Discover the 7 secrets to aging gracefully

At one of the old offices where I worked, our maintenance was done by a beautiful cool man. He was an older gentleman— with a youthful energy, clear eyes, and a soft face. I had never met him before that point. I led him to the room where we needed lights and electrical work. He quickly made an assessment, went to his truck, and returned looking like Hulk. He was cradling a million things; a huge ladder, tools and lights. Our energies resonated and we ended up joking a lot throughout his repairs. 

I just finished lunch so I had time to chat. I subtly asked him if he wanted me to hold the base of the ladder because he was holding long fluorescent lights and he said no, laughed and climbed the ladder with a lot of balance, stability and grace. I stood there fascinated by this man. 

He told me that he does this sort of thing all day long— going up and down ladders. He shared that he was almost 80. I asked him what keeps him so youthful and he said he loves what he does. 

He bought a ski pass for that ski season and said he was looking forward to skiing with his grandson. It was something that he did every year. He said he loved it, and that there wasn't anything that stopped him from doing what he loved.

This moment is a memory that I hold with great importance. At that point in my life, I had worked with many people. I had never seen a real-life person of that age who could have so much strength, balance, and jovial soul. Not to mention, sharp as a tack. I have now seen many people like this. That experience opened the floodgates for me to be conscious of more people living over 80 with healthy, vibrant and loving lives.

Over the years, I have had patients in every age group but it is certain individuals in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, who come into the office with a belief they are supposed to be sick, slow to recover and "should" be suffering from something. They tell me how normal it is to feel pain, to feel suffering; to not be well at their age! I often heard, "Oh, you just wait." like a broken record. I never believed it and I still don't. 

I correct these people in their language immediately if I can. They are speaking something unnecessary over their lives. How we speak to ourselves and over our lives is hugely important. I will often share this story of this beautiful youthful man with no pain, no suffering and loving his life— as he approaches 80. How we talk about ourselves, and the perspectives we hold, can often limit the growth of our consciousness. 

So, whatever came to your mind as you read this, be mindful that people live incredibly healthy lives at any age. If you haven't seen them, look for them. Ask them their story. They are out there. I see plenty of them. It's like when the first person ran the 4-minute mile; no one thought it was possible until it happened. Now everyone can run a mile in under 4 minutes. I tease but you get the idea.

We can choose to be in that mindset to believe that anything can be accomplished. The mind is a powerful tool and what we allow it to tell us, is very important. If we feed it low-quality ideas and thoughts, we will receive low-quality perceptions and behaviours.

Here are 7 things that I have noticed about people who are aging gracefully. They tend to:

• have good diets with high-nutrition

• insatiable thirst and curiosity

• have a regular exercise routine

• have happy spirits and good attitudes

• resilient mindsets

• follow their heart & intuition

• find love in what they do or do what they love

I share articles like these because I don't get a chance to tell everyone all these cool stories I have learned while practicing. All the people I have ever treated are unique and special incredible beings. Stories like this can help you to be inspired that life and health are within our realm of reality. You were created as a self-healing being. That is why I'm such a fan of natural health and holistic medicine. You keep the light burning strong when you care for your being in ways that are in harmony with natural principles.

So wherever you are or whatever you are facing, remember that we can all take steps to better our health. And most of all, be love and do what you love!