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The seven tips to guide you through aging process




We are all aging. None of us intend to, but we cannot avoid it. It happens gradually. But we may experience sudden moments of awareness that time is passing, and we are not the person we used to be.

You may have noticed that some people age well and others not so much. In a large part this may be due to our genetics. In other ways it may be related to our inadvertent circumstances. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about those aspects of our aging process.

However, some aspects of aging depend upon our intentional decisions and behavior. Here are a few tips that may be helpful.

• Start with attitude. Like it or not, we will change over time and often not in a good way. Acceptance of the unavoidable process of aging really can make a difference in our success in maturing.

• Recognize that some aspects of aging are unavoidable. I work with people of all ages. Literally, my patients range from only a few days old to one gentleman who was 104 on his last visit to my office. Since I have been practicing for more than three decades, I have watched thousands of people go through the various physical stages of life.

As we age, our body will go through certain predictable changes. If we realize that there will be changes that we don’t particularly care for, but are unavoidable, it may make it easier to accept and find workarounds for the changes.

• We can’t do things in our later years in the same way that we could when we were younger. Notice I didn’t say we can’t do things and leave it at that. We can still function in life, often quite well, but we may have to adapt our methods substantially.

• It pays to look ahead and anticipate. I have watched many people reach an advanced age in life. I have noticed that some people realize they will need to make changes and anticipate those changes, making transitions easier on everyone. Others seem to be in denial that aging will affect them and fail to make plans to help them live well in the next phase of their life.

• Pay attention to your physical flexibility and strength. That’s one of the main reasons older people have physical difficulties. As we become more sedentary, we lose flexibility, strength, balance and coordination. In our office, as we work with patients older than 50, we pay attention to their balance, coordination, leg strength, joint integrity, spinal function and nervous system health. If you lose these functions, you lose mobility and ultimately your independence.

• Adopt the “Dr. Kestner E.L F. Diet”. E.L.F. stands for eat less food. What a simple concept! Here’s the secret to effectiveness of this plan in losing extra weight and improving your health … it’s so simple, but it really works. Research has borne out that something called calorie restriction helps our bodies age better. Simply eating substantially fewer calories is healthier for our body’s organs, vascular system, nervous system and more.

• Move it, move it, move it. Movement is necessary for the health of all our body systems. The recliner is the enemy of our health. Although I wouldn’t deny anyone a well-earned rest, and I love my recliner, the truth is that becoming more sedentary as we age is something we should avoid. The old phrase “Use it or lose it!” applies to our body as we age. Do what you can as long as you can.

I hope you will take these tips seriously and work to apply them to your own situation. This may be one of those columns that could be worth clipping and posting in a place where it will be seen once in a while as a reminder. It could make a profound difference in the rest of your life.

Dr. Mark Kestner is a licensed chiropractic physician and acupuncturist with 30-plus years of experience focused primarily on treating complex and chronic spine, joint and neurological conditions in Murfreesboro. His office is at 1435 NW Broad St. Contact him at mkestner@DrKestner.com.

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