I have an aunty who is ninety this month and I am absolutely in awe of her – she is truly amazing in so many ways. This aunty still wears a little tinted moisturiser and light lip tint, gets her hair done, her nails gelled, dresses fashionably stylish and continues to order her accessories from QVC.
This lady cleans her own trendy home daily, does her own groceries and maintains her garden. All this is a great way of keeping fit in itself. She cooks for herself and continues to eat sensibly, everything in moderation and with the odd little sweet treat or drink to a minimum. She enjoys good food and will take herself out for lunch or dinner.
Whatever the latest news or gossip column is saying, you can be sure you will have the most full-on conversation, even if you don’t agree with all, you can definitely have a good debate about it all. With world experienced wisdom and knowledge, there is always a good story and topic up for discussion that you can learn from.
As a young girl, she had been through so much and suffered during the years, that we are currently in remembrance of this Sunday. When I listen to her stories, people of today have no idea how easy we have it in comparison.
She puts many others who are younger to shame; I see her friends who are of similar age and even some sixty-year-olds look and act older than she does.
The point here is that people often let a number dictate how they should behave or be in appearance. Instead of following this, they should follow those who may be mature in physical numbers but are inspiring to be like; those physical years are literally just a number and means absolutely nothing when it comes to how you really want to live your life.
Of course as we get older, there are some things that may seem a little more difficult at times. Do you ever notice that on a bad night’s sleep, everything seems tedious and impossible, yet on a good night’s sleep, the very same things we tend to venture with far more vitality and positivity and then get those things done with ease. So if we just keep ourselves in good working order, we should be able to live life to the maximum and comfortably.
If we look after ourselves as best we can, like a prestigious classic vehicle, then hopefully we will run smoothly. Every now and then, we may get a little ailment of wear and tear, but hopefully with a little TLC, we repair nicely and almost as good as we were. Yes, cells don’t regenerate as they once did when we were younger, but we can definitely do our best to boost them and preserve as best we can.
If we take a look at some of the fittest people in older age, they tend to have a few things in common. Charles Eugster at 96, a bodybuilder and sprinter who set world records in his age group in races from 60 metres to 400 metres, making him one of the fittest 96 year olds. His tips include working out regularly with weights and maintaining a body closer to a 30 year old. He states retirement is one of the worst things you can do to yourself, and is probably right, he actually started training seriously in later years when he was 87 and he didn’t start running until he turned 95.
A female bodybuilder at 86, Ernestine Shepherd started a health programme in her later years; she started to work out and eat healthy at the age of 56, which led her to become confident enough to start competing at the age of 71. Her committed lifestyle came after her sister passed away and making a promise to stay committed to it.
You can improve your fitness at any age, even people who are 100 years old or older can build muscle strength say the professors of physical medicine and rehabilitation. It is not only about building muscle strength, it is a combination of strength, stamina and eating healthily. Avoiding too much of anything that is no good for you, like sugar, highly processed foods etc and do everything in moderation and whatever you can to improve your wellbeing.
Keeping busy with regular activities works for both mind and body – even a simple dance class means physical movement, along with working out direction and counting steps for a brain work out too. Walking briskly around the home while cleaning, keeping flexible and stretching out with some yoga can also help. Find a form of exercise that works for you, that you enjoy and will stick to regularly. It is the consistency that makes the difference, not a one-off work out.
Have quality conversations to stimulate the mind with people that speak with substance – this is also a brain work out. Dismiss those who are negative or may annoy you. Avoid those that are energy vampires, draining you emotionally, often feeding on your willingness to listen and care for them. These people will never accept culpability for their role in a disagreement or issue and you are often led to being left with guilt and blame. This will disrupt your harmony, leaving you overwhelmed and exhausted. Remember that stress can lead to health conditions such as a stomach upset or even a heart attack or stroke. Are they worth it?
Don’t allow others to determine your longevity, get yourself in the driver seat and enjoy the journey of where you want to be!

Love and Sparkles
Samsara x

www.samsarabellydancer.co.uk
Facebook: Samsara Kyriakou