I’ve been invited to speak and be interviewed at an upcoming event on the topic “Age Has No Limits”. Of course this has got me thinking…
As an active 75 year old who understands neuroscience principles, I can categorically say that age is just a number and age really does have no limits unless you let it. In this article, I’m discussing the key to letting your age inspire you rather than define you.
Neural activity proves that age is just a number
The human brain naturally matures around the age of 25 years so it would be easy to think that it’s all downhill from there! The thing is that neurons will continue to fire until we die and it’s how we use those neurons that shape our lives.
Neural activity is a result of actions and the more varied those actions are, the more neural firings will occur. A 40 year old that has limited their neural firings will likely be much less lively than an 80 year old who has spent their lives utilising lots of neural activity.
Age is just a number if you take care of your health
If you’ve read other articles of mine, you’ll know how important taking care of your mental and physical health is for a fulfilling life.
When we are stressed, are not meeting our nutritional needs, or are spending too much time sitting still, our health suffers. Extrapolate that out over years and decades and it’s easy to see why there is a direct correlation between physical activity and healthy ageing. Most of us will have anecdotal evidence of that in our own lives comparing older relatives or friends and their habits.
Moving your body regularly, eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, ensuring you get quality sleep and taking time to rest your brain is vital to leading a long, healthy life and maintaining your vitality.
The brain loves a challenge no matter what your age
Getting stuck in our ways is a path to becoming old.
The more we repeat a task, the stronger the neural pathway that is required to complete that task. That’s why it feels completely natural to brush your teeth with the same hand you’ve always used to brush your teeth.
When we force ourselves to do things we’ve never done before or in a way that we’ve never done them before, our brain is required to create a new neural pathway or to follow one that isn’t particularly strong. If you want to test this out, try brushing your teeth with the opposite hand to what you usually use and see how much more difficult it feels!
The more neural pathways we form and strengthen, the more choice and flexibility we have in life. That’s why the brain loves it when you give it a challenge – you are strengthening those neural pathways and developing different areas of your brain.
There are lots of ways to challenge your brain. Here are a few simple ones you might like to try:
- Take a different route when you go for a walk/drive
- Use your non-dominant hand to complete tasks instead of your dominant one
- Crosswords/Sudoku/Puzzles
- Learn a new language
- Learn a new skill
- Start a new hobby
- Read a variety of authors and subject matter
- Try a new activity
- Volunteer
- Go somewhere you’ve never been before
Age is just a number if you surround yourself with the right people
Have you ever been in a group of people that are doing nothing but complaining about their ailments? It’s more common than you think and if we are in rapport with those people, we may just find ourselves experiencing more of our own ailments as a result!
Jim Rohn’s famous quote “We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with” is quite accurate.
Ensuring you surround yourself with people who stimulate you rather than pull you down, plays a huge role in how your life may be in the future so choose who you spend your time with wisely.
The great thing is that as we age, we seem to have less tolerance for people who are toxic or situations that waste your time.
Age is just a number when you use it to drive you
It’s never too late to pursue your goals and dreams. I should know – I first went to university at 59 years of age and then again in my late 60s graduating in Applied Neuroscience at age 70 and even received the Dean’s Commendation Award for Excellence!
The key to achieving your goals at an older age is not to compare yourself with others as it can be damaging to your motivation and self-esteem. Instead remember that you have your own journey and timeline and what works for others may not work for you and vice versa.
Finding a role model, facing your fears, and surrounding yourself with supportive people who can help you to stay motivated can be hugely beneficial.
Take each passing year as an opportunity to look at your life and think about what is working for you and what’s not. Accept what is working and challenge what isn’t – that’s how you create the life you’ve always dreamed of, no matter what your age.
Summary
I hope this article helped to inspire you in some way – I can picture you all trying to brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand and it brings a smile to my face.
I love hearing stories of people choosing not to let their age define or limit them so please feel free to share your stories with me.
Kind regards,
Jan Sky