It’s Saturday, usually a ‘day off’ for me. Set aside writing. Set aside thinking. Set aside any type of work at all. Truth be told, in the past year or so, I’ve taken more ‘days off’ than I care to admit. That’s just not me. I miss writing. I miss thinking. Yes, that’s what I said and that’s what I mean. For me, writing is thinking and thinking for me is writing. Sometimes what I pen is good and sometimes it’s not so good, but it gives me purpose, and we all benefit from having purpose in our lives, a reason to get up in the morning and engage with life.

If you Google the five top healthy habits as you age, it will look something like this:

• Stay Active

• Eat Well

• Engage with life (read, learn, connect socially)

• Get adequate sleep

• See your doctor regularly

I would add, get the heck out of your PJs before noon!

Staying active will look different for each of us. The activities I engaged in at sixty I’m unlikely to do as the numbers train speeds toward eighty-two, but – as docs and physical therapists chant regularly – motion is lotion. You don’t need to buy an app or set an impossible training schedule for yourself to be active. Stretch. Dance. Walk. Do it alone or with a partner. This is dependent, of course, on your physical condition. I have early on-set Parkinson’s, which slows me down. Me. Slowed down! I don’t allow that to isolate me. Isolation is the invisible insidious virus that takes joy out of life.

Eating well requires a bit of planning and less spicey foods. I know, the last thing anyone wants to deal with. I have found that a largely vegetarian diet is best for me. As with many older folks, my appetite has decreased. Partly because the Parkinson’s has affected my smell and taste buds, and let’s face it, the best part about eating is the aroma and taste.

Engaging with life keeps you going. Laughing with friends. Crying with friends. Reading. Learning something new. Continuing to be part of a community: church, organizations, book clubs, crafting or arts groups, anything that will expand your mind and bring you satisfaction.

Adequate sleep is a tough nut to crack. I have always had restless nights. I imagine you have as well. Mine happen about once every five or six days. For many of us, “Just get some sleep,” is easier said than done. I wish I had the magic formula, but I don’t. I usually get up and do something, anything, to take my mind off the aggravation of not being able to sleep. Sometimes I can go back to bed and fall asleep; sometimes I get no sleep at all. And then, I find myself nodding off in my chair off and on throughout the following day. Some of the things I’ve tried –

• Put your body to sleep one section at a time (I’m not saying it works; I’m saying I’ve tried it!) Maybe it will work for you. 

• Close your eyes, relax, then – starting with your feet – chant (silently, if you have a partner otherwise neither one of you will get to sleep!), for five to ten seconds, feet sleep, feet sleep, feet sleep… and continue right on up your body until you reach your head. Hopefully, before you get to your head you are already asleep.
• The 7-4-8 technique. Breathe in for seven seconds, hold for four seconds, breath out for eight seconds. Continue until your body relaxes… and hopefully you fall asleep.
• Drink a warm liquid that has no caffeine before you go to bed.

See your doctor regularly. This is something to remember no matter your age. I’ve had cancer four times in different parts of my body. I’ve been diagnosed in the early stages every time and had the benefit of excellent treatment and am cancer free. Early detection of Parkinson’s enabled me to start on symptom management medication. Parkinson’s doesn’t go away; it takes its toll over time.

What has kept me busy and out of trouble lately is republishing Future Imperfect, a dystopian futuristic novel ripe with intrigue, political upheaval, and environmental chaos. Yes, I am a self-published author and yes this is the second edition of this book. And yes, please order it at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

This is how I engage with life. 

Future Imperfect is one of five books I’ve written and published. Learn more here.