Acceptance Of Aging
There is a great series on Disney+ featuring Chris Hemsworth called Limitless. Without ruining the series, the premise is Hemsworth explores and exposes himself to various methods of physical, mental, and emotional practices that are believed to improve health and increase the likelihood of a longer, more active, healthier life.
In one episode, Chris explores the benefits of cold water exposure on the body and mind and how studies have shown it can affect our health. He ventured up to the Norwegian Arctic and completed various “challenges” preparing for the finale (mini-spoiler alert) of swimming 250 yards in the Arctic waters—36 degrees Fahrenheit. Throughout the episode (and all of the episodes) we get a chance to see Chris training with some of the more knowledgeable experts in their fields and learn how cold water, heat, and other stressors can help us live longer, healthier lives—as a part of an overall healthy lifestyle.
The final episode of the series is the most important—the episodes leading up to it are the most exciting and entertaining, but the finale brings up an important realization…
No matter how many cold plunges, saunas, workouts, and clean meals you consume, you are going to age. There’s no amount of Botox, plastic surgery, or pills that will prevent you from aging—well, unless you are the billionaire doing blood transfusions with his son and living like a robot to reverse his physical age. At some point, you have to accept that you are aging and there will be parts of the aging process that you (and I) may not like—harder to maintain physique, balding, menopause, and other physiological events we cannot control.
Accepting and appreciating the aging process is an important part of living a longer, healthier life.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t do as much as you can to extend your life and so in a way that includes a good quality of life. So, still do cold plunges, hit the sauna, eat healthily, work out, get good rest, do breath work exercises, meditate, journal—take care of your body, mind, and spirit. Get Botox or plastic surgery if it really will make YOU feel better about your Self—do what YOU need to do for YOU and no one else.
Just don’t forget that you are going to age.
The gray hairs are going to come. The wrinkles will show up. You are eventually going to move slower than you used to. The goal of improving your longevity and health is not about trying to avoid the inevitable, but about trying to make your life as long and enjoyable as possible.
When you accept that Father Time is undefeated, the aging process becomes more enjoyable. You can appreciate each phase of life instead of spending so much time, energy, and money preventing a process you can’t prevent.
See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,
JC
