When you hear the term getting older, does it typically bring to mind only negative thoughts?
Do you immediately think of collecting new aches and pains, slowing down, memory loss, decreased sex drive and incontinence…Not good!
While this may be the case for some, it’s not the full picture.
Getting older comes with several benefits and keeping these at the forefront of your mind can help you not to feel down about aging. Here a few of the benefits…
You Become More Chiseled
This goes for women and men alike. Women will often lose the thin layer of subcutaneous body fat that exists under the skin, bringing out more defined cheekbones and giving them a much more chiseled appearance. Men become generally more gristly as their jaw and foreheads continue to grow and eventually end up looking like they’re cut out of granite!
What’s more, is that our skin tends to get thinner as we age. This isn’t good news for women but it’s very good for men who want to look more ripped, vascular and muscular! Getting a body like Sylvester Stallone or Hugh Jackman is only possible as you start to reach an older age.
You Become Wiser
There are broadly speaking two types of intelligence. These are ‘crystalized’ intelligence and ‘fluid’ intelligence. Crystalized intelligence is really knowledge, while fluid intelligence is more like reasoning. While our reasoning skills often deteriorate as we age, our crystallized intelligence actually improves as we gain more knowledge over time.
As long as you protect your memory, this will only continue to improve the older you get – eventually making you some kind of walking oracle!
To help your memory stay sharp you can try activities like puzzles, learning a foreign language, exercise, and listening to music.
You Gain Respect
A big plus about being older is that you gain respect. This means people hold doors open for you, let you have their seat on the train and listen to what you have to say politely. And not to mention all of the senior discounts you will qualify for at restaurants and other business. Find over 200,000 listings of discounts available to older adults at seniordiscounts.com.
You Have More Time
If you’re like most people, then eventually you are going to retire. When that happens, you will free up a lot of time.
For many of us, retirement seems like a looming ‘end point’. In reality, though, this can actually be a starting point. It’s never too late to be what you always wanted to be and with the money, experience and resources that come from retirement now is the perfect time to start!
With the extra time you have, you have the opportunity to spend more quality time with loved ones, volunteer with civic and political organizations, and/or travel. Find volunteer opportunities at Senior Corps.
These are just of few of the many benefits of aging.