Ageing: Are we really as young as we feel?

Are we really as young as we feel?

There was a recent BBC documentary called The Young Ones, where six celebrities return to 1975 to explore whether living as their younger selves could make them physically and mentally younger.  This was not your usual throw away 'reality TV show' and is well worth watching if you get the chance to find it on iPlayer.  

The results after the 1st week were remarkable, improvements in cognitive and physical function across the board.

How old???

I often feel that when I focus on my chronological age that I 'feel' my age.  So in all intents and purposes I just don't think about it.  If people are surprised at my age is it because I am just deluding myself, is it good genetics or is the amount of exercise I do that is they key?  

Well - "How old you are matters, but beyond that it's your interpretation that has far-reaching implications for the process of ageing." says research author Markus H. Schafer, a doctoral student in sociology and gerontology.  

The research from Purdue University in Indiana, USA reports that perceiving yourself to be youthful and retaining youthful activities will keep you young far more than just exercise alone.  

Tips to anti-ageing:

The environment we are in, our preconceptions about old people and how we behave can have enormous impact on how we feel about the elderly and how we personally age.

Reserve some time to make exercise playful, laugh more, be nostalgic (rather than being embarrassed about the previous decades), keep pace with current trends and reduce stress - all helps to roll back the years.  

Tag anyone? 

Source: Jan 2010 - Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences - "Age Identity, Gender, and Perceptions of Decline: Does Feeling Older Lead to Pessimistic Dispositions About Cognitive Aging?"

Fitness for Life

I held a group workout session last Thursday night and one of the ladies was much older than the usual attendees.  For the purposes of this post I'll call her Dee.

She had previously come to watch a class to see if it was something she could do.  I explained the premise of the class and that its scaled to the individual.  However I warned that it wouldn't be easy.  

She looked around 70 years old, was in great physical condition and had no contraindications to exercise.

After a brief assessment she took part in the class.  Performing the warm-up and then participating in lots of bodyweight and medicine ball exercises, squats, balance work, push ups against the wall, jumping and running.  She rested as needed, but was keen to do as much as possible.  

At the end of the class, her feedback mentioned she had enjoyed herself and that she found this workout a great way to keep strong and active (as she wanted to do something to replace Ballet).  I then asked her a personal question:

Darryl - "Do you mind if I ask how old you are?"

Dee replied, "I'm 87 years old."

What an inspiration!  A fine example of the benefits of keeping active regardless of age.

Update on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 23:21 by Darryl Edwards

"Dee" attended tonight's class again.  A fantastic attitude which I hope to never lose regardless of age...