Feeling Younger as you get Older – How Exercise Keeps You Young

Lack of activity makes us feel lethargic and depressed. If sitting around lets us gets old, then perhaps we should consider that getting up and moving keeps aging on a slower track. There are plenty of ways to keep you moving no matter what age or what condition. You first need to check your attitude and make sure that your preconceptions about being a senior are not getting in the way of your activity. Once you can let go of what you think you should be doing at your age, then you are taking the first step toward feeling younger.

Exercise actually does help us stay younger. On a surface level, getting the blood moving keeps the skin warm, which helps it rejuvenate itself more often. Circulation also keeps the mind sharp and helps ward off dementia. Keeping an active lifestyle is great for keeping us limber. If you have ever met a 70 year-old person who can touch their toes and reach to the third shelf in their kitchen, they will probably tell you that they have always kept themselves active. Staying active is the key to remaining flexible through the senior years. Yet another benefit to exercising on a regular basis is that it keeps blood flowing through the organs. Along with plenty of water, this process helps remove the toxins through and out of your body, which means that they do not have time to fester and find ways to break you down. Whether you bicycle, golf, walk, swim, dance, do tai chi or all of the above, you are keeping your heart, organs and brain circulating which keeps the body from slowing down.

Exercise also keeps you young because it helps keep you happy. If you have been through a traumatic time in your life then you may have noticed that fresh wrinkles and extra gray hair are more abundant soon after your life gets back to normal. Day to day unhappiness and bitterness can also speed up the aging process. People who exercise still go through difficult times, but the effect that the body allows this time to have on it is not as severe for them. The activity helps release the stress chemicals which the brain produces and keeps the head more clear so it can cope better. The overall demeanor of people who do physical exercise of some kind at least once or twice a week is not a coincidence. They really do feel better because their body is constantly refreshing itself.

Most exercise can be done with other people, or at least, done in an environment where people like to congregate. Keeping socially active helps motivate the self to commit to social engagements, whether that is the local swim class or a night out square-dancing. Seniors look out for each other and will be asking for you if they don’t see you one night. These friendships made through your exercise classes or activities will help you stay young too. Being out and about keeps your mind off yourself and out of routines where you do not see people as often. Take advantage of the variety of activities for seniors at your local clubs and gyms and you will find yourself feeling younger and more alive.

So, perhaps you can accept that the exercising person stays healthier, happier and younger in appearance for longer, but how do you actually feel younger than you are? Think back to the 70 year-old who has never missed out on touching their toes. They are actually ahead of the game for their age. This is bound to make them feel younger. It would be nice if everyone in their seventies had stayed this flexible and hopefully you can become a role model for the healthy senior and spread the word. If all 70 year-olds were this flexible then it would still be a win situation. Having that many healthy seniors would change the culture about becoming one. Until then, there is nothing wrong with you feeling great for your age, in fact, feeling young for your age. It is even possible that you would feel better than you can remember feeling for years if you allow yourself to take advantage of all the activities around you.