Can you look younger longer? Of course! Stop and think a moment about the people you know or go to some public place and do a little people watching. How young a person looks and feels has less to do with actual age and more to do with their state of body and mind. A man or woman of 75 or 80 can be more vibrant and alive than someone in their 40s who has lost the characteristics of youth.

The characteristics for youth include flexibility, balance, vitality, energy, normal weight, healthy body, strong muscles, alertness and clarity of mind. In contrast the descriptions for age include immobility, shuffling walk, irritability, lack of balance, poor disposition, fatigue, obesity, dull complexion, frequent illness, weak or flabby muscles and weakening of mind.

Youth is the obvious preference we seek. It has nothing to do with trying to look like a teenager or getting the latest body improvements at the operating table. It does involve trying to be the best we can be at our current chronological age. Each day we need to ask: What can I do today to make my life better?

It may seem like too big a challenge to regain youthful characteristics. But, surprise, there is really one major reason for that lack of vitality, nervousness and tension, poor blood circulation, excess weight, loss of muscle tone and weakening of the faculties of mind. Its improper care of the body and no one else can make those lifestyle changes for us. Within each of us are vital forces that need awakening and stimulating.

Sadly, most people spend more time caring for their automobile or other possessions than they do for their own body. Parents are often likely to take care of others first and mistakenly think their needs can wait until another day. Unfortunately, something more serious may not wait and the unprepared family is left to cope as best they can.

There is no quick, easy fix like popping a couple of magic pills each day or hiring someone else to perform the changes. Deciding to make the necessary lifestyle changes may well prove to be the hardest part! The actual changing is best approached one small step at a time.

The goal is to form new healthy habits and choices that will be followed for the rest of our life. It is foolish to think that these changes will need to be done for only a month or two. Once we go back to the old unhealthy habits we will go back to getting the same results that we got in the past. That is why diets and gastric bypass surgeries are showing such poor permanent results.

Optimum nutrition is the first building block to success. No food should ever be forbidden but decide to make healthy choices most of the time. The idea of forbidden foods always backfires that chocolate bar, or whatever, seems to be everywhere you go. Instead, think of it as a special treat to be used on rare occasions.

Knowing that no food is forbidden, just available less frequently, is the first big step into changing our diets. This is a time to have the adventure of exploring new foods and new ways to prepare some of the more familiar. There is a need to control kinds and quantities of fat and starch in the daily menus. It is a time to explore different flavors and textures. Mealtime should be a time to enjoy and savor food not something to gulp down while watching television.

The next building block is exercise done at your own pace in activities that you enjoy. None of us can ignore the wealth of scientific evidence proving the value of exercise for health and disease prevention. While some people may be eager to excel in athletic competition, most of us simply want the stamina and strength for participating in the normal daily events. The best part of exercise comes when you begin to recognize how much your energy has increased along the way.

The third building block is the mental/emotional outlook. Enjoying life, looking forward to creating new adventures, learning something new and having loving relationships with family and friends are all essential. Emotions affect not only our hearts but our immunity, creativity and quality of life. Happiness is contagious. It is like a magnet drawing others of all ages to us.

All of the things that make life rich and enjoyable vigor, vitality, optimism and probably most important of all, lack of illness and disease in other words, health, are the results of placing care of our own body at the top of the list. Once that occurs, you can ignore the calendar as the years fly by. Truly, you can look and feel younger longer.