Mindfulness of Purpose: My Path to a Vibrant Healthspan
The Big WHY
There are times, especially the days when given my druthers, I wouldn’t meditate, workout, eat healthy. Or even be mindful (it’s true.)
The challenge of staying motivated
When I reflect on this, I ask myself, WHY make the effort? Certainly vanity is no longer what gets me to the gym like maybe it did when I was younger and hoping to attract the gaze of a suitable “gentleman.” 🤣 It’s much bigger than that to the 60 year old me.
Meditation, for example
My first draw to meditation was as a spiritual pursuit. Then it was to help with the stress and symptoms of chronic illness. Then - it was a world that opened up to me about exploring the ever revealing depths of consciousness.
But all this still is not enough to bring me to my meditation cushion on the days when maybe I didn’t get enough sleep, or I’m in a bad mood, or I’d rather “get things done.” Here’s the deal - it’s about health-span, as opposed to lifespan. There is a fine an important distinction.
Coping with Health Issues
As I’ve approaching the ever increasing decades into my “wiser years” (ahem!) After the passing of both parents who lived into their 90s (even though I knew it was coming it’s was still a kind of shock); The painful realities of the pandemic. Most sobering is that it turns out I inherited the less fortunate familial genes that have brought me (brace yourself) high blood pressure, issues with blood sugar, and coronary artery disease.
My friends know me as one of the most proactive people about my diet and fitness, etc. so it was extra sobering to discover that I too am a statistic amid my age group. My doctor didn’t blink an eye. When I said, “But I feel so healthy!” She said “Well, you know what they say, you’re as young as you feel!” 😣
Fortunately, my cardiologist has said, Keep doing what you’re doing: control your blood pressure, eat a plant based diet, exercise, meditate, eat healthy food, get good sleep …” and you’re likely to live into your 90s. As a 74 year old man who thinks he has decades ahead of him, I’m going with that.
My WHY: Quality of Life
Here’s what I want: I want to live into a healthy old age. This is healthspan: quality of life over lifespan. We don’t have complete control over that. This is one of the areas where mindfulness comes in - finding equanimity amid condition over which we have no control. But that could go into into another blogpost.
Cultivating a Healthy Lifestyle
So - that is my WHY- quality of life and getting the most out of it. For me, this is going to the gym and taking inspiration from the women, many older than me, who are, stronger than me. It’s exploring the kinds of resource that, even though they come with a significant investment, help me achieve this most valuable of goals, it’s about getting to my meditation cushion to spend time cultivating equanimity (and lowering my blood pressure), and many others things which I’ll be exploring with people who have signed up for my Mindful Aging class.
Mindful Aging: Join the Movement
There is still room in that class, beginning on April 4. Would you like to join us? There’s a kick ass group of people signing up, proactive about their health, and wanting to take that further! Visit the webpage for Mindful Aging: Cultivating Inner Peace, Health, and Resilience.
