The body will fall for anything

This post is all about the power of the mind. I will not make it too sciency, rather I will weave in the findings to support my point. If you want to deep dive into the research, I will be more than happy to point you in the right direction. Have you heard of the placebo effect? In a clinical trial half the test group gets the real medicine and the other half gets a sugar pill, except the participants don't know it? Here is the crazy thing; scientists found that the large majority of the sugar pill side showed the same chemical changes as if they were getting the real deal. How can this be? Well, they concluded that if you believe

you are getting the real pill, the body will fall for it. Have you watched a scary movie? Did it make you sweat, clench your fist, your heart race, your breathing shallow and fast? Why would that happen? You didn't do anything. But your brain doesn't know that. It can't tell the difference. That is why visualization works and that is why it is so important to watch what you believe in and what you tell yourself and others. In this particular blog I want to talk about aging. The language around aging is: aging gracefully, senior moments, senior discounts, I am getting too old for that, it is too late for me, etc. Do you notice that these terms are not exactly empowering? Those who believe that aging is a good thing, that it gives them more power, more wisdom, more freedom, their knowledge is sought after, that they are an asset, live many many years longer than those who are just spending their days declining. The first group's self talk and beliefs are positive and therefore their minds and bodies stay in good shape. These folks stay active, stay social, they seek new adventures, learn new skills and they keep going and going sometimes despite of bad habits.

Watch what goes on inside your head, what language you use and how that is serving you. Use visualization, cut out limiting words from your vocabulary, view aging as a positive change that is happening to your advantage. Don't fall into a routine. If you have always done crossword puzzles, it is time to do a word search. If you always reach for the car door with your right hand, do it with your left. Break it up, change it up. Make aging a conscious choice.

Your mind is the most powerful machinery that has ever existed on this planet. It can create it's own virtual reality based on your command. You are the director, the writer, the producer and the actor. Now decide how you want to spend your years, it is all up to you, really.