{"id":954,"date":"2017-07-28T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T13:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=954"},"modified":"2017-07-25T18:49:41","modified_gmt":"2017-07-25T22:49:41","slug":"at-the-crossroads-of-aging","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=954","title":{"rendered":"At the Crossroads of Aging"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><em>A Blueprint to the Best Living after 50<\/em><\/h1>\n<p><em>By <a href=\"http:\/\/NicoleChristina.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nicole Christina<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The general consensus in our culture is that growing old is a dreaded part of being human, and should be avoided at all costs. The longer we can stay looking youthful, the more we outsmart the inevitable painful and depressing decline. Many of us hate to think of ourselves as aging, and use denial as a defense. After all, everyone knows where we are headed, and it\u2019s not a pleasant thought.<\/p>\n<p>Although attitudes are changing as more and more of us fit the older demographic, there are still powerful negative beliefs on what it means to age. All one has to do is flip through a typical women\u2019s magazine to see all the ads promising to reverse the inevitable. The fervor with which they sell these products makes it seem like they\u2019re offering a cure for a horrible disease.<\/p>\n<p>When asked to come up with words to describe older people, many of my seminar participants will recite the following: frail, weak and dependent. Not often does one hear words like wise, elegant, mature or dignified. And just like women still say, \u201cI\u2019m so fat!\u201d, it\u2019s perfectly OK to say, \u201cI\u2019m so old,\u201d without being called out. Ageism is one of the few prejudices that is still acceptable. And not only is that unfortunate and counterproductive, it\u2019s a health risk.<\/p>\n<p>How well we age has everything to do with our attitude about getting older.<\/p>\n<p>Think that is a bit of a stretch? Consider this: People with positive attitudes toward aging live, on average, seven and a half years longer than those who don\u2019t. That\u2019s something to consider the next time you want to say something self-deprecating about needing reading glasses.<\/p>\n<p>Many of us considering how to be most healthy and vibrant as we age focus on exercise and diet. It\u2019s true that exercising helps keep one\u2019s brain younger, and has a multitude of benefits. On the other hand, exercising with grim determination isn\u2019t always as beneficial as one might think. Being critical of one\u2019s body and exercising in a punitive way can actually produce stress hormones that cause weight gain.<\/p>\n<p>The more you add pleasure to exercising \u2014 or any healthy habit, for that matter \u2014 the happier your body and psyche will be. The Dali Lama is fond of saying, \u201cHappiness is the highest form of health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for diet, you might have noticed that diet advice changes like the weather. One minute, fats are out. The next, we\u2019re adding butter to our coffee.<\/p>\n<p>Good advice is the most sensible. Eat whole foods as much as you can. Enjoy and savor your food. Eat more vegetables. And eating Oreos once in a while won\u2019t kill you. These guidelines are not as sexy as the trending diets, but they\u2019re more physically and mentally sustainable.<\/p>\n<p>Another important aspect of aging with vitality is how you approach your day. There has to be something to get you out of bed in the morning. Curiosity and engagement are vital elements in aging with verve.<\/p>\n<p>What excites you? If you have never had the luxury of asking yourself this question and you\u2019re stumped, think about what used to make time fly before you had the responsibilities of an adult. Was it sketching? Model making? Bowling?<\/p>\n<p>People\u2019s interests are fairly consistent during their lifetimes. Focus on yours, and then think of what you might like to learn to grow. I\u2019m considering taking swimming lessons so I can learn how to breathe properly while doing the crawl. That will be a bit of a challenge for me, but that\u2019s exactly the point.<\/p>\n<p>Happiness usually appears when we are right on the edge of learning something new and are totally in the moment, sometimes known as \u201cflow.\u201d So having a tried and true activity in addition to something intriguing is a great formula for making your brain and psyche happy.<\/p>\n<p>What have you always dreamed of doing? What would you regret if you never tried it? These kinds of questions can be really helpful in designing a blueprint to encourage true health and wellness. <em>SWM <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Nicole Christina, LCSW, is a Syracuse-based psychotherapist and author, and creator of the webcourse: \u201cGreying and Grateful; Thriving at Middle Age and Beyond.\u201d You can find more at <a href=\"http:\/\/NicoleChristina.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NicoleChristina.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Blueprint to the Best Living after 50 By Nicole Christina\u00a0 The general consensus in our culture is that growing old is a dreaded part of being human, and should be avoided at all costs. The longer we can stay looking youthful, the more we outsmart the inevitable painful and depressing decline. Many of us&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[126],"tags":[293,300,262],"class_list":["post-954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-august-2017","tag-nicole-christina","tag-syracuse-woman-magazine"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cropped-SWM-logo-use-this-one.jpg?fit=930%2C448&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1025,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1025","url_meta":{"origin":954,"position":0},"title":"At the Crossroads of Aging","author":"Staff","date":"August 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Part Two: Embracing Aging By Nicole Christina You can find Nicole\u2019s first piece on At the Crossroads of Aging in our August 2017 issue. There\u2019s an exciting new cultural trend you may have noticed \u2014 older women are speaking up and claiming their power. This is no surprise. The size\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=126"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cropped-SWM-logo-use-this-one.jpg?fit=930%2C448&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cropped-SWM-logo-use-this-one.jpg?fit=930%2C448&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cropped-SWM-logo-use-this-one.jpg?fit=930%2C448&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/cropped-SWM-logo-use-this-one.jpg?fit=930%2C448&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2092,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2092","url_meta":{"origin":954,"position":1},"title":"Christina Wallace","author":"Staff","date":"September 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Teaching the Importance of Early Detection By Jamie Jenson | Photography by Paul Carmen Viggiano Christina Wallace was only 38 when she found the lump that would completely change her life. \u201cI was lying on my couch watching TV, and my cat, who had been unusually clingy for a few\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/001_Wallace_SWM_PRINT-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/001_Wallace_SWM_PRINT-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/001_Wallace_SWM_PRINT-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/001_Wallace_SWM_PRINT-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/001_Wallace_SWM_PRINT-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C793&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1154,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1154","url_meta":{"origin":954,"position":2},"title":"Nicole Watts","author":"Staff","date":"October 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Imprinting Hope By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alice G. Patterson Nicole Watts was angry. Since her teenage years, she\u2019d felt a calling toward \u201cdiverse, urban community development,\u201d but couldn\u2019t pinpoint exactly what that calling would entail. And then, in the midst of what she referred to as a \u201cvery\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Nicole-Watts-Hope-Print-Founder-0014-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Nicole-Watts-Hope-Print-Founder-0014-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Nicole-Watts-Hope-Print-Founder-0014-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Nicole-Watts-Hope-Print-Founder-0014-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Nicole-Watts-Hope-Print-Founder-0014-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3298,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3298","url_meta":{"origin":954,"position":3},"title":"Health: Aging Gracefully, For All\u00a0","author":"Alyssa Dearborn","date":"September 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Lindsey Gaworecki and Ashley Tracey To most aging gracefully means you have maintained your youthful appearance longer than the majority of your peers. The skin is the largest organ in the body and heavily impacts our appearance. In order to slow our skin's rate of aging it is important\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=126"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/AbAGlTeE.jpeg?fit=1200%2C960&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/AbAGlTeE.jpeg?fit=1200%2C960&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/AbAGlTeE.jpeg?fit=1200%2C960&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/AbAGlTeE.jpeg?fit=1200%2C960&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/AbAGlTeE.jpeg?fit=1200%2C960&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3312,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3312","url_meta":{"origin":954,"position":4},"title":"Inspire &#8211; Nicole Canavan:  A Story of Self Discovery","author":"Alyssa Dearborn","date":"September 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Kate Hanzalik Nicole Canavan grieved the loss of herself for the past thirty years. An athletic person \u2013 a goalie who had a history of getting kicked in the head, a self-described \u201ctom boy\u201d who often got injured \u2013 became what she calls \u201cThe Monster,\u201d an evil creature filled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Inspire&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Inspire","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=1143"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/nicole-canavan-2.jpg?fit=958%2C959&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/nicole-canavan-2.jpg?fit=958%2C959&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/nicole-canavan-2.jpg?fit=958%2C959&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/nicole-canavan-2.jpg?fit=958%2C959&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1041,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1041","url_meta":{"origin":954,"position":5},"title":"Museum of Intrigue","author":"Staff","date":"August 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A New Kind of Story By Lorna Oppedisano | Photography by Alexis Emm \u201cI\u2019ve done a lot of strange things with my life,\u201d Jono Naito, Museum of Intrigue developer\/lead designer said. \u201cI\u2019ve studied chemistry. I\u2019ve worked in the [American] Museum of Natural History in New York City. 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