Anticipate Change
Adapt. Innovate. Improvise. Overcome. That’s a group of words I put together years ago about how to respond when faced with challenges. The approach works in the present. When it comes to changes in health that are associated with aging, we don’t know exactly what they will be. Therefore, we must anticipate what might happen. I’ll give you some examples to consider.
Things to Consider
What we value the most is our independence. Still, your body will change; you may see changes in strength, balance, vision, joint health, mental acuity, or fitness. That doesn’t count any new conditions or diseases.
Should you continue to drive? That would be about the last thing I’d want to give up, but glaucoma may have a say in it. And reaction time declines with age. Which abilities can you work to improve? What alternatives can you prepare for?
Having a two-story home with a basement is great. Will you always have the capacity to go up and down the stairs to do laundry or to retrieve stored items? Would moving to a ranch home with everything on one level be a better choice?
Going up and down a ladder to clean gutters could become a problem. Heck, getting the extension ladder out of the garage could be an issue. Plan for gutter covers. That’s one change I made when I could do it myself. I could still clean them, but now I don’t need to.
What about cooking? Cleaning? Snow shoveling? Lawn maintenance? Anticipate what you really want to do yourself and what you’re willing to let someone else do.
Am I Just Giving Up?
Understand this. This is not about giving up; this is making a conscious decision to adapt to new circumstances. Your body is different from what it used to be. Doesn’t matter whether you’re 40 now, or 50 or 60 or over 70—your body doesn’t have the same capabilities, and it will differ even more in 10, 20, or 50 years. You must adapt to it, or you’re going to end up frustrated all the time. Because believe me, you’re not going to be able to do everything that you used to do in the same way.
Anticipate the changes that may occur. If you start preparing for that now while you may not need it, you’ll be ready for it if you do. The choices of what you will and will not be able to do are going to be different for every person, but we can probably all stand to simplify our lives.
Anticipate. Innovate. Improvise. Adapt. And you will overcome.
The Bottom Line
There’s a new year on the horizon, so now is a good time to think about the changes I’ve talked about. Most of us are not good at anticipating what our bodies will do, but I can virtually guarantee one thing: the less body mass you have, the easier it will be to do everything. What you can do starting now is methodically get to a normal body weight for your height, stay active, and work on your strength and stamina. I’ll continue to provide you with research-based actions you can take to age with a vengeance. Nobody ever said you have to go quietly.
What are you prepared to do today?
