"Old
age is like a minefield; George Vaillant, MD, ‘Aging Well’ |
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RECIPES FOR AGING WELL |
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There is no substitute for reading George Vaillant’s brilliant, provocative and entertaining book, Aging Well, but these short recipes, extracted directly from his book, will give you a taste of what you can do now to increase your chances of being happy and well in old age. THREE
DOMAINS |
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EIGHT
PROTECTIVE FACTORS: In order to age well we need to stay alive and so physical health plays a vital role. Vaillant describes eight protective factors that, if they are present at age 50, allow us to predict health 30 years in the future. #1 No heavy smoking (‘heavy’
= one pack per day) #2 Mature defenses #3 Widening social radius #4 No alcohol abuse #5 Stable marriage #6 & #7 Some exercise / not overweight
(BMI >21 and <29) #8 12+ years of education The good news is that we have control over the majority of these factors and can choose to dramatically improve our odds of entering old age happy and well. At the same time we need to keep it all in perspective, being brave enough to change the things we can, serene enough to accept the things we cannot, and wise enough to know the difference. Please share these recipes for healthy aging with everyone you care about, young and old. |
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“Whether
we live to a vigorous old age
lies not so much in our stars or our genes as in ourselves.” George Vaillant |
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Source POSITIVE
AGING PROGRAM |
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©2008
Nuala Woodham. All rights reserved. |
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Nuala Woodham |
Consultant + Coach + Catalyst |