Secrets of Longevity 2: Age 60- 80--Active Elders
/
Today we’re continuing our topic, secrets of longevity. Last week, we looked at the parihani years from ages forty to sixty. This week we’ll be considering active elders in the approximate age range of sixty to eighty.
With the big moment, your sixtieth birthday, you are entering the jara period of life, your elderhood. You are now in the vata time of life. Whatever your constitution, you may notice vata concerns such as dry skin, aches and pains, arthritis, sleep problems and diminished short term memory. Let’s take a few moments to talk about diet, lifestyle, herbs and spiritual resilience during these years as an active elder.
Diet in your active elder years
At some point in your sixties, it’s likely you’ll retire. This is a huge life change that alters your diet, meal plan, lifestyle and self-concept. Before retirement, continue the diet guidance we gave last week for the parihani period. Focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods and try to eat your main meal in the middle of the day and a lighter meal at night, except on special occasions. Once you retire, you have a chance to review how you shop for, plan and prepare your meals. It’s good to take up retirement hobbies. If cooking wasn’t something you had time for previously, now is the time to embrace cooking as a hobby. Enjoy the sensory experience of cooking and the thrill of creativity.
How do you and your partner or household divide up the duties of shopping and cooking? Money may be tighter now you are retired, and it’s important not to waste. So, make a weekly menu and shop accordingly. As you are in your vata time of life, lean towards a vata-soothing diet, planning regular mealtimes with plenty of soups, dals and kicharis. As you age, your digestion may become more delicate. Consider cutting back on chilies, onions, garlic and sour seasonings if you or your partner have a tendency to reflux. If there are dentition challenges, make sure the food is thoroughly cooked, so it is soft and easy to chew.
Be sure to make mealtimes a rewarding time. During your work life you may have developed habits like rushing through meals, eating at your desk, or talking business while you eat. Now try to plan leisurely meals, shared with those you live with, setting the table nicely, relaxing and savouring the food.
Lifestyle in your active elder years
Since you have entered the vata time of life, it’s more important than ever to make sure you massage your whole body and scalp with oil at least once a week—daily if you have time. Massage the oil into your skin, relax for twenty minutes and then take a hot shower or warm bath. Use sesame oil for vata, sunflower or coconut for pitta (coconut only in summer) and a blend of coconut, castor and flax for kapha. Better still, ask your Ayurvedic Doctor to recommend a medicated herbal oil for you. For sound sleep, massage the soles of your feet with oil at bedtime.
Maintain your active elderhood with a good exercise program that includes outdoor activities like walking and hiking. Add yoga and chi gung for flexibility, balance and core strength. If you lose your core strength, you will age rapidly. Choose lower impact forms of exercise that are kind to your joints. If it’s icy or severely cold outside, try some indoor exercise like Leslie Sansone’s Indoor Walking videos. For women, belly dance is a wonderful way to maintain core strength and balance and to feel sexy and beautiful in your elder years. Leilah Isaac has some adorable belly dance workout videos you might enjoy. You need deep relaxation as well as exercise, so make sure you take at least ten minutes shivasana after yoga. Twenty minutes is best.
New hobbies and activities help keep your brain young by building new synapses. Learn to play a musical instrument, take dance lessons, or study painting, photography, pottery or sculpture. Personally, in my jara years I went back to having violin lessons—I was somewhat accomplished as a child and teenager—started singing lessons and took up belly dance. This despite the fact that I still work full time. As well as developing new skills, it can be good to use the skills you developed during your work life, whether that’s through part time work or volunteering. With COVID, we’ve lost some of the opportunities, like volunteering at the library or at an information desk, that provide a chance for connection and making new friends. In normal times, it’s a good idea to volunteer in a setting where you get out of your house and meet new people.
And yes, elders want, need and expect to be sexually active—and not only those of us who are married. Especially during the COVID era, older people are using senior dating apps as they reach out for love and companionship. While some religions and cultures may reserve sex for the childbearing years, most of us see sexual expression as a fulfilling activity independent of reproduction. A rich and meaningful sex life can help you live longer, feel younger and enjoy better mental health. For active elders who are dating, the same advice applies to you as to those in other age groups—practice safe sex and use a condom. The genital changes of aging are an added risk factor for STI’s such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV; so please be careful.
Sex after sixty is a large and important topic in its own right, one that we’ll save for another day. For now, suffice it to say that you can’t take your sexual capabilities for granted in your older years; it takes work to sustain this important part of your life. At the very least, do thirty Kegels a day to keep your PC muscles in shape. This will also help with core strength and stress incontinence issues and is even recommended to help reduce belly fat and lower blood lipids.
Herbs in your active elder years
Every active elder should have an Ayurvedic Doctor in their life, to recommend specific herbal formulations and teas to deal with individual issues such as arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, cognitive issues and so forth. It’s more important than ever to keep your doshas balanced and your dhatus or tissues nourished and supported. On a self-care basis, make sure you use herbs and teas such as turmeric, tulsi and triphala, which have wonderful antioxidant properties. And, unless you have blood sugar concerns, add the rejuvenative herbal jam, Chyavanprash, to your daily routine, taking a teaspoon each morning before breakfast.
Spiritual Resilience in your active elder years
At some point in your active elder years, you’ll be confronted with age stigma or ageism. You are growing old in a society that values youth and discounts elders. You may also internalize ageism and self-stereotype, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of social isolation. Today we tend to turn to Google to look for answers that in olden times were known only to elders, who were valued as repositories of wisdom and life experience. However, many of the changes associated with elder mind do in fact tend to lead to greater happiness. We feel more gratitude, have more perspective and are less likely to ‘sweat the small stuff.’ Try to focus more on the wisdom of your years and less on the stigma placed upon you.
As I often like to say, meaning is the best medicine. Your elder years are not for golf and cruises, nor for sitting alone in front of the television. According to Ayurvedic teachings, your elder years, with children grown and financial burdens reduced, are a time to serve the greater good, to share your wisdom and to prepare spiritually for death. While you have energy, serve others in whatever way appeals to you. Find ways to share your wisdom, whether that’s through meeting people or through a blog or podcast. Above all, develop and deepen your spiritual practice, acquiring the only wealth you can take with you when you leave this life. This is the ultimate purpose of attending to diet, lifestyle and herbs in you elder years—to help you have the physical and mental strength to deepen your spiritual life and to contribute in positive ways to the happiness and wellbeing of others.
Alakananda Ma M.B., B.S. (Lond.) is an Ayurvedic Doctor (NAMA) and graduate of a top London medical school. She is co-founder of Alandi Ayurveda Clinic and Alandi Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder Colorado, as well as a spiritual mother, teacher, flower essence maker and storyteller. Alakananda is a well known and highly respected practitioner in the Ayurveda community both nationally and internationally.
Enliven your holistic health! Visit Alakananda Ma in Alandi Ashram’s ayurvedic clinic to support the overall rejuvenation of your body, mind, and spirit. In-person and virtual appointments available. Book now!
