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I've been thinking about it a lot lately. It's a future that seems so far away and yet so close, at least that's how I see it. Just a few years ago I didn't even think about it, I knew I was going to age but I saw it as something mythological, as far away as thinking about the collapse of the sun. Until a few months ago I realized my age, I'm still young but not very young anymore, I hope I'm expressing my idea correctly. It all started because I started to pay close attention to my body, I'm changing, I know, life is a constant change, but to put the situation into context, when I was a teenager I paid a lot, but a lot of attention to my body, nonsense about age, then I went through a stage in which I told myself "I'm divine" I don't need to stand in front of the mirror criticizing every aspect of my being, even though I spent several years, the mirror became an invisible object for me, I only used it briefly and precisely, for example to put sunscreen on my face. Going back to the beginning of everything, I started to notice that something is different in me, several things actually, my age, metabolism, expression lines among other aspects, that are starting to bother me, it seems silly and superficial, but it is a shock when you see your photos from 10, 15 or 20 years ago and now see your current state, I am not making a drama out of this nor does it keep me up at night, but it has made me rethink some things in my life, such as diet, mental health, physical health that includes exercise, my God something I fight with every day, I know its importance, I know its benefits and yet I keep putting it aside, sometimes I think ridiculous things like "if only I had started being consistent with exercise so long ago..." that word "would have" that we must remove from our vocabulary and our thoughts, there is no "would have" there is only what was and what is, only remains in us "what can be", exercising is like bitcoin, it does not matter when you start ... It doesn't matter when you arrive, it's never too late.
I see videos of people twice my age with more energy and endurance than I have, all thanks to exercise, and I also see people twice my age whose physical health is not what I want in the future and the only way to change that is to start now. I don't want to look back in 20 or 30 years and regret what I didn't do. There are things I definitely can't control, but the ones I can, I need to start taking charge of immediately.
I have some very good friends, they tell me "you can eat whatever you want because you're young, we can't, we should go on a diet", I found it funny because I actually disagree with that, we all should eat healthy and healthy means eating balanced and as natural as possible avoiding ultra processed foods, foods high in sugar, it's incredible how much damage too much sugar does, eating healthy doesn't mean you can't eat a hamburger, a pizza, ice cream or beer, the key point is in the excesses, they are very different cases, 1) eating healthy 5 days a week and only 2 days consuming "junk food", 2) consuming "junk food" 5 days a week and only 2 days eating healthy.
Stress is one of the biggest factors that destroy your youth, your physical and mental health. I don't have the solution for stress, or how to handle it. I live stressed most of the time. I know it's wrong, but there are external factors that trigger it and it goes to the level of areas that I can't control... or can I?
Physical activity, balanced nutrition and mental health are the three pillars for living and aging in the best way (that's what I believe). Of these three points, I have only mastered nutrition, not exercise, because I have been lazy and irresponsible. I'm not going to lie to you, I won't give excuses because that would be invalid. Stress makes fun of me, that's my weak point.
I think we usually put things off because we believe that day will never come, that bad things don't happen to us, that we will never have white hair or with a lot of luck we will still have hair, we never think about the sagging skin that is now going to split into several layers, we never think that we will no longer be as fast and strong as we were when we were 20. For me this becomes a bittersweet feeling, especially when I see before and after photos of my mom and my grandmother, to think that it will also happen to me, in reality it is already happening right now, all that remains for me is to start working today for myself and for my future self.
200 sats \ 1 reply \ @siggy47 17 Feb
I'm pretty close to average life expectancy now. I think about it, but more about how my death will affect my loved ones. When I was young the thought of my death bothered me more. Now, I feel fortunate to have made it as long as I did. I think about young men who were brainwashed by old men into dying before they turn 20 in some bullshit war. I have had my health issues and bad times, but overall if I keel over today I have had a good run.
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How nice to read this, it makes me feel happy that you found peace and that you have had a fulfilling life. Not all people reach that level of consciousness. I also find it so cruel and horrible how children, teenagers and young adults lose their lives because of others.
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I was surprised how strongly I reacted to seeing my first grey hairs. Like you, I really thought of aging as mostly hypothetical. It is a good wake up call to be more intentional about our health.
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It's a shock, right? People sometimes just say "accept it" and that's fine, we accept it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't cause a shock at first and everyone deals with it in a different way.
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I see everything from a broader angle, maybe. I'm sure there's plenty that I havent got figured out, but I know a thing or two. I've been riding my BMX bike everywhere, even to work everyday for almost twenty years, and I'm almost 40. People are constantly telling me I need to grow up and get a driver's license. It makes me laugh because they are all so badly out of shape and really look like they are one box of doughnuts away from the grave. Meanwhile I still look and feel like a teenage athlete.
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How cool! Haha that's normal everyone will tell you to just use a car and tie, they don't understand free spirits. Age is just a number, if you feel good, keep doing it.
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I’ve been embracing it and feel like I’m going to live to 106 or more anyway so in the big scheme I’m only a third or so into the life . Trying to be my best self at every stage with what I’ve learned along the way
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Self-love is essential, loving and accepting ourselves at every stage of our life, enjoying the good and learning from the not so good.
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It's nice that you start noticing it; we all age, whether you want it or not, and we deal with it, albeit each of us a bit differently. You will soon discover that sleep and food is really the only things you should be worried about, in that order. Of course, exercise when you can, but not for the muscles but for your sake of staying fit. You mentioned metabolism and that is true, it does change and fast and one needs to keep up with that. I did a personal switch from eating when they told me (hey, its lunch where are we going to eat), to "am I really hungry?" If yes, I eat. If not, I skip lunch, period. Super simple, eat when you hungry... Otherwise you will gain pounds like crazy and you will be wondering, "I didn't do anything differently." Yes, you didn't, your body did. You don't need as much food as before, the sooner one realize that the healthier one will be. Also, forget the numbers, you are X old and it does not matter, its just a number. It matters how you feel. Have fun getting old...lol We all going there....
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I love eating, I love enjoying a good meal. Exactly, the body will only change whether we want it to or not. I agree, we must exercise to be able to stay active and so that our mobility does not fade away so quickly.
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I don’t think anybody imagined they were old or getting old or, even, what it would be like when they get old. I just don’t think that is part of the human system. One way of dealing with it is to remember those haylicon days of high school and those first years out of high school! Personally, I would never, ever, even on my worst days want to go back to that, NEVER! I have been happy with my age no matter when I looked at it or remembered it. I wouldn’t have it any other way!
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How nice, I like your point of view. I agree with the fact of loving and being thankful every day, for that reason I would like to grow old in good health to continue enjoying the good things in life, to be able to carry the shopping bags by myself when I am older and to be able to bend down and sit up in my sleep to play with my future grandchildren.
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I notice that a lot of elders cannot do the carrying their own shopping bags thing. My wife and I like to help them out whenever possible. It makes me feel good and alleviates someone else’s distress. Since I am not short, I like to help shorter people out by reaching top shelf Items for them. No time or effort for me, great gratitude from them; heartwarming!
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Not much you can do about it so just embrace it.
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Yes, of course, it is inevitable, but what we can control are our positive (or destructive) actions in the now that inevitably define our future in a certain way, that is why I wanted to focus on diet and exercise, it is not the same to reach 70 years old and never have done any exercise in your life, than to reach 70 years old with sports routines that benefit you. It makes me feel motivated to see elderly people doing physical activities, near where I live there is a park and every morning a fairly elderly lady goes and does stretches and squats, it is something that I find admirable.
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That, too. People that don’t embrace it seem to have a lot of troubles, usually mental troubles, like general grumpiness and bad attitudes. Eeeuuuu…… I couldn’t imagine myself like that, even I would dislike me!
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Yeah, it sucks. I also started thinking about it and it's a weird feeling - you can't go back to those teenage years and 20s. Those were really great for me - highschool, university, first work, traveling around the world... what a ride and I have many stories that people wouldn't believe. I really enjoyed it overall, made some great friends and now we drifted apart some.
On the flip side - now having my own family and having a son. That's a completely different type of ride, but it is rewarding and there are so many great moments and so far it looks like having kids is what gives you a lot of purpose and keeps you in touch with the young world. That said I made some wrong turns and I think I have some depression lurking because of all this and that makes things more gray...
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I hear stretching is very important and we should do day to day because the more we do it the more mobile we can be when we get older
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I stupidly took the Pfizer poison, so will probably die from some turbo-cancer in the next decade. No need to worry about old age at least (-_-)
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Covid vaccines? Don't worry, maybe they just gave you saline solution
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Unfortunately not. I had chest pain for years after.
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Eyes and joints annoy me, otherwise not too bad.
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Have been reflecting lately on how when young I thought I had so much time- and I did, and how now I am old, I don't have so much time, and, a few regrets, but also a few wins on the board. It happens so quickly. Life is short, make the most of it.
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I understand what you say, let's continue to enjoy each day. Thank you for your words, a hug
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Lol You can embrace it or spend $2 million a year looking like a pale ass interview with a vampire character eating 40 pills a day and turn your son into a blood boy, your choice
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We should leave that to the people in Hollywood.
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