Aging Well: Motivation

True, our bodies go through natural changes as we advance in age. Skin loses elasticity, bones become less dense, muscles and joints talk more and our teeth and gums shift. One thing that isn’t a natural sign of aging is the lack of motivation to pursue a purposeful goal-driven lifestyle.

To create a happy disposition and engage in healthy patterns of living requires motivation at any age. However, a thriving positive attitude and will-do attitude often becomes a whisper in the third spring. The need for change is constant throughout life. People seek new opportunities to learn, create and build to enhance their own quality of living. Why is it then that many people lose that drive and determination as the years pile on? Nothing about aging says that you must wonder less, cease to explore or become a lesser version of yourself.

Does advanced aging truly require us to “slam on the brakes”? Not having something to look forward to can lead to isolation, lower self-efficacy and the ever harmful sad days. Motivation upon rising sets the spirit for the day ahead. Movement like a brisk walk or reaching and stretching gets the heart pumping before breakfast.

Make plans each day to do something meaningful. Meet a friend to join an exercise class, take up painting or teach someone how to bake bread. Writing in a journal is another uplifting experience that will help the brain fire up and yearn for more.

Your goals at age 85 are not the same thing as your goals at age 35. But you still need them. I get it that your week may include doctor visits, or that you can’t dance like you once did or navigate the elements for a full day of hunting.

What can you do? Create a list of five things that bring you joy, then make them happen. No excuses; just put the effort forward. You will age the way you think you will, and that is all that matters.

Cathy Graham is director of Graceful Aging Wellness Center of Bethlen Communities, Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and a District 3000–HRFA member.

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