On December 11, 2022, I decided to travel backwards through time. In the six months until my 40th birthday, I want to reduce my biological age to that of a 20-year-old.
Today is halftime, so I should be arriving at 30 years!
Two weeks ago, two young women guessed I’m in my early 30s – in the sauna, of all places, where you can see all the details! So far, so good!
But why all this fuss about age at all? Please understand this: I think aging is absolutely fine. Looking older is a part of it, but the extent of visible change is variable and definitely open to question.
I have a game on my smartphone called Tinder. People show photos and a brief description of themselves, and you can express an interest in getting to know them across the spectrum of human interaction.
Are you laughing? Good, then I have your attention! What surprised me the most was how different people of the same age can look. Some have held up surprisingly well for their late 30s, others look like the living dead.
Again: I’m not primarily concerned with optics. I want the fitness, vitality and quality of life of a 20-year-old, not the looks. But appearance is the outward manifestation of overall physical condition.
There is a distinction between primary aging – the natural change in the renewal processes of our cells – and secondary aging – external influences such as disease, environmental toxins and general lifestyle. It is mainly in the latter that the major differences in individual constitution lie.
For me, health is one of the pillars of freedom. So frequently do we take health for granted that we only miss it when we become sick. And even if you’re always looking to take optimal care of your health, personal responsibility is king.
Even as a paying customer outside of traditional sick care, you can’t always get the health care you want. For the past three months, the office of a well-known orthomolecular doctor has repeatedly put me off and told me to call back in two months just to get an appointment!
Take care of yourself! Start early and take good care!
This last month, my focus has been primarily on mental and emotional health. Sufficient sleep, strong muscles and a varied diet create a body in which the spirit and soul want to live, but the temptations of the modern world are many.
A digital detox weekend in a spa hotel gave me the urgently needed reset. Doing only things that I felt like doing and that are good for me from morning to night was healing and a warning at the same time – I allow myself to be drawn into the maelstrom of unnecessary obligations too often.
Currently, my absolute game changer is my gratitude journal. It’s part of my evening routine –screens off, making and drinking tea, getting ready for bed, reading – and radically changes my perspective on life.
It’s understandable that we tend to focus on the negative and on potential dangers. Our prehistoric ancestors did well in interpreting a rustling in the bushes as a saber-toothed tiger and not as a squirrel.
But today, the focus on risk and danger sends us into a never-ending negative spiral. Consciously reflecting for ten minutes a day and writing down three small things that you are grateful for normalizes your relationship to good and bad.
Finally, here’s a great hack for your everyday life. I’m sure you know the feeling: something bad happens and the day seems lost. But why does it have to be the whole day?
Imagine you could divide your day into four parts. Now, when you get up on the wrong foot, you treat yourself to a miserable morning. But once midday comes, you have a new chance to succeed, just like in the afternoon and evening.
Once you’ve internalized this, divide your day into hours. Now you can allow yourself a bad hour, after that it’s time for a new beginning. Feel your emotion and then let it go.
It’s amazing how much this improves your quality of life!
#machdichfrei
Dein Ulrich
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