You are never too old to be young. Such words never rang so true as they do today. With the modern technology available to us, and the new awareness of the body and its flow of energy discovered through the worlds of science and holistic practices, we have readily accessible to us a multitude of methods for maintaining ourselves. Heart disease, arthritic symptoms and sagging and atrophied muscles can and should be a thing of the past.
Over and over again I have witnessed people taking charge of their lives and their bodies and insisting on being the best they can be. And the best part is.... it’s never too late!
That’s right. The body is a wonderful thing. It can be molded and retrained through thought and effort. ( You will notice I used the word “effort”) All you have to do is desire, act upon and achieve. The methods are not complicated and they are available to all, no matter what your income or lifestyle. What are the? Walking. Water. Meditation.
Of course, you do have to be considerate of any frailties you may have acquired or even been born with. Since there are no two people alike in this wonderful world we live in, what works for one may not work as well for another. I don’t know of anyone who would not benefit from a walking program.
Your first course of action before you begin should be to consult your physician to make sure you are aware of the do’s and don’ts for your body. But once you get the go-ahead...go for it! My suggestion is to give yourself a break and start slowly. The quickest way for someone to fail is to place too many demands on the body too quickly. Allow your body’s stamina to build up slowly. The quickest way for someone to fail is to place too many demands on the body too quickly. Also, be sure to wear the proper gear. A good pair of sneakers to support your body and comfortable clothing that will allow your body the coverage it needs wile allowing it the ability to breathe will make the experience far more enjoyable.
Drink plenty of water. Your body is primarily made up of water and it requires a good supply of pure water to maintain organ functions. If the kidneys are not receiving the water they require for proper function, they will get sluggish and pass some of their filtering responsibilities on to the liver. The liver, in turn, gets overworked and the you begin to experience weight gain or a build-up of fat in your blood, both of which can lead to heart problems. Hence, a harmful chain of events begins to emerge - not to mention the loss of elasticity in the skin which leads to wrinkles - simply from not drinking enough water.
Many people assume that since they are putting a liquid in their bodies, that is enough. You must drink clear water - there is no substitute. Juices can be counted as only 1/3 the amount of water your body needs. For example; one cup of juice is equal to 1/3 cups of water. Again, since we are all different, we each will require varying amounts of water in our bodies. Some may need eight glasses of water while others may require ten.
My preferred method for determining the appropriate amount is to take your body weight and divide it by 2. The number you have left would be the amount of ounces of clear water you would need to drink to maintain a youthful and healthy body. Let’s use the body weight of a person 150 pounds as an example. 150 divided by 2 equals 75. So a person weighing 150 pounds would need 75 ounces of pure water to maintain their body functions. The average person uses an 8 ounce glass. That would mean the 150-pound person should drink a minimum of 9.37 eight ounce glasses of water daily. Don’t let the fact that you don’t feel thirsty sway you from drinking your required water. It is quite common for the thirst to leave a body that is not getting enough water. The more water you drink, the ore you will want!

Stress can create havoc in the body. Article upon article has been written about the topic. It is the most common complaint to the human body and it effects all ages. Relaxation through meditation is one of the most effective methods of stress management that I have discovered. It allows you to take hold of the energy flow within your body and release any tension you may be hanging on to. When the body is out of balance it is experiencing “dis - ease”. If you take the term “dis- ease_ and remove the hyphen, you have disease. Maintain the body’s balance of energy and you avoid disease.
In Asia, the body’s energy flow is followed quite strongly. The Chinese refer to it as the “chi” and the Japanese call it the “Ki”. Your body has energy flow channels called “meridians”. When you are under stress, the proper flow of your chi or ki is interrupted, creating discord or “dis-ease” in the body. Relaxation through meditation allows the chi or ki to flow smoothly and release dis-ease.
You may not be able to control the chain of events that are happening in your world around you, but you can manage the way you respond and react to them. You can change the way you allow them to affect your body and your mind. There are countless books, tapes, videos and classes on the topic. It’s simply a matter of finding which one works best for you.
New ventures are always more enjoyable when you have someone to do them with. It is fun to explore, discover and learn with a friend or spouse. There are also groups in many areas that promote walking or meditation. I f you don’t have one where you live, why not start one? You might be surprised at how many others out there are looking for such a thing. Pick a route for walking that would be suitable for the group of people you want to attract. As you all grow stronger and get healthier, you can move to a more challenging spot! And remember to keep those water bottles handy!
Although many people enjoy the solitude and privacy of meditation, groups can be fun. Often self-realization and insight occurs when meditating. It can be uplifting and rewarding to share some of these insights with others at the end of a meditation session. I have marveled at the warm bonds I have seen form between strangers after a few sessions of meditation together. It’s a great way to make new friends.
Not sure where to start? Why not check out the ads in this magazine or the yellow pages of your local telephone directory? With the emphasis on stress management today, more and more centers for meditation and/or yoga are opening up. Even health food stores, offer some sort of meditation program either on their own or through an affiliate. I, personally, have joined with Health Express and offer a meditation program through several of their locations. Even though I have been instructing people on the benefits of meditation since 1993, I still experience such joy in seeing someone blossom and rejuvenate. Since meditation is a part of several courses that I teach, my students are given assignments, one of them being a seven-day report on their experience with meditation. One of my students, Mary Libatore, a delightful 75 years-young ball of energy, reports, “Day #3: Awakened to lower back pain this morning, perhaps from a sleeping position. During the meditation I could feel the pain leaving my body. I could sense the concentration of energy returning...after the session I felt very well, the lower back pain had subsided and I continued with my daily activities.”
Why not try a little experiment? Take a picture of yourself today. Make it an honest one! Have yourself look exactly as you would normally during your daily activities, no better, no worse. Then sit down and write out a list of things y ou find disturbing in your life. When you are finished with that, write down a list of the things you find joyful in your life. Seal these two lists in an envelope, along with your photo and set them aside. Now, for the next 30 days, get out there and walk daily (even if it is only to the end of the block and back!), drink your required amount of pure water and do some form of meditation.
At the end of the 30-day period, take another honest picture of yourself and again write down a list of the things you find disturbing and the things that bring you joy. Now compare the before and after...and smile. Of course, the longer you do your experiment, the more distinct the difference. But even with such a short time as 30 days, you should be able to see some signs of shifting, enough to encourage you to keep it up. In most cases, you’ll find yourself looking forward to these activities and possibly seeking even more ways to enjoy your life and body.
Remember, it’s not Age... It’s Attitude!

Author's Bio: 

Rev.Eileen Sheehan (lovingly nic named Lena, after her business, over the years) was born and raised in New York, where she dedicated over 16 years to Spiritual and Holistic care and management of body, mind and spirit. Feeling strongly that a balanced connection between an individual’s body, mind and spirit is needed in order to achieve an optimum life experience, Rev. Sheehan has developed distance learning courses as well as private and group programs that work with all three.

An internationally known Visionary, Medium and Spiritist, she holds a diploma in naturopathy, is a Nutrition Specialist, a Hypnotherapist, the Founder of Haymanootha Healing (also referred to as The Sheehan Technique of Healing), a Reiki Master, a Karuna Ki Master, a Reflexologist and an Ordained Evangelistic Minister,( the Lively Stones Fellowship, an evangelistic ministry, founded by Dr. Willard Fuller.) and an Interfaith Minister Director for the Universal Brotherhood Movement, Inc. (founded by Rick and Jeni Prigmore). Rev. Sheehan has authored multiple books and learning courses. Her lectures, classes and workshops are primarily based on the information in her books and have been received by or offered through many private individuals as well as such places as:

Broome Community College, Binghamton, NY
Broome County Hospice, Binghamton, NY
Poughkeepsie Chamber of Commerce. Poughkeepsie, NY
New Paltz Chamber of Commerce, New Paltz, NY
Professional Bartending Institute, Detroit Michigan
Health, Relaxation and You, Poughkeepsie, NY
Center For Personal Development. Wappingers Falls, NY
Seeds of Light Learning Center, Fishkill, NY
Estrella Mountain Community College, Avondale, AZ
The Arizona Enlightenment Center, Goodyear, AZ

Rev. Sheehan’s expertise has not been limited to lectures, classes, workshops or private consultations, (which are complemented by her natural intuitive abilities). She also spent a decade on radio, assisting a broad listening audience with live intuitive guidance and knowledge on a variety of topics that dealt with life issues, in Dutchess County, NY; with an occasional appearance on television and radio in Wilmington, North Carolina.

You can find out more about Rev. Sheehan and contact her at www.lenainc.com