Your name can give others an idea of your religion, the strands of grey & the wrinkly face can give others an idea of your age but it is the spring of your feet & your moves on a beat can let others have an idea of how old you are!
As a diehard fan of the all-time great late Mohd Ali, I had been following his career, his life, the song –Floats like a butterfly &; stings like a bee, dedicated to him, his quotes, etc. He, issuing statements like “I am the greatest “was the testimony of his confidence, he said he’s counting on his number of sit-ups would begin only when his legs got tired of doing sit-ups, showing the amount he endured by pushing his body beyond the barriers of how much a body can take it. An extraordinary effort from an extraordinary man only could afford to issue such a statement much before the world accepted him as one.
Commenting on his daughter’s boxing skills he said “Yes she floats like a butterfly & stings like a bee but not one like me “this was an example of how even while reeling under Parkinson he did not lose his sense of humor. But out of his many inspiring quotes, the one which impressed me the most was “you are only as old as you think you are”.
Two Elements
In my opinion, there are two elements to determine how old you are
a) Your Hardware
b) Your Software
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Hardware
The saying “You must stand on your legs” has been around for a long time. It shows how important your legs are when it comes to determining your self-reliance. Boxing—essentially a power game—would categorize a boxer as past his prime not by the power behind the punches he hurls but by the pace at which his feet move. Horses in general & racing horses in particular sleep while standing. It is a practice that when a racing horse starts lying on the floor & stops sleeping while standing, they are shot to maintain a healthy pedigree.
A movie star may do all kinds of makeup to conceal his age but his slow foot movement and his altered gait would reveal that he is aging & he is not the same that he used to be. Watching a man from behind (no matter even if he is covered from head to heel )you can have an idea of how old he is by just watching his gait, his walking style- the pace at which his feet are moving, how wide his legs are while walking. We normally give importance to our looks to conceal our age, giving the least importance to our legs, which will expose us in letting others know how old we are.
Now how do we determine whether we are getting old physically? It is basic. Whenever you need the help of your hands for doing the job of your legs, just remember that you are getting old.
Let me give you a few exercises for you to check out if you are young enough. Can you sit on the floor without the help of your hand. Most important can you get up from the floor without the help of your hands & yet maintain your balance? Can you climb the stairs of two floors without the help of the railings? Can you get up from the chair without taking the help of the hand rest of your chair, your table & not even your hand pressing your knees to gain momentum for getting up? If you do these exercises correctly & consistently, it means your body is under your command.
Are you light on your feet? When you are light on your feet, your movements are going to be quick. These are some conscious efforts that you need to take (irrespective of your age) to remain young.
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Software:
You can have a fair idea of how old a man is while having a conversation with him over the phone. The quality of his speech, the extent of pause he requires for completing a sentence, how often he wobbles with his words, how often he clears his throat, and how often he repeats the same thing to put his point across can give us an idea of how young or old the man at the other end is.
Again here, there are a few conscious efforts one needs to take to stay young. Some people have a gifted voice, while others don’t. These are not under our control but there are many which are certainly under our control. Planning your conversation and keeping it precise & focused can ensure you neither wobble with your words nor keep the conversation repetitive with an obsession to put your point across. Initially, it may sound a bit ridiculous, but once you make a conscious effort, soon you will realize your speech has more clarity & purpose.
We need to master the art of communicating with our Bodies for our wellbeing. The body always communicates with us. It is just that we either don’t pay any heat to it. For instance, if the body feels it has been fed enough, it communicates to us with a burp telling us to stop eating. If you have a long night & missed your sleep, it will communicate to you with a burning sensation in your eyes.
If you are getting cracking sounds in your knees while walking, it means it is preempting us to look after our joints. A good communicator will understand these signals & will take preventive measures.
A simple thought, when your hand does not seek the help of your legs for doing its duties, how can your legs expect help from your hands for doing their duties? When you look before you leap & think before you speak, you would invariably be in control of the proceedings.
As mentioned earlier, age is just an arithmetical number. It is your thoughts & the discipline you maintain in your character that will determine how old you are! Are you young at 80 or old at 18?