Message For The Older Folk: Make Staying Young Your Career; Be In The Business Of Staying Young (Video)

Hi great people. Today, I came across the above video. The video challenged and inspired me and I thus decided to share it with you. The elderly lady in the video is challenging and urging the older folk to make staying young their business/career.

Watch the video below:

I love this video because it has always been my clarion call to women. If you take a tour of my blog, you can tell that it’s mainly dedicated to women. Why, because I have a passion for empowering women.

Making staying young your career/business simply means you should refuse to grow old or refuse to age prematurely. It means doing everything you can to remain young as long as you’re in this world.

When I turned 40, I decided to take the saying, “Life begins at 40” literally. I decided subconsciously to make staying young my business/career. So, the message in the video resonates very well with me.

Making staying young my business/career is not easy, sometimes I forget my mission and slacken. However, when I realize I’ve slackened, I pick myself up and try again.

The results of making staying young my business/career have been rewarding and fulfilling. I have a youthful appearance despite being on the fifth floor (tongue in cheek), I’m young at heart (or so I think), and I’m in great health.

Today, I urge you to make staying young your career/business. If you’re resilient, you’ll reap unbelievable benefits.

I’m not saying that making staying young your business/career is easy. No, it can be challenging and only those who are determined and resilient can make it.

To make staying young your career/business is challenging because it requires a total renewal of the mind.

Here’s what total renewal of the mind may look like:

• Changing some of your old ways of thinking about aging.
• Changing habits that are harmful to you.
• Reinventing yourself.
• Striving to be young at heart.

Let me explain briefly the things I’ve listed above regarding total renewal of the mind if you want to make staying young your business/career.

Changing Some Of Your Old Ways Of Thinking About Aging

Some of us are still stuck to the old ways of thinking regarding aging. If you want to make staying young your business/career, you must have a renewal of the mind about aging.

Here are examples of old ways of thinking about aging:

You must slow down as you age

The old way of thinking about aging is that when you reach a certain age, you should slow down and take it easy.

This is not true! If you want to stay young, you must get rid of this old-fashioned way of thinking.

You don’t have to become less active physically, mentally, or socially just because you’re growing older. That’s an outdated way of thinking.

Instead of slowing down and adopting a sedentary lifestyle, stay active to maintain good health and increase longevity.

After retirement, just relax and do nothing

Another old-fashioned way of thinking is that you should just sit and relax after retirement. After all, you’ve been productive for all those years.

Let me tell you. Avoid viewing retirement as the final phase of your life!

Look at retirement as a new phase in your life.

You can stay young even after retirement by embarking on a new career, starting new projects, traveling, making new friends, etc.

Aging is horrible – it’s all downhill from here

Do you have this kind of old-fashioned mindset about aging? If you do, it’s best to have a renewal of the mind so that you can stay young.

You see, if you have a pessimistic view of aging, you associate it with loss, illness, decline, being cash-strapped,  etc. 

If you have such an outlook towards aging, you can end up feeling hopeless and helpless. You could thus age fast and reduce your longevity.

So, get rid of this old-fashioned mindset. Aging is not horrible, it all depends on how you embrace it.

If you have a renewal of the mind, you’ll not go downhill just because you’re getting older. 

Change Habits That Are Harmful To You

If you want to make staying young your business, there are harmful habits that you have to change.

You see, some habits don’t augur well with aging. Some of the habits make your health deteriorate as you age while others reduce your longevity.

Here are examples of habits that are harmful to you. Avoid them like the plague as you age:

Smoking

According to experts smoking increases the risk of getting cardiovascular problems and respiratory diseases. It also decreases immunity and bone health. Smoking also causes cognitive decline leading to problems such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.

So, if you want to stay young and live long, quit smoking.

By the way, it’s never too late to quit smoking. You can join smoking cessation programs or talk to a therapist.

Excessive consumption of alcohol

Experts say that drinking heavily as you grow older can make you age quickly. It can also lead to serious health issues such as cognitive decline, liver damage, and malnutrition. It could also irritate your gastrointestinal tract and cause digestive problems such as ulcers and gastritis.

These issues can accelerate your aging process and your longevity.

Suppose you want to stay young. In that case, if you must drink, do so in moderation. However, quitting drinking would be an even better option.

Developing poor eating habits

Experts say that some people develop poor eating habits as they grow older. These poor eating habits affect the health and longevity of such people.

Here are some poor eating habits you must avoid if you want to stay young:

Skipping meals

This happens for different reasons such as forgetting to eat, laziness in cooking, loss of appetite, etc. Skipping meals is bad because it could lead to decreased energy, excessive weight loss,  and deficiency of nutrients in your body.

Under-eating

Some people start under-eating as they grow older. This could happen because of dental issues, lack of appetite, or a reduced sense of smell or taste. Under-eating could lead to malnutrition or excessive weight loss.

Overeating

Some people overeat as they age. This could happen because of emotional issues such as stress, boredom, or loneliness. Overeating is not good as it could lead to excessive weight gain or even lifestyle diseases.

Eating a lot of convenience or processed foods

As mentioned earlier, some people become lazy to cook or have no motivation to cook as they grow older. Such people may end up depending on convenience or processed foods. Such foods are unhealthy not only for older people but for everyone.

Not eating vegetables and fruits

Those who eat a lot of convenience or processed foods most probably don’t eat vegetables and fruits. This is not good as they miss out on key ingredients such as fiber, minerals, vitamins, etc.

Developing a sweet tooth

Some people develop a sweet tooth as they age. They thus consume lots of sugary beverages such as tea, coffee, sodas, juices, etc. They also eat a lot of sugary foods such as biscuits, cakes, cookies, etc.

This habit could lead to lifestyle diseases, weight gain, and other health issues.

Eating insufficient protein

Some people reduce their protein intake as they grow older. This could be because of chewing difficulties, no motivation to chew, swallowing issues, etc. When this happens, the person loses muscle mass and strength.

This could lead to frailty, and muscle loss among other health issues.

Not drinking enough water

Some people tend to feel less thirsty as they grow older. This makes them unconsciously reduce their daily water intake.

Reducing your water intake is bad because it could lead to dehydration, kidney issues, etc. So, drink enough water daily as you grow older (6 to 8 glasses).

Drink the water even when you don’t feel thirsty. Your body needs it!

The best way to ensure you drink enough water daily is to take small sips throughout the day.

There you have it. If you want to be in the business of staying young, it’s best to change the habits that are harmful to you.  

Also read: 7 types of rest you must have to avoid burnout and how to get the rest.

Reinvent Yourself To Stay Young

I was recently amazed by a 102-year-old woman who claimed she had a ten-year plan. I’m a firm believer that you’re never too old to reinvent yourself. In fact, one of the best-kept secrets of staying young is to reinvent yourself.

When you reinvent yourself, it helps you to keep busy, motivated, mentally alert, happy, and fulfilled. Reinventing yourself is thus a sure bet for longevity.

Here are things you can do to reinvent yourself and thus stay young:

• Learn new skills/things: You’re never too old to learn new skills or new things. For instance, you can learn knitting, embroidery, fishing, baking, playing an instrument, a new language, etc.
• Keep fit: As you grow older, it’s best to keep fit so you can remain strong and healthy for a long time. Things you can do to keep fit include joining a gym, walking regularly, running regularly, doing yoga, etc.
• Join community groups/online groups: Another way of reinventing yourself to stay young is to make new friends by joining various groups. When you have friends as you age, you get rid of loneliness, which kills a lot of people prematurely.
• Take extra care of your physical appearance: You should never neglect your physical appearance regardless of your age. When you take care of your skin, body, hair, nails, etc, you stay young physically and at heart.
• Always remain stylish: I urge you to strive to be more stylish than ever as you grow older. This includes wearing stylish clothes, shoes, jewelry, etc. When you’re stylish, you feel good about yourself. It’s one of the secrets of staying young.

Strive To Be Young At Heart To Make Staying Young Your Business

One of the best ways to succeed in making staying young your business is to strive to be young at heart. This means not being too serious in the way you carry yourself. It’s never too serious regardless of your age.

So, try to have a positive attitude, be open-minded, and adopt a playful attitude towards life.

Here are ways you can remain young at heart:

• Adopt a joyful attitude despite life’s challenges.
• Try to have a sense of humor – laugh often as laughter is the best medicine.
• Be flexible to embrace new experiences, opportunities, and challenges.
• Stay interested in the world around you. For instance, you can watch current movies, series, and music.
• Accept and adopt the latest technology. This helps you to stay engaged with the world as it connects you to entertainment, latest information, and people.
• Avoid taking life too seriously. Instead, embrace fun and playfulness.
• Engage with the younger people as you can learn a lot from them. Their ideas, perspectives, and energy can also be infectious – a great thing for you.
• Mentor younger people so you can be inspired, refreshed, and fulfilled.
• Do joyful activities that keep you young. Such activities include dancing, games, hiking, singing, etc.
• Appreciate and celebrate the small joys of life. This could include watching the sunrise/sunset, sipping your favorite coffee, spending time with loved ones, or reading a book.
• Be spontaneous every now and then. Don’t be scared of abandoning your daily routine once in a while to do something unexpected. Being spontaneous is part of remaining young at heart.

When you do these things, you’ll not only remain young at heart but also stay young physically.

Conclusion

There you have it. I hope this post will help you to make staying young your business.

As you put these things into practice, remember to keep hope alive. When you’re hopeful about the future, you keep energized and your spirit remains young.

What is your take on making staying young your business/career? Kindly share your thoughts in the comments section. Cheers!

Also read: How to prevent premature aging; 9 things you can do