What kind of images appear in your mind when you think of the word “aging”? How about “getting older”? Do you fear getting older, or look forward to it?
Being in the beauty business, I can’t help but to be inundated with questions about aging; How to turn back the hands of time, erase the life experience from your skin?
Beyond eating good, exercising, managing stress and using great products, our attitude towards aging is extremely important. Your thoughts, words and feelings towards your body and health play a vital roll in how you will age. What is the internal dialog you have with yourself about aging?
Your body is a mirror of your consciousness.
Aging makes you wiser, more mature and stronger. Maintain your physical prowess, agility and strength by all the means you know how, and you will find the more you do, the more you will be able to do.
One of the reasons I believe we are not allowed to grow old gracefully, is because we live in a youth obsessed culture and are constantly subjected to images of youth. It seems to be celebrated and rewarded, and sure it’s easy to accept that as truth.
But, if you dig a little deeper (and in the right places), you will find women in their 70’s, 80’s and beyond who can inspire you to expect more.
I recently saw images of Christie Brinkley, who at 61 years old, can still rock at white bikini. Jane Fonda, at 77, walked the red carpet this season and would give any new starlet a run for her money. As lovely as these two women are, I’m sure their affluence enables them a team to cook and train and maybe nip and tuck them.
So, I sought out non celebrity women who have embraced their years and after seeing these powerful women celebrate their ages, it made me look forward to aging.
The youngest of the group is Mimi Kirk. She is 77 years old and is an author, lecturer and founder of RawOnYoungFood.com
She was voted Sexiest Vegetarian Over 50 by PETA. She travels the world lecturing on raw food and healthy living. She reports that she has the energy of someone in their 20’s, and judging by her picture, I have no doubt that is true.
Ernestine Shepard is 80 years old.
In her youth Ernestine is said to have been a “prissy” girl with little interest in athletics or exercise of any kind. As a 56-year-old she was a sedentary, well-padded school secretary and “slug” who had never worked out a day in her life. The obvious question is: What happened to transform Ernestine into a role model for the rest of us, and senior women in particular?
What happened was that the 56-year-old version of Ernestine went bathing suit shopping with her sister, Velvet. While trying on the suits, they found themselves laughing at each other. Then and there they knew it was time to get in better shape. Ernestine and her sister joined a gym and started working out together. A short time later, Velvet died suddenly from a brain aneurysm. Devastated, Ernestine stopped going to the gym. After some months of mourning the loss of her sister and on the advice of a friend that her sister would have wanted her to continue what they had started, Ernestine returned to the gym with a reignited determination to get fit.
Starting slowly and building her body step by little step, Ernestine over time completely transformed not only her body, but her life, too. She has never been happier. She trains mostly senior women five days a week and “live(s) to inspire senior women to reach their physical potential.” Read more about her on her website (and be sure to watch the videos) here
When Tao Porchon Lynch’s beautiful image appeared in my FB feed, I was in awe of her grace (and in complete disbelief of her age, 96!)
Tao teaches discipline and control of the body and mind through Yoga. As she elevates and balances her body in classic poses, she demonstrates how to tap into the primal spark of energy that all of us
receive from the universe. Whatever our religious beliefs, the spark makes us one with our fellow human beings and all forms of life on our planet.
Tao is a living advertisement for how to tap into our human potential. She is unique in her ability to overcome the effects of aging to control her body and mind in harmony with Yoga’s principles. Tao’s philosophy is “There is nothing we cannot do if we harness the power within us.” Her yoga principles and practices will be appreciated by current and future generations. Her current passion, in addition to yoga, is ballroom dancing and she is an award winning world-class dancer. Visit her website to read more here.
The fountain of youth is a state of being, not so much a state of doing. Begin to view your body as a magical form, a versatile machine that is capable of doing whatever you want, without pain or limitation. That is the best anti-aging advice I can ever share with you 🙂
Warmly,
Jennifer