The fountain of youth is the continuance of lifelong learning and personal growth. Preparing ourselves to roll over and die will only get us into the grave that much sooner. As we age we can travel and learn, experience new adventures, broaden our horizons, improve our awareness and our sense of identity. As we grow older, it is a time to realize our dreams and develop our talents. It is imperative to keep learning and to stay active in order to stay young.
Increasing our fitness levels is equally important too. The world's oldest marathon runner is 101 years old. He has completed nine marathons in the past twelve years and in April of 2012, he beat his own record. At 101, he jogs ten miles everyday and is going to be part of the London Olympic Games Torch Relay. He didn't begin running seriously until eleven years ago so it is never too late to begin your fitness regime. Another, a Canadian, recently ran a marathon at seventy-three years of age in under three hours.
Running improves muscular strength and bone density, reduces the risk of falls and fractures, slows the effects of aging, improves not only our physical health but our mobility and psychological health as well. Combined with weight training, it's a perfect receipe for staying young forever.
Learning to play an instrument later in life is also like taking a small sip from the fountain of youth. It rejuvenates unused areas of the brain, increases cognitive function, enhances the brain's structure and benefits memory, auditory processing and motor skills. Playing and practicing music also releases stress. Learning to play either the violin, piano or guitar enhances hand strength and manual dexterity. And lung capacity is improved with wind instruments.
Increasing our knowledge also is a good youth saver. It is never too late to go to university or college. If you are in your sixties or seventies, it may be too late to plan on becoming a doctor or a lawyer but it is never too late to take something that particularly interests you but didn't previously fit in with your career goals; perhaps psychology, American history or art.
And what about the things that are on your bucket list, i.e.: giving a speech, (well admittedly that's probably not on many people's bucket list) but perhaps backpacking in Europe, doing a castle tour, going to the Arctic Pole, walking across a suspension bridge, taking a photography course, an art course, joining a book club, a singing group or learning to play bridge. What about some of the things that you may have been afraid to try before or that you haven't had time for? Eleanor Roosevelt once said we should try to do something we're afraid to do every day. I don't think I'm afraid of quite that many things but I do get her point.
If we work daily at improving our fitness levels, skills and knowledge, we don't have time to get old or even think about it. The fountain of youth will always be within our reach. My mantra is, Let not the words, 'I am too old' ever pass my lips.
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