Think your health and fitness would certainly be better if you could go back to younger days? Maybe not! We can’t assume that younger is healthier. We grow smarter as we mature, so managing our physical well-being, including fitness, may actually come more naturally, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Bright decision-making is on our side, with the skills to research better eating plans, the experience to know what’s been good for us before, the composure to choose well between alternatives, and the wisdom to know what our priorities should be.
For instance, here’s some very positive news about brain health that ought to make us all wonder if it's true we’re really NOT getting older, we’re getting better.
Although our ability to learn and remember gradually declines throughout adulthood, there’s mounting evidence that our skill at making sense of important information and experiences increases. This is what’s known as wisdom, and it’s something that scientists are just beginning to study. Its classic elements include sound judgement, psychological insight, diverse life experience, emotional control, empathetic understanding, and, of course, knowledge.
Wisdom-related knowledge often accumulates steadily through life. Thus, forgetfulness may not be totally due to mental deterioration. Rather, it may be our brains making room for a different type of intelligence.
– Thomas Crook, PhD, Research Program Director, National Institute of Mental Health
Forget where your keys are again? Oh, that’s just your brain naturally making room for some seriously mature smarts. In exchange for a little frustration, you get sound judgement, psychological insight and knowledge.
So if you were planning to use age as an excuse for less enthusiasm while building health and fitness, forget it. A few more birthdays and you may actually be better at it.