Originally published June 16, 2015 on Small Business Trendsetters
After reading an article that revealed two obvious, and one not so obvious, reasons why some people seem to stay so young, even into their 90s, Roberta Hladek did some of her own research. Staying young was a topic she found intriguing as a co-founder of EMC², a company that provides energetic balancing. Roberta also serves as Vice President of Operations, oversees marketing and Participant Resources.
Roberta has faced many of her own health challenges after being injured in a car accident. Her journey took her through a variety of natural and alternative health studies which incorporated acupuncture and homeopathy in conjunction with subtle energy research, physics, oriental healing arts, philosophy and spirituality. As Roberta experienced accelerated healing and achieved a full recovery, she was amazed regarding the tremendous shifts in her emotional well-being, not just her physical healing. Additionally, she is the inspiration for the character “Jennifer” in the novel Sanctuary: The Path to Consciousness.
This quest for health has inspired her to be a health educator and advocate for people around the world. Getting and staying healthy are two subjects near and dear to her heart.
We often hear and read articles about exercise and eating right. In fact, those were two of the top three reasons active seniors credited for their youthful appearance and behavior. However, it was the third reason people claimed for their success in finding their fountain of youth that inspired more in depth questions, and that secret was socializing.
Hladek stated; “Socializing is not mentioned in health journals anywhere near as much as exercise and eating right. Yet that may be the one secret that keeps people more motivated to do the first two even more.”
Walking with a friend or playing chess with a neighbor gives people a chance to exercise their body and mind. The joy of meeting with others regularly may contribute to lower blood pressure and helping to stay mentally healthy as stated in the AARP bulletin in November 2008.
Additionally, Hladek discovered that many of the ideas or rules about exercise and eating right were “bent quite a bit” by the most energetic of the seniors she had a chance to speak with recently. For instance, exercising might be something as simple as parking at the end of a parking lot and walking a few hundred extra feet on a regular basis. Her mother, as an example, still loves fast food but orders a healthier version of some of her favorites.
Living in a community with plenty of activities close by is possibly the one biggest motivators for people to stay active. Social activities and other active friends and neighbors keeps all of us energized and staying young at heart. As Roberta also said; “Socializing can lead to a sense of purpose and clarity in your life, and that may be the real Fountain of Youth.”