Remember the famous painting, Whistler’s Mother? It was painted by James Whistler in 1871. His mother was only 67 years old, yet she appears to be relegated to her rocking chair and not too happy.

Compare her to Armand Gendreau, a skydiver at age 101. And Johanna Quas, a gymnast at age 87. Or how about Dan Pellman, who set five world records at the Senior Olympics… at 100 years young.

Now that’s Vitality!

As you can see, some people are defying the ‘belief’ in aging. Of course, genetics play a role, but many experts are saying that our mental and emotional states – and lifestyle behavior – may be even more important to longevity.

And thanks to biotechnology and other medical advancements, scientists say we could live much longer than we ever thought possible. In fact, a 2015 article in Time magazine suggested that today’s babies will live more than 140 years.

Yes, there are rapid advances in medicine, neuroscience and synthetic biology beneath all of these longevity projections – which are truly amazing!

But what can you do, today, to make sure you live a happy, vital, energetic life like Armand, Johanna and Dan… and do it with gusto?

I mean, would you really want to live to 120 or more, if you couldn’t do all the things you love to do – and feel good doing them?

Sleep. Nutrition. Movement. Stress-free.

“But wait a minute,” you’re probably saying. That’s what I always hear. And you’d be right because your good health depends on how well YOU take care of your body, mind and spirit. It’s all about choice – or free-will.

One area of study that’s providing more understanding in the cause and prevention of losing our age-related vitality is the study of cognitive decline – decreasing brain function.

According to the World Health Organization, Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases will affect one out of every five people at some point in life.

Let that sink in for a moment. Consider yourself and four other people in a room, and one of you will likely be affected by a brain disease, like Alzheimer’s. That’s stunning.

However, there is a silver lining behind this dark, dreary cloud!

Decades of research is showing us that declining brain health and cognitive loss are NOT inevitable. You can continue to learn, reason, remember and adapt your thinking processes well into old age.

The research confirms that you can retain your mental sharpness, by incorporating healthy lifestyle behaviors that will become habits:

• Adjust what/how you eat
• Get enough exercise (move that body)
• Sleep, sleep, beautiful sleep
• Deal with life’s challenges, gracefully
• Nurture important relationships

You can become a cognitive fitness expert, if you become fully committed to living healthy behaviors until one day you’ll realize they’ve become a habit… it’s just how you live now.

As you feel better, stronger, more energetic – and your mind is sharp as a tack, life becomes a lot more fun, doesn’t it?

“The hero who can save you is in the mirror!”

Be the Hero in Your Story