Posted on November 13, 2022

Aging is a normal part of life; old age is an opinion, not a number. It is the socially acceptable excuse to justify your perceived shortcomings. This outdated model is inappropriate for today’s seniors. A new model must be created to fit the present conditions.

    100 years ago, the average life span was 67 years. The government established the retirement age 65 because it fit the parameters of the Social Security system. 

    Today the life expectancy is 82, yet we still follow the original retirement model. A new model of retirement must consider this period as another phase of life, like childhood or adulthood rather than the end of the road.

    Telling yourself that you are old causes you to put limitations on yourself and you see yourself as unfit or unworthy. They say that if you tell yourself a lie long enough you start to believe it. These limitations cause the Spirit to withdraw, the body to degenerate faster, and the mind to focus only the negative. You not only think like an old person, but you also start to act and feel like an old person, which combine to support the premise that the problem is old age.  

     Being grumpy or frustrated about this situation is a sign that you really don’t believe the story that you are telling yourself. When my friends started throwing the old age excuse around, I needed to understand why. At what point did we cross the line and why did it happen so suddenly? 

    After my transplant surgery, I wanted to recreate myself as a healer. Many of my friends told me that I was too old for that, and I should just retire and enjoy the time I had left. 

    I rejected that advise and began developing a program custom tailored to meet the needs of today’s senior. Exercise is an essential component of the program along with creativity and goals. Exercise must be done correctly and with a different objective in mind. The primary objective is to improve mobility and balance, not strength. 

    Change your circumstances, change your life. Eliminate old age as your excuse. Stimulate your mind, exercise your body, then let your Spirit completely express itself.