The baby boomers are a generation born between 1946 and 1964. Around 40 million women have a very different attitude to their mothers as to what it means to be old. Youthfulness can now be extended and maintained both physically and mentally well into old age. We are living longer than our parents and our grand-parents and have better standards of living and health care.

Life span has increased on average 30 years for women and 28 years for men. In the twenty first century a woman can now expect to live to be 80 years old and a man to be 70 years old. Medical treatments and techniques have reduced deaths and disabilities in old age and with better nutrition people remain active until much later in life.

Previous generations ate less meat and more vegetables and got a lot more exercise. Today there is a huge variety of food for the consumer to eat and obesity has overtaken starvation on the planet. It has long been known that a healthy diet and regular exercise help keep at bay the signs of aging and old age.

Diseases like cancer and heart disease kill more women than any other disease but can be tempered with a diet of health giving food rather than food that depletes the body of nourishment and lays down layers of fat instead.

Plastic surgery has been performed on people since the 6th century. World War I saw the beginning of the plastic surgery techniques which have evolved into the incredible procedures that can be performed today to repair the human body.

Cosmetic surgery is performed to improve the body and bring back a youthful appearance. There are very few parts of the body that cannot be nipped and tucked these days. Aside from evasive procedures such as breast augmentation, face lifts and tummy tucks, there is a menu of cosmetic treatments that can turn back the clock. To name but a few there is Botox, lip enhancement, chemical skin peels, laser treatments and teeth and skin whitening preparations. You can even have your ears pinned back and your virginity restored. There seems to be no end to the possibilities of staying young forever.

The holist health approach to aging is to look after yourself as naturally as you can. There is no need for harsh creams or liposuction if you look after your body’s nutritional, physical and mental needs. The fountain of youth is found in clean water and air, vitamin and mineral rich food, exercise and mental stimulation. Moving your body and sleeping regularly helps rid the body of toxins that cause old age. This is the passport to longevity and an energetic life.

Seeking out a spiritual or religious path for the soul brings harmony to the balance. When the mind, body and soul are working well together age is irrelevant. It is after all just a number. So many women do not look their age it is sometimes hard to tell who is mother and who is daughter.

To stay forever young is wonderful, but with aging comes the gift of no more periods and acting a little disgracefully, taking care of ourselves and getting creative. Guilt becomes redundant and spirituality takes a hold. Learning to accept yourself and the way things are brings wisdom from a lifetime of experience.

Living in the moment is the elixir of life. Stay with the rhythm and appreciate everything, good or bad. Growing old is a state of mind and to stay forever young needs your cooperation.

Appreciate the here and now.

To admire, to expand one's self, to forget the rut, to have a sense of newness and life and hope, is to feel young at any time of life.
~ Charles Horton Cooley