You know the “People also ask” section in Google search results? I’m kind of obsessed with it. I guess that’s the writer in me.

If I’m looking for a topic for a blog post, a new story I’m writing, or an idea to post on a social media account, I type a few words into Google and see what people are asking.

I did that today. I typed in “pro aging”. This is what came up:

Pro aging is a relatively new concept. I’m starting to see it pop up more and more, and that’s a good thing. The search results for “People also ask” explain why.

Part of it stems from the anti-aging mindset. And, oh, the world is filled with anti-aging! No wonder it leads to hot search items like:

• How can I stay pretty after 40?
• What lip color makes you look younger?
• How can I look 10 years younger?
• Can you stop yourself from aging?

Because I know real women are typing those into Google, searching for the answers. And I get it.

We tend to grow invisible at the age of 40. So we blame it on things like being pretty.

They tell us that 40 is the new 30, but f@#! it all if we don’t just wish to LOOK 30 anyway.

For me, it’s never been about my looks.

I want to BE the best I can be at every age of my life.

That means being the best 30 – 40 – 50 – 60 – 70 – 80 year old I can be.

Over two and a half decades ago, I made a conscious decision to focus on my health. After watching my father die of a heart attack at fifty-four, my mother suffering from a stroke at fifty-four, and my daughter declaring herself vegetarian at the age of three, I had a lot to learn.

Each of those events gave me a powerful inner voice that pushed me further, looking for answers.

Today, I’m more committed to it than ever.

I don’t want to anti-age; I want to live life to the fullest at every age. I don’t want to look years younger; I want to be the best I can be right where I am.

Inside and out.

I personally don’t believe we have healthcare in this country. And that’s a big problem. HUGE!

Because pro aging starts from the inside out. You can’t look good if you don’t feel right.

And that is where we truly need the change.

The starting point … Wellness!

We are a culture obsessed with youth. I’ve written about it quite a bit. [I guess you could say I’m a bit obsessed about finding out why we’re so obsessed with youth!]

As women, looks are everything. In some ways, I think you could argue that looks have mattered for centuries. But even still right here in our modern times, women want to look young.

We think we can get better jobs, a better mate, and lead a happier life, if only we look young!

Forever 21. Now there’s a concept.

Can you imagine being 21 forever? Nope. Me either.

Frankly, I love being my age. I love who I’ve become.

But none of this has happened by accident. I know that. I love who I am because I’m the healthiest I’ve been in my life. I work hard at it. And a lot is happening around good health at the moment.

One of my mentors is creating a new program looking at aging and technology. I’ve been excited to watch the latest developments in how we will manage our health in the future, especially when it comes to pro aging.

It may surprise you to learn we live in the healthiest time in human existence:

• In 1841, a 5-year-old had a life expectancy of 55 years. Today, a 5-year old can expect to live 82 years — an increase of 27 years.
• In 1845, a newborn would expect to live to 40 years old. For a 70-year-old, that number became 79. Now, people of all ages can expect to live to be 81 to 86 years old.
• One-hundred years ago, 1 in 3 children would die before the age of 5. Today, the child mortality rate has fallen to just 4.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the cancer mortality rate has declined 27 percent over the past 25 years.

Does that surprise you?

The media would have you believe we’re the sickest, unhealthiest people of all time.

I’m not saying we don’t have our share of problems. But in most cases, everyone is focused on healthcare.

And that’s the wrong thing to be looking at. If you’re focused on what services you can use ONCE YOU GET SICK, you’ll never take charge of your wellness. And that’s really the key.

I started asking how I could eliminate heart disease back when my father died of a massive heart attack at the age of fifty-four. I wanted to know how I could remove the risk from my life. How I could stay well and never face the same issues as I approached my own fifty-fourth birthday.

And now, at the age of fifty-five, I’m closer than ever.

Defining wellness

Instead of waiting to get sick, what if you inspired yourself to stay well?

Instead of looking for a magic pill, what if you found a way to get to the root of the problem and use that to improve your wellness?

According to AARP, the average person 45 and older takes four prescription drugs regularly. Four. The vast majority of Americans over the age of 50 (85 percent) say they have taken at least one prescription drug within the last five years. We’re a nation of pill poppers. We want the quick-fix in pill format.

I’m not a doctor. I’m not a scientist. I’m not in the pharmacy business (Hint: they’re in the business of selling as MANY prescription drugs as they possibly can.)

What I am is a person who wants to live every day in the best shape I possibly can be in.

Years ago, I was recommended a book by Suzanne Somers on wellness. I laughed, and thought: “Yeah, right.” I thought it would be a book on plastic surgery and crazy diets. Boy, was I wrong. Suzanne Somers is 73 years old and has stated repeatedly that she doesn’t just want to be alive, she wants to be ALIVE. She wants a sex drive, shiny hair, and a good night’s sleep. She wants her memory intact, and to be able to do anything she chooses to do.

I agree!

But you don’t get there by living fast and hard for a couple of decades, only to try and find the quick-fix when things start to go wrong. The only way to feel ALIVE for life is to take charge of everything, right from the start.

What does that mean for me?

Eat better – eating a plant-based whole food diet keeps me looking and feeling my best.

Think better – I avoid the anti-aging talk and focus on pro aging instead. What can I do to always keep my mind forward-thinking?

Live better – there are two kinds of people in the world. One allows life to happen TO them, the other takes action and MAKES it happen. I fall into the latter category. If you don’t like your life, if you aren’t happy with your every day, change it. Now.

Have better relationships – I’ve made a conscious decision about the people I spend time with. If they’re in my life, I’ve committed to being present when I’m with each of them. If I’ve learned one thing from 2020, it’s that close relationships matter most. Spend the time to make them work.

Spend every moment positively – what if there is no tomorrow? Are you doing today in the perfect way? I’ve started asking myself each morning about my WIN for the day – What’s Important Now. That’s where I spend my time. That where I put my care.

Take charge of your wellness – I saw a general practitioner last year – first time in years. That’s because I don’t agree with what Western medicine suggests. I use a holistic practitioner, a chiropractor, a biological dentist. I do my research well before I step foot in any doctor’s office. I have health insurance only for accidents. I pay for all of my wellness visits on my own.

Why? Because Western medicine trains doctors to write prescriptions, to order tests that might not be in your best interest.

And when I saw a general practitioner, I did so because I wanted a few tests, and figured I might as well use my health insurance to receive the results. I declined the rest of her tests, and went on my merry way.

Am I doing it the right way? Yes – for me. I’ve done my research; I pay attention to how health and wellness fit together. I ask questions, and create my own strategy. And I don’t accept an answer without a lot of research.

Because I want wellness first. And because of that, only pro aging matters.

I don’t have time for anti-aging, because I’m too busy being the best ME I can be.

Anti takes away. Pro puts back.

Anti-aging takes away from your power. It leaves you feeling inferior in everything you do.

Pro-aging puts back your power. It makes you feel, act, and be the best YOU you can be.

Pro-age! Are you ready to do it with me?

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