Walk, Laugh, Sip, Click, Floss, Sleep…Repeat!

Most of us have heard of the saying, “It’s not the years in your life. It’s the life in your years.”

 

Recently I read a short snippet my friend, Jim Tewalt, a financial retirement specialist, wrote. There’s some great advice from Jim and the Men’s Health Magazine concerning keeping our brain young while getting older. I used the title of his snippet for this article. Here’s what Jim wrote.

 

“You may have heard us use the term “longevity risk” when we’ve discussed retirement planning. Science and medicine have made great strides in extending our lives. It’s now common for people to live well into their nineties or more.

 

With all this extra time given to us, it’s important to make it quality time. While the reality of aging can include cognitive decline, according to research, age-related dementia is something that can be avoided with some simple, enjoyable activities. An article in Men’s Health Magazine identified Eight Daily Habits That Will Keep Your Brain Young and Sharp.

 

Walking daily at a brisk pace increases blood flow to the brain and seems to help maintain cognitive ability. Learning another language has been shown to be a powerful anti-dementia activity. Don’t be cynical. For some reason, pessimism is linked to dementia. Daily laughing lowers stress-related hormones linked to cognitive decline. Brush and floss every day to prevent periodontal disease linked to dementia. Go to bed earlier. Sleep deprivation, or sleeping six hours or less each night can cause dementia. A glass of wine each day keeps your blood vessels and your brain healthy. Regularly using your computer drops your dementia risk by 42%.

 

Also, several studies indicate meditation practiced on a regular basis can not only help prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s, but can benefit those who’ve been diagnosed with the disease by reducing stress.

The take-away? Good habits now can lead to better times ahead."

 

After I read Jim’s snippet, I thought to myself, “Well, that was an informative read. Very practical. Nice title too. Some Christians will not like the wine part (which is fine), but there is valuable information in it. I enjoyed that. Jim did an excellent job on the snippet. Now, on with today’s activities. Where’s the channel changer?”

 

Sound familiar? Am I the only one who does this? I was presented with eight opportunities concerning how to have more life in my years and completely missed it. I was touched but not changed. I had information, but no illumination, so I wouldn’t have transformation. It never affected or changed me. I was taught but didn’t learn.

 

We humans tend to do this frequently and consistently. It’s been going on ever since Adam and Eve. “Adam...Eve…this is God speaking. Here’s some wisdom that not only will add years to your life but add life to your years. Don’t eat from this one tree. It looks good but it’s not good. You were created to win. However, if you eat of this tree, it will position and condition you to lose. Here are millions of other trees you can eat from that create a winner, not a sinner. Just be careful what you eat for dinner.” Sounds logical to me.

 

What was the problem here? They knew it but they didn’t know it. Therefore, God’s wisdom never affected their behavior. We, like they, can see something but not see it clearly enough to change. We can hear something but not hear it clearly enough to change.

 

For example, I know I shouldn’t eat too many French fries or chips. Chip are carbohydrates, soaked in saturated fat, that eventually will plug my arteries. I know that. I could pass a university test on that. As I said before, information is not illumination. When will I have illumination? When I have a heart attack. “Aha!”

 

Jim Tewalt offered us some great thoughts, no matter how old we are. Don’t lose the opportunity today for creating life in your years tomorrow. Read and assimilate his thoughts again. Move from an academic to a ‘pracademic.’ The process is information, illumination, revelation, transformation which will require perspiration.

 

Walk, Laugh, Sip, Click, Floss, Sleep…Repeat! Good habits now can lead to better times ahead. Aha!