Ysiad

As I see Facebook newsfeed-featured photos of once upon a time classmates and teenaged friends growing older, I get nostalgic for days when it seemed everyone my age was full of curiosity and health.

Is it purely a game of genetic chance?

No, there is sufficient evidence to give me hope that with the right priorities – and a good dose of luck being spared serious accidents and medical conditions – we can continue growing healthier, more energetic, and more attractive both physically and mentally well into our elder years.

Small investments in exercise and healthful habits yield outsized returns as we grow old. It is part of the human condition that we must die. But not that we have to go down gently.

Every day, as we reinforce habits and build new ones, we have the choice to harness time and wield it, rather than prostrate ourselves before the ticking clock.