Throughout history, there have been tales of about a legendary Fountain of Youth that could restore the health and vitality to anyone that drank from its waters. By the 1500’s the Fountain’s legend became so popular that famous Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce De Leon gave up on acquiring treasure and spent his energy searching for these waters of longevity. Even though Ponce De Leon went on to discover Florida as a result of his quest, the Fountain of Youth still alluded him and every man that has sought it since. Today, the secrets of how such a Fountain can deliver youth would be considered priceless. Those priceless secrets, however, are exactly what I offer in this blog today. And surprisingly, they are absolutely free.
When Birds Go To Sleep With Bats, They Wake Up Upside Down
I have been told that if you want something that someone else has, just study the strategies they utilize, implement them and anything can be yours. Since I wanted to investigate youth, I decided that I would study and spend time around the youngest person I knew, my three year old daughter. I have often heard the challenge that you should try to spend a day doing everything that your child does. I took this challenge thinking that it would be time well spent and she would get to learn a Rooney trick or two from her “old man.” Instead, I was reminded of a number of profound secrets to staying young. After only a half day with her, I think she may have been the most valuable “consultant” I have worked with in some time. Too bad Ponce De Leon wasted his time seeking what was probably in front of him all along.
Secret #1 Get A Full Night Of Sleep
My daughter woke up on her own that morning and got me up. Amazingly, she did that without an alarm clock and woke on her own terms. The fact that she properly managed her time by going to bed early gave her a full night’s rest and had her happy, cheerful and wide awake. I was not so lucky. As a result of having been “too busy” the night before, I was up working on a manual much later than I should have been. I was left tired and not as refreshed as I would like to be upon waking.
Secret #2 Eat A Healthy Breakfast
Immediately she marched me downstairs to get her something to eat. I know my daughter is no nutritionist, but she instinctively knew to fill her body with nutrients following the night of fasting and her choice was her usual: some eggs, fresh fruit and juice. Instead of having my usual rushed protein shake, I sat and had the same breakfast as her. It was nice to have a few minutes to eat instead of being “too busy” and hammering down something that probably isn’t really as nutritious as it says it is just to get out the door.
Secret #3 Stay “On Purpose” and Have Fun
After breakfast and dressing, I noticed an interesting trend: the purpose of her day revolved entirely around having fun. If it was fun, she was doing it. If it was not, she did everything in her power to return to being “on purpose” and having fun. She clearly knew her purpose and was lost in activities that fulfilled this mission. Throughout the morning I noticed another trend: she did a lot of laughing. I have read that a 3-4 year old laughs up to 300 times a day. Comparing that to the “too busy” adult that laughs 15, I can see that our purpose is less about having fun than it is to deny fun in order to get the stuff done that is keeping us “too busy.”
Secret #4 Get Daily Exercise
In order to stay on purpose, my daughter demanded a trip to the park. We walked down to the schoolyard and she proceeded to climb, slide, swing, jump and run around the park for over an hour. Instead of acting “too busy” by standing and checking my cell phone while she exercised, I chased her around and got a taste of a three year old workout. After the hour of constant movement, I could see her leading “Park Boot Camp” quite successfully in the near future.
Secret #5 Make Sure To Take Rests
After we returned home, it was another snack of fruit, a yogurt and then she took a nap. I can’t remember the last time I got a solid nap in, but she reminded me that rest is the critical time to recover get stronger from the activities you have performed. I had gotten “too busy” to remember that periodic rest is as important as playing hard. For those that think taking some recovery is not important because you believe “you are doing nothing,” imagine instead that you are doing the most important thing. You are coming back stronger to do more.
Don’t Make Sleep, Exercise, Diet or Humor “Expendable”
As my daughter drifted off for that hour, I realized that many of us have conditioned ourselves that it is acceptable to eat poorly, skip exercise, miss sleep and be too serious to laugh. When I ask most people why they think this has happened, the classic answer is that they just got “too busy.” It is not acceptable to live an expendable life.
Although it is hard to precisely define what “too busy” means, it is easy to conclude that it is unhealthy. I have been told that the excuse of having no time for the important aspects of life is like saying you have no time to pull over for gas because you are too busy driving. In both cases, if you keep them up too long, you will be stopped dead in your tracks.
Perhaps the greatest reminder I can give you is that sleep, exercise, food and laughter are all medicinal. In the right doses these critical elixirs can keep you young, but as soon you begin to develop a deficiency, you will start to get old. The question for each one of us that may be “too busy” is this: Are you making sure you are meeting your daily requirement?
Stay young.
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