If This Is My Body, What Happened To The Warranty?

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Kim Morton, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

If This Is My Body, What Happened to the Warranty?
By Kim Morton

Have your social events turned into joint ventures where everyone shares late-breaking stories about new hips, improved knees and rotator cuff surgery? Does your early morning routine involve an in-bed inventory of sore muscles and strained places left in the aftermath of yesterday’s exertion? Or are you just plain sad that you can no longer do the physical things you used to be able to do but would like to continue doing?
Unfortunately, our bodies don’t come with warranties. Some defects will inevitably arise even from normal usage. Abuse beyond routine use in work or play, or negligence—failing to eat right, exercise regularly or celebrate love and joy in life—may lead to excessive repair costs. Now may be a good time to reread the fine print in your owner’s manual.
Aging is a process we can’t stop, but we can cope with its challenges. Often, we put up our own roadblocks that get in the way of successful aging. We fight the process by putting up resistance, which may take any number of forms. Do you subject yourself to endless self-criticism about missed trips to the gym or extra trips to the buffet table? Do you tally the wrongs you’ve endured because someone else allegedly interfered or some unforeseen event intervened that accelerated your physical demise? Or have you just allowed yourself to be frozen by fear that the end of your active life is near?
These attitudes and behaviors don’t make the aging process any easier. In fact, they may thwart a graceful path through later life. Choice is within your control, and embracing changes offers endless rewards. Some options may be listed in the troubleshooting section at the end of your owner’s manual. Running through these steps may eliminate the need for costly repairs to body or mind down the road.
 Just keep moving. Whatever you do, just keep moving. Find a way of moving that makes you feel good and that you can practice on a regular basis. The laws of physics tell us that a body in motion will stay in motion. It’s worth heeding. When you choose walking, dancing, yoga, biking, swimming or any other aerobic activity at frequent intervals, you’ll find that you stay healthier, your mind works better and you feel better about yourself overall. The added advantage—a body that moves remains more flexible, and a more flexible body is one that can adapt and make changes.
 Stay balanced. Or, better yet, try not to fall. Notice obstacles in your path or changes in approaching levels. Part of staying physically balanced is being aware of where your body is in space as you move. Know your limits and say no when you’ve reached them. Stay strong in your core, abdomen and back. Pay attention to your posture, allowing your skeleton to carry you and leaving your muscles to handle the activity you’ve chosen. Take balance a step further by evening the scales with a variety of activities, spending time with different friends or carving out some time alone. Mostly, do things that are good for you and feel good, but once in a while, do or eat or drink something truly wicked, just for fun.
 Get stimulated. Do whatever it takes to engage your brain, whether it’s reading, attending lectures, learning a new skill or pursuing a hobby. The challenged mind is one that can adapt more readily to changing circumstances.
 Carve out time for creativity. Creating something—whether it’s working with materials or growing a garden—stimulates the mind and adds more beauty to the world. Surrounding ourselves with beautiful sights, sounds and smells helps keep the mind open to new stimuli.
 Stay social. Keeping engaged with other people opens up new possibilities. Notice the choices your friends and relatives are making so you can consider other options that might be right for you. Show empathy and respect to those around you so that these responses become part of your regular makeup. Others will respond in kind to you.
 Remain passionate. Passion is one of life’s best equalizers. It keeps us in touch with others of all ages who share in the enjoyment of something beyond themselves. This energy leaves a glow in its wake.
 Celebrate. No, it’s not your birthday today, but that might have been an amazing move that athlete just made, an extraordinary note that bird just sang or a great gaff on Letterman last night. Go ahead—clap or laugh out loud. The good things to which you pay attention have a tendency to keep coming back.
Just as there are no fail-safe warranties from manufacturers, there are no guarantees that things will go perfectly smoothly as we age. Grief is inevitable as we lose some of our functioning or miss loved ones with whom we’ve shared our more active lifestyles. But this experience need not stop us from embracing our own positive attitudes about aging. Accept these developments and move forward.
Changing the oil, replacing the filter or heeding the recall notices are standard service requirements for most manufactured goods. Make sure you comply with these guidelines for the lifetime of your body so that you can continue to participate in the things you enjoy most.

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   Kim Morton is a life coach and life-long mountain sports activist in southwest Colorado. She has worked as a children’s writer and has published guides on hiking the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.