Aging Backwards

It is interesting to experience what it feels like to get younger. Most people lament aging, they simply hate getting older. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say getting old sucks I think I would be driving a Mercedes instead of a Mini.

I am overjoyed that at the age of 44 I feel more like 24 than I think I did at 24. And 24 is a random number, I could have just as easily have chosen 23 or 22 ... but you get the point.

We seem to have this mindset that with age comes pain, discomfort, loss of looks, health, energy and motivation. That the good times are behind us. I have never believed this to be written in stone. I'm fortunate to posses a liberal amount of know how involving the importance of food, nutrition, exercise, positive thinking and gratitude. Some of it is newly acquired, some I have been working on for a long time. As with everyone, I am most assuredly a work in progress.

I believe I look younger now than I did five or ten years ago. I know I feel younger, I am stronger and can do things I couldn't do years ago. I move better. I think happier, more optimistic thoughts effortlessly. My skin is better. I can see each day is filled with opportunity and I am much less prone to look at my day as a long list of must do's and rushing around.

Things I do to feel my best:

• Eat Clean - I eat a Paleo diet which in short means to avoid grains, processed foods, sugars and focus mainly on eating healthy fats, lean animal protein, and lots of vegetables.
• Exercise Wisely - Shorter, higher intensity workouts with ample recovery time, lots of walking, stretching and even bouncing on a trampoline. We don't need to work out more as we age, we need to work out smarter.
• Focus on Gratitude Every Day - Every day is a gift after all. If things do not go right or smoothly, find the lesson. It is there. Ask questions, evaluate ...
• Keep Learning - Turn off the TV, close Facebook and get out and learn something new. I take dance lessons and keep my brain working. Think of standing water ... it needs some fresh flowing water to prevent it from becoming stagnant. If you aren't out making new memories, learning new things ... you end up sitting on the porch reliving your glory days. I want to keep stacking those memories up. My best days are ahead of me, they are most certainly not behind me.
• Challenge your Limits - There is no greater feeling of accomplishment than the one after overcoming a fear. I am afraid of heights, or I was, and I am learning to rock climb and scramble. My fear of heights is evolving as a result. What once would have made me tremble I barely notice now.
• Do Things for Other People - I like to look for opportunities to pay it forward. It has begun to feel like my own little selfish guilty pleasure because I get so much out of doing something nice just to do it, with absolutely no agenda or desire for reward or acknowledgement.
• Take Care of Your Body - Oil pulling, dry skin brushing, rebounding, flossing are a few other ways I nurture my body and keep it feeling its best.

The end result is I feel younger, look younger and enjoy life so much more than I ever did. This is enough positive reinforcement to make everything worthwhile.

-Nicola Byrne