Monday, September 17, 2012

WHY DO WE AGE?

By Inspiration author
Ada Brownell




 My skin is shriveling up like wadded paper while I’m still in it. My face is showing tracks of all my smiles and frowns. “You know, Mom, if you wore long dangly earrings I could use your wrinkles like venetian blinds,” my youngest son once told me—and that was years ago. Now my arms joined the show, the covering looking like a balloon that’s been blown up and released one time too many. My hide is so loose I could shake it like a dog’s instead of using a towel. If this keeps up, two people will fit in my skin.

 Why do our bodies age anyway? Some of us might make jokes about wrinkles, white hair, deafness and “senior moments,” but as my step-mother used to say, aging isn’t for sissies. David wrote, “Lord make me to know my end and what is the measure of my days that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, you have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before you” (Psalm 39:4-5).

 When I wrote the book, Swallowed by LIFE, Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal, I told how our cells are constantly dying and being replaced, rebuilding our bodies, including the skeleton, every seven years. Now I ask, “Why aren’t we like new every seven years?” In my research about aging, one section was titled, “Aging: A Vital Process.” (Not encouraging. ) “No matter what genes you have inherited, your body is continually undergoing complex biochemical reactions and ultimately, aging in the body,” explained Mark Stibich, Ph.D., author of Why We Age—Theories and Effects of Aging.

 Here are theories about why we grow old, and a few of my comments: • The human body is programmed to age. (Duh!) • Certain genes switch off and on over time (Turn them back on, Doc!) • Aging is caused by hormonal changes • Immune systems are programmed to lessen their battle against attack • Environmental damage (Where’s the EPA?) • Wear and tear of tissues and cells • A faster pace of living shortens life (What happened to wear out or rust out?) • Cross-linked proteins slow down body processes • Free radicals damage and impair cells • Cells malfunction because of genetic mutations Most of the above are theories, but seriously, we know our flesh gets sick, wears out and dies because of sin. That’s the harmful gene we inherit from Adam and Eve, and the only way to conquer it is to accept life eternal through God’s sacrifice for sin, the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (See John 3:16).

 HOW TO STAY YOUNGER AND LIVE LONGER (This is more than a theory) • Inherit longevity genes • Eat foods loaded with antioxidants such as green tea and blueberries • Exercise to limit muscle and bone loss • Keep cholesterol low • Use your brain cells to keep them fit • Practice positive thinking © Ada Brownell 2012 Ada’s blog:

http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com Ada Brownell is author of the book, Swallowed by LIFE. Paperbacks are available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Kindle version from Amazon.com


6 comments:

H L Wegley said...

Most of us geezers hope and pray for good health -- to die at the slowest possible rate -- but as you said, Ada, we've inherited this aging disease from Adam. Where I grew up, an older couple, Mom and Pop, became the default grandparents to all the kids in the neighborhood. When Pop, a Christian man, had a bad day, he used to tell us, "Growin' old ain't a sin, but it sure is inconvenient." You got that right, Pop, and I'm being inconvenienced a lot this morning. Can't wait for that new body that's coming some day.

Liz Flaherty said...

Great post! I have that same skin--lots of it!

DenaNetherton said...

I remember my mother saying, after a certain age, it's all maintenance. Well, I'm certainly at that age and I don't know how well I'm maintaining!

Patty Froese said...

I'm in my thirties, and just starting to see the signs of aging in my body. A few lines. More gray than I like, a change in the shape of my face, my body less willing to drop a few pounds. My mom keeps telling me that I should enjoy it while I have it, because a decade from now, I'll look back on this body and think "what I wouldn't give to look like that again." I really love your post today! I think you sound wonderful.

JoAnn S. said...

Ada,
I think we age because we've lost the "when I grow up I want to" syndrome! Even though our bodies betray us, we don't need to lose the sparkle of thinking/acting young. It's easier if we ingest tons of those anti toxins you suggest.

Ada Browrnell said...

Thank you for allowing me to be a guest on this unique blog. I enjoyed all the comments, with a smile that I hope puts lines in the right place! Actually, as my missionary friend says, when we have the Lord, every phase of life is more wonderful than the last. In the last two weeks I enjoyed a productive book signing and speaking tour. Although Swallowed by Life is my second book and I've done blog tours, these were new and satisfying experiences.