As mentioned here, my Guilin
elderly fellow tour mates were a fun bunch. They were not shy or embarrassed
and they were happy to share tips and advices to the rest of us. On our way to
Shangri-la Park, one of the uncles shared seven ways on how to be happy, which
involve taking care of the following:
1. Mind/mental health by exercising your
mind by reading, watching documentaries and sharing experience. If you do nothing but over-analyse, over-worry, and over-think of past events, it leaves time for negative thoughts to form. So don’t let your
mind idle; as they say, an idle mind is the devil’s playground. That’s why some people get Alzheimer’s
disease and dementia. Also, always forgive. There’s no point in harbouring grudges
(I must remember and exercise this myself).
2. Physical health by taking good
care of yourself. Always exercise and don’t neglect your teeth either. On this
note, I have been advised to consider wearing orthodontic braces by my dentist
to rectify the gap on my lower jaw (she also said my lower jaw is sore.
Surprisingly, I never noticed this).
3. Spiritual health, this involves
having belief in a higher being (God, to most of us) and faith.
4. Financial health and stability by making
it a habit to do your financial budgeting and planning from an early age – I
had been keeping track of my expenses since I was in boarding school (although
it took a while for me to start being financially smart). Aim to save at least 10% of
your income. One sister told SM that we should aim to enjoy post-retirement what we
earn prior to retirement. For example, if you’re earning five figures before
you retire, aim to enjoy earning the same after you retire. Hmm, I wonder if I
can do this. I would love to continue travelling until after I retire (if I
love long enough) but at the same time, I don’t want to wait until I retire
before I start travelling. Either way, I’m going to need a lot of money for
this.
5. Social health by socialising. No
man is an island. Don’t live in isolation, don’t live like a hermit. We live in
a community and we have a role to play in our community. You may want to
consider getting yourself involved in voluntary or charity work or joining a
group that goes running, hiking, mountain-biking, travelling etc together. I
have come to value travelling on my own but there are times when I don’t mind
the company (and as proven from the Guilin trip, I gained so much from it
besides just experience: friendship and this sharing of knowledge which I’m in
turn sharing with you with my additional input).
6. Career by working hard and keeping
yourself busy. Muslims believe that we should work hard for our worldly life as
if we are going to live forever.
7. Family by spending quality time
with family. Set aside time to do things with your family, pick up the phone
and talk to your family members. Again, this is something I must start doing myself too.
~~~~~
Another aunt stepped up and shared the ways we can keep ourselves physically and mentally healthy. She said imagine
yourself planting a fruit tree. You’d buy the best seeds and fertiliser, look
for a good plot to plant the seeds, water the seeds and watch until the shoots
push themselves out of the ground. You’d continue to watch and care for the
plant until it grows bigger and finally, until it bears fruits. That is how you
should take care of yourself too: partake good quality food, get enough rest
and sleep, exercise, and take care of your health and yourself physically,
mentally, emotionally, spiritually, socially and even financially. So these are
among the things you should do:
Sleep between 6-8 hours (sound
soundly); siesta. Recharge at least 1/2 hour in the afternoon.
Exercise at least 1 hour daily or 4
hours in a week/ 30 minutes a day (10 minutes each warming up, low impact
aerobics and relaxation).
Observe good eating habits: eat a lot
of fruits, vegetables, fish, chicken. Minimise red meat and seafood. Eat in
moderation. If you like eggs, avoid eating yolk every day. The aunt also shared
her special daily concoction of juice: blend one bitter gourd, one stick of
celery and one apple together every morning and drink the juice.
Drink a lot of fluid - 8 glasses
daily. I know a few people who already have kidney stone problems so it pays to
drink. It’s advisable to drink before meal so you feel full. Avoid soft drinks
as they contain 7 tablespoons of sugar. Reducing your sugar intake week by week.
Those with diabetes should avoid
rice, and go for alternatives like sweet potato or yam (less carbohydrate).
Perform prayers to de-stress. It also gives you a good opportunity to talk to God.
Smile - it takes less muscles to
smile. Smiling helps produce endorphins which are the happy hormone which can
help with good blood circulation. Have very close friends who can help cheer
you up.
Take supplements because as we age,
our body does not absorb vitamins and nutrients as well as before. For elderly
people, take glucosamine 1000mg/day after meal; for others, take also Omega-3 and
vitamins.
Try to grow old gracefully and try to
avoid bed-ridden diseases/illnesses. I for one do not want to spend my time in
hospitals, suffering from some illness.
For those who are married, take care
of your sex life. I can’t elaborate here as I’m not in the position to. Heh.
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