The Aging Process

Control It---
The attention and publicity paid to the difficult problems some people encounter as they age foster the impression that aging is all-negative, all the time. But we know that ain't necessarily so.

Yes, there are significant problems, but there are serious problems at every age. We’ve known them; we’ve lived them. We’ve also lived and known ourselves to be loving, capable, responsible, problem solving individuals. More importantly - we still see ourselves that way. We’re effectively functioning adults, thank you very much, and we intend to keep leading productive, meaningful, Happy (sic) lives.

Studies show each of us has the ability, through our brainpower, to age well. My book, "Age Smart – How to Age Well, Stay Fit and Be Happy," is the extension of my firm belief, based on research reinforced by empirical evidence, that it is never too late to grow the mind. Sharpened mental fitness coupled with a healthy life style give us the power to shape the way we age.

I developed the Age Smart mental fitness program to share these important findings. The book is my effort a) to reach and support more of the majority, my peers who want to exert control over the way they age b) to reinforce their determination to age well and c) to offer a viable way to accomplish their objectives. Remember, it’s not what age you are that matters, it’s how you age. Be pro-active. Take charge. Age the way you want to be: Smart, Well, Fit, and Happy.

“How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” Satchel Paige

“Age is of no importance unless you are a cheese.” Anonymous


Age Smart
How do you cope with today’s extended life expectancy, age effectively and stay in control of your life? Back in 1711 Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver’s Travels, observed, “Every one desires to live long, but no one would be old.” Three hundred years later, that’s still true. But how is it possible? How do you live longer and not ‘grow old’? The answer is to age pro-actively: Age Smart.

How Do You Age Smart?
You Age Smart when you use your brain to age well.
You Age Smart when you take advantage of the latest research on aging.
You Age Smart when you do the many things you have control over and the power to do to age successfully.
You Age Smart when you practice positive psychology.
You Age Smart when you become and remain physically and mentally fit, the sine qua non, the bottom line, of positive aging.

The MacArthur Foundation Study of Successful Aging, the respected in-depth investigation of the aging process, identifies three fundamental components of aging well: a low risk of debilitating disease, physical and mental fitness, and social interaction

The results of the MacArthur study reveal that many of the complaints people attribute to “old age” actually result from the life style they've chosen, e.g., not enough exercise, poor nutrition, not much socializing. Evidence indicates the way people age depends primarily on personal decisions, choices and actions, all products of conscious, self-directed mental activity. If you choose to age well and be happy, put your mind to work at learning how to do it. You can guide the process.


The Game Plan
Like most people, you want to be able to understand and remember the things you do, places you go and people you meet. You want to be able to concentrate on the book you're reading, the TV program you're watching or the movie you're seeing. You want to be able to talk to friends about them without forgetting names and blocking words.

Your brain can be trained, so train it. Increase your awareness of it, learn how to use your brain to manage the aging process and strengthen your ability to age well. Use your “master muscle” to make your life more satisfying, productive, meaningful, and enjoyable. No matter what anyone says or advertisements imply, you cannot stop aging, but it is within your power to shape the way you process it. You have the power to increase your mental fitness. The brain’s job is to mind the body; your job is to mind your brain.

Try this now. Look around. See if you can spot five blue objects small enough to fit into your pocket and five red ones that are too big. There! You just did an exercise that strengthened your powers of observation. Improving and maintaining your mental fitness can be as simple as that.

Here’s the Game Plan: Take care of your brain as well as you take care of your body. Just as you exercise to strengthen your body’s muscles to keep physically fit, you should exercise your brain’s muscles to stay mentally fit. You don’t even have to go to a health club. Do the Mental Fitness Workout (MFW) in each chapter in "Age Smart – How to Age Well, Stay Fit and Be Happy." MFWs are winning plays that promote successful aging. Just as you maintain physical strength and fitness through proper diet and exercise, you also should maintain mental strength and fitness through proper diet and mental exercise.

Age Smart Review on Amazon

Enlightening and Encouraging!

I used to assume that losing my senses would be inevitable as I aged. Thank-you Dr. Vines for putting my mind at ease! This book offers encouragement in two forms. It dispels the myth that dementia is normal and gives practical exercises to stay sharp throughout life.

The mental exercises are fun! I can tell the difference. They help my brain stay active, keep the synapses connected, and my memory in shape.

I will be buying several copies for Christmas gifts this year and will make Age Smart’s Mental Fitness Workouts my New Year’s Resolution!

Anita Boser author of Relieve Stiffness and Feel Young Again with Undulation
http://www.undulationexercise.com

Thinking About Retirement?

Congratulations, You Made It!
Harriet Vines, Ph.D.

If you are thinking about Retirement Living, chances are you're riding gerontologist Ken Dychtwald's "Age Wave." You are probably one of the 70 million 55+ men and women who constitute the fast growing age group that makes up 31 percent of the adult population and includes the boomer bulge.

Residential communities are being built, products introduced, services developed, styles fashioned, programs aired, books published, zines designed, websites blogged – all for you. And with good reason. Few people now "retire" in the sense long associated with the term, i.e., withdraw or remove oneself.

Today, most people who reach retirement age – down from the traditional 65 to as low as 57 - are out there doing their thing. They're traveling, playing sports, exercising, changing homes, volunteering, joining groups, taking courses, trying new activities, starting businesses, relocating, making new friends, beginning new hobbies, meeting challenges, discovering new interests, dating, following dreams, setting their own schedules. That's as it should be. And now, they'll have even more time to enjoy themselves.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported September 12, 2007 that life expectancy rates in the US have reached an all-time high. According to the CDC, Americans are now living longer than ever, with those born in 2005 expected to live for nearly 78 years.

However, as Jonathan Swift observed 300 years ago, "every one desires to live long, but no one would be old." How is that possible? How do you live longer and not 'grow old'? The answer is to take control and age pro-actively. Mental fitness, coupled with a healthy lifestyle, gives you the power to shape the way you age and enjoy your retirement living.

Just as you exercise to strengthen your body's muscles to keep physically fit, you should exercise the muscles of your mind to stay mentally fit. Try this now. Look around you, and see how many red objects small enough to fit in your pocket and blue objects that are too large you can find in two minutes. There, you just strengthened your powers of observation, an important mental muscle.

Here's another fun, effective way to increase circulation to your brain. Name as many objects as you can for each of your initials, or for family members' initials, or for U.S. presidents' initials in two minutes. Next time, name countries. Do simple exercises like these whenever you have a few free minutes – waiting on a line, for the game to start or the light to change….

Your brain's job is to mind your body; your job, mind your brain. Evidence is growing that physical and mental fitness can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. That's worth a few minutes of your time.

You can age the way you want to if you put your mind to it.

Dr. Harriet Vines is the author of Age Smart – How to Age Well, Stay Fit and Be Happy, available at book stores, online and at www.agesmart.us

How Do You Live Longer and Not Grow Old?

Sound impossible? It's not. You live longer and not grow old when you Age Smart.

HOW DO YOU AGE SMART?

You Age Smart when you use your brain to age well. It's never too late nor too soon to begin. In fact, the sooner, the better - the greater the benefits. http://www.agesmart.us

You Age Smart when you take advantage of the latest research on aging.

You Age Smart when you do the many things you have control over and the power to do to age successfully.

You Age Smart when you practice positive psychology.

You Age Smart when you become and remain physically and mentally fit, the sine qua non, the bottom line, of aging well.

You Age Smart when you read Age Smart - How to Age Well, Stay Fit and Be Happy by Harriet Vines, Ph.D.