3 Ways to Tap into my 94 year-old Dad’s Secret for Young-evity!
I was on a weekend trip with my father in Florida earlier this month when he said “If I had stopped being active, I would’ve been dead and gone a long time ago.” He wasn’t just referring to his penchant for pickle ball or table tennis, he was insinuating that his engagement in life was keeping him going.
And, let me just say, my dad is not just “going”, he is literally unstoppable! At 94 years young, he is agile as ever. He has no need for a walker or wheelchair. Many biohackers and health gurus talk about living a long, healthy life. But my dad is actually living proof of what’s possible.
Here’s a glimpse of our schedule that weekend in Miami. Breakfast at Versailles, a favorite Cuban restaurant. My dad had a small meat pie with a cup of Cuban coffee. We went to visit the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora. My dad added his anecdotes to the stories related on the museum walls. After the museum visit, we went shopping for a formal guayabera (a Cuban dress shirt). We had lunch at a Cuban dive, stopped at a dry cleaner, went out to dinner at La Habana Vieja and followed that by going clubbing at La Trova.
Yes, you read that right. At La Trova, the band was cranking up while I was winding down. I like to go to bed within a few hours after sundown. But not my dad! He was just getting started. The night was young…and so was he! And then there were the 20-something girls asking him to dance! My dad is absolutely magnetic and he has more stamina and energy than people half his age.
What keeps him so strong of mind and body? It’s not that he does everything just right. He could care less about organic food or circadian rhythm stuff, for example. He drinks like a fish. He does exercise regularly and he fasts frequently. But that’s not what is holding him together.
As I see it, the key to his young-evity goes beyond the typical stuff we’d expect from a health-minded individual. They have to do with attitude and mindset—things of the spirit. And this makes them accessible to most of us, whatever age/stage we’re at.
To tap into his secrets for strength and resilience beyond your years, do this:
Adopt a playful spirit. If you tell my dad there’s a party happening, he’ll grab his keys and be halfway out the door in the blink of an eye. A show? He’s in! Whatever it is, he’s in! He’s like a kid at Christmas with life. When most people get older, their world contracts. They stick with what’s comfortable and familiar. If you want to keep going and growing, you’ve got to risk stepping into the unknown. Each time you have a new experience, you build new neural pathways and rejuvenate yourself from the inside out.
Seek connection IRL. My dad has a vibrant social life. Table tennis one night, a party the next. And once he’s out and about, he often makes new friends (most of whom are half his age). Building on the playful spirit, he is intentional about engaging with people. In this day and age, many of us settle for digital/virtual connections. It’s not the same thing. We need the energy that other people bring and they need ours. It’s life-giving and life-enhancing.
Give back. What could be more empty than a long healthy life focused solely on ourselves? My father has a mission, a purpose, a raison d’être. Words (and their proper usage) are his everything. Like a water keeper protecting a stream from impurities, my father, a member of the Royal Academy of the Spanish language, works to maintain the integrity of Spanish. He’s written several books, but he’s not done yet. He writes regular columns for newspapers and gives lectures on translation and proper grammar. He remains focused and committed. When we understand our purpose, it becomes an internal spark that keeps life exciting and our spirit lifted.
Someone once told me that “aging is the aggressive pursuit of comfort”. Maybe this is why my dad is aging in reverse. Look at all three of the tips above. They’re not easy. It would be so much simpler to stick with what you know, stay home, watch a show, be on your own. But instead of doing that, my dad keeps stretching and growing, learning German on Duolingo, and, yes, clubbing.
Maybe this is one reason I see myself as unstoppable too. I’m following in his footsteps, literally, embracing challenge and change over what’s familiar, getting playful and curious about life. What keeps you going? What keeps you young? How do you embrace what challenges you instead of what’s comfortable? Tell me in the comments below.
