Aging : payback time?
As years go by, aging becomes more and more of a pressing topic for everyone. I’m no exception as I’m almost halfway through my fifties and will soon reach the dreaded threshold which will bring me into the aging population box.
Are there some benefits to aging? Internet is rather silent on this topic even though it concerns a growing portion of the population. Let’s see about that.
Before we go there, I believe it’s important to disconnect aging and the most common causes of death in our modern age: cardiovascular diseases & any type of cancer. Yes, surprisingly, they still come far before any covid death even though it’s not much of a topic for any news channel.
It seems that we tend to think of aging as the inevitable increased risk of catching one of those top two. To be fair, even though statistics seems to show a greater occurrence as we age, those diseases are not only afflicting elderlies.
I was reminded that dying of cancer or cardiovascular disease doesn’t have to be a fatality when I learned about the passing of a charming 99-year-old lady living in my village in the middle of Burgundy. My automatic question was: what did she die of? Of nothing in particular was the reply. She died in her sleep, peacefully. The day before she was still walking around the village and playing scrabble with her son. We forgot that the normal way to end our life could be peaceful. Our body just being worn out and we quietly & happily go away. This has become my target as time goes by.
So how to get there? It seems to me that aging is mostly a payback time. The more we have taken care of ourselves, the better we will age. The usual culprits must be mentioned: healthy food (whole food plant-based diet being my favorite), regular exercise (while being careful not to overdo it, not to hurt yourself in the process), meditation, friends and family, curiosity and learning, enough sleep and as little stress as possible. Simple, isn’t it?
Assuming we follow all the above-mentioned recommendation (and it’s never too late to start), what are the benefits of aging?
Less cold and flu: our immune system has seen it all and remembers most of it (at least until our 70s) which means less risks of catching a cold or a flu
Declining allergies: Immunoglobulin E production declines with age which means less allergies especially after 50-year-old.
Cleverer: Even though ability in math and in respond to command decline with age, vocabulary, spatial orientation, verbal memory, and problem solving become better as we age. We acquire a larger perspective on matters and a greater knowledge of a variety of topics.
Better sex: This one has to be my favourite! 50% of women over 80s have orgasms during sex, always or most of the time.
Fewer migraines
Less sweaty
Social conflicts resolution: as we age, we see different points of view and think of multiple way to resolve conflicts and find compromises
Better emotion management
HAPPIER: This one is quite surprising but people over 50-year-old suffer less from anger, stress, sadness and fear. They enjoy the present moment and report a higher level of happiness overall.
As we have seen it all and have already proven ourselves to the world, we can finally relax and enjoy the moment. No more pressure to achieve and compete. The only focus becomes taking care of ourselves, be kind with ourselves, slow down, do things we enjoy, contribute to society, support our children and grandchildren, and spend time with our friends.
A few years ago, I did an intensive coaching training in Berkeley. All our teachers were above 70-year-old and all of them were amazingly active and positive and healthy. One of them was even a desert runner. I want to keep that picture in mind as my north star, to remember that we can all age gracefully and healthily. Sure, we know how it will end, but let’s have fun before it does!
