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Healthy Aging Requires Good Planning

Dennis van Zuijlekom
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Embracing our old age instead of grieving the loss of youth promotes healthy aging.

As we begin to age, self-care becomes even more important than ever before.  Unhealthy behaviors at a younger age, such as not eating right, come back to haunt us when we begin to age.

How can we slow down the aging process?  Where can we find the Fountain of Youth? 

Angie O’Pry, owner of Fiesta Nutrition Center in Monroe, believes that the Fountain of Youth “is right in the palms of your own hands.”  She explained that it is “all about our mind creating a situation where we feel young, and if we feel it, then we can BE it.”

The Fountain of Youth is right in the palms of your own hands. -- Angie O'Pry

O’Pry is of the opinion that “as we age, we have to embrace our age and not be grieving the past of being young, thin waistline, and a head full of hair.”

O’Pry believes that aging can be slowed down by making better choices and “good planning.”  “Plan your meals, plan your day ahead.”

Bad diet, lack of hydration, lack of healthy activities, and lack of positive thinking lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, unhealthy blood sugar levels, stress, etc.  O’Pry advised to “think of food as your medicine” and “think that you are worth it.”

Anita Sharma Ph.D., LCSW, is a Gerontology and Social Work Educator, Researcher, and Practitioner. She holds an M.A. in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, a prestigious social sciences university in India, a Master of Social Work (clinical practice) and a Doctorate in Social Work from Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Louisiana and serves as a pro bono consultant to various agencies.
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