Think young and feel young! Aging or getting older is something we can’t avoid. No matter how hard we try each day of our life, we are getting older. “Age is just a number,” and it is to a certain degree. Some people reading this may be in the best shape of their lives in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Others may feel like each day they creak, ache, and hurt more than the day before.

Chronological age is simple to figure out. You’ve been alive a certain amount of years, months, and days. This is your chronological age. The age of your brain may be a bit different to figure out. Memory, cognition, speed, and other factors come into play with brain age.

Aside from some of the standard physical indicators of aging like grey hair and more wrinkles than you ever recall seeing, aging can affect you psychologically, behaviorally, and socially. The mere thought of being old or feeling those first aches and pains can cripple certain people. On top of the mental effects, they may also be experiencing a loss of mobility, which can lead to physiological problems like depression.

Aging happens, it is inevitable, and there is not much we can do to stop the clock from moving forward. The question becomes, how can we slow down our aging and think young and feel young?

7 Powerful Secrets to Think Young and Feel Young

Think Young Feel Young

Brain Exercises

Your brain is like any other “muscle” in your body and needs to be worked out regularly. Cognitive function improves when you keep your mind busy with crossword puzzles, sudoku, or reading.  Sitting in front of the television every night will not help to keep your brain active and provide the brain exercise necessary to slow down aging and keep you thinking young. Train your brain to think and use it regularly to keep it up to speed and slow down the decline.

 

Exercise Your Brain!

 

Physical Exercise

Get off the couch and participate in some form of physical exercise. Not only does physical exercise help with the obvious like weight loss, but it also helps to improve your mood and strengthen your muscles and bones. Exercising helps release endorphins, which boost your mood as well as clear your mind. You don’t have to participate in an hour-long exercise class every day to see the benefits. Something as simple as walking 10-20 minutes a day will provide you benefits. Think of incorporating some form of strength training along with cardiovascular exercise like walking or biking to reap the maximum benefits. Start slow and build up as you go.

Physical exercise can help with conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stress, and depression.

READ MORE: DAD BOD A HEALTHY APPROACH

 

Exercise Your Body

Remain sociable

My parents were more social when I was younger, getting together with neighbors regularly for BBQs or just a weekly drink at our house in the summer while the kids played out front. My father has since passed on. My mom is now in her 80’s and she is not very sociable. Mom decides to spend most of her time alone, and it is a depressing thought for me. My wife and I have a strong network of friends, and I couldn’t imagine being older and not having a network of friends to lean on for support and fun.

Remaining social can be as simple as getting together once a week for coffee or a drink or game. Just being around other adults your age and having engaging conversations keeps your brain functioning and provides a level of comradery that leads to longevity.

 

Remain Sociable

Proper diet

It goes without saying that to think young and feel young; you need to fuel your body with the right foods. Eat a well-balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, fish, whole grains, and healthy fats like avocados, nuts, and peanut butter. While supplementing your diet with vitamins and minerals isn’t a bad idea, you should attempt to get most of what you need nutritionally from the food itself.

Avoid fast food and processed food at all costs. They may taste good, but these types of food are providing you no real nutrition. Also, avoid too much salt or sugar in your diet.

 

Proper Diet

Stay within healthy weight limits

Whether you gauge weight by Body Mass Index (BMI) or via a traditional scale, ensure that you are not overweight. Excess body weight can cause health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Being overweight can also lead to fatty liver disease and hypertension.

Keep an eye on your calorie intake and make sure you eat healthy meals avoiding junk food and fast food.

 

Healthy Weight

Stretch

Flexibility begins to decrease with age. Our muscles get shorter, and joints start to dry out, causing us “to creak” when we move.  Lack of flexibility can lead to bad balance, which can be dangerous for anyone as they age. Daily stretching is essential to your routine. Something as simple as not being able to bend over to tie your shoes can be disheartening and cause a loss of independence for an older person. It’s never too early to start adding stretching to your day, and it can certainly help keep you moving and feeling young late into life.

 

Stretch

Relax

As important as it is to stay active with exercise, it is also equally important to take time for yourself to relax. Whether you relax with meditation or listening to music, take time each day for yourself. Stress is dangerous and can lead to severe conditions such as cardiovascular disease and stroke. Avoid it at all costs and do the best you can to kick back every once in a while and “just be.”

 

Relax

 

You shouldn’t have to dramatically change your daily habits to make improvements to any of these areas discussed above. Take it slow and work on an area at a time until you’ve taken care of all of them and then keep it up. Your body will feel healthier and young, and your mind clear and sharp.

What do you do to feel young? Comment below.

 

 

 

 

 

19 Comments

  1. Sarah Emery

    This is a great post informing us how to keep young. This makes me wonder, how many people’s chronological age match both their cognitive age and physical age? Do we have 3 ages? At times, I feel younger than my chronological age but there are some social things, that put me RIGHT back to my chronological age (eg nightclubs). Yet, just where is that fountain of youth 🙂

    Reply
    • Scott DeNicola

      I am a 12-year-old in a 51-year-old body that sometimes feels 85. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Despite Pain

    I think it’s so important to keep your brain active. I love doing puzzles, quizzes and Scrabble. Apart from that, I just choose to forget what age I am.

    Reply
    • Scott DeNicola

      You win for the best comment, ever.

      Reply
  3. Luna S

    These are all fantastic points to help keep the body and mind active and working properly. I may not be anywhere near being considered “old” yet but I like doing brain exercises myself by playing Sudoku and other brain games.

    Reply
  4. Julia

    Oh, Scott, you definitely touched my emotional hot button here! I’m in my early 50s and started feeling that the age takes its toll a couple of years ago.

    Brain Exercises are very important to me. I do Sudoku. I’ve also started my own online business 3 years ago and learn a lot every day. My hobby in Argentine tango dancing provides both socializing and physical exercise. Though, I feel like I should do even more physical activities and stretch more often – that’s for sure!

    Thank God, my diet was always pretty healthy, and I never suffered from excessive weight, quite the opposite – I would benefit from an additional few pounds.

    I love nature, which provides an excellent environment for relaxation. I can’t say that I’m under much stress.

    You are giving here great advice on how to cop up with aging, and yet it is an inevitable process.

    On a side note, I love your cute GIFs here on the page and have already used your idea as part of today’s learning. 🙂 Now I know how to add gif files to my own blog. Thank you!

    Warm regards,

    ~ Julia

    Reply
    • Scott DeNicola

      Thanks for the comment Julia.

      Reply
  5. Kelly Martin

    It really is true that you’re only as old as you think you are. My mum is 70 and she’s still active, healthy and living life to the fullest. I hope I can be the same when I get to that age!

    Reply
    • Scott DeNicola

      Me too Kelly!

      Reply
  6. Melanie

    I hear you on all these points. Keeping active in mind and body is key. Also a good diet is a must too x

    Reply
  7. Amy Blair

    I was just talking to my sister last night about how old I feel and I’m only in my late 30s. I can’t imagine how I will feel in another 10 years. I wish I would have taken better care if my body and what goes into it when I was younger. I also struggle with the social aspect of it. I’m such an introvert and keep to myself a lot, I know more interaction would be better for me.

    Reply
    • Scott DeNicola

      You’re still a baby Amy! It’s never too late to start taking better care of yourself.

      Reply
  8. Fatima

    Proper diet and mind exercises are so important. I’m constantly telling family and friends to stay active.

    Reply
  9. Britt

    Great suggestions! I went through a period of time where I completely failed on monitoring or mediating my stress levels and during that time I felt the oldest that I have ever felt to date! It wasn’t long after I started taking steps to lower my stress levels that I started feeling ‘younger’ once again!

    Reply
  10. Subhashish Roy

    I am a great believer of the theory that age is just a number. Apart from regular exercises I make sure that I surround myself with young adults and kids often and interact.

    Reply
  11. Lyosha

    I couldn’t agree more. Doing activies, relax and reduce stress make you feel younger again or that’s what my mother says. her life changed a lot during last couple of years and now I barely see her as a person older than myself

    Reply
  12. Alexandra

    It really is weird how these aches and pains seem to come out of nowhere! I kinda laugh at myself when I get up in the morning and I realize that I am walking like some of my clients I had a couple of years ago when I was a personal trainer. I never knew that they walked that way because of age! Haha!

    On another note, I am not where I used to be but I still intend to get there. I’m not going to let age stop me from reaching my running and biking goals. Now skateboarding? Well, I was watching my son skate the bowl at our local skatepark and I was really wishing I could do that. But skateboarding is something that just isn’t worth the risk to me at my age. Running and biking are a lot different.

    I sure miss those days…..

    Reply
    • Scott DeNicola

      Getting older is tough but stay active and do everything you can in moderation.

      Reply
  13. Lyanna Soria

    Those are important points to keep one’s self active and thinking young. My mom used to tell me to read books or keep learning new information to keep the brain active and healthy.

    Reply

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