Remember studying Ponce de Leon’s search for the Fountain of Youth in the late 1400s and how it led him to the coast of Florida? He never found the fountain, but now researchers think they have: The pursuit of our passions is what keeps us young.
According to an article at IBNFeatures.com, “Research collected by the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging…supports the theory that being actively engaged in a stimulating activity can help slow the physical and cognitive aging process.”
Seems there’s a scientific link between exercise and improved heart health and cognitive faculties. A separate NIA-funded study discovered that people who engage in mentally challenging activity as adults have greater cognitive abilities by the time they reach old age.
The first NIA study reported cites the case of Eileen Kramer, who is “more active in her mid-90s than many of us are in our 60s. The Australian native has spent much of her life pursuing her passions in dance and the arts. Her many years with the celebrated Bodenwieser Dance Company, detailed in her autobiography, Walkabout Dancer, took her to exciting far-off lands, including Africa, India and Europe. After leaving Bodenwieser, she continued to dance, making her way from India to Europe and eventually to the United States. Kramer, who will turn 96 in November, remains active with the Trillium Performing Arts Collective of West Virginia.”
So the key is to find your passion and spend your lifetime exploring it. If you enjoy helping others attain a fit physique, maybe personal training is your passion.
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