take out health care insurance coverage.
3. Money is important
Money is essential for meeting the basic necessities of life, keeping good health and earning family respect and security. Don’t spend beyond your means, even for your children. You have lived for them throughout, and it is time you enjoyed a harmonious life with your spouse. If your children are grateful they should take care of you. But never take that for granted.
4. Relaxation and recreation
The most relaxing and refreshing forces are a healthy and religious attitude, good sleep, music and laughter. Have faith in your religion, learn to sleep well, love good music, and see the fun side of life.
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5. Time is precious
It’s almost like holding a horse’s reins. When they are in your hands, you can control them. Imagine that every day you are born again. Yesterday is a paid check. Tomorrow is a promissory note. “Today is ready cash; use it profitably. Live this moment”.
6. Change is the only permanent thing
We should accept change; it is inevitable. The only way to make sense out of change is to join the dance. Change has brought about many pleasant things. We should be happy that our children are blessed.
7. Enlightened selfishness
We are all basically self-interested. Whatever we do, we naturally expect something in return. We should definitely be grateful to those who stood by us. But our focus should be on the internal satisfaction and happiness we derive by doing good for others, without expecting anything in return but the warm glow we get, which in the end, is what we really want.
8. Forgive, then Forget
Don’t be bothered too much by others’ mistakes. It is certainly hard in the heat of the moment to turn the other cheek. But, for the sake of our own health and happiness, let us forgive and forget as soon as we can. Otherwise, we will only be increasing our BP.
9. Everything has a reason; a purpose
Take life as it comes. Accept yourself as you are, and also accept others for what they are. Everybody is unique and right in their own way.
10. Overcome the fear of death
We all know that one day we have to leave this world. Still, we are afraid of death. We think that our spouse and children will be unable to withstand our loss. But the truth is that no one is able to to die for you; though they may painfully mourn for some time. Time heals everything and they will carry on. Remember, no one leaves this world alive.
Source: http://www.ba-bamail.com/
Comments
I wish to add one more – “Keep your mind open and active”.
“Minds are like parachutes; they function best when open”. This is a popular cliché but there is a lot of truth in it. I visit this site each morning. I regularly read something new. I have contributed – here and there – something new (to me, that is), even less regularly. The daily pilgrimage does me good.
Thanks, Cyril!
I have a fascination with the brain. I almost became a vegetarian when I held the brain of a ram sheep in my palm. A Muslim friend had just slaughtered the animal; and my thought was “Dear God, what have I destroyed here?” Mohamed Saffie (LBI) persuaded me that he had prayed for forgiveness for both of us.
At present, I have related my body to a computer – with its CPU and many and varied input / output devices.
The burning question is, “Who / What is at the keyboard?”
Any suggestion?
That was a wonderful article. I like everything he wrote. That writer had to be writing from experience. One thing I would say is that as you age you should see the doctor more often than yearly. Things change faster (at 70-80).
What is at the keyboard…….just what you have been showing. Experiences of your earlier years. What I discover is that healthy habits developed at a young age, such as abstaining from alcohol and smoking, pay health dividends on aging. You are right . Having an open mind is important but difficult for most people who have lock on to a particular belief system. It goes with honesty, integrity, humility and so on. Its part of a preparation for a bigger thing. Frank Kafka said, if one is truly prepared the world would readily offer itself to be unmasked. It had no choice.
I had to smile at #8 – Forgive, then forget. The beauty about aging is that we’re able to forget things without even trying 🙂
SENIORS Does Your Home Contain One of the Biggest Threats to Your Health?
Steve McDonald, Bond Strategist, The Oxford Club
As we age, dropping stock and bond prices aren’t the only falls we have to worry about.
Short of cancer, falling itself is one of the greatest threats to our health. It’s often caused by poor balance, difficulty on stairs, prescription medications that cause dizziness, tripping over scatter rugs and muscle weakness.
A serious fall increases the difficulty of daily living by 166%. A cast on a broken arm is difficult, but a broken leg or hip can be catastrophic.
Falls increase the rate of heart disease by 46%. And depression is 58% more likely after a tumble.
Every year, 3 million older Americans end up in emergency rooms because of falls.
And it has a costly price tag… The average price per fall is around $35,000.
Forty percent of elderly people who have a serious fall end up in nursing homes.
If you make it back home after a fall, your mobility will not be the same, and you should expect to have in-home help.
And stairs are one of the biggest culprits.
When we were buying our home in Florida, my better half, Eileen – who is a hospice nurse and sees the results of falls all day every day in the nursing facilities she visits – insisted on no steps.
Whether it’s steps to the house, into the tub or shower, or from room to room, they are one of the major contributors to serious falls. Newer retirement communities have taken this to heart and have walk-in showers and baths.
You may not be able to eliminate all the steps in your home, but we can prevent these debilitating accidents. This can be done by…
• Dumping the heels. Women’s heels are things of our youth.
• Investing in nonslip soles.
• Getting rid of throw rugs.
• Buying bedroom slippers with hard soles, not smooth felt or leather soles.
• Adding lighting or increasing the wattage of lights in dimly lit areas.
• Tidying up. Get all those boxes and storage bins out of the way.
• Installing grab bars in your shower.
• And using slip-proof bath mats.
We’ve worked so hard to get here in decent shape, let’s not let a preventable slip, trip or tumble shorten our stay.
And there are some people who are less likely to suffer falls… men, obese individuals and married folks.
So guys, go ahead and have that dessert, and remember, happy wife, happy life.
Good investing,
Steve
I started playing Table Tennis as a kid at Mackenzie YMCA, so long ago I remember waiting for the RH CARR, because we had no table tennis balls. Were periods in my life, when I was too busy to play, but I always make an effort because of my love of the sport. My doctor for many years, was Mexican and a marathon runner, mentioned my upbringing, my diet in Guyana was a foundation for good health, and Table Tennis was one of the best methods for maintaining the body,plus excellent for the mind. Now that I am retired, and play often in large Table Tennis club/clubs in Toronto I see Chinese in their eighties, men and women scorching it up, I am happy I followed my doctor’s orders. Conclusion, try Table Tennis good for the body, great for the mind. Ancient Chinese secret.
After moving down south where space is plentiful, one of the firsts things I wanted to do was to get a table tennis outfit. The problem was there is no one to play against, except when my kids visit. You are right its a good form of exercise for the 70-80 group.
Well I have the solution. Table Tennis Robot, used to be in clubs only but for a few hundred you got a partner that can be less than, equal to, or beat you up. I had one, I used during bad winters. Used by high level players and coaches all the time. You good to go.
Posting this because the life you save could be your ………….
hope you find it useful, we, players, feel we have a responsibility to pass on the benefits of table tennis.
thank you
OOAK tabletennis-reviews.com
The Health Benefits of Table Tennis
Most of you reading this article probably play table tennis simply because you enjoy it, without realising the great health benefits the sport provides. This article highlights some of the main benefits, particularly those that are unique to table tennis, enhancing your health in areas that you’re not even aware of.
I hope it will encourage you to recommend this great sport to your friends and family!
1. Great physical exercise yet gentle on the body
Table tennis is not only a good cardiovascular exercise, keeping your heart healthy and strong, but it also tones and strengthens your core muscles, in both upper and lower body. It’s an effective way of improving your fitness and strengthening your muscles all at the same time.
It is also a great aerobic exercise. As you run from side to side at the table, your heart rate increases and your body requires more oxygen, causing you to breath heavier, faster and deeper. This increases you lung capacity, and improves how efficiently your lungs use oxygen.
I think we all know it’s easy to start doing exercise, but much harder to keep it going on a regular basis without losing interest or getting injured. This is a key aspect of table tennis, because it’s not only a highly social sport and great fun, but it’s a non-contact sport and has been proven to have a very low injury rate. You’re not likely to get all the bruises and broken bones that are common in most contact sports, yet the exercise can be just as effective.
All these factors help you keep going to make your exercise a regular event, which is vital to improving and maintaining your health.
2. Improved Reflexes, Balance and Coordination
Reflexes and coordination are vital life skills for everyone.
For kids these skills are very important as they develop physically, and try to fit in socially. Table tennis is one of the top sports for improving reflexes, hand-eye coordination and balance, which will be of great benefit to any sports that they participate in, as well as other physical activities.
For adults, particularly the elderly, reflexes and coordination skills must be exercised to maintain them.
OOAK tabletennis-reviews.com
OOAK tabletennis-reviews.com
Since degradation of these skills is very slow, you tend not to notice them, but it’s a lot easier to maintain them with a regular and fun game like table tennis, than it is to re-gain them once you lose them.
3. Table Tennis is The World’s Best Brain Sport!
As well as being good physical exercise, table tennis also provides a great mental work out. You plan strategies and decide what spin to put on the ball, whilst trying to stay one step ahead of your opponent and react to the shots they are playing all at the same time. Decisions are made in split seconds, increasing concentration levels, short term memory and decision making ability. All this mental exercise boosts hormone levels and keeps the brain young, which can slow the progress of cognitive decline that occurs with ageing.
According to Dr. Wendy Suzuki, professor of neuroscience and psychology at New York University (1), table tennis works parts of the brain that are responsible for movement, fine motor skills and strategy… areas that could be growing stronger with each match. While scientists have yet to study the brain activity of ping pong players, Suzuki believes the game enhances brain function unlike any other sport.
Renowned physician, psychiatrist and brain imaging expert, Dr. Daniel Amen, says that ‘Table Tennis is The World’s Best Brain Sport.
“You still may think that calling table tennis a sport is silly, but I think it is the best brain sport ever. It is highly aerobic, uses both the upper and lower body, is great for eye hand coordination and reflexes, and causes you to use many different areas of the brain at once as you are tracking the ball, planning shots and strategies, and figuring out spins. It is like aerobic chess. Plus, table tennis causes very few head injuries. Table tennis, or Ping Pong, is the second most popular organized sport in the world. What is even more impressive is that it is the youngest of the world’s major sports. At the competitive level, players hit the ball in excess of 90 miles per hour across the table!” ……………………
Forgot the conclusion, sorry. “All exercise is good, but the ones that forces you to use the brain, are much better”