Tag: Aging

Just A Thought · kindness · Life · Lifestyle

Choosing Lavender…

jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments
Photo by Natasha Fernandez on Pexels.com

Already! It’s the end of a work week here. Hardly did the alarm go off on Sunday morning, and now here we are; it’s Thursday. Hey Presto!… and the hours spill into days and the days into weeks and months and the year is almost gone.

Before you know it, 1 year is gone, and next and the next… With each cycle of time, we turn a new age, from 20 to 30 to 40, to 50, 60, 70 years old and so on if life is kind to you. Years lived and days passed. As we take stock of all the years gone by, we realize how much we have gained and lost as well. With the passage of time, some of us have expanded sideways and gained some wisdom ‘hopefully’… We have lost loved ones and as much as we would like most things in our life to stay stable, sadly we can never turn back the hands of time.

I remember my teenage years of hot pants, pedal-pushers, minis and what-not and the firm perkiness of my body parts, no extra folds and rolls, and non-creaky achy parts. Those yesteryears when I thought 30 was old… What my young mind did not conceive then was the need to ensure that I truly enjoyed and appreciated those moments. That I would one day look back with deep-seated nostalgia and sense of loss never occurred to me.

Now, as older years loom ahead, we must, despite all the ups and downs of life, learn to enjoy the time that we have. Let’s immerse ourselves in doing those things that bring us and those around us joy, laughter, peace, calm, hope and prosperity. Learning to leave rancour, undue stress, grudges, worry and all those negative thoughts, emotions and actions that don’t add a jot of value to our lives is a valuable strength. Put some colour in the greys of your days and don’t keep waiting for the right time or a party to wear that beautiful lavender dress of yours. BE The Party! Find the Zest even when it seems evasive. You will be better for it.

Let’s smile at the little things and let the joy and serenity derived from such feeling sooth our bruised souls. There are so many lost moments and broken dreams in afterwards. Even when we are blessed with longevity, life is a short trip.

Life can’t be lived in the afterwards, ‘cos priorities will always change. Afterwards, the momentary charm gets broken. Afterwards, our offspring grow up, we age and our parents get older. Afterwards, health passes and promises get forgotten. Afterwards, our vigour diminishes, the days become less and life eventually ends. Let’s stop waiting for later, ‘cos in doing so we lose the best moments, the best experiences, best friends, the best family that life has to offer. We are no longer at that youthful age where we believe we have the time to postpone what needs to be done in the immediate.

When you are young, getting older might look an eternity, but eternity is most certainly a short trip.

Enjoy Your Life, Be Kind to Yourself and Others. Peace be with you!

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Guide To Better Living · Health · Lifestyle

Putting The “Light” In “Twilight Years” – What We All Really Need In Old Age

jacquelineobyikocha4 Comments
Aging, The Beauty of Old Age, As You Get Older, Mental health
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Old age, it’s one of those things that we consider to be so far ahead in time that we don’t need to worry about it. But old age creeps up on us sooner or later, whether it’s planning for retirement by starting up a pension in your 20s or 30s, or we have a moment in life that makes us realize how fallible we are. Preparing for old age is something we can all do, regardless of how are young we are, and what are the best ways to do this?

Financial Security

Not just the aforementioned pension, but if you live in places where you need to pay for your medical treatment, it is essential for you to start a pension pot as well as a medical fund pot as soon as possible. While there are many organizations that can help with regards to medical payment, such as GoMedigap, – that helps pensioners with Medicare costs – you can find out more from GoMedigap.com, but it’s your prerogative to start preparing for your twilight years in the financial sense. It’s heartbreaking to see so many people in their old age struggling to pay bills, or living without the essentials in life, and this appears to be the way of the world currently. So it’s in your best interests to start preparing for a more enjoyable later period in life.

Looking After Our Mind

It looks like there are more cases of Alzheimer’s and age-related cognitive decline than ever before. And you might have seen relatives succumb to Dementia, and how upsetting it is for the caregivers.

Looking after our brain isn’t a difficult task. The trick is, much like physical exercise, we need to be doing enough to stimulate our brain muscle so it can grow. Essentially, this is all about doing stuff that you find challenging. And while it may sound like you’re going back to school, do things that are stimulating, but stuff you enjoy.

This could be playing more computer games, as they have been shown to have a positive impact on brain development, or it could be something as simple as having a strong coffee while playing Sudoku. Caffeine has been shown to have a positive impact on the brain, and Sudoku is one of those complicated puzzles that you can do anywhere. If you’ve always wanted to learn a language or an instrument, these are options too. But we all seem to think that our brains get worse as we get older, this is not the case!

Learning About What Makes Us Happy

In old age, we can all start to feel somewhat isolated, especially as people our own age starting to pass away, and you might not feel that people aren’t listening to you anymore. It’s important for us to know what makes us happy. It’s not just beneficial to us in old age, but it’s beneficial to us in life. We can spend our whole lives not knowing what really makes us happy because we focus more on other people. Your happiness is paramount to ageing, but it’s also important to how you live your life.

And of course, making sure that you appreciate life, by getting out regularly into nature, is something simple that we can all benefit from. There’s an article on TheGuardian.com explaining more on why we need to get out into nature. Not only is it beneficial for our minds and bodies, it helps us gain a perspective on what really matters in life. This, ultimately, is what will help us keep a sense of perspective as we get older.

This is a collaborative post.
Poetry/Poems

Lines of Time…

jacquelineobyikocha3 Comments

old, beautiful, aging, life cycle

With each engraved wrinkle

that time etched on

she lost her youthful looks

but never her twinkle.

≡

Her beauty’s matured

as her heart’s nurtured

the canvas of lines of time

stories of a precious lifetime.

 

Our beauty stays with us irrespective of how old and wrinkled we become. We only become a much more beautiful and limited edition 😉

Lifestyle

So, how deep is your beauty?

jacquelineobyikocha30 Comments

Feminine Beauty, The definition of beautiful

What does beauty mean to you? Feminine beauty has been construed in many ways and from varied perceptions of the world. It has been depicted through images and concepts that penetrates and rests in our minds, but one simple definition of beauty which we seem to fail to focus on is that beauty is happiness that glows from within.

This line of thought came to me as I stood before my bathroom mirror for several more moments than usual, undertaking an intimate survey of my body. With critical eyes, I noted the tiny indelible laughter lines beside my lips, little spots left by an acne or two, liberal trails of cellulite, jelly-belly from childbearing; the inevitable southbound movement of ex-perky body parts and the countless greys peeking out here and there.

Nonetheless, I also took note of the fact that as detracting and as imperfect as those marks were, the times I’ve felt most beautiful such as I feel at this moment in time are not the times when my skin shone flawlessly, when my body is as tight and svelte as ever or when I was impeccably dressed to suit any standard.

I stood beautiful with my messy locs sticking in all directions. I love the beauty of my washed face, devoid of any makeup, the battle scar of my appendicectomy, the precious blemishes from skin stretched to accommodate the growth of each child borne of my womb, all the lines etched by time; I pulsate with life.

It’s these indescribable sensations of inner joy, respect and acceptance of every inch of who we are that ignites the flame of confidence and beauty that radiates. We are all unique individuals with experiences and memories that form the fabric of who we are and make us our own version of beauty.

As I stood before my mirror in all my personal glory subconsciously performing tweaks, I understood how powerful our perception of our body image and beauty inadvertently affects us. The results in front of our mirrors are not just as simple as they may seem but portray deeper perception of the viewers’ eyes.

Stretch marks, Beauty, Body Image

Image credit – pexels

We live in a world where body image matters. We live in a world where people find it comfortable to body shame others who fall short of their measuring tape especially when it pertains to the feminine beauty. We live in a world where many are consumed with portraying the right image that in a bid to ‘be that perception of beauty’ they become destructive of both the external and the internal and this makes me wonder; what is the depth of one’s beauty? Is it skin deep or surface shallow?

How critical are you to yourself? Do you feel that as you age you lose your beauty because your body has gone all national geographic heading for different directions and you are losing elasticity due to the force of nature’s gravity that no Wonderbra and Spanx can keep in check? Does the fact that you are ageing affect your confidence? What would you do to keep your perceived reflection of yourself the way you want it?

Ageing is not a permission to let ourselves fall to pieces, however, the older I get, the kinder I am to myself and less critical of those who choose to go the extra length to look after themselves and being happy doing it. I know that body image matters a great deal but in the larger scheme of all things beautiful, it should be about striking the right balance. I understand the attempt of women who refurbish their feminine bits through surgery, breast implants, and other procedures.

Our bodies are mere shelters of who we truly are, and no singular image, culture or concept can define our beauty ‘cos our beauty is made of precious moments of being alive and as is commonly said that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, I would assume that the first and most important set of beholding eyes should belong to the owner of the body beheld.

My Thinking Corner

Renew Like An Eagle – My Thinking Corner

jacquelineobyikocha15 Comments

When one clocks 40, the tendency is to have mixed feelings; the good feeling of coming of age and the silent panic at the thought of growing older.

The year my age clock ticked forty and passed it, I could try to tell you that I didn’t care less at that point in time, but if the truth is told, I had pressure on my mind to just go after my dreams without delay. I felt that I had been held back by incidents of life, however, it was still up to me to change things and make the life that I want for myself. Call me slow, but it’s taken me 40+ years to figure a number of things out.

Renew like an Eagle, Inspiration, Encouragement, Life Lessons, Life After Forty, Motivation, Follow Your Dreams, Isaiah 40:31

Now that my knees are acting as though they belong to someone else – I must say I no longer feel so spritely and each day I am reminded that I no longer have the luxury of being in my twenty’s.  Some of us are able to get all their ducks in a row early in life, whilst some of us have our boats battered by the winds, pushed off course as we row as hard as we can to keep it from capsizing. The great thing is that if we keep going we will surely get to the shore.

In seeking ways on how to generate a better lifestyle for myself and to find out if the cliché ‘life begins at forty’ holds some truth, I remember the Bible passage: Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I did a little read up on Eagles and learned that Bald Eagles go through a process of transformation at 40. They make a life-changing decision not to give in easily to the strictures of aging but it strategically breaks off its beak and rips off its feathers in order to grow new ones. This excruciatingly painful procedure takes solid 5 months of risk and hunger but extends the eagle’s life by another glorious stretch of 30 years.

It’s said that the eagle has only two options: to make these changes or to die and this brings me to my question: what are your options?

  • What are those crucial decisions that you need to make?
  • What are those dreams that you need to hunker down and pursue with every ounce of breath in you?
  • What are those lifestyle changes that you must make to give your body a fighting chance to go the long haul?

Are you going to brave up and renew your strength like an Eagle or are you just going to roll up your mat and whine about everything going on in your life?

Remember, that the energy of silent panic can be turned into something positive.

Be at peace.

Jacqueline

Health · Life · Lifestyle

Old Age? Don’t Take It Lying Down!

jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

Senior-Woman-Monochrome-Bicycle-Sitting-Aged-Bank-Relaxing

Image

Once you get past a certain age, it’s very likely that you think you’re going on the scrapheap of life. You may feel yourself waning, your energy levels dipping, and you may think that it’s time to calm down and give in. In short, don’t! Instead, why don’t you try a few simple techniques to help you address the key things that may be missing in your life, so you can enjoy it more, and quite possibly feel a bit younger?

Keep The Oil Fresh

in other words get checkups on every single faculty. Go to a doctor, go to an ophthalmologist, spend time getting those regular checkups, and make sure that you are fighting fit. Also, you need to keep yourself healthy by moving! Your body is a machine, don’t forget this. It was built to be active, so use it as best as you can. On the topic of health, your body is like a car, and you wouldn’t put the wrong fuel in your car, so why should you put the wrong fuel in your body? Start to eat well, think about getting more omega-3 in your diet, more fish, and a general smorgasbord of fruit and vegetables.

Dress With Some Flair!

Look at the French fashion icons in their 70s, take some inspiration from these. Then dress with some style and finesse yourself, they don’t go to recapture their youth by dressing young, so take their lead and go for some style. Look at French and Italians; they seem to get better as they get older. Do some research, and get inspired!

Start To Feel Good!

No doubt you may have been doing things that please everybody in your early years because you had to get on with it. It’s now your time, so do what makes you happy. Yes, we look after others, and it’s not to say that it’s time for you to be selfish, but start to prioritize more time to get to know yourself. Enjoy that quiet time with a glass of wine, sit outside with a crossword and a coffee. It’s these little pleasures in life that you will remember more than anything. And who’s to say that you need to not go out on dates with your partner? There are so many great ways to stimulate the mind and body.

Socialize!

The main concern about the descent into old age is that you could possibly feel isolated or a bit hemmed in at home. And regardless of your age, there is always someone who is going through the same thing as you, nobody is ever alone in these things, no matter if you feel you are on your own. Start to make more time for your friends, go out for meals, and enjoy a healthy and stimulating conversation. Negativity is something that can begin to creep in, and much like a midlife crisis, we can feel that we don’t have a use anymore in life. So, start to enjoy your time, do something that makes you stimulated. Read a book, learn a language, learn an instrument. Just because you are older in years doesn’t mean that you are past your sell-by date! So enjoy yourself.

Age is viewed as a negative thing, so let’s try and reverse this trend. Age is not a negative thing; it is about experience and vitality!

Health · Lifestyle

Life After a Heart Attack- What Comes Next?

jacquelineobyikocha3 Comments

Heart problems are the biggest causes of preventable deaths in the western world, a frightening statistic. Heart attacks, heart disease and other cardiovascular issues are often a direct result of poor lifestyle choices. Eating the wrong foods, not exercising, smoking, drinking too much and taking drugs all take their toll.

Heart Monitor, Health, Wellness, Heart Attack, Aging, Disease, Hypertension, Health Management

Image sourced from here

Thanks to great medical advancements, fast transport such as air ambulance services and the fact that heart attack can quickly be recognised these days, more people are surviving them. However once you have had one you’re at risk of another unless you change your ways, so if you’re wondering what comes next after a heart attack, here are a few things to bear in mind.

Understand Your Medication

Your medications will depend on what the cause for your heart attack was. You should learn what each of these medicines does, and know exactly when you should take them and how. For example, will you need to take them with or without food, at certain times of the day or in combination with other medicines? If for example your heart attack was caused by hypertension you may need to take additional pills for your high blood pressure. You should also ensure you’re not caught short without them in an emergency, so if you’re travelling, for example, you will need to bring extra in case of delays.

Heart Monitor, Health, Wellness, Heart Attack, Aging, Disease, Hypertension, Health Management

Image sourced from here

Decide on Lifestyle Changes

Heart attacks and other cardiovascular issues are sometimes a genetic problem which is out of your control. However, if yours was due to lifestyle decisions, it’s paramount you make a change. Clean up your diet, and find out from your doctor what exercise you can do once you’re recovered. Swimming, walking and other low impact activities are usually good choices. Stop your drink, drug and smoking habits, get enough sleep and generally look after yourself. While a heart attack can be scary, but for some people, it’s what’s needed to shock them into action to make a change. Maybe you didn’t realise how bad your lifestyle was, or just thought ‘it will never happen to me’. Now that you know the consequences, you know what you need to do to live a healthier life in future.

Seek Support and Advice

Having people you can speak to about what happened, your fears and concerns are important. If you feel as though you can’t speak to loved ones, try a helpline or go on a forum for people in the same position. Those who have already had heart attacks will understand the situation you’re in and may be able to give objective advice as well as support.

Thankfully, many people go on to live a normal and healthy life after a heart attack. If you’re one of the lucky ones who survived, see it as a second chance at life. Use it as an opportunity to make a positive change. Eat better, make better decisions, spend time with loved one and don’t take life for granted.

This is a collaborative post
Health · Life

Mortal Combat: Beating The Signs Of Aging

jacquelineobyikocha24 Comments

It’s something that we can’t deny, the looming of Old Mother Time will get us all eventually, and while we hit a peak with both our physical and emotional health, both start a gradual decline that we can get quite concerned about. But what are the key changes in the body as we age, and what can we do to prevent them?

Aging Hand Creasy Age Wrinkles Children Open

Picture

Bones

As we age we lose our bone density, also known as osteoporosis. Part of the reason our bones become less dense is because of the lack of calcium, as the body will absorb less calcium (and vitamin D) from foods. Certain bones tend to weaken more than others such as the bones in the spine, which can be very painful, and while you can pay a visit to the chiropractors to work on realigning your spine, you can work at increasing your bone density by doing a few things. Exercise, especially resistance based ones, has been shown to increase bone density. You should also increase your intake of calcium and vitamin D, and up your intake of good fats, as these will help to absorb the calcium and vitamin D into your bones. In addition to this, you need to cut back on foods that will take calcium from your bones, such as carbonated drinks, caffeine, and the main culprit, refined sugar.

Muscles (And Body Fat)

The decrease in muscle mass starts around the age of 30 and is caused by the decrease in levels of growth hormone, or testosterone in men. Most people will only lose about 10 to 15% of their strength due to age, but there are issues like sarcopenia which comes from extreme inactivity. You can continue to strengthen your muscles as you age by taking part in resistance training, or anything that requires you to fight against gravity, from sit-ups to push-ups and pull-ups. Body weight exercises are a great place to start. Exercising is also great to reduce body fat as you age. By the age of 75, your amount of body fat tends to double in comparison to your early 20s and 30s, which will increase the risk of illnesses like diabetes.

women-friends-friendship-helping-together-

Pexels

The Brain

Generally, the number of nerve cells will decrease in the brain as you age, but although your brain is able to compensate by making new connections between the nerve cells, your brain will tend to have more cells than it needs to do standard activities, also known as redundancy. Of course, the concern for many of us as we age is the onset of age-related cognitive decline, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s. The trick to preventing this as best as possible is, again, exercise, but for your brain. That feeling of frustration when you’re learning something new is the thing you should be aiming for. This is the point where your brain is making new connections and neurons. So by doing things that are completely brand new, from learning an instrument to a language, this is what will keep your mind sharp and fresh.

These are the three areas that you need to focus on to age well. And, remember, it is never too late to start, no matter how old you are.

Writers Quote Challenge

Prompt – Writers Quote Challenge

jacquelineobyikocha24 Comments

Bernadette, Joan, and I invite you to join in on our blogging event called The Writer’s Quote Challenge.  We are looking for one more host/hostess to join in the fun.  So if you would like to pick up the challenge of hosting, just let one of us know.invitation-shel-silverstein

For this week’s prompt, here’s my offering:

The only place where your dream becomes impossible is in your own thinking. Robert H Schuller

Never let the sun set on those dreams

even in the twilight of your days,

rather, let the moon shine on them,

casting them into beautiful pearls;

for your vintage collection.

I had a conversation last week with a friend who’s clocking 50 next month and during our talk, she expressed some disappointment for not having pursued her academics a bit further.

Now she just feels that she’s too old (especially back home in Nigeria) where she laughingly said that she would probably end up being the grandma of the class of young adults.

I told her that if she really wanted to do so, irrespective of age, she should go ahead and find something suitable to do at her own pace, after all, she’s not in competition with anyone.

Besides, the older she gets the more likely it is that her regrets will grow deeper.

I ruminated over this conversation for several days because as I spoke to her, my mind centered on some aspirations of mine that have been in the cooler for a bit due to family exigencies.

Am I ready to toss them over because I feel that I’m getting too old to go back to school? I don’t think so.

Those dreams that are within our reach should not be left to die irrespective of age because age is simply a convenient and lame excuse.

I look forward to reading your contributions.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha