2005 Tip #21:
The Youthful Spirit

We explored concepts and myths surrounding aging in the last message –upon the occasion of my mom’s 82nd birthday. Brad Kearns and Deepak Chopra were sharing ideas about the inter-relationship of the three types of aging.

• Chronological Age is our calendar age since birth
• Physical Age is the shape we’re in. “For example, if Jack LaLanne can do 25 pull ups and 300 push-ups at the age of 81 (in the 99.9th percentile for age 21 year old males), he has the ‘body of a 21 year old man’ in a quantifiable sense.”
• Psychological Age is “how old we feel.”

Chopra in his book Ageless Body, Timeless Mind “sites research conducted on worldwide pockets of cultures with long life spans. The most common and compelling characteristic shared by centenarians worldwide is a ‘youthful spirit’—a feeling of being unburdened by their chronological age. Conversely, there is also scientific evidence that negative attitudes towards aging can accelerate the aging process… Obviously, physical age is closely connected to psychological age.”

So what is most important is determining our age? Our mindset! Our attitude shapes our physical state. Our “youthful spirit!”

Chronological age is the least important determinant.