Elegant Aging is truly a matter of body, mind, emotion and spirit.
When we pay loving attention to those four aspects of our being, we age with elegance and grace. First, let's look at what we do with the idea of "aging" and "old" in our minds.

Attitudes About Aging
When we were young we wanted to be older, and when we get older we want to be young. What's wrong with that picture? Aging is inevitable, and as the saying goes, it's much better than the alternative. Aging is living; it starts at birth and ends when we die. Anti-aging is actually anti-living. The word "age" comes from the Latin root "alo," which means "to nourish, to bring up." More generally, "alo" means to strengthen, increase and advance-to become taller and deeper. So why not age with elegance, grace and style? Why not make up your mind to strengthen, increase and advance-to become deeper and wiser with every new day, week, month and year? A Yale study in 2002 demonstrated that, "Thinking positively about getting older extends one's life by seven-and-one half years-which is more than the longevity gained from low blood pressure or low cholesterol or by maintaining a healthy weight, abstaining from smoking and exercising regularly." Researcher Becca Levy and associates found that lower body mass, not smoking and regular exercise extended life by one to three years.This validates what Dr. Paul Pearsall says in his book Superimmunity, "How you feel about your health is more important than what you do about it."

Stay Connected
Think of the people you know who are vibrant, energetic and productive well into their seventies, eighties and nineties. These are your role models, the elders and sages of your community. Hang around them, notice how they think, eat, act and exercise. Notice what they do in their relationships. You will see that they are not perfect by any means, but they are definitely involved in life.Unplugging from people and life processes accelerates the decline of health in aging. Stay connected and get involved, and you will find yourself feeling younger and more energetic as a result. This culture that worships youth and beauty will not necessarily welcome you with open arms. Do it anyway. There are more of us elegantly aging today than ever before in human history. We can make a huge positive difference in the world by refusing to buy the negative program about aging and staying fit, happy, productive and involved as long as we possibly can. One of the best things you can do is find someone to take care of. Perhaps an elderly person or a child in your community could use your help. This is one of the best ways to stay connected and involved. Volunteer your services.

Become Magnificent As You Age
Consider that the aging process is perfectly designed to make you magnificent. Feeling great and doing well when you're young is the proverbial "piece of cake" (you can eat as many as you like). The reality of the aging process requires that we either get smarter and stronger or we buckle under the weight of a negative aging process. You get to choose!Use the challenge of aging to become like the oak tree, deeper and stronger with every passing year. Add to that the wisdom of your life experience, and you have the makings of magnificence! The effort it takes for you to stay fit, active and involved is good for you. The effort it takes to stay mentally alert, connected and informed is good for you. If aging weren't so challenging, we could stay lazy and mediocre and get away with it. So you see, the challenges built in to the aging process are perfectly designed to help you become the best you can possibly be.And the rewards are tremendous. You know what I'm talking about. You have seen the looks of deep peace and joy in the eyes of those who are aging elegantly. The capacity for love, understanding, peace and compassion are greater as we age, when we make choices that take us in that direction.

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