Paramount to our success in creating more vibrant lives is changing our collective thinking about the ageing process because all too often we blame the results of physical decline and loss in vitality on age.

We live in an ageist society as a result of generations of conditioning that ageing is something to avoid rather than celebrate. Ageism is rife in the workplace, at home and in the sport, beauty and leisure worlds. At all levels of society, assumptions are made that getting older means a gradual degeneration in body and mind. While there is evidence all around us that supports this and it is undoubtedly true that changes do take place as we age. It is more accurate to say that the way we age is influenced by our mindset, our emotions and our behaviours. All too often the degeneration that we attribute to old age is stagnation from poor lifestyle habits and worried, anxious and fearful thinking over a lifetime.

We have created a ridiculous fear of getting older and yet the irony is we are all going to get old, every single one of us and younger generations are likely to get even older than current generations! We cannot avoid it.

As a society, we need to let go of this unhelpful thinking, and create a new mind- set, to expect that we get better with age! There is so much information to back this up! A study of centenarians in Okinawa (Japan) showed us that they have a very different expression of age. With centenarians walking and climbing and swimming and performing martial arts and living on a diet where they eat light. They, like our original ancestors, lack all the mod cons of the developed world such as available transport, and they rely on being active to manage their lives. Active living translates into strong bones and muscles. They are also very much involved in the community, mixing with the young. From a biological health perspective, they keep their mitochondria in good shape and have fewer diseases (as a result of their active lifestyle and moderate eating habits) compared to much of the western world.

How fantastic if we could do the same! So how do we change ingrained thinking that does not support us in any way? From a behavioural perspective, we can begin by bringing greater vitality into our lives because the benefits of having greater vigour, mental abilities, an optimistic outlook and a joyful spirit prove to the world that an older person can have just as much Zest for life as a younger person.

A daily mantra could be ‘I love, care and nurture the cells in my body every day!’

Say it with feeling and mean it!

Let me know your thoughts and what affirmations you use to nurture your cellular health!