Longevity has become a big buzz word, and despite all our advances we are still reduced to thinking about things in very unidimensional ways, and sometimes limited ways. This is understandable, whether learning about Blue Zones (the places on earth where people live to be 100 years old) or the latest biohacking fad to gain an additional one or two years on a predicted span of years, we have become obsessed about a number. We focus on lifespan, or the number of years that we are predicted to live.
But, what is more important? To live longer or live better? We invite you to consider that the quality of the years we live is more important than the number and shift your focus to what is called healthspan—or the number of years you live in a healthy way, free of illness or disease. Here are three principal actions to change your mindset and improve your wellbeing:
- Focus on quality of life. When you focus on living the everyday life with quality of movement, mindfulness practices, emotional balance, supporting self and other—together with the power of purpose, you are optimizing and thriving in the life you have now. As these choices can make you genuinely happy and fulfilled while also making you feel good, it brings a dimension of fulfillment and alignment with what is important—and this is quality.
It also leads to living well eventually—because if what I am doing is good for me and I enjoy doing it, I will continue to do it, and this leads to sustained quality that will lead to more quality and is regenerative. Whether with family, friends or co-workers, the quality of life we lead is reflected in the quality of our relationships with ourselves and others.
- Use your energy wisely. It is the most important asset we have. With the advances in the understanding of the nature of who we are in the Quantum paradigm, we are beginning to see that humans are also “Energy” and that, what we have known up until now, is only part of the entire picture. For example, we have been taught that we take in energy from the foods we eat—and this has been focused only on the calorie count. What we put out through physical activity therefore “burning calories” or energy, is only part of the story. We know that what we eat is the end of a lengthy process that starts with the cultivation of the whole foods we consume. This is part of an eco-system energy exchange that many of us know as photosynthesis or energy from the sun.
It turns out we are no different. If we consider that Circadian Health is founded on the energy exposure that we get from the sun, and this regulates all our physiological systems, also. There are more things to say about energy. How do I get it, spend it, and renew it? More on this in our upcoming newsletters.
So, remember, use your own energy wisely because what we choose to pay attention to is the thing that we give our most to, and this is reflected to us many times over. Remember that if you do not choose wisely, you will spend your energy foolishly.
- Harness the power of NOW. Focusing on what happens in the moment is important—really important. In modern life we have been trained to constantly ruminate about the past and worry about the future. This leaves little room to appreciate the present and gain awareness and insights about what is happening in the now that might help us process the past and meet the future with a different mindset, equipped with lessons we have learned. But if we are too busy with what we could have done differently in the past, or only focus on the future, we miss the pearls of being in the present moment. This is the power of every day—of the now.
Mindfulness practices such as yoga or breathing are great for helping us be in the now. Focusing on the now helps us to achieve our outcomes on quality of time and place—and ultimately reach our outcomes to live well—and yes even longer! Being in the now is like an action meditation whereby focusing my attention on what is happening today, at this moment, and it helps me be insightful about my awareness to align with what is important.
Focusing on quality of life instead of the longevity of the amount of time we could live should be our focus. Rethink how you might begin to effortlessly bring quality to your daily practices of a Wellness lifestyle. There are endless ways we can choose to curate for ourselves a Wellness lifestyle that works for us, the components of which can be as varied as all the options we have to be well. Wellness is a choice, and what we choose should be set against a backdrop of changes of mindset and awareness that will support and guide us to make the wisest choices for us.
In the end it truly is not about a number but the quality in which that number is lived and enjoyed.