How to Lose Weight: #19: Think Young

When I was growing up, I thought that when people got past a certain age (around 28ish), they had kids, gained weight, and started looking and thinking old. I suppose if you think this is the way aging happens, then it will happen that way. If you think you will turn into an old, fat, person at 28, you probably will be an old, fat, 28-year old! However, I don't think that aging dooms us to weight gain, or looking and feeling old. As I get older, I notice that a lot of people my age (30) look old, and some look young. Some are healthy, some are not.

Reputable scientists tell us that a person's chronological age, and his or her "real" age, are two different things. There are plenty of 30-somethings that are younger than many 20-somethings, based on overall health and lifestyle choices. A 21-year old obese smoker is probably "older" than a fit, non-smoking 30-year old. This means that with a few lifestyle changes, you can basically grow younger in a matter of months. This is a strong motivation for me to lose weight, and keep it off, because I want to be active and healthy for a long time. I find it extremely sad when a person is unable to live a full life because of lifestyle choices. I have had relatives who lost quality of life, and eventually passed away young, because of obesity. My uncle was morbidly obese as long as I knew him, and I have fond memories eating at his family's home on Christmas Eve. I also recall the 2-inch layer of butter in the bottom of the macaroni he made! Sadly, he died too young of a heart attack. He was also suffering from diabetic complications before his death.

Surveys of really old people (in their 90s and 100s) show that they think young. They try to keep up with the latest technology and ideas. In other words, they don't resign themselves to being old and "out-of-it." I think this is the key to thinking, and thus being, young. Staying involved, and being active, is going to help us feel young, and, if we are active, stay fit. I can think of three great examples.

The first is my grandma, who has walked two miles a day for as long as I have been alive. She is in her mid-80s and takes only one prescription drug that she has taken since she was in her 20s. While her friends and relatives have experienced significant declines in mental and physical health, she remains sharp and active. In fact, she recently fell at night, and didn't break a bone!

Another example is a professor I had in college. He was in his 80s when I was in his class. He was teaching a full schedule, and was still running marathons, which means he was probably more active than most of the students on campus! He attended my brother's wedding in 2007, in good health. He once told me that his secret was drinking Retsina! I don't know about that, but he embodies youthful thinking.