Should Boomers Age Gracefully? No Way!
Andrew Weil, MD, an influential advocate of
alternative/integrative medicine has decided to "age
gracefully." (Los Angeles Times, December 5, 2005, "Aging with
grace, naturally.")
Age gracefully? He has to be kidding!
>From my 76-year-old perspective, Weil, at 63, is a youngster who
has made an untimely decision to become a poster boy for
acceptance of early decline. Unfortunately, countless people
will follow his example.
It's difficult to be at odds with Dr. Weil. His advocacy of
healthy living is without peer. His recognition of the role of
inflammation in the disease process is light years ahead of
traditional medicine. He has earned the respect and acclaim he
enjoys.
Dr. Weil's decision to succumb to graceful aging appears to be
his belief that it's not possible to reverse the aging process.
It can't be, and everyone knows that. But what everyone should
know, and should be encouraged to know, is that the aging
process can be managed and controlled, enabling those in their
70s and 80s to do what they were able to do 25 years earlier.
It's aging deliberately, defiantly, and with passion.
The term "aging gracefully" means different things to different
people. One thing is certain: it does not suggest toughness.
To me, aging gracefully means letting go, just letting life
happen. It suggests giving up goals, dreams, productivity, and
challenge. It's placidly waiting for death. A hallmark of
graceful aging is a subtle but rapid and relentless onset of
typical signs of "oldness."
Many people accept aging gracefully as part of the human
experience. After all, we are born to die, regardless of how
well we live. We take vitamins, eat right, exercise, and then we
die anyway. So it makes sense to enjoy life as much as possible.
Youth is a gift. In later years, having youthful characteristics
such as mental and physical strength, flexibility, and
independence takes effort. It means ignoring what tradition or
custom has set as a standard for a given stage of life. It's
daring to be different. It's putting a treadmill next to an
inviting recliner in front of a TV and choosing to walk for an
hour instead of sitting. It's about deliberately opting to make
the older years fun, rewarding, and even amazing.
Many residents of nursing homes have chosen, or allowed
themselves to age gracefully. Perhaps they would not be where
they are if they had made different lifestyle choices early on.
According to gerontologist John W. Rowe, MD, 70 percent of the
aging process is controllable with wise lifestyle choices.
That's an enormous amount of personal power to wield over the
outcome of your life. Why give it up for wimpy graceful aging?
Dr. Weil has made a decision to forfeit a large part of his
aging power, but you don't have to. You DO have choices. You CAN
manage your aging process. Learn how to extend, maintain and
control the best of your Boomer years well into the future.
Start now!