What is your relationship with aging?

[Annie Sever-Dimitri]

In her book How Not To Look Old, author Charla Krup states: "Aging sucks." Charla Krup, I find you to be full on crap on that one. I happen to enjoy aging immensely. I am more confident than I have ever been, love and know me more than I ever have, and am offering so much more to the world around me than I have ever been able to when I was younger. So gravity isn't a chick's best friend? Whatever. Doing some lunges will put that booty back where it used to be. The only thing I hate is watching my parents age and burying my grandparents. That is a suck fest.

How do you feel about aging? Since we women in particular are bombarded with so much garbage about our aging selves, it can be a challenge to feel positively about it. But I do...do you?

[Victoria Finch]

To coin an old ad, while "I wash that gray right out of my hair" I thank God for every gray hair on my head. Every day is a gift not to be taken lightly. Aging to me is just the natural progression of life. Like anything else in life that we can't change, we can either go with it and live life to our fullest or we can sulk and watch life pass us by. I look forward to grandchildren, and proms, and graduations of my children. If I didn't age neither would they.I could be raising the next President of the United States. That's exciting to me. I can't imagine not aging, not becoming more wise, not seeing what my children will become. As far as trying to keep my youthful looks (-;, to me that comes with loving life and from the inside not the outside.

[Michael R.]

I'll be honest, I would do anything to FEEL like I was 21 again. I'm only 32, but I have a good deal of physical pain everyday. Some of it was self-inflicted you might say (injuries) but some of it I'm not really sure the source. Anyways, yeah, aging sucks. I couldn't care less about my appearance though and whether people find me 'attractive'. I'm not a vain person. But, creaky joints, hand pain...yeah, it's for the birds.

Oh, and uh, I like my wrinkles:) I earned them.

[Shelly Arens]

I have a love/hate relationship with aging. I agree with your "pros" listed, such as more to offer the world, wisdom, life experience and just growing as a person. The hate part involves watching loved ones age and die. Not to mention my teensy sense of vanity yearning for the youthful body I took for granted when I was young!

[Robby Slaughter]

I like to remind myself that there is nothing special about being old---it just takes a long time.

But perhaps the most troubling part of aging is what I can no longer do, but realizing what I took for granted when I was younger. That's a lesson to take each day as a gift.

[Genie Goykhberg]

Aging... As usually Annie you chose the topic that is touchy...

My observation is that it’s truly an art to age gracefully. I think its more difficult for us, women, than for men.

Yet, in average I can say that women age better than men do.
Maybe because we do care how we look. Maybe because we do not associate ourselves with our professional title and life does not loose sense to us after we left the Corporate World.

In my filed man normally enter in it earlier than women; we have to finish the task of raising kids.

We go though four breaks through in our lives. During our lifetime we pass through 12 "ages".
First one is the shortest age - 9 months to 1 year. Name for this age is a "Rooster".
A lot of noise, movements, the most profound period of learning, very colorful time.

Around age 42 (give or take) we are entering in age calls "Snake" - see it from the Eastern, not our Westerners vision:
Grace, Wisdom, Power. Women are blossoming at this age.

Me? Well... I do fight with time... I know who will win - just enjoying the process ;)

[Michael R.]

" I think its more difficult for us, women, than for men."

I take issue with that, Genie (respectuflly of course--don't want you to sick your dog on me:P). When I was in my late teens/early 20's, I thought I was invincible. I was in just as good of shape as any professional athlete and I took a lot of pride in that. For me, physical fitness was my life back then. Eating right, sleeping right, working out right. I was a gym rat in the truest sense of the phrase. So, for me, not being what I once was from a health standpoint really took its affect over the years. I am not that person anymore, and it sucks. My body was my temple, but that temple has been displaced and will never be what it once was. That's life I guess. I've dealt with it over the better part of this decade but I still wish I somehow could've kept on the path that I was on because I worked so hard at it and it seems like all of my hard work kinda got washed away overnight.

Trust me when I tell you, Genie, that, men who have a very strong athletic prowess about them struggle mightily (emotionally, spiritually, physically) when they can no longer do the things that they once did.

[Genie Goykhberg]

I can see that, Michael!

It might also applied to male-actors...

When I made that remark I referred to my observations... Especially I found it to be true for midle-age women who used to be very pretty. They did not even need to open doors for themselves, most of the time there was a man who'd happily do that. At some point of their lives they found themselves in front of a door with nobody rushing to open it... What a shock!

Did I explain my point more clearly?

May I advice you to do 5 mins yoga stretching in your bed as soon as you wake up? it might take care of some of your pain... hopefully...
I would be happy to teach... should you choose to...

[Michael R.]

I understand your point, Genie, but I just wanted to give a different perspective on how men deal with aging.

[Nancy Elwartowski-Cooper]

I deal with aging every day ! From what I do for a living to what I do for a living causing me to age! :) I work on people's spines everyday to make sure their nervous system isn't blocked, so that they can feel better and their systems can function better, making their quality of life better! On the flip side, doing this puts strain on me physically, so I get adjusted and massages! I can't tell you how much better I feel being the patient! I have so many new people come in my office and say they feel like an old woman/man, I am just glad I can help them feel young again!
Interesting topic ! Thanks for starting it !

[Michael Long]

I don't really think about aging all that much really. When I'm asked my age, I sometimes have to do that math... Yes, I'm 34.... I think. Yeah. I've noticed some grey hairs in my beard and sideburns and I kinda like it. To be honest, a lot of time, I feel like I'm still in my mid-twenties not my mid-thirties. I've probably had a gout attack a year for 7 or 8 years due to bad lifestyle habits. A good steak, some crawfish - Transplanted Cajun speaking here - and some beer is currently worth the pain. Probably somewhere down the line it won't be. I guess what I'm saying is I don't feel 34 in attitude, though health-wise I am starting to feel the aches and pains of aging. But, I've only got this life to live, so I'd rather make the most of it any not worry about it.

[Annie Sever-Dimitri]

Interesting. Lots of talk about aches and pains we didn't have before. I have to say I just don't have much of that. My left knee doesn't like doing a yoga move called the pigeon, but I just have to figure out how to heal it. Other than that, just the same old knees I have had for years that don't particularly care for running. I do it a couple of times a month anyway. Does anyone else routinely get accupuncture, massage, and energy work like reiki? I get at least one massage a month (love my trade!), one accupuncture session, and at least 2 or 3 toots of energy work. I do reiki for myself at least 2-4 times per week. I honestly feel better and am stronger than I was years ago. Thanks for your great responses.

[Genie Goykhberg]

I try not to get adjustments, instead I do profound stretching on myself and while I stretch others during Thai Massage sessions, I love "iron cross", spend a lot of time massaging my fingers, hands, feet and ears. I believe Reiki energy works on me when I perform Reiki on others; it applies to Sound and Vibration therapy. I do Acutherapy and SeedsTherapy for myself on as needed basis.
I would love to have Thai Massage, just could not find who to trade it with. When I'll be back from my trip to Thailand I will be teaching this modality and hope would have some choice for a trade. I do Kundalini Meditation.
I too feel much better than even 10 years ago! My digestion system is working much more efficient now thanks to the enzymes program (I am huge fan of Dr. Loomis Enzymes and will be trained in his Institute this coming September). Because of this I almost eliminated the stress in my life (well... I should say that I manage to react on stress different) and my acceptance of things in my life. It helped me with my Throat Chakra (one of the weakest links in my body - I was only 50 mls away from Chernobyl, what saved us was that few first days wind was blowing toward Belarus and Poland. It sure affected my thyroid).

My health is very, very important to me -I can only be a resource to others when I am well myself