A Short Guide to Longevity
Every sane person wants to be healthy, but as the ageing process sets in and you are faced with aches and pains every day, you can no longer escape from the reality of growing older.
However many of the physical problems attributed to ageing are instead the result of dis-use, that is of choosing to move less as you age. As people grow older they become resigned, having had a problem for years that they just "have to live with it" by and large this is not true, it is avoidable and reversible.
Few of the chronic problems associated with ageing have arrived in your body suddenly. Most have started gradually over the years, following some form of stress, trauma or injury. Your body has adapted to cope with the problem, but this adaption has stayed, locked into your body and gradually this becomes part of who you are, and starts to merge with your identity. Many chronic signs of ageing are better described as chronic problems of adaption.
These are some of the accepted chronic signs of ageing:
Muscular stiffness aches and pains
Lower back pain
Neck and shoulder pain
Shallow breathing
Sore knees
Restricted hip movement
High blood pressure
Heart irregularities
Digestion, kidney and bladder problems
Tight chest, shoulder and leg muscles
Arthritis in joints and loss of grip in the hands
Only walking short distances
Fear of falling
The ultimate goal is to avoid the appearance of these ageing milestones.
Some try and stave off the day by seeking refuge in fitness programmes, some in various sports, but whilst these may give a surface image of good health, most participants when their confidence is gained will admit that they still suffer the same problems, just a few less problems and a little less severe than others. Not much of a return for their effort. In most cases it is because the image of ageing seems so set in stone that there is little that you can do, and so you just accept it as inevitable process that will happen to you.
However many of the physical problems attributed to ageing are instead the result of dis-use, that is of choosing to move less as you age. As people grow older they become resigned, having had a problem for years that they just "have to live with it" by and large this is not true, it is avoidable and reversible.
Few of the chronic problems associated with ageing have arrived in your body suddenly. Most have started gradually over the years, following some form of stress, trauma or injury. Your body has adapted to cope with the problem, but this adaption has stayed, locked into your body and gradually this becomes part of who you are, and starts to merge with your identity. Many chronic signs of ageing are better described as chronic problems of adaption.
These are some of the accepted chronic signs of ageing:
Muscular stiffness aches and pains
Lower back pain
Neck and shoulder pain
Shallow breathing
Sore knees
Restricted hip movement
High blood pressure
Heart irregularities
Digestion, kidney and bladder problems
Tight chest, shoulder and leg muscles
Arthritis in joints and loss of grip in the hands
Only walking short distances
Fear of falling
The ultimate goal is to avoid the appearance of these ageing milestones.
Some try and stave off the day by seeking refuge in fitness programmes, some in various sports, but whilst these may give a surface image of good health, most participants when their confidence is gained will admit that they still suffer the same problems, just a few less problems and a little less severe than others. Not much of a return for their effort. In most cases it is because the image of ageing seems so set in stone that there is little that you can do, and so you just accept it as inevitable process that will happen to you.
Reduce your level of tension
Most age related problems are accelerated by a build up of holding tense muscle patterns which gradually close down joints, affecting blood flows, and putting pressure on organs and generally restricting the open function of the body's natural systems. The Chinese use the analogy of irrigation ditches. If they are kept clear by regular maintenance then the water flows freely, but if neglected they start to clog up and stagnant water builds in areas gradually polluting the water and putting the whole crop in danger.
Most age related problems are accelerated by a build up of holding tense muscle patterns which gradually close down joints, affecting blood flows, and putting pressure on organs and generally restricting the open function of the body's natural systems. The Chinese use the analogy of irrigation ditches. If they are kept clear by regular maintenance then the water flows freely, but if neglected they start to clog up and stagnant water builds in areas gradually polluting the water and putting the whole crop in danger.
The solution to staying young as you age.
Simple regular maintenance for your body is the long term solution to staying active as you grow older. The secret to growing old gracefully is to start when you are young.
Youth is a stage to be put behind us, one to move through and to move onward from. It is not one to hanker back to, or try to re-create by surface improvements on a growing and maturing body. We have to grow through that youthful stage, to develop and look forward to balancing it with wisdom and experience. This material is just at the start of its upward curve, the next generation will have role models of older people who are strong, flexible, vibrant and alive, but calm measured and yet still playful. (that will be us!) The image of old age doesn't need just to change, it needs a complete overhaul. We need to develop the wisdom to understand that to get older means to become more measured, to grow stronger, more flexible, alive and vibrant, and the belief it is possible turn what often is a rusty old age into a golden age.
The secret to reversing "age related problems" and becoming vibrant as you age is to do simple low impact movements for few minutes every day, and of course to have started 10 year ago, but if you missed that, then the time to start is now. In ten years time you will wish that you had.
You work at your own level, the lessons only move at the pace of the people in the class. The success is in the system, just become quietly committed, turn up and practice - that's it.
Simple regular maintenance for your body is the long term solution to staying active as you grow older. The secret to growing old gracefully is to start when you are young.
Youth is a stage to be put behind us, one to move through and to move onward from. It is not one to hanker back to, or try to re-create by surface improvements on a growing and maturing body. We have to grow through that youthful stage, to develop and look forward to balancing it with wisdom and experience. This material is just at the start of its upward curve, the next generation will have role models of older people who are strong, flexible, vibrant and alive, but calm measured and yet still playful. (that will be us!) The image of old age doesn't need just to change, it needs a complete overhaul. We need to develop the wisdom to understand that to get older means to become more measured, to grow stronger, more flexible, alive and vibrant, and the belief it is possible turn what often is a rusty old age into a golden age.
The secret to reversing "age related problems" and becoming vibrant as you age is to do simple low impact movements for few minutes every day, and of course to have started 10 year ago, but if you missed that, then the time to start is now. In ten years time you will wish that you had.
You work at your own level, the lessons only move at the pace of the people in the class. The success is in the system, just become quietly committed, turn up and practice - that's it.
