Guest Post: Mama Okie

I’m giving the floor to my wonderful mama. Please give her some love! I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!

Hi! I’m Lisa’s mother and I am back for another guest post. I loved writing my previous guest post. I have never considered myself much of a writer, but I can see why blogging could be fun!

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for such a wonderful response; I was overwhelmed with your positive comments. What a wonderful community of support your all have.

Some of you actually revealed your age in the comment section of my last guest post. It is refreshing to know that there are a few “older” women blogging. I think that’s very refreshing. I believe that this generation will have a lot of tough decisions to make in their lifetime.

Did you ever wonder why people are so obsessed with everyday normal activities like eating, deciding what to wear, how to fix your hair, what kind of car to get, etc. All of these things in the end are very trivial.  It wasn’t that long ago that  we worried about was where our next meal would come from. We have gotten so out of line in this country it is laughable sometimes. That is another post though.

Today, I want to talk to all ages about preparing for the future (and growing older) emotionally and physically. I will begin with my story.

Growing up as a young adult, I did all the taboo things. I worshiped the sun, I started smoking at the age of 13, did drugs shortly after.  Even with all that I was blessed with great health, a great body (I never worked out a day in my life until I was 45) with absolutely no effort at all. I ate what I wanted blah blah blah. I was the girl everybody hated because I put zero effort into myself and still had a great body. It did finally catch up with me and now I can say, “I sure wish I would have done things differently”.

What did I wish I knew then that I know now?

1. Having a drop dead gorgeous tan is NOT worth it. Always use sunscreen. We all need some direct sunlight for our exogenous Vitamin D, but you get that in your normal time outside. And please do not bake in a tanning bed.

2. Exercise. A healthy amount of exercise throughout your entire life will help you in more ways than you know. I am quite sure that if I was  stretching and exercising on a regular basis my arthritis would be much more manageable now.
3. Eat healthy. Healthy home grown foods will help your immune system be strong to fight off all the bacteria that is around us all the time. MRSA, Strep, and all the other bacteria you hear of is not new it is just attacking in different ways.

4. Try your best not to get too caught up going to the doctor for every little ailment. They will give you drugs to alleviate the symptoms. Most of the time our bodies will handle it. I am not saying you should not go to the Doctor. I work in the medical profession so I do promote that, but we have to be reasonable.

5. Laugh, Cry, Love and Dream. We are empty shells without emotions. Allow yourselves to be goofy, it is the best thing you can do for yourself.

Think about your body and compare it your heart to the engine in a car. There are certain things you do to keep your car in good running condition. Your body is the same except for this one thing.

The body is the most exquisite machine you could ever imagine. Your heart will beat 2.5-3 billion times if you live to be 72. Do you know of anything else that runs perfectly without interruption for as long as our bodies do?

As of 2007 the average life expectancy is 77.9 years.

It’s time to start taking care of the one and only body you will ever have.

What do you do to help yourself age gracefully?